platformio/platformio-core

symlinks in platformio.ini should you pre-binding to path instead of late binding to path

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#5201 opened on Jul 1, 2025

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help wantedpackage management

Description

In platformio.ini symlinks to forward relative paths must be used

For example

libs_deps=FastLED:symlink://.

If .. is used then that path resolves to a directory in the ~/.platform directory structure.

Suggested Fix

Paths should early bind to the symlink target and the path to should passed back to the backend in absolute path form.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
backendbuild systemdeveloper experience
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Understanding of platformio.ini syntaxBasic Python path handling
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
50
Research direction
Investigate how platformio resolves symlinks in the ini configuration, particularly in the lib deps handling. Look for the code that processes symlink paths, likely in the config parsing or project structure classes. The issue suggests moving from late binding to early binding, so find where the current resolution happens and how to change it to absolute path before processing.