BEP referenced local file (Is a directory) warning on Bazel 9.0.0rc6

[lbcjbb]

Description of the bug:

From Bazel 9.0.0rc1 to 9.0.0rc6, when building an executable target with remote cache (not necessarily in BwoB) and a BES backend (json file, text file or remote grpc backend) we have a warning:

WARNING: Uploading BEP referenced local file <bazel-out>/k8-fastbuild/bin/foo.sh.runfiles: <bazel-out>/k8-fastbuild/bin/foo.sh.runfiles (Is a directory)

• No warning with Bazel 8.4 and 8.5.
• No warning without --build_event_publish_all_actions, or without BES, or without remote cache.

Which category does this issue belong to?

Core

What's the simplest, easiest way to reproduce this bug? Please provide a minimal example if possible.

• MODULE.bazel

module(name = "playground")

• def.bzl

def _my_rule_impl(ctx):
    f = ctx.actions.declare_file(ctx.label.name + ".sh")
    ctx.actions.write(f, "", is_executable = True)

    return DefaultInfo(executable = f)

my_rule = rule(
    implementation = _my_rule_impl,
    executable = True,
)

• BUILD.bazel

load("//:def.bzl", "my_rule")

my_rule(name = "foo")

• .bazelrc

common --remote_cache="grpc://localhost:9092"

# common --bes_backend="grpc://localhost:8090"
common --build_event_json_file="/tmp/bep.json"
common --build_event_publish_all_actions

• .bazelversion

9.0.0rc6

---

$ bazel build //:foo

INFO: Invocation ID: 775ea0a9-f92b-4d56-9f0f-5a16b8e3c5a7
INFO: Analyzed target //:foo (5 packages loaded, 7 targets configured).
WARNING: Uploading BEP referenced local file <bazel-out>/k8-fastbuild/bin/foo.sh.runfiles: <bazel-out>/k8-fastbuild/bin/foo.sh.runfiles (Is a directory)
INFO: Found 1 target...
Target //:foo up-to-date:
  bazel-bin/foo.sh
INFO: Elapsed time: 0.181s, Critical Path: 0.00s
INFO: 6 processes: 6 internal.
INFO: Build completed successfully, 6 total actions
INFO: Running command line: bazel-bin/foo.sh
INFO: Build Event Protocol files produced successfully.

Which operating system are you running Bazel on?

linux/amd64

What is the output of bazel info release?

release 9.0.0rc6

If this is a regression, please try to identify the Bazel commit where the bug was introduced with bazelisk --bisect.

Maybe 4b8334c

Have you found anything relevant by searching the web?

Another similar issue I found was #19847.

[coeuvre]

@lbcjbb Would it possible for you to use bazelisk --bisect to identify which commit broke this?

[lbcjbb]

Already done 😄

If this is a regression, please try to identify the Bazel commit where the bug was introduced >> with bazelisk --bisect.

Maybe 4b8334c

#
# OK d4898880309159c4eb373d09359fca0ce255ba64
#

$ USE_BAZEL_VERSION=d4898880309159c4eb373d09359fca0ce255ba64 bazel build --discard_analysis_cache //:foo
Starting local Bazel server and connecting to it...
INFO: Invocation ID: 4e74520f-eda4-4a75-8d66-31a074fce821
WARNING: Couldn't auto load rules or symbols, because no dependency on module/repository 'protobuf' found. This will result in a failure if there's a reference to those rules or symbols.
WARNING: Couldn't auto load rules or symbols, because no dependency on module/repository 'rules_android' found. This will result in a failure if there's a reference to those rules or symbols.
INFO: Analyzed target //:foo (5 packages loaded, 7 targets configured).
INFO: Found 1 target...
Target //:foo up-to-date:
  bazel-bin/foo.sh
INFO: Elapsed time: 1.805s, Critical Path: 0.02s
INFO: 2 processes: 3 action cache hit, 2 internal.
INFO: Build completed successfully, 2 total actions
INFO: Build Event Protocol files produced successfully.

