Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox #2186

Open
Open
Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox#2186
Labels
bugSomething isn't working

Description

@AlgebraicWolf
AlgebraicWolf
opened on Aug 25, 2026

When an element has a dependency with an open workspace, that dependency's artifacts get staged with their real mtimes instead of the magic timestamp. This can cause differences between builds with and without the workspace.

Steps to reproduce

A small project to reproduce the issue:

.
├── a.txt
├── elements
│ ├── a.bst
│ ├── alpine.bst
│ └── b.bst
└── project.conf

The context of a.txt are irrelevant, it can be left empty. elements/a.bst carries a.txt:

kind: import
sources:
- kind: local
path: a.txt
config:
target: /

elements/b.bst has a.bst and alpine.bst as build dependencies:

kind: manual
build-depends:
- alpine.bst
- a.bst
project.conf and alpine.bst are set up to pull alpine image

alpine.bst:

kind: import
description: |
Alpine Linux base runtime
sources:
- kind: tar
# This is a post doctored, trimmed down system image
# of the Alpine linux distribution.
#
url: alpine:integration-tests-base.v1.x86_64.tar.xz
ref: 3eb559250ba82b64a68d86d0636a6b127aa5f6d25d3601a79f79214dc9703639

project.conf:

# Unique project name
name: bug-repro
# Required BuildStream version
min-version: 2.7
# Subdirectory where elements are stored
element-path: elements
aliases:
alpine: https://bst-integration-test-images.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/

When no workspace is open, building b.bst, opening its build sandbox, and checking the mtime of a.txt shows that all is well, and modification time is normalised:

$ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[20440600@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 2 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

If a.bst's workspace is opened first, the modification time is no longer the magic timestamp but the actual a.bst's build time instead:

$ bst workspace open a.bst
...
$ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[e1f40f6c@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt
File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 3 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2026-08-25 11:06:30.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

Activity

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      , 'i'); if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) { injectUserscript("// Add copy buttons to all 
       blocks\n(function() {\n function addCopyButtons() {\n document.querySelectorAll('pre code').forEach(function(codeBlock) {\n if (codeBlock.parentElement.hasAttribute('data-copy-added')) return;\n codeBlock.parentElement.setAttribute('data-copy-added', 'true');\n \n var btn = document.createElement('button');\n btn.textContent = 'Copy';\n btn.style.cssText = 'position:absolute;top:4px;right:4px;padding:2px 8px;font-size:11px;background:#4ecdc4;border:none;border-radius:4px;color:#1a1a2e;cursor:pointer;opacity:0.7;transition:opacity 0.2s;';\n btn.onmouseover = function() { this.style.opacity = '1'; };\n btn.onmouseout = function() { this.style.opacity = '0.7'; };\n btn.onclick = function() {\n navigator.clipboard.writeText(codeBlock.textContent).then(function() {\n btn.textContent = 'Copied!';\n setTimeout(function() { btn.textContent = 'Copy'; }, 1500);\n });\n };\n codeBlock.parentElement.style.position = 'relative';\n codeBlock.parentElement.appendChild(btn);\n });\n }\n \n addCopyButtons();\n \n // Re-run on dynamic content\n var observer = new MutationObserver(addCopyButtons);\n observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true });\n})();", "Add Copy Buttons to Code Blocks");
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Add Copy Buttons to Code Blocks]', __e); }
})();
(function(){
try {
var __m = "github.com";
var __re = new RegExp('^' + "github\\.com" + '

      Skip to content
      Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox #2186
      Open
      Open
      Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox#2186
      Labels
      bugSomething isn't working
      Description
      @AlgebraicWolf
      AlgebraicWolf
      opened on Aug 25, 2026
      When an element has a dependency with an open workspace, that dependency's artifacts get staged with their real mtimes instead of the magic timestamp. This can cause differences between builds with and without the workspace.
      Steps to reproduce
      A small project to reproduce the issue:
      .
├── a.txt
├── elements
│ ├── a.bst
│ ├── alpine.bst
│ └── b.bst
└── project.conf

