Subject: Re: bug#77395: "error: too many loops" with Automake 1.17

From: Karl Berry <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2025 15:06:14 -0600

at /usr/share/automake-1.17/Automake/Channels.pm line 658.
               Automake::Channels::msg("automake", "", "too many loops") 

Thanks for the report.

    The full reproducer is this:

Thanks.

    Is this issue known?

It was also reported for current Alpine, but not in a way I could
reproduce it.  https://debbugs.gnu.org/cgi/bugreport.cgi?bug=75605

Two other bug reports in the past years: 47848 and 49901.

In these cases, it was related to older macros in the package tree
overwriting newer macros found elsewhere, or redefining Autoconf
macros. You might read through 49901, which sounds likely to be the same
problem, with some fixes and references.

Of course it would be better for Automake to give a comprehensible error
message, but that might be tough to do.

    Any ideas for a true fix?

We'll have to look.

Bogdan or Nick or anyone -- if you have time to look into this, that
would be great. It will be at least a couple of weeks before I have a
chance. --thanks again, karl.