dependency ( ) specified without providing a local path…

Error message

dependency ({key}) specified without providing a local path, Git repository, version, or workspace dependency to use

What it means

Thrown by the manifest editor dependency parser when a dependency entry is a table but contains none of the recognized source keys: 'git', 'path', 'version', or 'workspace'. The parser falls through all source-detection branches and hits the final else. It means the dependency was declared as a table yet has no way to locate its code.

Solutions

Add a 'version' key to the dependency table (e.g. version = "1.0").
Alternatively add 'path', 'git', or 'workspace = true' to identify the source.
Check for misspelled source keys (verison, pat, etc.) and correct them.

Example fix

# before
[dependencies]
serde = { features = ["derive"] }

# after
[dependencies]
serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

fn has_dependency_source(table: &toml_edit::Item) -> bool {
    if let Some(t) = table.as_table_like() {
        return t.contains_key("git") || t.contains_key("path")
            || t.contains_key("version") || t.contains_key("workspace");
    }
    false
}
// assert before calling Dependency::from_toml

Type guard

fn is_complete_dependency_table(table: &dyn toml_edit::TableLike) -> bool {
    ["git","path","version","workspace"].iter().any(|k| table.contains_key(*k))
}

Prevention

Require a version/path/git/workspace key in every dependency table before parsing.
Use a manifest linter (cargo-deny, taplo) to catch source-less dependencies.
When generating manifests programmatically, assert each dep has a source field.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling Dependency::from_toml on a TOML table like { optional = true } or { features = ["derive"] } that omits every source key. The editor tries git, then path, then version, then workspace, then bails.

Common situations: A developer writes [dependencies.serde] with only feature/optional flags and forgets the version. A migration tool strips a version field while preserving the table shape. Typos like 'verison' instead of 'version' leave no recognized source.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of rust-lang/cargo@eb98b54bc9 (2026-08-11). Data as JSON: /api/errors/07cc8a9659c48a31. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/workspace/editor/dependency.rs:323

                        })?);
                    }
                    src.into()
                } else if let Some(version) = table.get("version") {
                    let src = RegistrySource::new(version.as_str().ok_or_else(|| {
                        invalid_type(key, "version", version.type_name(), "string")
                    })?);
                    src.into()
                } else if let Some(workspace) = table.get("workspace") {
                    let workspace_bool = workspace.as_bool().ok_or_else(|| {
                        invalid_type(key, "workspace", workspace.type_name(), "bool")
                    })?;
                    if !workspace_bool {
                        anyhow::bail!("`{key}.workspace = false` is unsupported")
                    }
                    let src = WorkspaceSource::new();
                    src.into()
                } else {
                    anyhow::bail!(
                        "dependency ({key}) specified without \
                        providing a local path, Git repository, version, or \
                        workspace dependency to use"
                    );
                };
            let registry = if let Some(value) = table.get("registry") {
                Some(
                    value
                        .as_str()
                        .ok_or_else(|| invalid_type(key, "registry", value.type_name(), "string"))?
                        .to_owned(),
                )
            } else {
                None
            };

            let default_features = table.get("default-features").and_then(|v| v.as_bool());
            if table.contains_key("default_features") {

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