emacs-app @29.4_1+imagemagick+nativecomp+rsvg+treesitter: Failed to activate

[eschnett (Erik Schnetter)]

I am trying to install emacs-app "+imagemagick+nativecomp+rsvg+treesitter". This fails:

$ sudo port install emacs-app "+imagemagick+nativecomp+rsvg+treesitter"
--->  Computing dependencies for emacs-app
--->  Activating emacs-app @29.4_1+imagemagick+nativecomp+rsvg+treesitter
Error: Failed to activate emacs-app: Image error: Source file /opt/local/var/macports/software/emacs-app/emacs-app-29.4_1+imagemagick+nativecomp+rsvg+treesitter.darwin_24.arm64/Applications/MacPorts/Emacs.app/Contents/Frameworks/native-lisp/29_4-ca101c6e/subr--trampoline-782d7365727665722d6d61782d726571756573742d73697a65_x_server_max_request_size_0.eln does not appear to exist.  Unable to activate port emacs-app.
    while executing
"throw registry::image-error "Image error: Source file $srcfile does not appear to exist.  Unable to activate port ${portname}.""
    ("foreach" body line 10)
    invoked from within
"foreach file $imagefiles {
                incr progress_step
                _progress update $progress_step $progress_total_steps
                se..."
    invoked from within
"registry::write {
            foreach file $imagefiles {
                incr progress_step
                _progress update $progress_step $progress_..."
Error: See /opt/local/var/macports/logs/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_macports_release_tarballs_ports_editors_emacs/emacs-app/main.log for details.
Error: Follow https://guide.macports.org/#project.tickets if you believe there is a bug.
Error: Processing of port emacs-app failed

[eschnett (Erik Schnetter)]

I am running Sequoia 15.0.1 on

Darwin Redshift-3.local 24.0.0 Darwin Kernel Version 24.0.0: Tue Sep 24 23:37:25 PDT 2024; root:xnu-11215.1.12~1/RELEASE_ARM64_T6030 arm64 arm Darwin

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Please attach the main.log file.

[eschnett (Erik Schnetter)]

Attached.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Josh, is this a base bug? The log doesn't have much in it. No fetching, no building, just failed activation.

[jmroot (Joshua Root)]

Hard to say. If the file is actually missing from the image, it's WAI.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

So then maybe the next troubleshooting step is to uninstall the port, clean it, and try to install it again. Try:

sudo port clean emacs-app
sudo port uninstall emacs-app
sudo port install emacs-app +imagemagick +nativecomp +rsvg +treesitter

If it fails again, please attach the new main.log file; maybe it will have more complete information in it.

[eschnett (Erik Schnetter)]

Log file including build output

[eschnett (Erik Schnetter)]

Done. The build still fails, with the same error message.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

But you'll notice the new log is 3.8MB compared to the old log's 11.4KB so we now have more information we can analyze.

For example, I see this in the new log:

:info:install a ./Applications/MacPorts/Emacs.app/Contents/Frameworks/native-lisp/29_4-ca101c6e/subr--trampoline-782d7365727665722d6d61782d726571756573742d73697a65_x_server_max_request_size_0.eln
:info:install a ./Applications/MacPorts/Emacs.app/Contents/Frameworks/native-lisp/29_4-ca101c6e/ebnf-dtd-3a6441e4-ed9e4a3a.eln
:info:install x ./Applications/MacPorts/Emacs.app/Contents/Frameworks/native-lisp/29_4-ca101c6e/._subr--trampoline-782d7365727665722d6d61782d726571756573742d73697a65_x_server_max_request_size_0.eln
:info:install x ./Applications/MacPorts/Emacs.app/Contents/Frameworks/native-lisp/29_4-ca101c6e/ebnf-dtd-3a6441e4-ed9e4a3a.elna ./Applications/MacPorts/Emacs.app/Contents/Frameworks/native-lisp/29_4-ca101c6e/vcursor-f24573d4-9fbe65a0.eln

Lines beginning with a are adding files to an archive. Lines beginning with x are extracting files from an archive. They seem to be happening simultaneously. This seems unusual to me but the way that ports are activated was overhauled in MacPorts 2.10.0 and I am not yet familiar with it so it may be normal.

