fix(ci): correct needs: parallel: matrix: syntax for downstream job dependencies

[Copilot]

GitLab CI needs: referencing a specific parallel matrix job instance requires scalar values — using YAML list notation causes GitLab to fail resolving the dependency, so downstream jobs run immediately without waiting for their required container images.

Changes

• 6 jobs in .gitlab-ci.yml had ENV and BUILD_TYPE changed from list to scalar syntax in their needs: parallel: matrix: blocks:
  • user_spack_environment (needs eic_ci, default)
  • .cuda (needs eic_dev_cuda, default)
  • eic_xl:singularity:default / eic_xl:singularity:nightly
  • .benchmarks:default / .benchmarks:nightly

Before:

needs:
  - job: eic
    parallel:
      matrix:
        - BUILD_IMAGE: eic_
          ENV:
          - ci
          BUILD_TYPE:
          - default

After:

needs:
  - job: eic
    parallel:
      matrix:
        - BUILD_IMAGE: eic_
          ENV: ci
          BUILD_TYPE: default
          BUILDER_IMAGE: debian_stable_base
          RUNTIME_IMAGE: debian_stable_base
          PLATFORM: linux/amd64

Original prompt

Problem

The .gitlab-ci.yml file has incorrect syntax in the needs: sections for several jobs that depend on specific parallel matrix job instances. The current syntax uses list notation for matrix variables, which doesn't properly specify a single job dependency:

Current (incorrect):

needs:
  - job: eic
    parallel:
      matrix:
        - BUILD_IMAGE: eic_
          ENV:
          - ci
          BUILD_TYPE:
          - default

This causes jobs to execute without waiting for their required container images to be built, leading to failures.

Expected (correct):

needs:
  - job: eic
    parallel:
      matrix:
        - BUILD_IMAGE: eic_
          ENV: ci
          BUILD_TYPE: default
          BUILDER_IMAGE: debian_stable_base
          RUNTIME_IMAGE: debian_stable_base
          PLATFORM: linux/amd64

Jobs Affected

The following jobs in .gitlab-ci.yml need to be fixed:

1. user_spack_environment - needs eic_ci (BUILD_TYPE: default, ENV: ci)
2. .cuda - needs eic_dev_cuda (BUILD_TYPE: default, ENV: cuda)
3. eic_xl:singularity:default - needs eic_xl (BUILD_TYPE: default, ENV: xl)
4. eic_xl:singularity:nightly - needs eic_xl (BUILD_TYPE: nightly, ENV: xl)
5. .benchmarks:default - needs eic_ci (BUILD_TYPE: default, ENV: ci)
6. .benchmarks:nightly - needs eic_ci (BUILD_TYPE: nightly, ENV: ci)

Solution

For each affected job, change the needs: parallel: matrix: section from list syntax to single value syntax, and include all matrix variables to uniquely identify the specific parallel job instance to depend on.

Files to Modify

• .gitlab-ci.yml

References

• GitLab CI Matrix Expressions Documentation
• GitLab CI needs keyword Documentation

This pull request was created from Copilot chat.

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[wdconinc]

This PR intends to solve incorrect (early) job instantiations in e.g. https://eicweb.phy.anl.gov/containers/eic_container/-/jobs/7378982.

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Fixes GitLab CI needs: dependencies on specific parallel:matrix job instances so downstream jobs correctly wait for the exact container image build they require (instead of running immediately due to unresolved dependencies).

Changes:

• Updates 6 needs: parallel: matrix: blocks in .gitlab-ci.yml to use scalar values for ENV and BUILD_TYPE (e.g., ENV: ci), matching GitLab’s expected syntax for targeting a single matrix-expanded job.
• Keeps the full matrix key set (e.g., BUILDER_IMAGE, RUNTIME_IMAGE, PLATFORM) to uniquely identify the intended upstream build instance.

[veprbl]

Good, of course.