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GNOME projects using generate_gir fail to cross compile since 0.57.0

See original GitHub issue

Describe the bug Since 21897a10ca0295f65f158ed3cbac396bc5adbb54 (#7913), cross building GNOME applications which use generate_gir fails with cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory (tested gnome-desktop 40.3 and mutter 40.1) .

To Reproduce

from https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-desktop/-/blob/master/libgnome-desktop/meson.build:

...
libgnome_desktop_dep = declare_dependency(
  dependencies: gnome_desktop_deps,
  link_with: libgnome_desktop
)

gnome.generate_gir(libgnome_desktop,
  sources: introspection_sources + libgnome_desktop_headers,
  export_packages: 'gnome-desktop-3.0',
  namespace: 'GnomeDesktop',
  nsversion: '3.0',
  includes: ['GObject-2.0', 'Gtk-3.0', 'GDesktopEnums-3.0'],
  extra_args: '-DGNOME_DESKTOP_USE_UNSTABLE_API',
  identifier_prefix: 'Gnome',
  symbol_prefix: 'gnome',
  install: true
)

desktop_pc = pkg.generate(
  libraries: libgnome_desktop,
...

cross compiling gnome-desktop 40.3 for armv7l with meson 0.58.1:

...
[15/43] Compiling C object libgnome-desktop/libgnome-desktop-3.so.19.1.4.p/gnome-pnp-ids.c.o
[16/43] Compiling C object libgnome-desktop/libgnome-desktop-3.so.19.1.4.p/gnome-wall-clock.c.o
[17/43] Compiling C object libgnome-desktop/libgnome-desktop-3.so.19.1.4.p/gnome-xkb-info.c.o
[18/43] Compiling C object libgnome-desktop/libgnome-desktop-3.so.19.1.4.p/gnome-idle-monitor.c.o
[19/43] Compiling C object libgnome-desktop/libgnome-desktop-3.so.19.1.4.p/gnome-languages.c.o
[20/43] Compiling C object libgnome-desktop/gnome-rr-debug.p/gnome-rr-debug.c.o
[21/43] Compiling C object libgnome-desktop/libgnome-desktop-3.so.19.1.4.p/gnome-datetime-source.c.o
[22/43] Compiling C object libgnome-desktop/libgnome-desktop-3.so.19.1.4.p/gnome-desktop-thumbnail-script.c.o
[23/43] Linking target libgnome-desktop/libgnome-desktop-3.so.19.1.4
[24/43] Generating GnomeDesktop-3.0.gir with a custom command
FAILED: libgnome-desktop/GnomeDesktop-3.0.gir 
/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/bin/g-ir-scanner --no-libtool --namespace=GnomeDesktop --nsversion=3.0 --warn-all --output libgnome-desktop/GnomeDesktop-3.0.gir -DGNOME_DESKTOP_USE_UNSTABLE_API -I/builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/libgnome-desktop -I/builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/build/libgnome-desktop -I/builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/build/. -I/builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/. --filelist=/builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/build/libgnome-desktop/libgnome-desktop-3.so.19.1.4.p/GnomeDesktop_3.0_gir_filelist --include=GObject-2.0 --include=Gtk-3.0 --include=GDesktopEnums-3.0 --symbol-prefix=gnome --identifier-prefix=Gnome --pkg-export=gnome-desktop-3.0 --cflags-begin -I/builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/build/. -I/builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/. -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/gdk-pixbuf-2.0 -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/libmount -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/blkid -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/glib-2.0 -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib32/glib-2.0/include -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/gtk-3.0 -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/at-spi2-atk/2.0 -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/at-spi-2.0 -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/dbus-1.0 -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib/dbus-1.0/include -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/gio-unix-2.0 -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/cairo -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/pango-1.0 -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/harfbuzz -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/fribidi -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/atk-1.0 -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/pixman-1 -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/uuid -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/freetype2 -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/libpng16 -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/gsettings-desktop-schemas -I/usr/include/gobject-introspection-1.0 -I/usr/include/glib-2.0 -I/usr/lib64/glib-2.0/include -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include --cflags-end --add-include-path=///usr/share/gir-1.0 -L./libgnome-desktop --library gnome-desktop-3 -L/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib32 -L/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib -L/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib32 --extra-library=gdk_pixbuf-2.0 --extra-library=gobject-2.0 --extra-library=glib-2.0 --extra-library=gtk-3 --extra-library=gdk-3 --extra-library=pangocairo-1.0 --extra-library=pango-1.0 --extra-library=harfbuzz --extra-library=atk-1.0 --extra-library=cairo-gobject --extra-library=cairo --extra-library=gio-2.0 --extra-library=udev --extra-library=seccomp --extra-library=m --extra-library=rt --extra-library=girepository-1.0 --sources-top-dirs /builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/subprojects/ --sources-top-dirs /builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/build/subprojects/