What caught my eye about this though is that for this file that you're having a problem with—subr--trampoline-782d7365727665722d6d61782d726571756573742d73697a65_x_server_max_request_size_0.eln—I see an entry where its name is preceded by ._ (and this is the only file that does this). Such files have caused us problems with activation before; see #60749. The question is why this port seems to have a ._ file and how we can get rid of it.

[jjstickel (Jonathan Stickel)]

Same for emacs (which makes sense, give emacs-app is a subport of emacs):

--->  Activating emacs @29.4_1+nativecomp+treesitter+x11
Error: Failed to activate emacs: Image error: Source file /opt/local/var/macports/software/emacs/emacs-29.4_1+nativecomp+treesitter+x11.darwin_24.arm64/opt/local/lib/emacs/29.4/native-lisp/29.4-e48838b5/subr--trampoline-782d7365727665722d6d61782d726571756573742d73697a65_x_server_max_request_size_0.eln does not appear to exist.  Unable to activate port emacs.
    while executing
"throw registry::image-error "Image error: Source file $srcfile does not appear to exist.  Unable to activate port ${portname}.""
    ("foreach" body line 10)
    invoked from within
"foreach file $imagefiles {
                incr progress_step
                _progress update $progress_step $progress_total_steps
                se..."
    invoked from within
"registry::write {
            foreach file $imagefiles {
                incr progress_step
                _progress update $progress_step $progress_..."

FWIW, disabling the nativecomp variant (-nativecomp) allows emacs and emacs-app to build, install, and activate cleanly on Sequoia.

[jdw13]

similar issue with "port install emacs +x11"

I am able to install "port install emacs" and it builds/runs nicely. However, "port install emacs +x11" fails in a similar fashion. Environmental:

MacBook Air M1, 2020, running
macOS Sequoia 15.1
Xcode 16.1 (with corresponding CLI for Xcode 16.1)
port version 2.10.3.

I have the main.log file if you need to see it.

--->  Computing dependencies for emacs
--->  Activating emacs @29.4_1+nativecomp+treesitter+x11
Error: Failed to activate emacs: Image error: Source file /opt/local/var/macports/software/emacs/emacs-29.4_1+nativecomp+treesitter+x11.darwin_24.arm64/opt/local/lib/emacs/29.4/native-lisp/29.4-7e261f80/subr--trampoline-782d7365727665722d6d61782d726571756573742d73697a65_x_server_max_request_size_0.eln does not appear to exist.  Unable to activate port emacs.
    while executing
"throw registry::image-error "Image error: Source file $srcfile does not appear to exist.  Unable to activate port ${portname}.""
    ("foreach" body line 10)
    invoked from within
"foreach file $imagefiles {
                incr progress_step
                _progress update $progress_step $progress_total_steps
                se..."
    invoked from within
"registry::write {
            foreach file $imagefiles {
                incr progress_step
                _progress update $progress_step $progress_..."
Error: See /opt/local/var/macports/logs/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_macports_release_tarballs_ports_editors_emacs/emacs/main.log for details.
Error: Follow https://guide.macports.org/#project.tickets if you believe there is a bug.
Error: Processing of port emacs failed

[jjstickel (Jonathan Stickel)]

Replying to jdw13:

similar issue with "port install emacs +x11"

I am able to install "port install emacs" and it builds/runs nicely. However, "port install emacs +x11" fails in a similar fashion.

Have you tried installing without the default nativcomp variant? Like so: port install emacs +x11 -nativecomp.

[jdw13]

Yes, thanks. That works for me, and emacs starts in a new x-window just as it should.

Thanks a bunch, I have never used the "-nativecomp" before but perhaps I should.'

I still get the cosmetic(?) assertion message when emacs is invoked, as has been happening for many years ever since I started using "+x11" I don't know what tree-sitter is but could it be that I need to install that to get rid of the error message?

