Four days ago, Python installed to /opt/hostedtoolcache, but today it installed to .../_work/_tool.

Description: Four days ago, Python installed to /opt/hostedtoolcache, but today it installed to .../_work/_tool. This manifested as a failure to find Python.h while building the native dependencies of python-ldap. Somehow, the installation procedure of python-ldap knew to put -I/opt/hostedtoolcache/Python/3.8.10/x64/include/python3.8 on the command line, but there was nothing in the /opt/hostedtoolcache folder. I’m currently working around this by setting the AGENT_TOOLSDIRECTORY environment variable to /opt/hostedtoolcache in my workflow.

Action version: b55428b1882923874294fa556849718a1d7f2ca5

Platform:

• Ubuntu
• macOS
• Windows

Runner type:

• Hosted
• Self-hosted

Tools version: 3.8.10

Repro steps:

      - name: Install Python 3.8.10
        uses: actions/setup-python@b55428b1882923874294fa556849718a1d7f2ca5
        with:
          python-version: '3.8.10'

Expected behavior: I would expect this to install Python to /opt/hostedtoolcache like it previously did.

Actual behavior: It now installs Python to .../_work/_tool within the job’s workspace.

[jatoben]

I encountered this as well, although the self-hosted runner I’m using has not used /opt/hostedtoolcache since it was installed months ago. /opt is completely empty and the runner user does not have write access to it; actions/setup-python appears to have always put Python in the _work/_tool subdirectory.

Since I did not want to change the runner’s configuration, I worked around the problem by setting the CFLAGS env var in my actions workflow, e.g.:

- name: build dependencies
  env:
    CFLAGS: "-I/path/to/runner/_work/_tool/Python/3.10.1/x64/include/python3.10"
  run: ...

This let my build find Python.h successfully.

However, nothing has changed recently with the runner, the workflow, or the Python version I’m using, so I’d love to understand why it’s now getting the include path wrong.

[szhekpisov]

Was able to apply a workaround by adding an environmental variable, as TS mentioned:

name: Back-End quality gate

env:
  AGENT_TOOLSDIRECTORY: "/opt/hostedtoolcache"