Strange problem with RPM build workflow

[lordofscripts]

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Question

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Misc

Discussion Details

I am using the rpmbuild workflow and after many iterations, i have not gotten it right. I gives this RPMBUILD error on Github (I can build it locally without problems):

RPM build errors:
Error: action failed with error: Error: The process '/usr/bin/rpmbuild' failed with exit code 1
/usr/bin/ls /github/home/rpmbuild/RPMS
/usr/bin/mkdir -p rpmbuild/SRPMS
stdout: 
stderr: 
/usr/bin/mkdir -p rpmbuild/RPMS
/usr/bin/cp /github/home/rpmbuild/SRPMS/ rpmbuild/SRPMS
cp: -r not specified; omitting directory '/github/home/rpmbuild/SRPMS/'
Error: The process '/usr/bin/cp' failed with exit code 1

The culprit is that cp command but neither my workflow nor my RPM spec file contain a cp command explicitely. It uses the standard %install RPM macro.

I am tired of so many commits and removing tags to create them again to get the workflow re-tried.

[Ryan-Wylie]

Hi @lordofscripts,

Thanks for sharing the details of your issue. It looks like you’re getting the following error when running your RPM build workflow via GitHub Actions:

/usr/bin/ls /github/home/rpmbuild/RPMS
/usr/bin/mkdir -p rpmbuild/SRPMS
stdout:
stderr:
/usr/bin/mkdir -p rpmbuild/RPMS
/usr/bin/cp /github/home/rpmbuild/SRPMS/ rpmbuild/SRPMS
cp: -r not specified; omitting directory '/github/home/rpmbuild/SRPMS/'
Error: The process '/usr/bin/cp' failed with exit code 1

From your message, you’re not explicitly calling cp in your workflow or spec file, so it’s likely something in the RPM macro or build environment is creating this command implicitly. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Here are a few suggestions to help you debug and resolve it:

---

Things to check

1. Inspect the %install section of your spec file
   Since you mentioned %install is used, check if it or any of its scripts / macros implicitly use cp on the SRPMS directory. Some macros may copy sources or outputs and incorrectly assume flags like -r.

2. Confirm directory structure in the build environment
   After /usr/bin/rpmbuild, check whether rpmbuild/SRPMS/ is a directory or a file. The error suggests that cp treats it as a directory but -r was not given — maybe the workflow changes permissions, ownership, or creates an alternate structure.

3. Modify the cp command if possible
   If it is your custom script, update cp to use -r when copying directories. If it’s coming from a macro, you may override or adjust it. For example:

   %install
   mkdir -p %{buildroot}/SRPMS/
   cp -r %{_srcrpmdir}/* %{buildroot}/SRPMS/

Adjust paths accordingly to your build setup.

4. Add debugging output in the workflow
   In your Actions job, add steps to ls -al the current directories before and after the build to see how the file system looks. This will help confirm whether rpmbuild/SRPMS exists and whether it is empty, a file or directory.

5. Clean the build environment between runs
   You noted many iterations and tag resets. Ensure no leftover files or directories are causing inconsistent state. A fresh workspace could remove side-effects.

---

Example snippet for debugging

Here’s a minimal addition to your workflow before the build step:

- name: Debug directory structure
  run: |
    ls -R rpmbuild
    echo "----"
    ls -R rpmbuild/SRPMS || echo "SRPMS not present"

After that, run the build and inspect the logs. See whether the SRPMS directory is present and whether it has contents.

---

If you like, I can help you craft a corrected spec file snippet targeted at your specific build (for example if you use rpmbuild -ba vs rpmbuild -bb, or if you handle sources differently). Just share the relevant parts (the %install section and workflow snippet) and I can help adjust it.

Let me know how it goes.