      The context of a.txt are irrelevant, it can be left empty. elements/a.bst carries a.txt:
      kind: import
sources:
- kind: local
path: a.txt
config:
target: /

      elements/b.bst has a.bst and alpine.bst as build dependencies:
      kind: manual
build-depends:
- alpine.bst
- a.bst

      project.conf and alpine.bst are set up to pull alpine image
      alpine.bst:
      kind: import
description: |
Alpine Linux base runtime
sources:
- kind: tar
# This is a post doctored, trimmed down system image
# of the Alpine linux distribution.
#
url: alpine:integration-tests-base.v1.x86_64.tar.xz
ref: 3eb559250ba82b64a68d86d0636a6b127aa5f6d25d3601a79f79214dc9703639

      project.conf:
      # Unique project name
name: bug-repro
# Required BuildStream version
min-version: 2.7
# Subdirectory where elements are stored
element-path: elements
aliases:
alpine: https://bst-integration-test-images.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/

      When no workspace is open, building b.bst, opening its build sandbox, and checking the mtime of a.txt shows that all is well, and modification time is normalised:
      $ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[20440600@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 2 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

      If a.bst's workspace is opened first, the modification time is no longer the magic timestamp but the actual a.bst's build time instead:
      $ bst workspace open a.bst
...
$ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[e1f40f6c@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt
File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 3 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2026-08-25 11:06:30.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

      Activity
      Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment
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      No one assigned
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        bugSomething isn't working
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          None yet
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, 'i');
if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) {
injectUserscript("// Force GitHub README to respect dark mode\n(function() {\n var style = document.createElement('style');\n style.textContent = '\n .markdown-body {\n color-scheme: dark light;\n }\n .markdown-body pre { background: #161b22 !important; }\n .markdown-body code { background: rgba(110, 118, 129, 0.4) !important; }\n .markdown-body table th, .markdown-body table td { border-color: #30363d !important; }\n .markdown-body img { background: #0d1117; }\n .markdown-body blockquote { border-left-color: #8b949e; }\n .markdown-body hr { border-color: #30363d; }\n ';\n document.head.appendChild(style);\n})();", "GitHub Dark Mode README Fix");
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:GitHub Dark Mode README Fix]', __e); }
})();
(function(){
try {
var __m = "*";
var __re = new RegExp('^' + ".*" + '

          Skip to content
          Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox #2186
          Open
          Open
          Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox#2186
          Labels
          bugSomething isn't working
          Description
          @AlgebraicWolf
          AlgebraicWolf
          opened on Aug 25, 2026
          When an element has a dependency with an open workspace, that dependency's artifacts get staged with their real mtimes instead of the magic timestamp. This can cause differences between builds with and without the workspace.
          Steps to reproduce
          A small project to reproduce the issue:
          .
├── a.txt
├── elements
│ ├── a.bst
│ ├── alpine.bst
│ └── b.bst
└── project.conf

          The context of a.txt are irrelevant, it can be left empty. elements/a.bst carries a.txt:
          kind: import
sources:
- kind: local
path: a.txt
config:
target: /

          elements/b.bst has a.bst and alpine.bst as build dependencies:
          kind: manual
build-depends:
- alpine.bst
- a.bst

          project.conf and alpine.bst are set up to pull alpine image
          alpine.bst:
          kind: import
description: |
Alpine Linux base runtime
sources:
- kind: tar
# This is a post doctored, trimmed down system image
# of the Alpine linux distribution.
#
url: alpine:integration-tests-base.v1.x86_64.tar.xz
ref: 3eb559250ba82b64a68d86d0636a6b127aa5f6d25d3601a79f79214dc9703639

          project.conf:
          # Unique project name
name: bug-repro
# Required BuildStream version
min-version: 2.7
# Subdirectory where elements are stored
element-path: elements
aliases:
alpine: https://bst-integration-test-images.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/

          When no workspace is open, building b.bst, opening its build sandbox, and checking the mtime of a.txt shows that all is well, and modification time is normalised:
          $ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[20440600@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 2 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

          If a.bst's workspace is opened first, the modification time is no longer the magic timestamp but the actual a.bst's build time instead:
          $ bst workspace open a.bst
...
$ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[e1f40f6c@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt
File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 3 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2026-08-25 11:06:30.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

