Container creation locks Emacs #2

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opened 2026-04-12 14:04:36 +00:00 by daniel · 0 comments

daniel commented

2026-04-12 14:04:36 +00:00

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Summary

Running degudev-create-containers blocks Emacs for the entire duration
of container setup (potentially several minutes). The user cannot
interact with Emacs until both containers are fully provisioned.

Root cause

degudev--setup-container calls synchronous incus.el functions
sequentially:

incus-launch — creates the container (slow)
incus-exec / incus-exec-as-user — runs shell commands inside the
container (multiple calls: user creation, package installation, git
config, Claude settings, custom setup commands)
incus-add-device — mounts disk devices (multiple calls)
(sleep-for 5) — explicit sleep after launch

All of these use incus--run, which calls shell-command-to-string and
blocks until completion. Two full container setups run back-to-back
(reviewer then developer), compounding the problem.

Current state of incus.el

As of 2026-04-12, incus.el now provides incus--run-async, and the
interactive commands (incus-create, incus-start, incus-stop,
incus-delete) use it. However, the low-level API functions that
degudev.el depends on are still synchronous:

incus-exec
incus-exec-as-user
incus-add-device
incus-launch
incus-device-exists-p
incus-container-exists-p

Proposed approach

There are two layers to address:

1. incus.el — async variants of low-level API functions

Add async versions of the low-level functions (e.g.,
incus-launch-async, incus-exec-async, incus-add-device-async) that
accept a callback, following the pattern already established by
incus--run-async.

Alternatively, the existing functions could be made async with an
optional callback parameter (sync when omitted, async when provided).

2. degudev.el — async orchestration of container setup

degudev--setup-container must be rewritten to chain async operations
using callbacks or a sequential-async pattern. Key considerations:

Steps within a single container are sequential (e.g., must create the
container before executing commands inside it).
The two containers (reviewer and developer) are independent and could
be set up in parallel.
The sleep-for 5 after launch should be replaced with a proper
readiness check or an async delay.
Progress should be reported to the user via message as each step
completes.

Where to fix

Both packages need changes:

incus.el — provide async low-level API
degudev.el — use the async API and orchestrate steps with callbacks

Reproduction

;; This blocks Emacs for the entire duration:
(degudev-create-containers "degudev")

# Summary Running `degudev-create-containers` blocks Emacs for the entire duration of container setup (potentially several minutes). The user cannot interact with Emacs until both containers are fully provisioned. # Root cause `degudev--setup-container` calls synchronous `incus.el` functions sequentially: - `incus-launch` — creates the container (slow) - `incus-exec` / `incus-exec-as-user` — runs shell commands inside the container (multiple calls: user creation, package installation, git config, Claude settings, custom setup commands) - `incus-add-device` — mounts disk devices (multiple calls) - `(sleep-for 5)` — explicit sleep after launch All of these use `incus--run`, which calls `shell-command-to-string` and blocks until completion. Two full container setups run back-to-back (reviewer then developer), compounding the problem. # Current state of incus.el As of 2026-04-12, `incus.el` now provides `incus--run-async`, and the interactive commands (`incus-create`, `incus-start`, `incus-stop`, `incus-delete`) use it. However, the low-level API functions that `degudev.el` depends on are still synchronous: - `incus-exec` - `incus-exec-as-user` - `incus-add-device` - `incus-launch` - `incus-device-exists-p` - `incus-container-exists-p` # Proposed approach There are two layers to address: ## 1. incus.el — async variants of low-level API functions Add async versions of the low-level functions (e.g., `incus-launch-async`, `incus-exec-async`, `incus-add-device-async`) that accept a callback, following the pattern already established by `incus--run-async`. Alternatively, the existing functions could be made async with an optional callback parameter (sync when omitted, async when provided). ## 2. degudev.el — async orchestration of container setup `degudev--setup-container` must be rewritten to chain async operations using callbacks or a sequential-async pattern. Key considerations: - Steps within a single container are sequential (e.g., must create the container before executing commands inside it). - The two containers (reviewer and developer) are independent and could be set up in parallel. - The `sleep-for 5` after launch should be replaced with a proper readiness check or an async delay. - Progress should be reported to the user via `message` as each step completes. # Where to fix Both packages need changes: - `incus.el` — provide async low-level API - `degudev.el` — use the async API and orchestrate steps with callbacks # Reproduction ``` elisp ;; This blocks Emacs for the entire duration: (degudev-create-containers "degudev") ```

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daniel/degudev.el#2

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