On Sat, Jun 06, 2026 at 02:30:15PM +0000, Helge Kreutzmann wrote: > Package: apt > Version: 3.3.1 > Severity: normal > > I recently (about two weeks ago) upgraded from stable to testing. I > noticed that quite a few files were not upgraded. I had two packages > pinned, which I unpinned, but no change. > > If I explicitly select one of those files for install (apt install …) > then this is installed. However I don't want to do this for all files, > because then they become marked as automatically installed. (And > besides, this should not happen - either they get upgraded or removed, > but not hold back). > > I tried to find out why these files are hold back, but to no avail. > Let's take an example: > > cups-filters:amd64 is selected for install because: > 1. cups:amd64 is selected for install > 2. cups:amd64 Depends cups-filters > > I tried various other command (list, show), but I could not determine > why these files are not install with dist-upgrade (nor upgrade). > > My system is not using recommends by default, maybe this is (part of > the problem)? > > I looked at the apt bugs to see if this has been reported. It may be > linked to #1119668, but I'm not sure. Should I maybe run those debug > commands (or others) to help finding the root cause? > > Here is the full list (notice that this list grows, it was less than > 90 initially). > > root@twentytwo:~# LC_ALL=C apt update > Hit:1 http://127.0.0.1:9999/ftp.de.debian.org/debian forky InRelease > 92 packages can be upgraded. Run 'apt list --upgradable' to see them. > root@twentytwo:~# LC_ALL=C apt upgrade > Not upgrading: > cups-filters libkf5kirigami2-5 libqt5multimediaquick5 > libqt5quickwidgets5 libqt5waylandcompositor5 librust-block-buffer-dev > poppler-utils qml-module-qtquick-templates2 > cups-filters-core-drivers libkf5waylandclient5 libqt5multimediawidgets5 > libqt5script5 libqt5webchannel5 librust-crypto-common-dev > python3-pyqt5 qml-module-qtquick-window2 > graphviz libkf5xmlgui5 libqt5network5t64 > libqt5sensors5 libqt5webengine-data librust-digest-dev > qdbus-qt5 qml-module-qtquick2 > inkscape libkpim6itinerary6 libqt5networkauth5 > libqt5serialport5 libqt5webengine5 librust-getrandom-dev > qml-module-org-kde-kirigami2 qml-module-qtwebengine > kwayland-integration libpoppler-glib8t64 libqt5positioning5 > libqt5sql5-mysql libqt5webenginecore5 librust-rand-core-dev > qml-module-qtgraphicaleffects qt5-gtk-platformtheme > libcurl3t64-gnutls libpoppler-qt5-1t64 libqt5printsupport5t64 > libqt5sql5-psql libqt5webenginewidgets5 librust-sha2-dev > qml-module-qtmultimedia qt5-image-formats-plugins > libegl-mesa0 libpoppler-qt6-3t64 libqt5qml5 > libqt5sql5-sqlite libqt5widgets5t64 libselinux1 > qml-module-qtqml qtspeech5-speechd-plugin > libgbm1 libqt5core5t64 libqt5qmlmodels5 > libqt5sql5t64 libqt5x11extras5 libsemanage2 > qml-module-qtquick-controls qtwayland5 > libgl1-mesa-dri libqt5dbus5t64 libqt5qmlworkerscript5 > libqt5svg5 libqt5xdgiconloader3 mesa-libgallium > qml-module-qtquick-controls2 > libglx-mesa0 libqt5designer5 libqt5quick5 > libqt5test5t64 libqt5xml5t64 node-jest-debbundle > qml-module-qtquick-dialogs > libkf5i18nlocaledata5 libqt5gui5t64 libqt5quickcontrols2-5 > libqt5texttospeech5 libqt5xmlpatterns5 pdf2djvu > qml-module-qtquick-layouts > libkf5iconthemes5 libqt5multimedia5 libqt5quicktemplates2-5 > libqt5waylandclient5 librust-blobby-dev pdfgrep > qml-module-qtquick-privatewidgets > > Summary: > Upgrading: 0, Installing: 0, Removing: 0, Not Upgrading: 92 > root@twentytwo:~# LC_ALL=C apt dist-upgrade > Not upgrading: > cups-filters libkf5kirigami2-5 libqt5multimediaquick5 > libqt5quickwidgets5 libqt5waylandcompositor5 