In file included from /usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/bits/libc-header-start.h:33,
                 from /usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/limits.h:26,
                 from /usr/lib/gcc/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/10.2/include-fixed/limits.h:195,
                 from /usr/lib/gcc/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/10.2/include-fixed/syslimits.h:7,
                 from /usr/lib/gcc/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/10.2/include-fixed/limits.h:34,
                 from /usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib/glib-2.0/include/glibconfig.h:11,
                 from /usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/glib-2.0/glib/gtypes.h:32,
                 from /usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/glib-2.0/glib/galloca.h:32,
                 from /usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/glib-2.0/glib.h:30,
                 from /usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/gtk-3.0/gdk/gdkconfig.h:13,
                 from /usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/gtk-3.0/gdk/gdk.h:30,
                 from /builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/libgnome-desktop/gnome-bg.h:32,
                 from /builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/build/g-ir-cpp-etfcy40f.c:4:
/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include/features.h:397:4: warning: #warning _FORTIFY_SOURCE requires compiling with optimization (-O) [-Wcpp]
  397 | #  warning _FORTIFY_SOURCE requires compiling with optimization (-O)
      |    ^~~~~~~
g-ir-scanner: link: armv7l-linux-gnueabihf-gcc -o /builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/build/tmp-introspect2idzrh2v/GnomeDesktop-3.0 -fstack-clash-protection -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -O2 -pipe -march=armv7-a -mfpu=vfpv3 -mfloat-abi=hard -g -I/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/include /builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/build/tmp-introspect2idzrh2v/GnomeDesktop-3.0.o -L. -Wl,-rpath,. -Wl,--no-as-needed -L./libgnome-desktop -L/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib32 -Wl,-rpath,/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib32 -L/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib -Wl,-rpath,/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib -L/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib32 -Wl,-rpath,/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib32 -lgnome-desktop-3 -lgdk_pixbuf-2.0 -lgobject-2.0 -lglib-2.0 -lgtk-3 -lgdk-3 -lpangocairo-1.0 -lpango-1.0 -lharfbuzz -latk-1.0 -lcairo-gobject -lcairo -lgio-2.0 -ludev -lseccomp -lm -lrt -lgirepository-1.0 -L/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib32 -lgio-2.0 -lgobject-2.0 -Wl,--export-dynamic -lgmodule-2.0 -pthread -lglib-2.0 -Wl,-z,relro -Wl,-z,now -Wl,--as-needed -L/usr/armv7l-linux-gnueabihf/usr/lib
/builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/build/tmp-introspect2idzrh2v/GnomeDesktop-3.0: error while loading shared libraries: libgnome-desktop-3.so.19: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
Command '['/usr/bin/g-ir-scanner-qemuwrapper', '/builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/build/tmp-introspect2idzrh2v/GnomeDesktop-3.0', '--introspect-dump=/builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/build/tmp-introspect2idzrh2v/functions.txt,/builddir/gnome-desktop-40.2/build/tmp-introspect2idzrh2v/dump.xml']' returned non-zero exit status 127.
ninja: build stopped: subcommand failed.

Expected behavior The cross build should not fail. Reverting commits 21897a10ca0295f65f158ed3cbac396bc5adbb54 and df4314c7b88998aa9e7a497b1da04efb77110f60 (because reverting the first commit reintroduces @PRIVATE_OUTDIR_(ABS)@ and the second commit removes it) fixes this issue.

system parameters

Is this a cross build or just a plain native build (for the same computer)?
- cross
what operating system (e.g. MacOS Catalina, Windows 10, CentOS 8.0, Ubuntu 18.04, etc.)
- Void Linux
what Python version are you using e.g. 3.8.0
- 3.9.6
what meson --version
- 0.58.1
what ninja --version if it’s a Ninja build
- 1.10.2