          Activity
          Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment
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          No one assigned
            Labels
            bugSomething isn't working
            Type
            No type
            Projects
            No projects
              Milestone
              No milestone
              Relationships
              None yet
              Development
              No branches or pull requests
              Issue actions
              
, 'i');
if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) {
injectUserscript("// Highlight search terms from Google/DuckDuckGo/Bing referrer\n(function() {\n var ref = document.referrer;\n var terms = [];\n \n if (ref.includes('google.com') || ref.includes('duckduckgo.com') || ref.includes('bing.com')) {\n var url = new URL(ref);\n var q = url.searchParams.get('q') || url.searchParams.get('p');\n if (q) {\n terms = q.split(/\\s+/).filter(function(t) { return t.length > 2; });\n }\n }\n \n if (terms.length === 0) return;\n \n var style = document.createElement('style');\n style.textContent = '.userscript-highlight { background: #fbbf24; color: #1a1a2e; padding: 1px 3px; border-radius: 2px; }';\n document.head.appendChild(style);\n \n function highlight(node) {\n if (node.nodeType === 3) { // text node\n var text = node.textContent;\n var found = false;\n terms.forEach(function(term) {\n var regex = new RegExp('(' + term.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\\]\\\\]/g, '\\\\') + ')', 'gi');\n if (regex.test(text)) {\n found = true;\n var frag = document.createDocumentFragment();\n var parts = text.split(regex);\n parts.forEach(function(part, i) {\n if (i % 2 === 0) {\n frag.appendChild(document.createTextNode(part));\n } else {\n var span = document.createElement('span');\n span.className = 'userscript-highlight';\n span.textContent = part;\n frag.appendChild(span);\n }\n });\n node.parentNode.replaceChild(frag, node);\n }\n });\n } else if (node.nodeType === 1 && node.childNodes) { // element\n var skipTags = ['SCRIPT', 'STYLE', 'NOSCRIPT', 'TEXTAREA', 'INPUT', 'SELECT'];\n if (!skipTags.includes(node.tagName)) {\n Array.from(node.childNodes).forEach(highlight);\n }\n }\n }\n \n highlight(document.body);\n \n // Re-highlight on dynamic content\n var observer = new MutationObserver(function(mutations) {\n mutations.forEach(function(m) {\n m.addedNodes.forEach(function(node) {\n if (node.nodeType === 1 || node.nodeType === 3) highlight(node);\n });\n });\n });\n observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true });\n})();", "Highlight Search Terms");
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Highlight Search Terms]', __e); }
})();
(function(){
try {
var __m = "*";
var __re = new RegExp('^' + ".*" + '

              Skip to content
              Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox #2186
              Open
              Open
              Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox#2186
              Labels
              bugSomething isn't working
              Description
              @AlgebraicWolf
              AlgebraicWolf
              opened on Aug 25, 2026
              When an element has a dependency with an open workspace, that dependency's artifacts get staged with their real mtimes instead of the magic timestamp. This can cause differences between builds with and without the workspace.
              Steps to reproduce
              A small project to reproduce the issue:
              .
├── a.txt
├── elements
│ ├── a.bst
│ ├── alpine.bst
│ └── b.bst
└── project.conf

              The context of a.txt are irrelevant, it can be left empty. elements/a.bst carries a.txt:
              kind: import
sources:
- kind: local
path: a.txt
config:
target: /

              elements/b.bst has a.bst and alpine.bst as build dependencies:
              kind: manual
build-depends:
- alpine.bst
- a.bst

              project.conf and alpine.bst are set up to pull alpine image
              alpine.bst:
              kind: import
description: |
Alpine Linux base runtime
sources:
- kind: tar
# This is a post doctored, trimmed down system image
# of the Alpine linux distribution.
#
url: alpine:integration-tests-base.v1.x86_64.tar.xz
ref: 3eb559250ba82b64a68d86d0636a6b127aa5f6d25d3601a79f79214dc9703639

              project.conf:
              # Unique project name
name: bug-repro
# Required BuildStream version
min-version: 2.7
# Subdirectory where elements are stored
element-path: elements
aliases:
alpine: https://bst-integration-test-images.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/

              When no workspace is open, building b.bst, opening its build sandbox, and checking the mtime of a.txt shows that all is well, and modification time is normalised:
              $ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[20440600@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 2 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

