[BUG] pg mod: contract deploy fails — "cargo metadata --format-version 1 … --no-deps"

Severity: Critical (mod path) · P0
Reported by: DevEx Audit (External) / DevCult
Source: W3S PG Audit v3 (External) by DevCult, 16 June 2026.
Surface: CLI v0.39.0 (macOS), pg mod path.

Symptom

Contract deploy fails during pg mod:

Contract Deploy Failed
Command failed: cargo metadata --format-version 1 --manifest-path "…/dot-cli-mod-fixture-674113/Cargo.toml" --no-deps

Notes

Distinct from #318 ("pg install: cargo-pvm-contract build step fails") — that is the cargo-pvm-contract tool failing during pg install. This is cargo metadata itself failing on the project manifest at deploy time.

Recommended fix / next steps

• Investigate why cargo metadata fails on the mod fixture's manifest; surface a clear, actionable error instead of a raw command-failed dump.