Unhelpful error message about failure to parse compatibility version

[giordano]

Since yesterday I can't update the global environment nor add new package:

(@v1.4) pkg> up
   Updating registry at `~/.julia/registries/General`
   Updating git-repo `https://github.com/JuliaRegistries/General.git`
ERROR: Could not parse compatibility version for dependency `julia`

I have no clue where the problem is, it would be great if the error message pointed the user to where the issue is (which project file).

The only thing I could do is to fire up Debugger.jl to at least get a stacktrace:

julia> using Debugger, Pkg

julia> @enter Pkg.update()
[ Info: tracking Pkg
In #up#44(kwargs, ) at /usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.4/Pkg/src/API.jl:193
 189      return
 190  end
 191  
 192  up(ctx::Context; kwargs...)                            = up(ctx, PackageSpec[]; kwargs...)
>193  up(; kwargs...)                                        = up(PackageSpec[]; kwargs...)
 194  up(pkg::Union{AbstractString, PackageSpec}; kwargs...) = up([pkg]; kwargs...)
 195  up(pkgs::Vector{<:AbstractString}; kwargs...)          = up([PackageSpec(pkg) for pkg in pkgs]; kwargs...)
 196  up(pkgs::Vector{PackageSpec}; kwargs...)               = up(Context(), pkgs; kwargs...)
 197  
 198  

About to run: (getindex)(Pkg.Types.PackageSpec)
1|debug> n
   Updating registry at `~/.julia/registries/General`
   Updating git-repo `https://github.com/JuliaRegistries/General.git`
ERROR: Could not parse compatibility version for dependency `julia`
Stacktrace:
 [1] open(::Pkg.Types.var"#26#27"{String}, ::Tuple{String}; kwargs::Base.Iterators.Pairs{Union{},Union{},Tuple{},NamedTuple{(),Tuple{}}}) at io.jl:300
 [2] open(::Pkg.Types.var"#26#27"{String}, ::Tuple{String}) at io.jl:296
 [3] read_project(::String) at /buildworker/worker/package_linux64/build/usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.4/Pkg/src/project.jl:143
 [4] (::DataType)(::String) at /buildworker/worker/package_linux64/build/usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.4/Pkg/src/Types.jl:285
 [5] collect_developed!(::Pkg.Types.Context, ::Pkg.Types.PackageSpec, ::Array{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec,1}) at /buildworker/worker/package_linux64/build/usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.4/Pkg/src/Operations.jl:253
 [6] collect_developed(::Pkg.Types.Context, ::Array{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec,1}) at /buildworker/worker/package_linux64/build/usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.4/Pkg/src/Operations.jl:266
 [7] resolve_versions!(::Pkg.Types.Context, ::Array{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec,1}) at /buildworker/worker/package_linux64/build/usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.4/Pkg/src/Operations.jl:314
 [8] up(::Pkg.Types.Context, ::Array{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec,1}, ::Pkg.Types.UpgradeLevel) at /buildworker/worker/package_linux64/build/usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.4/Pkg/src/Operations.jl:1172
 [9] up(::Pkg.Types.Context, ::Array{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec,1}; level::Pkg.Types.UpgradeLevel, mode::Pkg.Types.PackageMode, update_registry::Bool, kwargs::Base.Iterators.Pairs{Union{},Union{},Tuple{},NamedTuple{(),Tuple{}}}) at /buildworker/worker/package_linux64/build/usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.4/Pkg/src/API.jl:224
 [10] up(::Pkg.Types.Context, ::Array{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec,1}) at /buildworker/worker/package_linux64/build/usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.4/Pkg/src/API.jl:201
 [11] up(::Array{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec,1}; kwargs::Base.Iterators.Pairs{Union{},Union{},Tuple{},NamedTuple{(),Tuple{}}}) at /buildworker/worker/package_linux64/build/usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.4/Pkg/src/API.jl:196
 [12] up(::Array{Pkg.Types.PackageSpec,1}) at /buildworker/worker/package_linux64/build/usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.4/Pkg/src/API.jl:196
 [13] up(; kwargs::Base.Iterators.Pairs{Union{},Union{},Tuple{},NamedTuple{(),Tuple{}}}) at /buildworker/worker/package_linux64/build/usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.4/Pkg/src/API.jl:193
 [14] up() at /buildworker/worker/package_linux64/build/usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.4/Pkg/src/API.jl:193

[fredrikekre]

I have no clue where the problem is, it would be great if the error message pointed the user to where the issue is (which project file).

It is always the active project file.

[KristofferC]

It is always the active project file.

Are you sure? It also looks at devved packages / packages tracking by branch, right?

[fredrikekre]

Ah, true.

[giordano]

Yes, the problem was in a deved package. I had to use Debugger and add a breakpoint with break_on(:error) to find which one had the wrong compat specification.