Subject: bug#64059: Sudden unexplained error during guix pull: "channel dependency has an invalid introduction field"

From: "N. Y." <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2023 01:56:12 +0000

Hi all,

I am suddenly having errors with guix pull while pulling my own custom
channels, after upgrading guix yesterday. My custom channels has not
changed since early April. I am sure I was able to pull from my custom
channels when I last upgraded around early June.

The error is "channel dependency has an invalid introduction field," but
the introduction fields of my custom channels have the same form as those I
use for GNU guix and nonguix channels which I can pull without errors; and
the channel introductions and GPG fingerprints are unchanged from the last
time I was able to pull successfully (I have the channels.scm file under
version control).

There are two private channels. Including either of them are sufficient to
replicate the error; at least one is necessary to replicate the error.

Command line output:

ning@bluecoral ~/roamdb/notes/tasks$ guix pull
Updating channel 'guix' from Git repository at '
https://git.savannah.gnu.org/git/guix.git'...
Updating channel 'nonguix' from Git repository at '
https://gitlab.com/nonguix/nonguix'...
Updating channel 'ninguix' from Git repository at '
https://github.com/ning-y/ninguix'...
/home/ning/.cache/guix/checkouts/y6rzf466if75ebhoqonk2dqs6ac5d75tvkvziqptmqvawztuphda/.guix-channel:10:4:
error: channel dependency has an invalid introduction field

ning@bluecoral ~/roamdb/notes/tasks$ guix --version
guix (GNU Guix) b94cbbbce70f59b795526a0ed305facf041e6faa
Copyright (C) 2023 the Guix authors
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

ning@bluecoral ~/roamdb/notes/tasks$ cat ~/.config/guix/channels.scm
(list (channel
        (name 'guix)
        (url "https://git.savannah.gnu.org/git/guix.git")
        (branch "master")
        (introduction
          (make-channel-introduction
            "9edb3f66fd807b096b48283debdcddccfea34bad"
            (openpgp-fingerprint
              "BBB0 2DDF 2CEA F6A8 0D1D  E643 A2A0 6DF2 A33A 54FA"))))
      (channel
        (name 'nonguix)
        (url "https://gitlab.com/nonguix/nonguix")
        (branch "master")
        (introduction
          (make-channel-introduction
            "897c1a470da759236cc11798f4e0a5f7d4d59fbc"
            (openpgp-fingerprint
              "2A39 3FFF 68F4 EF7A 3D29  12AF 6F51 20A0 22FB B2D5"))))
      (channel
        (name 'ninguix)
        (url "https://github.com/ning-y/ninguix")
        (branch "main")
        (introduction
          (make-channel-introduction
            "3f7eb8b5064445d72649b1b27f714b86f3946a9a"
            (openpgp-fingerprint
              "4523 A758 035C 5177 7A8F  1E1F 2CB0 E8CD 7035 5FB7"))))
      (channel
        (name 'ninguix-private)
        (url "[email-masked]:ning-y/ninguix-private.git")
        (branch "main")
        (introduction
          (make-channel-introduction
            "01f91f7dba5a4949a0719e0ff0e85bb8b0050128"
            (openpgp-fingerprint
              "4523 A758 035C 5177 7A8F  1E1F 2CB0 E8CD 7035 5FB7")))))