              If a.bst's workspace is opened first, the modification time is no longer the magic timestamp but the actual a.bst's build time instead:
              $ bst workspace open a.bst
...
$ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[e1f40f6c@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt
File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 3 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2026-08-25 11:06:30.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

              Activity
              Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment
              Metadata
              Metadata
              Assignees
              No one assigned
                Labels
                bugSomething isn't working
                Type
                No type
                Projects
                No projects
                  Milestone
                  No milestone
                  Relationships
                  None yet
                  Development
                  No branches or pull requests
                  Issue actions
                  
, 'i');
if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) {
injectUserscript("// Strip utm_, fbclid, gclid, etc. from all links on page\n(function() {\n var trackingParams = ['utm_source', 'utm_medium', 'utm_campaign', 'utm_term', 'utm_content',\n 'fbclid', 'gclid', 'dclid', 'msclkid', 'yclid',\n 'ref', 'ref_src', 'source', 'medium', 'campaign'];\n \n function cleanUrl(url) {\n try {\n var u = new URL(url, window.location.origin);\n var changed = false;\n trackingParams.forEach(function(p) {\n if (u.searchParams.has(p)) {\n u.searchParams.delete(p);\n changed = true;\n }\n });\n return changed ? u.toString() : url;\n } catch (e) {\n return url;\n }\n }\n \n function cleanLinks() {\n document.querySelectorAll('a[href]').forEach(function(a) {\n var clean = cleanUrl(a.href);\n if (clean !== a.href) a.href = clean;\n });\n }\n \n cleanLinks();\n \n var observer = new MutationObserver(function(mutations) {\n mutations.forEach(function(m) {\n m.addedNodes.forEach(function(node) {\n if (node.nodeType === 1) {\n if (node.tagName === 'A') cleanLinks();\n node.querySelectorAll('a[href]').forEach(function(a) {\n var clean = cleanUrl(a.href);\n if (clean !== a.href) a.href = clean;\n });\n }\n });\n });\n });\n observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true });\n})();", "Remove Tracking Parameters from Links");
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Remove Tracking Parameters from Links]', __e); }
})();
(function(){
try {
var __m = "youtube.com";
var __re = new RegExp('^' + "youtube\\.com" + '

                  Skip to content
                  Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox #2186
                  Open
                  Open
                  Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox#2186
                  Labels
                  bugSomething isn't working
                  Description
                  @AlgebraicWolf
                  AlgebraicWolf
                  opened on Aug 25, 2026
                  When an element has a dependency with an open workspace, that dependency's artifacts get staged with their real mtimes instead of the magic timestamp. This can cause differences between builds with and without the workspace.
                  Steps to reproduce
                  A small project to reproduce the issue:
                  .
├── a.txt
├── elements
│ ├── a.bst
│ ├── alpine.bst
│ └── b.bst
└── project.conf

                  The context of a.txt are irrelevant, it can be left empty. elements/a.bst carries a.txt:
                  kind: import
sources:
- kind: local
path: a.txt
config:
target: /

                  elements/b.bst has a.bst and alpine.bst as build dependencies:
                  kind: manual
build-depends:
- alpine.bst
- a.bst

                  project.conf and alpine.bst are set up to pull alpine image
                  alpine.bst:
                  kind: import
description: |
Alpine Linux base runtime
sources:
- kind: tar
# This is a post doctored, trimmed down system image
# of the Alpine linux distribution.
#
url: alpine:integration-tests-base.v1.x86_64.tar.xz
ref: 3eb559250ba82b64a68d86d0636a6b127aa5f6d25d3601a79f79214dc9703639

                  project.conf:
                  # Unique project name
name: bug-repro
# Required BuildStream version
min-version: 2.7
# Subdirectory where elements are stored
element-path: elements
aliases:
alpine: https://bst-integration-test-images.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/

                  When no workspace is open, building b.bst, opening its build sandbox, and checking the mtime of a.txt shows that all is well, and modification time is normalised:
                  $ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[20440600@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 2 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

                  If a.bst's workspace is opened first, the modification time is no longer the magic timestamp but the actual a.bst's build time instead:
                  $ bst workspace open a.bst
...
$ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[e1f40f6c@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt
File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 3 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2026-08-25 11:06:30.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

