[nft PATCH] Makefile: Set PKG_CONFIG_PATH env for 'make check'

[nft PATCH] Makefile: Set PKG_CONFIG_PATH env for 'make check'

[Phil Sutter]

When building nftables git HEAD, I use a script which also builds libmnl
and libnftnl in their respective repositories and populates
PKG_CONFIG_PATH variable so nftables is linked against them instead of
host libraries. This is mandatory as host-installed libraries are
chronically outdated and linking against them would fail.

Same situation exists with build test suite. Luckily the PKG_CONFIG_PATH
variable value used to build the project is cached in Makefiles and
Automake supports populating test runners' environment.

Signed-off-by: Phil Sutter <phil@nwl.cc>
---
Pablo: Could you please confirm this does not break your workflow? I
recall you relied upon build test suite while it never passed for me due
to the reasons described above.
---
 Makefile.am | 1 +
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)

diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index b134330d5ca22..18af82a927dc0 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -450,6 +450,7 @@ tools/nftables.service: tools/nftables.service.in ${top_builddir}/config.status
 endif
 
 if !BUILD_DISTCHECK
+AM_TESTS_ENVIRONMENT = PKG_CONFIG_PATH=$(PKG_CONFIG_PATH)
 TESTS = tests/build/run-tests.sh \
 	tests/json_echo/run-test.py \
 	tests/monitor/run-tests.sh \
-- 
2.51.0

Re: [nft PATCH] Makefile: Set PKG_CONFIG_PATH env for 'make check'

[Pablo Neira Ayuso]

On Tue, Jan 27, 2026 at 11:15:58PM +0100, Phil Sutter wrote:
> When building nftables git HEAD, I use a script which also builds libmnl
> and libnftnl in their respective repositories and populates
> PKG_CONFIG_PATH variable so nftables is linked against them instead of
> host libraries. This is mandatory as host-installed libraries are
> chronically outdated and linking against them would fail.

How do you use this?

> Same situation exists with build test suite. Luckily the PKG_CONFIG_PATH
> variable value used to build the project is cached in Makefiles and
> Automake supports populating test runners' environment.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Phil Sutter <phil@nwl.cc>
> ---
> Pablo: Could you please confirm this does not break your workflow? I
> recall you relied upon build test suite while it never passed for me due
> to the reasons described above.

Just run `make distcheck' or tests/build/ to check, I think that
should be enough.

> ---
>  Makefile.am | 1 +
>  1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)
> 
> diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
> index b134330d5ca22..18af82a927dc0 100644
> --- a/Makefile.am
> +++ b/Makefile.am
> @@ -450,6 +450,7 @@ tools/nftables.service: tools/nftables.service.in ${top_builddir}/config.status
>  endif
>  
>  if !BUILD_DISTCHECK
> +AM_TESTS_ENVIRONMENT = PKG_CONFIG_PATH=$(PKG_CONFIG_PATH)
>  TESTS = tests/build/run-tests.sh \
>  	tests/json_echo/run-test.py \
>  	tests/monitor/run-tests.sh \
> -- 
> 2.51.0
> 

Re: [nft PATCH] Makefile: Set PKG_CONFIG_PATH env for 'make check'

[Phil Sutter]

On Thu, Feb 05, 2026 at 02:32:48AM +0100, Pablo Neira Ayuso wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 27, 2026 at 11:15:58PM +0100, Phil Sutter wrote:
> > When building nftables git HEAD, I use a script which also builds libmnl
> > and libnftnl in their respective repositories and populates
> > PKG_CONFIG_PATH variable so nftables is linked against them instead of
> > host libraries. This is mandatory as host-installed libraries are
> > chronically outdated and linking against them would fail.
> 
> How do you use this?

Please kindly find aforementioned build script attached to this mail.
Then I just call 'make check' in the built nftables source tree.

This patch's logic is: "If a custom PKG_CONFIG_PATH was needed to build
the sources, it is needed for build test suite as well."

> > Same situation exists with build test suite. Luckily the PKG_CONFIG_PATH
> > variable value used to build the project is cached in Makefiles and
> > Automake supports populating test runners' environment.
> > 
> > Signed-off-by: Phil Sutter <phil@nwl.cc>
> > ---
> > Pablo: Could you please confirm this does not break your workflow? I
> > recall you relied upon build test suite while it never passed for me due
> > to the reasons described above.
> 
> Just run `make distcheck' or tests/build/ to check, I think that
> should be enough.

Well, 'make distcheck' should not be affected by this patch since it
does not run the test suites (df19bf51d49be ("Makefile: Enable support
for 'make check'")).

But you have a point there, the logic from above applies to the VPATH
build performed by 'make distcheck', too. I'll respin with added chunk:

| --- a/Makefile.am
| +++ b/Makefile.am
| @@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ libnftables_LIBVERSION = 2:0:1
|  ###############################################################################
|  
|  ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I m4
| -AM_DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS = --enable-distcheck
| +AM_DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS = --enable-distcheck \
| +                              PKG_CONFIG_PATH=$(PKG_CONFIG_PATH)
|  
|  EXTRA_DIST =
|  BUILT_SOURCES =

Thanks, Phil

Re: [nft PATCH] Makefile: Set PKG_CONFIG_PATH env for 'make check'

[Phil Sutter]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 2233 bytes --]

On Thu, Feb 05, 2026 at 03:24:14PM +0100, Phil Sutter wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 05, 2026 at 02:32:48AM +0100, Pablo Neira Ayuso wrote:
> > On Tue, Jan 27, 2026 at 11:15:58PM +0100, Phil Sutter wrote:
> > > When building nftables git HEAD, I use a script which also builds libmnl
> > > and libnftnl in their respective repositories and populates
> > > PKG_CONFIG_PATH variable so nftables is linked against them instead of
> > > host libraries. This is mandatory as host-installed libraries are
> > > chronically outdated and linking against them would fail.
> > 
> > How do you use this?
> 
> Please kindly find aforementioned build script attached to this mail.
> Then I just call 'make check' in the built nftables source tree.

Gna. Attached now.

> This patch's logic is: "If a custom PKG_CONFIG_PATH was needed to build
> the sources, it is needed for build test suite as well."
> 
> > > Same situation exists with build test suite. Luckily the PKG_CONFIG_PATH
> > > variable value used to build the project is cached in Makefiles and
> > > Automake supports populating test runners' environment.
> > > 
> > > Signed-off-by: Phil Sutter <phil@nwl.cc>
> > > ---
> > > Pablo: Could you please confirm this does not break your workflow? I
> > > recall you relied upon build test suite while it never passed for me due
> > > to the reasons described above.
> > 
> > Just run `make distcheck' or tests/build/ to check, I think that
> > should be enough.
> 
> Well, 'make distcheck' should not be affected by this patch since it
> does not run the test suites (df19bf51d49be ("Makefile: Enable support
> for 'make check'")).
> 
> But you have a point there, the logic from above applies to the VPATH
> build performed by 'make distcheck', too. I'll respin with added chunk:
> 
> | --- a/Makefile.am
> | +++ b/Makefile.am
> | @@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ libnftables_LIBVERSION = 2:0:1
> |  ###############################################################################
> |  
> |  ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I m4
> | -AM_DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS = --enable-distcheck
> | +AM_DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS = --enable-distcheck \
> | +                              PKG_CONFIG_PATH=$(PKG_CONFIG_PATH)
> |  
> |  EXTRA_DIST =
> |  BUILT_SOURCES =
> 
> Thanks, Phil

[-- Attachment #2: full_rebuild.sh --]
[-- Type: application/x-sh, Size: 3398 bytes --]