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Failure of zef to detect installed modules #624
Description
tl;dr when zef tries to install a module, it is not looking at all the places where a module may exist, even though a zef info call will find such module.
The fix is to run zef --/precompile-install
Suggestion: if there is a failure to find a module, could the error message include the suggestion to run zef with --/precompile-install
$ zef info RakuConfig
<snip out detail>
- Installed: Yes
~/Software/Elucid8/elucid8-build$ zef install .
===> Staging Elucid8::Build:ver<0.12.11>:auth<zef:finanalyst>
===SORRY!=== Error while compiling /home/richard/Software/Elucid8/elucid8-build/site#sources/E652C0363A37664D4CE13325184E4F1C2E7DF7A3 (Elucid8-Add-UI-lang)
Could not find RakuConfig in:
/tmp/.zef.1787063837.40206/1787063839.40206.6926.250460813025
/home/richard/.rakubrew/versions/moar-2026.07/install/share/perl6/site
/home/richard/.rakubrew/versions/moar-2026.07/install/share/perl6/vendor
/home/richard/.rakubrew/versions/moar-2026.07/install/share/perl6/core
CompUnit::Repository::AbsolutePath<3104897634328>
CompUnit::Repository::NQP<3104904315440>
CompUnit::Repository::Perl5<3104904315480>
at /home/richard/Software/Elucid8/elucid8-build/site#sources/E652C0363A37664D4CE13325184E4F1C2E7DF7A3 (Elucid8-Add-UI-lang):3
$ zef --/precompile-install install .
===> Staging Elucid8::Build:ver<0.12.11>:auth<zef:finanalyst>
===> Staging [OK] for Elucid8::Build:ver<0.12.11>:auth<zef:finanalyst>
===> Testing: Elucid8::Build:ver<0.12.11>:auth<zef:finanalyst>
===> Testing [OK] for Elucid8::Build:ver<0.12.11>:auth<zef:finanalyst>
===> Installing: Elucid8::Build:ver<0.12.11>:auth<zef:finanalyst>
Activity
ugexe commentedon Aug 18, 2026
The error you're seeing is from rakudo because there is no precompiled files for
RakuConfig. By disabling precomp it doesn't need to find those precomp files, but that is just a workaround to the problem. I suspect the actual issue might be related to #623finanalyst commentedon Aug 18, 2026
I realised that the failure was somehow related to Rakudo rather than zef, because a
zef info RakuConfigwas finding RakuConfig, and also the tests forElucid8::Build(in the example above) rely on RakuConfig working. So at some point a compiled version is found - probably generated on the fly. Though why tests work when the compilation stage does not is confusing.What I was suggesting is that a 'Could not find ...' error contains the suggestion that the --/precompile-install flag is used.