What causes "[!] no version key in the [package] table of %s" in stamparm/maltrail?

Add a version key inside the [package] table, e.g. version = "3.0.0", on its own line before the next [section] header.

stamparm/maltrail · error · SystemExit

[!] no version key in the [package] table of

Error message

[!] no version key in the [package] table of %s

What it means

cargo_version() in check_version.py successfully locates the [package] table in Cargo.toml but then fails to find a version = "..." key inside that table's body, so it raises SystemExit with this message. Cargo requires every package to declare a version, and this checker mirrors that requirement to compare it against VERSION in settings.py.

Solutions

Add a version key inside the [package] table, e.g. version = "3.0.0", on its own line before the next [section] header.
If the crate inherits version from the workspace (version.workspace = true), inline a literal version in [package] or extend cargo_version() to resolve the workspace value, since the checker only matches plain string literals.
Fix misspellings of the key and ensure it is not indented or commented out.
Run cargo verify-project (or cargo metadata) to confirm the manifest is structurally valid, then re-run the check.

Example fix

# before (Cargo.toml)
[package]
name = "sensor"
edition = "2021"
# after
[package]
name = "sensor"
version = "3.0.0"
edition = "2021"

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

import re
text = open("Cargo.toml").read()
m = re.search(r'^\[package\]\s*$(.*?)(?=^\[|\Z)', text, re.M | re.S)
assert m and re.search(r'^version\s*=\s*"[^"]+"', m.group(1), re.M), \
    "[package] table must declare a literal version = \"x.y.z\""

Prevention

Always declare version = "x.y.z" directly in [package]; avoid version.workspace = true unless the checker is updated to resolve it.
Generate releases via cargo-release or cargo set-version so the version key is never accidentally removed.
Spell the key exactly as lowercase 'version' at line start, unindented, inside the [package] table (before the next [section]).
Add a CI lint that parses Cargo.toml with toml and asserts package.version exists and parses as semver.

When it happens

Trigger: The [package] table exists but has no version key at line start (e.g. version was removed in an edit, is written as "version" = ... with quotes on the key, is indented under another table, or uses a workspace-inherited version = { workspace = true } declaration the literal-string regex cannot read).

Common situations: A refactor moved version into a workspace-level [workspace.package] table with version.workspace = true in members; a hand edit accidentally deleted the version line; the version key was misspelled (versions, verison) or placed after the next [section] header so it's outside the captured package body.

Understand the failure class

Background: "is required", "must be set", "missing required field": configuration validation errors across open-source libraries — this error's family across 36 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of stamparm/maltrail@77cfb06d76 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3727dd1e3cf29708. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at sensor/tools/check_version.py:56


def settings_version():
    """VERSION = "3.0" from core/settings.py, without importing it (it has side effects)."""
    match = re.search(r"^VERSION\s*=\s*[\"']([^\"']+)[\"']", _read(SETTINGS), re.M)
    if not match:
        raise SystemExit("[!] no VERSION assignment found in %s" % SETTINGS)
    return match.group(1)


def cargo_version():
    """version = "3.0.0" from the [package] table only - dependency versions must not match."""
    text = _read(CARGO)
    package = re.search(r"^\[package\]\s*$(.*?)(?=^\[|\Z)", text, re.M | re.S)
    if not package:
        raise SystemExit("[!] no [package] table found in %s" % CARGO)
    match = re.search(r"^version\s*=\s*\"([^\"]+)\"", package.group(1), re.M)
    if not match:
        raise SystemExit("[!] no version key in the [package] table of %s" % CARGO)
    return match.group(1)


def citation_version():
    """version: "3.0" from CITATION.cff.

    Nothing linked this to the tree, and it drifted: the file still claimed 3.0 while the code,
    the sensor and the published tag were all 3.1.1. That is not cosmetic - CITATION.cff exists
    so a paper can cite a specific version, and it had been quietly citing the wrong one.
    """

    match = re.search(r"^version\s*:\s*[\"']([^\"']+)[\"']", _read(CITATION), re.M)
    if not match:
        raise SystemExit("[!] no version key found in %s" % CITATION)
    return match.group(1)


def settings_gen_version():

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