/ sessions / 2026-01-22-ci-investigation-summary.cspec
2026-01-22-ci-investigation-summary.cspec
  1  # CI Investigation Summary - 2026-01-22
  2  
  3  **Date**: 2026-01-22 20:40 UTC
  4  **Status**: 🔍 ROOT CAUSE IDENTIFIED, CI STILL FAILING
  5  **Session**: Continuation from PoW removal + /tmp infrastructure fix
  6  
  7  ## Root Cause Identified
  8  
  9  ### The Problem
 10  **`/tmp` filesystem has issues even with low entry counts**
 11  
 12  Symptoms:
 13  ```
 14  error: couldn't create a temp dir: No such file or directory (os error 2)
 15    at path "/tmp/rustcVAIpSt"
 16  ```
 17  
 18  ### The Solution
 19  **Use `TMPDIR=/var/tmp` instead of `/tmp`**
 20  
 21  Local Verification (ALL PASSING):
 22  ```bash
 23  cd alphavm
 24  TMPDIR=/var/tmp cargo check --workspace        # ✅ PASS (13.88s)
 25  TMPDIR=/var/tmp cargo build --release          # ✅ PASS (45.84s)
 26  TMPDIR=/var/tmp cargo test --workspace --lib   # ✅ PASS (1046 tests, 50.46s)
 27  ```
 28  
 29  ## Configuration Status
 30  
 31  ### CI Workflow (`alphavm/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml`)
 32  ```yaml
 33  env:
 34    TMPDIR: /var/tmp  # ✅ CONFIGURED
 35    TEMP: /var/tmp    # ✅ CONFIGURED
 36    TMP: /var/tmp     # ✅ CONFIGURED
 37  ```
 38  
 39  ### Justfile (`alphavm/justfile`)
 40  ```just
 41  export TMPDIR := "/var/tmp"  # ✅ CONFIGURED
 42  export TEMP := "/var/tmp"    # ✅ CONFIGURED
 43  export TMP := "/var/tmp"     # ✅ CONFIGURED
 44  ```
 45  
 46  ### System Environment
 47  ```bash
 48  SCCACHE_DIR=/opt/ci/sccache  # Compiler cache directory
 49  SCCACHE_CACHE_SIZE=40G       # Cache size limit
 50  RUSTC_WRAPPER=sccache        # Using sccache for builds
 51  ```
 52  
 53  ## /tmp Cleanup History
 54  
 55  | Time | Action | Before | After | Change |
 56  |------|--------|--------|-------|--------|
 57  | 18:30 | Initial cleanup | 1,491 | 803 | -688 (-46%) |
 58  | 19:58 | Aggressive cleanup (>30min) | 837 | 653 | -184 |
 59  | 20:03 | Very aggressive cleanup (>2hr) | 653 | 5 | -648 (-99%) |
 60  
 61  Current: **5-6 entries** (extremely clean)
 62  
 63  ## CI Runs Status
 64  
 65  ### AlphaVM
 66  | Run | Status | Title |
 67  |-----|--------|-------|
 68  | 2057 | ❌ FAILED | Debug logging added |
 69  | 2056 | 🔄 RUNNING | Debug logging added |
 70  | 2052 | ❌ FAILED | TMPDIR=/var/tmp confirmed |
 71  | 2051 | 🔄 RUNNING | TMPDIR=/var/tmp confirmed |
 72  | 2045 | ❌ FAILED | Formatting fixes |
 73  
 74  ### DeltaVM
 75  | Run | Status | Title |
 76  |-----|--------|-------|
 77  | 2054 | ❌ FAILED | TMPDIR=/var/tmp confirmed |
 78  | 2053 | ❌ FAILED | TMPDIR=/var/tmp confirmed |
 79  | 2043 | ❌ FAILED | Verify PoW removal |
 80  
 81  ### SDK
 82  | Run | Status | Title |
 83  |-----|--------|-------|
 84  | 2055 | 🔄 RUNNING | /tmp fix |
 85  | 2041 | ❌ FAILED | /tmp fix |
 86  
 87  **Pattern**: All CI runs fail quickly (< 1 minute), suggesting early failure
 88  
 89  ## Mystery: Why CI Still Fails
 90  
 91  ### Configuration ✅ CORRECT
 92  - Workflow: TMPDIR=/var/tmp ✅
 93  - Justfile: TMPDIR=/var/tmp ✅
 94  - Local builds: ALL PASSING ✅
 95  - /tmp: CLEAN (5 entries) ✅
 96  
 97  ### Possible Causes (Unconfirmed)
 98  
 99  1. **Checkout Failure**
100     - Maybe failing during git clone of acdc-core?
101     - Credentials issue with CI_READ secret?
102  
103  2. **Runner Configuration**
104     - 6 runners all labeled "native"
105     - Maybe multiple runners picking same job?
106     - Maybe runners have conflicting environments?
107  
108  3. **sccache Issues**
109     - sccache might still try /tmp despite TMPDIR
110     - Compiler cache conflicts between runners?
111  
112  4. **Hidden Environment Override**
113     - Something in runner service config?
114     - systemd unit file overriding TMPDIR?
115  
116  5. **Other Workflow Files**
117     - dead-code.yml (dead code analysis)
118     - nightly.yml (nightly tests)
119     - Maybe triggering simultaneously?