$ emacs

(process:4854): GLib-GIO-CRITICAL **: 19:07:35.363: g_settings_schema_source_lookup: assertion 'source != NULL' failed
magosin-M1-Air: (macports) /Users/jw/macports
$

$ sudo port clean emacs
--->  Cleaning emacs
magosin-M1-Air: (macports) /Users/jw/macports
$ sudo port install emacs +x11 -nativecomp 
--->  Computing dependencies for emacs
--->  Fetching archive for emacs
--->  Attempting to fetch emacs-29.4_1+treesitter+x11.darwin_24.arm64.tbz2 from https://packages.macports.org/emacs
--->  Attempting to fetch emacs-29.4_1+treesitter+x11.darwin_24.arm64.tbz2 from http://bos.us.packages.macports.org/emacs
--->  Attempting to fetch emacs-29.4_1+treesitter+x11.darwin_24.arm64.tbz2 from https://mirrors.mit.edu/macports/packages/emacs
--->  Fetching distfiles for emacs
--->  Verifying checksums for emacs
--->  Extracting emacs
--->  Applying patches to emacs
--->  Configuring emacs
Warning: Configuration logfiles contain indications of -Wimplicit-function-declaration; check that features were not accidentally disabled:
  MIN: found in emacs-29.4/config.log
  __fpending: found in emacs-29.4/config.log
  re_set_syntax: found in emacs-29.4/config.log
  re_compile_pattern: found in emacs-29.4/config.log
  re_search: found in emacs-29.4/config.log
  alignof: found in emacs-29.4/config.log
Warning: Configuration logfiles contain indications of -Wimplicit-int; check that features were not accidentally disabled:
  found in emacs-29.4/config.log
--->  Building emacs
--->  Staging emacs into destroot                                    
      [   ⢠  ⢠  ⢠  ⢠  ⢠  ⢠  ⢠  ⢠  ⢠  ⢠  ⢠  â¢]
.....snip....
  __fpending: found in emacs-29.4/config.log
  re_set_syntax: found in emacs-29.4/config.log
  re_compile_pattern: found in emacs-29.4/config.log
  re_search: found in emacs-29.4/config.log
  alignof: found in emacs-29.4/config.log
Warning: Configuration logfiles contain indications of -Wimplicit-int; check that features were not accidentally disabled:
  found in emacs-29.4/config.log
--->  Building emacs
--->  Staging emacs into destroot                                    
--->  Installing emacs @29.4_1+treesitter+x11                        
--->  Activating emacs @29.4_1+treesitter+x11
--->  Cleaning emacs                                     
--->  Scanning binaries for linking errors
--->  No broken files found.                             
--->  No broken ports found.
--->  Some of the ports you installed have notes:
  emacs has the following notes:
    To install tree-sitter grammar libraries not required by built-in *-ts-modes, please use M-x treesit-install-language-grammar.
    For details, please refer to etc/NEWS or the Emacs Lisp reference manual.

[berthoud (Marc Berthoud)]

Replying to jdw13: Same result as for jdw13:

• Started with fresh 15.1 install on M4 with Xcode, macports and XQuarz.
• Same error as observed by eschnett, on sudo port install emacs +X11 (first package installed by port)
• The -nativecomp option worked just as it did for jdw13, jjstickel thank you for the workaround.

Is it possible to make -nativecomp option default as it appears to be a prerequisite for successfully installing emacs?

Contact me if there's anything I can do to help with debugging.

[wyuenho (Jimmy Yuen Ho Wong)]

This problem still exists on Emacs 30. Something's wrong with the way we compile GCC 14.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Replying to wyuenho:

Something's wrong with the way we compile GCC 14.

What makes you think that? Can you be more specific about what you think is wrong?

[wyuenho (Jimmy Yuen Ho Wong)]

This problem did not exist on Sonoma but only started to appear in Sequoia. During the build process, emacs --with-native-compilation will compile every Elisp file into machine code. Some Elisp files advice or override a primitive function defined in C, when compiled, a trampoline will be generated for the override, that's what that missing subr--trampoline-782d7365727665722d6d61782d726571756573742d73697a65_x_server_max_request_size_0.eln is supposed to be. The file is missing because GCC JIT failed to compile the override into a trampoline. This not only happens during the build process, it happens during regular use as well. If you have some Elisp code in your init.el file overriding a primitive function, sometimes GCC 14's GIT will fail to build a trampoline and an error results in the async native compile buffer.

[wyuenho (Jimmy Yuen Ho Wong)]

As a reference, I think these two issues are related.

#71528

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Has duplicate #72121.

[jjstickel (Jonathan Stickel)]

I noticed recently that the buildbot is providing a binary package of emacs-app with +nativecomp. So I tried compiling it locally, and it is in fact working now. So maybe this ticket can be closed. I am on Sequoia 15.5.