librust-block-buffer-dev > poppler-utils qml-module-qtquick-templates2 > cups-filters-core-drivers libkf5waylandclient5 libqt5multimediawidgets5 > libqt5script5 libqt5webchannel5 librust-crypto-common-dev > python3-pyqt5 qml-module-qtquick-window2 > graphviz libkf5xmlgui5 libqt5network5t64 > libqt5sensors5 libqt5webengine-data librust-digest-dev > qdbus-qt5 qml-module-qtquick2 > inkscape libkpim6itinerary6 libqt5networkauth5 > libqt5serialport5 libqt5webengine5 librust-getrandom-dev > qml-module-org-kde-kirigami2 qml-module-qtwebengine > kwayland-integration libpoppler-glib8t64 libqt5positioning5 > libqt5sql5-mysql libqt5webenginecore5 librust-rand-core-dev > qml-module-qtgraphicaleffects qt5-gtk-platformtheme > libcurl3t64-gnutls libpoppler-qt5-1t64 libqt5printsupport5t64 > libqt5sql5-psql libqt5webenginewidgets5 librust-sha2-dev > qml-module-qtmultimedia qt5-image-formats-plugins > libegl-mesa0 libpoppler-qt6-3t64 libqt5qml5 > libqt5sql5-sqlite libqt5widgets5t64 libselinux1 > qml-module-qtqml qtspeech5-speechd-plugin > libgbm1 libqt5core5t64 libqt5qmlmodels5 > libqt5sql5t64 libqt5x11extras5 libsemanage2 > qml-module-qtquick-controls qtwayland5 > libgl1-mesa-dri libqt5dbus5t64 libqt5qmlworkerscript5 > libqt5svg5 libqt5xdgiconloader3 mesa-libgallium > qml-module-qtquick-controls2 > libglx-mesa0 libqt5designer5 libqt5quick5 > libqt5test5t64 libqt5xml5t64 node-jest-debbundle > qml-module-qtquick-dialogs > libkf5i18nlocaledata5 libqt5gui5t64 libqt5quickcontrols2-5 > libqt5texttospeech5 libqt5xmlpatterns5 pdf2djvu > qml-module-qtquick-layouts > libkf5iconthemes5 libqt5multimedia5 libqt5quicktemplates2-5 > libqt5waylandclient5 librust-blobby-dev pdfgrep > qml-module-qtquick-privatewidgets > > Summary: > Upgrading: 0, Installing: 0, Removing: 0, Not Upgrading: 92
You'll want to specify -o Debug::APT::Solver=3 (or 2, or 1) to see the
reasoning as it goes along. In particular, you will easily find lines
with Reject: or Install: for the specific versions, say:
Reject:cups-filters:amd64=<new version>
that will, in a terse way explain why the new version could not be
installed:
Reject:name:arch=version (a->b->c)
where "a->b->c" is an implication graph, and any may be negative,
say "a->not b->c".
It is possible all these packages are being held back because they
require removing a manually installed package (so you'd see a rule like
manual package -> some package -> .... as the reason for the
cups-filters reject).
Unfortunately there is no clear way to indicate the reason why a package
is being held back at this time; passing the information out from the
solver to the frontend is non-trivial, and it would be quite complicated
to read.
Generally speaking, `why-not` and `why` cannot explain actions, only
installed state because the actions have not been queued (like "upgrade
all packages").
It would be interesting to have a command to ask
apt why --command "dist-upgrade" cups-filters/now
to ask it: "Why are you choosing to keep cups-filters at the current
version", but alas, I'm not sure how to implement that - the commands
act on different solver objects.
Similarly, you'd want to have a "?cups-filters/now" option at the prompt
to ask there but the solver object is proxied through a legacy depcache
API and already gone by the time we get to the prompt as it has applied
its changes.
We could store the entire reasoning graph in a thread-local global
object that the frontend could query to bypass the whole proper API.
Hopefully, we eventually get rid of the depcache and interface with the
solver API directly, and then we can query everything natively though.
--
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