Latest source fails to configure in refreshed dev-almalinux-9.4 container: Geant4 pkg-config dependency not found

[zhaozhiwen]

Latest gemc/src on main fails during Meson configure inside the official/refreshed GEMC container image:

ghcr.io/gemc/src:dev-almalinux-9.4

The container entrypoint is sourced before running the build command. geant4-config is available, but Meson fails when resolving Geant4 through
pkg-config:

meson/meson.build:97:13: ERROR: Dependency "geant4" not found, tried pkgconfig

Desktop / Environment

- OS / host: JLab-like Linux environment using Apptainer
- Container image: ghcr.io/gemc/src:dev-almalinux-9.4
- Refreshed SIF timestamp: 2026-06-03 22:04 -0400
- GEMC source commit: 67ca36399e92877b75bfc18cb6ff865ffb4be179
- Commit date: 2026-06-03 22:04:28 -0400
- Compiler: GCC 11.5.0
- Geant4: 11.4.1
- ROOT: 6.38.04
- Meson: 1.10.2
- Python: 3.9.25
- Apptainer: 1.5.0

To Reproduce Compilation Behavior

apptainer pull --force src_dev-almalinux-9.4.sif docker://ghcr.io/gemc/src:dev-almalinux-9.4

apptainer exec \
  --bind "$PWD:$PWD" \
  --pwd "$PWD" \
  src_dev-almalinux-9.4.sif \
  bash -lc 'set -e; source /usr/local/bin/docker-entrypoint.sh; git clone https://github.com/gemc/src gemc-src && cd gemc-src && meson setup
  build --prefix="$PWD/install"'

Observed configure failure:

Run-time dependency geant4 found: NO (tried pkgconfig)
meson/meson.build:97:13: ERROR: Dependency "geant4" not found, tried pkgconfig

Additional diagnostic after sourcing /usr/local/bin/docker-entrypoint.sh:

geant4-config --version
# 11.4.1

echo "$PKG_CONFIG_PATH"
# /cvmfs/oasis.opensciencegrid.org/geant4/g4install/almalinux9-gcc11-x86_64/geant4/11.4.1/lib64/pkgconfig:...

pkg-config --modversion geant4
# Package geant4 was not found in the pkg-config search path.

find / -path "*geant4*.pc" shows no geant4.pc under the active Geant4 11.4.1 pkgconfig directory, though G4ptl.pc exists there. There are
geant4.pc files under GEMC install/pkgconfig paths after the helper script runs, but Meson still fails resolving dependency('geant4', method:
'pkg-config').

Relevant source line:

geant4_dep = dependency('geant4', version : '>=11.3.2', method : 'pkg-config', include_type : 'system')

Expected behavior

A fresh clone of gemc/src should configure successfully inside the official refreshed dev-almalinux-9.4 container after sourcing /usr/local/
bin/docker-entrypoint.sh.

Actual behavior

Meson configure fails before compile/install because dependency('geant4', method : 'pkg-config') cannot resolve geant4.

Additional context

This is distinct from an earlier failure seen with an older cached SIF, where configure reached pygemc and failed because Python 3.9.25 did not
satisfy pygemc >=3.10. After refreshing the SIF, the first configure failure is now the Geant4 pkg-config dependency.


**Filing Steps**

1. Go to: https://github.com/gemc/src/issues/new
2. Choose **Bug report**.
3. Use the title above.
4. Paste the body draft.
5. Attach or link these local logs if useful:
   - [summary.md](/w/halla-scshelf2102/solid/zwzhao/codex/gemc3_test/results/gemc3_source/20260604T020510794270451Z/summary.md)
   - [configure.stdout.log](/w/halla-scshelf2102/solid/zwzhao/codex/gemc3_test/results/gemc3_source/20260604T020510794270451Z/
   configure.stdout.log)
   - [status.env](/w/halla-scshelf2102/solid/zwzhao/codex/gemc3_test/results/gemc3_source/20260604T020510794270451Z/status.env)

[maureeungaro]

I gave up con alma9 container because it needed the newer python and when tried to install it, the workflow ran out of space or memory, no matter what I tried.

This container is obsolete please use alma 10.