                  Activity
                  Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment
                  Metadata
                  Metadata
                  Assignees
                  No one assigned
                    Labels
                    bugSomething isn't working
                    Type
                    No type
                    Projects
                    No projects
                      Milestone
                      No milestone
                      Relationships
                      None yet
                      Development
                      No branches or pull requests
                      Issue actions
                      
, 'i');
if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) {
injectUserscript("// Auto-enable theater mode on YouTube\n(function() {\n function tryTheater() {\n var btn = document.querySelector('button[aria-label=\"Theater mode\"], ytd-player #player button[title=\"Theater mode\"]');\n if (btn && !btn.classList.contains('activated')) {\n btn.click();\n }\n }\n \n // Try immediately\n tryTheater();\n \n // Try after navigation (SPA)\n var lastUrl = location.href;\n setInterval(function() {\n if (location.href !== lastUrl) {\n lastUrl = location.href;\n setTimeout(tryTheater, 500);\n }\n }, 1000);\n \n // Also try on player load\n var observer = new MutationObserver(tryTheater);\n observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true });\n})();", "YouTube Theater Mode Default");
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:YouTube Theater Mode Default]', __e); }
})();
(function(){
try {
var __m = "*";
var __re = new RegExp('^' + ".*" + '

                      Skip to content
                      Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox #2186
                      Open
                      Open
                      Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox#2186
                      Labels
                      bugSomething isn't working
                      Description
                      @AlgebraicWolf
                      AlgebraicWolf
                      opened on Aug 25, 2026
                      When an element has a dependency with an open workspace, that dependency's artifacts get staged with their real mtimes instead of the magic timestamp. This can cause differences between builds with and without the workspace.
                      Steps to reproduce
                      A small project to reproduce the issue:
                      .
├── a.txt
├── elements
│ ├── a.bst
│ ├── alpine.bst
│ └── b.bst
└── project.conf

                      The context of a.txt are irrelevant, it can be left empty. elements/a.bst carries a.txt:
                      kind: import
sources:
- kind: local
path: a.txt
config:
target: /

                      elements/b.bst has a.bst and alpine.bst as build dependencies:
                      kind: manual
build-depends:
- alpine.bst
- a.bst

                      project.conf and alpine.bst are set up to pull alpine image
                      alpine.bst:
                      kind: import
description: |
Alpine Linux base runtime
sources:
- kind: tar
# This is a post doctored, trimmed down system image
# of the Alpine linux distribution.
#
url: alpine:integration-tests-base.v1.x86_64.tar.xz
ref: 3eb559250ba82b64a68d86d0636a6b127aa5f6d25d3601a79f79214dc9703639

                      project.conf:
                      # Unique project name
name: bug-repro
# Required BuildStream version
min-version: 2.7
# Subdirectory where elements are stored
element-path: elements
aliases:
alpine: https://bst-integration-test-images.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/

                      When no workspace is open, building b.bst, opening its build sandbox, and checking the mtime of a.txt shows that all is well, and modification time is normalised:
                      $ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[20440600@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 2 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

                      If a.bst's workspace is opened first, the modification time is no longer the magic timestamp but the actual a.bst's build time instead:
                      $ bst workspace open a.bst
...
$ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[e1f40f6c@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt
File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 3 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2026-08-25 11:06:30.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

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, 'i');
if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) {
injectUserscript("// Remove or un-stick sticky/fixed headers that block content\n(function() {\n function unstick() {\n document.querySelectorAll('header, nav, [role=\"banner\"], .header, .navbar, .sticky, .fixed-top, [style*=\"position: fixed\"], [style*=\"position:sticky\"]').forEach(function(el) {\n if (el.style.position === 'fixed' || el.style.position === 'sticky' || \n getComputedStyle(el).position === 'fixed' || getComputedStyle(el).position === 'sticky') {\n el.style.position = 'static';\n el.style.top = 'auto';\n el.style.zIndex = 'auto';\n }\n });\n }\n \n unstick();\n \n var observer = new MutationObserver(unstick);\n observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true, attributes: true, attributeFilter: ['style', 'class'] });\n})();", "Kill Sticky Headers");
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Kill Sticky Headers]', __e); }
})();
(function(){
try {
var __m = "*";
var __re = new RegExp('^' + ".*" + '

