actions / actions/setup-python

Add pre-compiled Python binaries for Debian in versions manifest

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#1,294 3 comments 2 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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feature request
Dominant language
TypeScript
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Forks
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Avg merge
6d 18h
Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

Description:
Add pre-compiled Python binaries for Debian (12 and 13) to the versions-manifest.json. Currently the manifest only includes Ubuntu (16.04–24.04), causing actions/setup-python to fail on Debian-based self-hosted runners with:

Error: The version '3.x' with architecture 'x64' was not found for Debian 13.

Requested additions:

Distro Version Architectures
Debian 12 (Bookworm) x64, arm64
Debian 13 (Trixie) x64, arm64

Justification:
Debian is one of the most widely deployed Linux distributions for self-hosted CI runners and server infrastructure. Ubuntu itself is derived from Debian and shares the same glibc/libc6 ABI, meaning the same build pipeline used to produce Ubuntu binaries should work for Debian with minimal changes. Without manifest entries for Debian, setup-python performs a platform detection check via /etc/os-release, finds no matching entry, and errors out — even though an Ubuntu 24.04 binary would run correctly on Debian 13. Users are forced to either switch their runner OS to Ubuntu or remove setup-python entirely and rely on the system Python, both of which are unnecessary workarounds given the binary compatibility.

Are you willing to submit a PR?

Yes, open to contributing if the maintainers can provide guidance on the build matrix configuration for Debian targets.

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the Ubuntu entries in versions-manifest.json and the build matrix configuration for existing binary targets. Trace how actions/setup-python matches /etc/os-release to manifest entries, then verify Debian 12 and 13 coverage for x64 and arm64 and successful version resolution.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
github-actions, python
Domain
build-system, ci-cd
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
55/100

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