#
# KO 4b8334cae2ce947c47e093705d2e9795597c3726
#

$ USE_BAZEL_VERSION=4b8334cae2ce947c47e093705d2e9795597c3726 bazel build --discard_analysis_cache //:foo
Starting local Bazel server and connecting to it...
INFO: Invocation ID: 9433c530-8ce7-4ba5-9abb-1971ad280b09
WARNING: Couldn't auto load rules or symbols, because no dependency on module/repository 'protobuf' found. This will result in a failure if there's a reference to those rules or symbols.
WARNING: Couldn't auto load rules or symbols, because no dependency on module/repository 'rules_android' found. This will result in a failure if there's a reference to those rules or symbols.
INFO: Analyzed target //:foo (5 packages loaded, 7 targets configured).
WARNING: Uploading BEP referenced local file <bazel-out>/k8-fastbuild/bin/foo.sh.runfiles: <bazel-out>/k8-fastbuild/bin/foo.sh.runfiles (Is a directory)
INFO: Found 1 target...
Target //:foo up-to-date:
  bazel-bin/foo.sh
INFO: Elapsed time: 1.796s, Critical Path: 0.02s
INFO: 3 processes: 3 action cache hit, 3 internal.
INFO: Build completed successfully, 3 total actions
INFO: Build Event Protocol files produced successfully.

[fmeum]

@coeuvre I suspect that this is a result of

bazel/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/actions/Artifact.java

Line 619 in 135a03b

return isTreeArtifact() || isFileset();

not returning true for runfiles artifacts. Changing that could have implications for all call sites though.

[tjgq]

Speculative targeted fix: replace .isDirectory() with .isDirectory() || .isRunfilesTree() in https://cs.opensource.google/bazel/bazel/+/master:src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/buildeventstream/BuildEvent.java;l=82;drc=cc1e0a6ba439764fea48e1f8035419aa44313f05?

[lbcjbb]

I don't know why, but metadata.getType() doesn't return DIRECTORY for runfiles artifacts.

diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/buildeventstream/BuildEvent.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/buildeventstream/BuildEvent.java
index f13c8f01ec..911c538a68 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/buildeventstream/BuildEvent.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/buildeventstream/BuildEvent.java
@@ -76,10 +76,11 @@ public interface BuildEvent extends ChainableEvent, ExtendedEventHandler.Postabl
           return switch (metadata.getType()) {
             case DIRECTORY -> LocalFileType.OUTPUT_DIRECTORY;
             case SYMLINK -> LocalFileType.OUTPUT_SYMLINK;
-            default -> LocalFileType.OUTPUT_FILE;
+            default -> (artifact.isRunfilesTree() ? LocalFileType.OUTPUT_DIRECTORY : LocalFileType.OUTPUT_FILE);
           };
         }
-        if (artifact.isDirectory()) {
+
+        if (artifact.isDirectory() || artifact.isRunfilesTree()) {
           return LocalFileType.OUTPUT_DIRECTORY;
         } else if (artifact.isSymlink()) {
           return LocalFileType.OUTPUT_SYMLINK;

The warning disappears with this quick fix.

[tjgq]

The warning disappears with this quick fix.

Thanks for confirming that it works.

I don't know why, but metadata.getType() doesn't return DIRECTORY for runfiles artifacts.

Good observation. That's probably because RunfilesArtifactValue.getMetadata returns a FileArtifactValue whose type is FILE, not DIRECTORY: https://cs.opensource.google/bazel/bazel/+/master:src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/actions/RunfilesArtifactValue.java;l=84;drc=9ba7cb15b2dd2e6348d8496a21e594977fcd6fde

Let's not rush into submitting my proposed fix - we might want to consider a more comprehensive one. I also want to hear @lberki's opinion, as he carried out most of the runfiles overhaul in 8.x and 9.x.