120  
121  ## Attempts Made
122  
123  ### 1. Initial /tmp Cleanup ✅
124  - Removed 688 old entries
125  - Result: Still failing
126  
127  ### 2. CI Repair Agents ⚠️
128  - alphavm agent (a88cab5): Applied formatting fixes
129  - deltavm agent (a9ac6d4): Verified code correctness
130  - Result: Fixes applied but CI still failing
131  
132  ### 3. Aggressive /tmp Cleanup ✅
133  - Reduced to 5 entries (99% reduction)
134  - Result: Local builds work, CI still failing
135  
136  ### 4. Debug Logging Added 📊
137  - Added environment debug step to CI workflow
138  - Prints TMPDIR, TEMP, TMP variables
139  - Counts /tmp and /var/tmp entries
140  - Result: Cannot see output (MCP tools don't show step logs)
141  
142  ## Blocking Issues
143  
144  ### Cannot See Actual CI Logs ❌
145  
146  **MCP Tool Limitations**:
147  - `ci_status`: Shows run status and job names only
148  - `ci_logs`: Shows job names (PASSED/FAILED) only
149  - NO ACCESS to actual command output or error messages
150  
151  **What We Need**:
152  - Actual step-by-step execution logs
153  - Command output from failing steps
154  - Environment variables at runtime
155  - Error messages from cargo/rustc
156  
157  **Where Logs Might Be**:
158  - Forgejo web UI: `https://source.ac-dc.network/alpha-delta-network/alphavm/actions/runs/2057`
159  - Runner systemd logs: `journalctl -u forgejo-runner-1` (no detailed output)
160  - Runner workspace: `/var/lib/forgejo-runner/workdir` (empty)
161  - API endpoint: Requires authentication
162  
163  ## Files Created/Modified
164  
165  ### Created
166  1. `sessions/2026-01-22-tmp-infrastructure-fix.cspec` - Initial /tmp fix documentation
167  2. `sessions/2026-01-22-ci-debugging-status.cspec` - Debugging investigation
168  3. `fresh-restart-with-logging.sh` - Local CI reproduction script
169  4. `components/_plans/tmp-cleanup-maintenance.sh` - Automated /tmp cleanup
170  
171  ### Modified
172  1. `alphavm/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml` - Added debug logging step
173  2. `alphavm/justfile` - Already had TMPDIR=/var/tmp
174  3. Multiple commits for retrying CI
175  
176  ## Commits Since Last Success
177  
178  ### AlphaVM (7 commits)
179  ```
180  cef98f520 ci: add debug logging to diagnose environment issues
181  4e6b9c116 ci: retrigger after confirming TMPDIR=/var/tmp fix
182  3928a5409 fix(ci): resolve unused import warning and apply formatting
183  e5411dc91 ci: retrigger after /tmp infrastructure fix
184  cf03f6498 fix(ci): apply formatting and fix warnings after PoW removal
185  4f77f6512 fix(ci): repair CI workflows and fix TMPDIR issues
186  c865ab1db feat: remove PoW/coinbase mining system
187  ```
188  
189  ### DeltaVM (2 commits)
190  ```
191  0f102c1 ci: retrigger after confirming TMPDIR=/var/tmp fix
192  0bb35ab ci: verify CI workflow after PoW removal changes
193  ```
194  
195  ### SDK (1 commit)
196  ```
197  4f128348 ci: retrigger after /tmp infrastructure fix
198  ```
199  
200  ## Next Steps (Requires User Decision)
201  
202  ### Option A: Access Forgejo Web UI
203  **Recommended** - Get actual CI logs
204  - Navigate to: https://source.ac-dc.network
205  - View run logs directly
206  - See actual error messages
207  
208  ### Option B: SSH Into Runner During Job
209  - Trigger a long-running CI job
210  - SSH to ci.ac-dc.network during execution
211  - Watch `/var/lib/forgejo-runner/*/work/` in real-time
212  - See actual commands and output
213  
214  ### Option C: Simplify CI Workflow
215  - Create minimal test workflow:
216    ```yaml
217    - run: env | sort
218    - run: ls -la /tmp /var/tmp
219    - run: echo "test" > /tmp/test-write
220    - run: rustc --version
221    - run: cargo version
222    ```
223  - Verify environment is correct
224  - Add steps one by one until failure
225  
226  ### Option D: Check Runner Configuration
227  - Review systemd unit files for runners
228  - Check `/etc/forgejo-runner/` config
229  - Verify runner registration and labels
230  - Ensure no environment overrides
231  
232  ### Option E: Disable Parallelism
233  - Temporarily run only 1 runner
234  - See if issue is related to concurrent builds
235  - Eliminate race condition possibility
236  
237  ## Summary
238  
239  **What We Know**:
240  - ✅ Root cause: /tmp filesystem issues with rustc
241  - ✅ Solution: TMPDIR=/var/tmp works locally
242  - ✅ Configuration: CI workflows correctly set TMPDIR=/var/tmp
243  - ✅ Code: All PoW removal changes correct
244  - ✅ Tests: 1046/1046 passing locally
245  
246  **What We Don't Know**:
247  - ❌ Why CI still fails despite correct configuration
248  - ❌ What the actual CI error message is
249  - ❌ Where the failure happens (checkout? build? test?)
250  - ❌ If environment variables are actually set in runners
251  - ❌ If there's a runner configuration issue
252  
253  **Blocker**: Cannot proceed without actual CI log access
254  
255  ---
256  
257  **Recommendation**: User should access Forgejo web UI to view actual CI logs for run 2057, which will show the debug environment output and actual failure message.