Sbt Issue Fixing

sbt Issue Fixing

Use this skill to build local issue reproductions under local-temp/issues, validate reported sbt behavior, and implement focused fixes when requested.

Issue Reproduction Conventions

Store issue minimizations under local-temp/issues.

Folder Naming

• Create one folder per issue reproduction.
• Use <issue-id>-issue-name-kebab-case, where <issue-id> is the GitHub issue number and issue-name-kebab-case is a short kebab-case name derived from the issue title.

Required Folder Shape

Each issue reproduction folder should contain:

• README.md
• reproduce.sh
• build.sbt
• the minimal source files needed for the issue

Do not create or rely on a persistent project/build.properties unless strictly necessary for issue reproduction. The reproduction script owns sbt version selection and passes it on the command line; see SBT Version Selection.

Do not keep generated state in the reproduction folder. Generated .bsp/, target/, project/target/, .repro-cache/, and any launcher-created project/build.properties must be cleaned by the script.

Reproduction Fidelity

• Follow the GitHub issue report closely when it includes a minimization. Preserve the same project names, project paths, settings, dependency edges, command, and the presence or absence of source files.
• Keep reproduction mechanics outside the minimized build whenever possible. Cache isolation, sbt version selection, cleanup, and output matching belong in reproduce.sh, not in build.sbt or project/build.properties.
• Always verify the reproduction by running the script after creating or changing it.
• Do not decide reproduction from sbt's exit code alone. Match a focused, issue-specific output fragment that uniquely identifies the reported failure, without matching an entire stack trace.

SBT Version Selection

The sbt version is always passed on the command line, never via a persistent project/build.properties.

• For bare mode, pass the local snapshot version via --sbt-version.
• For --direct mode, pass the affected sbt version via --sbt-version.

The sbt 2.x launcher writes project/build.properties automatically when --sbt-version is passed. The script's post-run cleanup must remove that file so the reproduction folder is clean between runs.

SBT Version Modes

Every reproduction script must support exactly these two modes:

• ./reproduce.sh (bare) - publishes this checkout's sbt snapshot via publishLocalBin, then runs the minimized command directly with the local snapshot version passed via --sbt-version.
• ./reproduce.sh --direct - runs the minimized command using the installed sbt from PATH with the affected sbt version from the bug report passed via --sbt-version.

For bare mode:

• Use the repository root ./sbt to publish.
• Use the installed sbt from PATH to run the minimized command, so the local snapshot is resolved from the publish step.
• The version is the snapshot version from the repository's build.sbt (val v = "...").

For --direct mode:

• Run from the issue reproduction folder.
• Use the installed sbt command from PATH.
• The version is the affected sbt version from the bug report, typically 2.0.0.
• The --sbt-version value is hardcoded in the script, not read from any file.

Script Lifecycle

The script is a self-contained procedure that owns its own state. It must follow this order:

1. Pre-run cleanup: remove .bsp/, target/, project/target/, any launcher-created project/build.properties, and the .repro-cache/ directory. Create fresh .repro-cache/{boot,global,local-cache,coursier-cache} subdirectories.
2. Set state: pass the right --sbt-version for the current mode. The script is the only thing that should ever write project/build.properties; when sbt's launcher auto-writes it from --sbt-version, the script must clean it up.
3. Run sbt with isolated caches: SBT_LOCAL_CACHE, COURSIER_CACHE, CSR_CACHE, -Dsbt.global.base, -Dsbt.boot.directory, -Dsbt.io.virtual=false, and -Dsbt.server.autostart=false.
4. Post-run cleanup via trap on EXIT: remove project/build.properties, project/target, .bsp, and target so the folder is clean between runs.

Do not manually edit project/build.properties or other generated reproduction-folder files between runs. The script owns its own state; if generated state remains after a run, fix the script's cleanup.

