fix: --no-deps on the edx-platform editable install so manifest overrides survive

[blarghmatey]

What are the relevant tickets?

N/A

Description (What does it do?)

Adds --no-deps to the three uv pip install -e . calls on edx-platform in src/lehrer/core/platform.py.

A deployment override in build_manifest.yaml could be silently discarded, producing an image that did not contain the code the manifest asked for.

The build order is: install edx-platform's dependency set → apply the cell's overrides: → uv pip install -e . on edx-platform. That last step re-resolves edx-platform's own declared dependencies from the index, so any override naming a package edx-platform declares gets replaced by the indexed pin, and its dist-info loses direct_url.json.

Why this was hard to see: it splits by release line.

• edx-platform master migrated its full dependency list into pyproject.toml and declares "openedx-forum" there → the git+https://github.com/mitodl/forum.git@tmacey/fix-typesense-search-params#egg=openedx-forum override was reverted to indexed openedx-forum==0.4.3 on all three master cells.
• release/verawood predates that migration: its pyproject.toml declares dependencies = ["setuptools"] and nothing else, so the editable install had nothing to re-resolve and the same manifest line survived as 0.4.5 with direct_url.json intact. (Its requirements/edx/base.txt does pin openedx-forum==0.4.2, but that file is not what uv pip install -e . reads.)

Identical manifest syntax, images rebuilt after the override merged, opposite results.

--no-deps is safe here: _edx_base_deps_script() has already installed the full dependency set (requirements/edx/base.txt + assets.txt, or the uv sync groups on master), and the overrides step runs after it. This install has nothing left to resolve and only needs to register the package so lms/cms and their console entry points work.

Applied at all three sites. The test-harness one (platform.py in the test container builder) matters too: without it the suite runs against packages the shipped image does not contain, which is the class of gap that let the Typesense search bugs ship in the first place.

How can this be tested?

uv run pytest tests — 306 passed. pre-commit run clean (ruff, mypy, core-boundary check).

Neither covers the change itself: no test in this suite asserts on the dagger container chain, and adding that would mean a new mocking harness. Flagging that as a known gap rather than papering over it. If you would like a guard, the cheapest one is a source-level assertion that every editable install of edx-platform carries --no-deps, though that is arguably brittle. Happy to add it if you want it.

What the change was verified against is the deployed CI images, read directly from the running pods:

mitxonline.CI  (master)   openedx_forum-0.4.3.dist-info  direct_url.json: absent
mitx.CI        (master)   openedx_forum-0.4.3.dist-info  direct_url.json: absent
mitx-staging.CI(master)   openedx_forum-0.4.3.dist-info  direct_url.json: absent
xpro.CI        (verawood) openedx_forum-0.4.5.dist-info  direct_url.json: PRESENT

direct_url.json is written by pip/uv for any direct-URL (git/VCS/local) install and never for a plain index install, so it is a definitive yes/no on whether an override took. To confirm the fix after a rebuild, re-run against a master cell and expect 0.4.5 + direct_url.json present:

kubectl -n <ns> exec deploy/lms-edxapp-app -c lms-edxapp-app -- python -c "
import glob, os
d = glob.glob('/openedx/venv/lib/python*/site-packages/openedx_forum-*.dist-info')
print([os.path.basename(x) for x in d],
      'from_git:', any(os.path.exists(os.path.join(x, 'direct_url.json')) for x in d))"

Additional Context

• This has a live consequence. Enable Typesense forum search for master/verawood CI+QA environments ol-infrastructure#5718 moved forum search onto Typesense in seven CI/QA environments on the assumption that every master and verawood cell carried the openedx/forum#289 fix. Three master CI environments are currently pointed at the unfixed 0.4.3 backend. Confirmed by the query each one emits: broken cells send per_page=1000 (over Typesense's 250 cap, HTTP 422 once a collection exists), the fixed xpro cell sends per_page=250&page=1.
• Practical impact is contained: those CI environments served zero real forum searches over the preceding 30 days. The cost is that verification is untrustworthy until the images are rebuilt, since a tester cannot tell a config problem from an image problem.
• Worth a look from someone who knows the uv sync arm on master: _edx_base_deps_script() uses uv sync --inexact with groups there, which may already install the project itself, making the editable install partly redundant on that path. --no-deps is correct either way, but the redundancy might be worth removing separately.

[Copilot]

🟡 Changes recommended

The subsequent test dependency sync can still replace deployment overrides with lockfile versions.

Once you've addressed the issues Copilot identified, you can request another Copilot review.

Pull request overview

Prevents editable edx-platform installs from overwriting deployment dependency overrides.

Changes:

• Adds --no-deps to three editable-install paths.
• Documents why dependency resolution must remain disabled.

File summaries

File	Description
src/lehrer/core/platform.py	Preserves manifest overrides during build, verification, and test setup.

Review details

• Files reviewed: 1/1 changed files
• Comments generated: 3
• Review effort level: Balanced

---

💡 Add a code-review agent skill or configure MCP servers for context-aware, tailored reviews. Learn more in the docs.