                          Skip to content
                          Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox #2186
                          Open
                          Open
                          Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox#2186
                          Labels
                          bugSomething isn't working
                          Description
                          @AlgebraicWolf
                          AlgebraicWolf
                          opened on Aug 25, 2026
                          When an element has a dependency with an open workspace, that dependency's artifacts get staged with their real mtimes instead of the magic timestamp. This can cause differences between builds with and without the workspace.
                          Steps to reproduce
                          A small project to reproduce the issue:
                          .
├── a.txt
├── elements
│ ├── a.bst
│ ├── alpine.bst
│ └── b.bst
└── project.conf

                          The context of a.txt are irrelevant, it can be left empty. elements/a.bst carries a.txt:
                          kind: import
sources:
- kind: local
path: a.txt
config:
target: /

                          elements/b.bst has a.bst and alpine.bst as build dependencies:
                          kind: manual
build-depends:
- alpine.bst
- a.bst

                          project.conf and alpine.bst are set up to pull alpine image
                          alpine.bst:
                          kind: import
description: |
Alpine Linux base runtime
sources:
- kind: tar
# This is a post doctored, trimmed down system image
# of the Alpine linux distribution.
#
url: alpine:integration-tests-base.v1.x86_64.tar.xz
ref: 3eb559250ba82b64a68d86d0636a6b127aa5f6d25d3601a79f79214dc9703639

                          project.conf:
                          # Unique project name
name: bug-repro
# Required BuildStream version
min-version: 2.7
# Subdirectory where elements are stored
element-path: elements
aliases:
alpine: https://bst-integration-test-images.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/

                          When no workspace is open, building b.bst, opening its build sandbox, and checking the mtime of a.txt shows that all is well, and modification time is normalised:
                          $ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[20440600@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 2 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

                          If a.bst's workspace is opened first, the modification time is no longer the magic timestamp but the actual a.bst's build time instead:
                          $ bst workspace open a.bst
...
$ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[e1f40f6c@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt
File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 3 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2026-08-25 11:06:30.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

                          Activity
                          Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment
                          Metadata
                          Metadata
                          Assignees
                          No one assigned
                            Labels
                            bugSomething isn't working
                            Type
                            No type
                            Projects
                            No projects
                              Milestone
                              No milestone
                              Relationships
                              None yet
                              Development
                              No branches or pull requests
                              Issue actions
                              
, 'i');
if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) {
injectUserscript("// Universal Dark Mode - works on any site\n(function() {\n var enabled = true;\n \n function applyDarkMode() {\n if (!enabled) return;\n \n // Create style element if it doesn't exist\n var style = document.getElementById('universal-dark-mode-style');\n if (!style) {\n style = document.createElement('style');\n style.id = 'universal-dark-mode-style';\n document.head.appendChild(style);\n }\n \n // Dark mode CSS - inverts colors but preserves images/video\n style.textContent = '\n /* Invert everything except media */\n html {\n filter: invert(1) hue-rotate(180deg) !important;\n background: #1a1a2e !important;\n }\n \n /* Restore images, videos, iframes, canvas */\n img, video, iframe, canvas, svg, picture, [style*=\"background-image\"] {\n filter: invert(1) hue-rotate(180deg) !important;\n }\n \n /* Preserve specific elements that should not be inverted */\n .no-dark-mode, .no-dark-mode *,\n [data-theme=\"light\"], [data-theme=\"light\"],\n .ace_editor, .ace_editor *,\n .CodeMirror, .CodeMirror *,\n .monaco-editor, .monaco-editor *,\n .markdown-body pre, .markdown-body pre *,\n .highlight, .highlight *,\n pre code, pre code * {\n filter: none !important;\n }\n \n /* Fix common UI elements */\n .modal, .popup, .dropdown-menu, .tooltip, .popover {\n filter: invert(1) hue-rotate(180deg) !important;\n background: #2d2d44 !important;\n border-color: #444 !important;\n }\n \n /* Scrollbars */\n ::-webkit-scrollbar { background: #1a1a2e !important; }\n ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb { background: #444 !important; }\n ::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:hover { background: #555 !important; }\n \n /* Selection */\n ::selection { background: #4ecdc4 !important; color: #1a1a2e !important; }\n ::-moz-selection { background: #4ecdc4 !important; color: #1a1a2e !important; }\n ';\n }\n \n function removeDarkMode() {\n var style = document.getElementById('universal-dark-mode-style');\n if (style) style.remove();\n }\n \n // Toggle with Alt+Shift+D\n document.addEventListener('keydown', function(e) {\n if (e.altKey && e.shiftKey && e.key === 'D') {\n e.preventDefault();\n enabled = !enabled;\n if (enabled) {\n applyDarkMode();\n console.log('[Universal Dark Mode] Enabled');\n } else {\n removeDarkMode();\n console.log('[Universal Dark Mode] Disabled');\n }\n }\n });\n \n // Apply on load\n applyDarkMode();\n \n // Re-apply on dynamic content\n var observer = new MutationObserver(function(mutations) {\n if (enabled && !document.getElementById('universal-dark-mode-style')) {\n applyDarkMode();\n }\n });\n observer.observe(document.head, { childList: true });\n \n console.log('[Universal Dark Mode] Loaded - Press Alt+Shift+D to toggle');\n})();", "Universal Dark Mode");
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Universal Dark Mode]', __e); }
})();
})();