Script Requirements

reproduce.sh must:

• be executable
• follow the Script Lifecycle above
• stream sbt output to the terminal without hiding stdout or stderr
• print exactly one final reproduction verdict: REPRODUCED: yes or REPRODUCED: no
• return control cleanly even when sbt fails

The cleanup must be part of the script itself. Do not rely on manual cleanup before running the script.

SBT 2 Cache Isolation

SBT 2 uses an operating-system-level action cache by default, so deleting only target/ is not enough for clean reproductions.

Each reproduction must isolate its sbt state under a project-local .repro-cache/ directory and delete that directory before each run.

Use this layout:

• .repro-cache/local-cache for sbt.global.localcache and SBT_LOCAL_CACHE
• .repro-cache/global for sbt.global.base
• .repro-cache/boot for sbt.boot.directory
• .repro-cache/coursier-cache for COURSIER_CACHE and CSR_CACHE when running the minimization directly

For direct sbt runs, prefer:

SBT_LOCAL_CACHE="$PWD/.repro-cache/local-cache" \
COURSIER_CACHE="$PWD/.repro-cache/coursier-cache" \
CSR_CACHE="$PWD/.repro-cache/coursier-cache" \
sbt --server \
  -Dsbt.io.virtual=false \
  -Dsbt.server.autostart=false \
  -Dsbt.boot.directory="$PWD/.repro-cache/boot" \
  -Dsbt.global.base="$PWD/.repro-cache/global" \
  -Dsbt.global.localcache="$PWD/.repro-cache/local-cache" \
  update

Use --server plus -Dsbt.io.virtual=false and -Dsbt.server.autostart=false for direct runs so the native sbtn client does not intercept or rewrite arguments.

Do not use --sbt-boot in the direct-mode command; use -Dsbt.boot.directory=... instead.

README Requirements

Each reproduction README.md must use separate sections for different reproduction styles:

• Reproduce With Script - document both modes (./reproduce.sh and ./reproduce.sh --direct) and explain what each tests
• Clean Reproduction State - project-local cache cleanup command
• Manual Reproduction With Locally Published sbt - publishLocalBin plus direct run with --sbt-version <snapshot>
• Manual Reproduction With <affected version> - direct end-user run with --sbt-version <affected> and no project/build.properties edit

The README must include:

• the issue number as a markdown link to the GitHub issue
• the two one-command script paths: bare and --direct
• the local-publish path using ./sbt publishLocalBin
• the direct end-user path from the issue folder using only installed sbt and --sbt-version
• the project-local cache cleanup command
• the focused description of the expected failure on affected sbt versions

Fixing Issues

Fix Implementation Standard

• Reproduce the reported issue before implementing a fix whenever feasible.
• Fixes must be surgical: use the smallest code diff that fixes the issue.
• Avoid opportunistic refactors, formatting churn, broad cleanup, or behavior changes outside the failing path.
• Do not add comments to the sbt codebase in the fix diff unless the code would otherwise be materially unclear.
• Add or update tests for the fixed behavior. Prefer focused tests for small scopes and scripted tests when file changes and task coordination are central to the bug.

Planning a Fix

When the user asks for a plan:

• State what must be reproduced and what command or script will prove it.
• Identify the likely subsystem and files to inspect.
• Propose the smallest behavior change that could fix the issue.
• Specify the regression test shape.
• Specify validation commands for both the affected behavior and the fixed behavior.

Validation Required For Every Code Change

Every change to issue minimization code or sbt implementation code must be validated before it is considered complete.

For the affected baseline, validate that:

• The reproduction emits the expected erroneous behavior.
• Any regression test fails for the same underlying reason, when such a baseline test run is practical.

For the fixed code, validate that:

• The reproduction no longer emits the erroneous behavior.
• The regression test passes.
• The relevant compile or test command succeeds.

If validation uses an equivalent local checkout or patched workspace instead of a direct baseline-vs-fixed comparison, state that explicitly in the validation report.