jdx/mise · error

brew-cask: completion artifact '{}' was not staged

Error message

brew-cask: completion artifact '{}' was not staged

What it means

While linking shell completions, the expected completion file is missing from the caskroom: `caskroom_completion_path` derives where the completion should have been staged, and `!is_file()` there aborts before the target symlink is created. Earlier artifact steps are expected to have moved or copied the file into the caskroom first.

Source

Thrown at src/system/packages/brew/cask.rs:4124

        let caskroom_completion = caskroom_completion_path(caskroom, &target)?;
        if let Some(parent) = caskroom_completion.parent() {
            file::create_dir_all(parent)?;
        }
        let output = generate_completion_output(&executable, completion, *shell)?;
        crate::file::write(caskroom_completion, output)?;
    }
    Ok(())
}

fn link_completion(
    cask: &Cask,
    artifacts: &CaskArtifacts,
    caskroom: &Path,
    target: &Path,
) -> Result<()> {
    let caskroom_completion = caskroom_completion_path(caskroom, target)?;
    if !caskroom_completion.is_file() {
        bail!(
            "brew-cask: completion artifact '{}' was not staged",
            target.display()
        );
    }
    if let Some(parent) = target.parent() {
        create_dir_all_elevating(parent)?;
    }
    ensure_completion_target_replaceable(cask, artifacts, target)?;
    make_symlink_elevating(&caskroom_completion, target)?;
    Ok(())
}

fn ensure_completion_target_replaceable(
    cask: &Cask,
    artifacts: &CaskArtifacts,
    target: &Path,
) -> Result<()> {
    let Ok(metadata) = target.symlink_metadata() else {

View on GitHub (pinned to 6f52dcdf99)

Solutions

1. Inspect the cask's caskroom directory and confirm the completion file is staged where the artifact expects it
2. Fix the completion artifact's source, or the preceding move/copy steps, so the file lands in the caskroom
3. Remove the cask's caskroom directory and reinstall to eliminate partial staging
4. If the completion is generated rather than shipped, use the generated-completions artifact instead of a staged file

Example fix

# before
completion(source: "#{appdir}/MyApp.app/Contents/Resources/_myapp", target: "#{data}/zsh/site-functions/_myapp")
# after - a move step stages the file into the caskroom first
move(source: "MyApp.app/Contents/Resources/_myapp", target: "completions/_myapp")
completion(source: "completions/_myapp", target: "#{data}/zsh/site-functions/_myapp")

// Before linking completions, confirm the artifact was actually staged
let caskroom_completion = caskroom_completion_path(caskroom, target)?;
if !caskroom_completion.is_file() {
    // choose: skip completion linking (install continues) or fail with context
    warn!("completion '{}' not staged; skipping", target.display());
    return Ok(());
}

if err.to_string().contains("completion artifact") && err.to_string().contains("was not staged") {
    // degrade gracefully: finish the install without completions and queue a re-stage
}

When it happens

Trigger: A `completion` artifact whose source file was never placed into the caskroom (a preceding move/copy step failed for it, the payload renamed the file, or the app bundle lacks it); a stale partial caskroom left by an interrupted install.

Common situations: Upstream app dropped or renamed its completion file between releases; an install retried after interrupted staging; a completion source path typo in the cask definition.

Related errors

• brew-cask: structured copy source '{}' was not found
• brew-cask: structured move source '{}' was not found
• brew-cask: structured move with multiple sources requires a
• brew-cask: structured copy source must resolve to exactly on
• brew-cask: structured directory copy requires recursive=true

AI-assisted analysis of jdx/mise@6f52dcdf99 (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/1defda1f6622c1f9. Report an issue: GitHub.