                              Skip to content
                              Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox #2186
                              Open
                              Open
                              Modification time of an element with an open workspace propagates into consumer element's sandbox#2186
                              Labels
                              bugSomething isn't working
                              Description
                              @AlgebraicWolf
                              AlgebraicWolf
                              opened on Aug 25, 2026
                              When an element has a dependency with an open workspace, that dependency's artifacts get staged with their real mtimes instead of the magic timestamp. This can cause differences between builds with and without the workspace.
                              Steps to reproduce
                              A small project to reproduce the issue:
                              .
├── a.txt
├── elements
│ ├── a.bst
│ ├── alpine.bst
│ └── b.bst
└── project.conf

                              The context of a.txt are irrelevant, it can be left empty. elements/a.bst carries a.txt:
                              kind: import
sources:
- kind: local
path: a.txt
config:
target: /

                              elements/b.bst has a.bst and alpine.bst as build dependencies:
                              kind: manual
build-depends:
- alpine.bst
- a.bst

                              project.conf and alpine.bst are set up to pull alpine image
                              alpine.bst:
                              kind: import
description: |
Alpine Linux base runtime
sources:
- kind: tar
# This is a post doctored, trimmed down system image
# of the Alpine linux distribution.
#
url: alpine:integration-tests-base.v1.x86_64.tar.xz
ref: 3eb559250ba82b64a68d86d0636a6b127aa5f6d25d3601a79f79214dc9703639

                              project.conf:
                              # Unique project name
name: bug-repro
# Required BuildStream version
min-version: 2.7
# Subdirectory where elements are stored
element-path: elements
aliases:
alpine: https://bst-integration-test-images.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/

                              When no workspace is open, building b.bst, opening its build sandbox, and checking the mtime of a.txt shows that all is well, and modification time is normalised:
                              $ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[20440600@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 2 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

                              If a.bst's workspace is opened first, the modification time is no longer the magic timestamp but the actual a.bst's build time instead:
                              $ bst workspace open a.bst
...
$ bst build b.bst
...
$ bst shell --build b.bst
...
[e1f40f6c@b.bst:/buildstream/repro/b.bst]$ stat /a.txt
File: /a.txt
Size: 0 Blocks: 0 IO Block: 4096 regular empty file
Device: 31h/49d Inode: 3 Links: 1
Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: (1876721912/ UNKNOWN) Gid: (1174200513/ UNKNOWN)
Access: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000
Modify: 2026-08-25 11:06:30.000000000
Change: 2011-11-11 11:11:11.000000000

                              Activity
                              Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment
                              Metadata
                              Metadata
                              Assignees
                              No one assigned
                                Labels
                                bugSomething isn't working
                                Type
                                No type
                                Projects
                                No projects
                                  Milestone
                                  No milestone
                                  Relationships
                                  None yet
                                  Development
                                  No branches or pull requests
                                  Issue actions