$PROJECT_SOURCE incorrectly set when starterProjects are used in devfile located in git repository

[AObuchow]

Describe the bug

Creating a workspace from a (repository-hosted) devfile that defines only a starter project will result in $PROJECT_SOURCE getting incorrectly set to an implicit project that points to the devfile's repository location.

Che version

7.89@latest

Steps to reproduce

1. Create a workspace from a devfile that contains only a starterProject, such as this one. The devfile must be hosted in a git repository.
2. Create a terminal in CheCode and run echo $PROJECT_SOURCE
3. The value of $PROJECT_SOURCE is set to the implicit devfile git repository project created by the Dashboard, in this case

Expected behavior

The value of $PROJECT_SOURCE should be the value of the projected selected with the controller.devfile.io/use-starter-project devworkspace attribute. In this case, $PROJECT_SOURCE should be /projects/flask-example/.

Note: The DevWorkspace has the correct controller.devfile.io/use-starter-project value:

$ cat /devworkspace-metadata/original.devworkspace.yaml | grep "use-starter-project"
  controller.devfile.io/use-starter-project: flask-example

Runtime

OpenShift

Screenshots

No response

Installation method

OperatorHub

Environment

Linux

Eclipse Che Logs

No response

Additional context

The root cause of this problem stems from a conflict with the Che Dashboard and DevWorkspace Operator:

• Che Dashboard will automatically inject an implicit project to the devworkspace when the devilfe is devfile hosted on git, even if the devfile does not contain any projects. This implicit project contains the devfile's source repository.
• DevWorkspace Operator will prioritize projects over starterProjects when setting $PROJECT_SOURCE by design. See https://github.com/devfile/devworkspace-operator/pull/1190

This issue is quite low severity, as it only applies when using a devfile hosted in a git repository. If you use the same raw devfile where it's hosted on the devfile registry (https://registry.devfile.io/devfiles/python/3.1.0) the bug does not occur.

[AObuchow]

A customer has encountered a variant of this same bug. In the customer's case, they had a parent devfile that defines a starterProject as well as devfile commands that are intended to run in the starterProject's directory (using $PROJECT_SOURCE). The expected result is that the starterProject is used, but instead, the implicit project (based on the devfiles git repo location) is used. As a result, the starterProject is not cloned & the devfile commands do not work.

I've created the following repository to reproduce this bug.

Here is the child devfile:

schemaVersion: 2.3.0
metadata:
  name: child-devfile-reproducer
parent:
  uri: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AObuchow/parent-devfile-starterProject-reproducer/refs/heads/main/parent-devfile.yaml

And here is the parent devfile:

schemaVersion: 2.3.0
metadata:
  name: parent-devfile-reproducer
starterProjects:
  - name: flask-example
    git:
      remotes:
        origin: "https://github.com/devfile-samples/python-ex"
components:
  - name: py
    container:
      image: quay.io/devfile/universal-developer-image:ubi8-latest
      args: ['tail', '-f', '/dev/null']
      mountSources: true
      endpoints:
        - name: https-python
          targetPort: 8080
          protocol: http
          secure: true
          attributes:
            discoverable: true
        - exposure: none
          name: debug
          targetPort: 5858
      env:
        - name: DEBUG_PORT
          value: '5858'
commands:
  - id: pip-install-requirements
    exec:
      commandLine: pip install -r requirements.txt
      workingDir: ${PROJECT_SOURCE}
      group:
        kind: build
        isDefault: true
      component: py
  - id: run-app
    exec:
      commandLine: 'python app.py'
      workingDir: ${PROJECT_SOURCE}
      component: py
      group:
        kind: run
        isDefault: true
  - id: debug-py
    exec:
      commandLine: 'pip install debugpy && python -m debugpy --listen 0.0.0.0:${DEBUG_PORT} app.py'
      workingDir: ${PROJECT_SOURCE}
      component: py
      group:
        kind: debug

Here is the resulting devworkspace (from the /devworkspace-metadata/ directory in the workspace container:

attributes:
  controller.devfile.io/devworkspace-config:
    name: devworkspace-config
    namespace: dogfooding
  controller.devfile.io/scc: container-build
  controller.devfile.io/storage-type: ephemeral
  dw.metadata.annotations:
    che.eclipse.org/devfile-source: |
      scm:
        repo: https://github.com/AObuchow/parent-devfile-starterProject-reproducer.git
        revision: main
        fileName: devfile.yaml
      factory:
        params: >-
          storageType=ephemeral&url=https://github.com/AObuchow/parent-devfile-starterProject-reproducer/tree/main
parent:
  uri: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AObuchow/parent-devfile-starterProject-reproducer/refs/heads/main/parent-devfile.yaml
projects:
- git:
    checkoutFrom:
      revision: main
    remotes:
      origin: https://github.com/AObuchow/parent-devfile-starterProject-reproducer.git
  name: parent-devfile-starterproject-reproducer #This is the implicit project added by the Dashboard

And here's the flattened workspace:

attributes:
  controller.devfile.io/devworkspace-config:
    name: devworkspace-config
    namespace: dogfooding
  controller.devfile.io/scc: container-build
  controller.devfile.io/storage-type: ephemeral
  dw.metadata.annotations:
    che.eclipse.org/devfile-source: |
      scm:
        repo: https://github.com/AObuchow/parent-devfile-starterProject-reproducer.git
        revision: main
        fileName: devfile.yaml
      factory:
        params: >-
          storageType=ephemeral&url=https://github.com/AObuchow/parent-devfile-starterProject-reproducer/tree/main
commands:
- attributes:
    controller.devfile.io/imported-by: parent
  exec:
    commandLine: pip install -r requirements.txt
    component: py
    group:
      isDefault: true
      kind: build
    workingDir: ${PROJECT_SOURCE}
  id: pip-install-requirements
- attributes:
    controller.devfile.io/imported-by: parent
  exec:
    commandLine: python app.py
    component: py
    group:
      isDefault: true
      kind: run
    workingDir: ${PROJECT_SOURCE}
  id: run-app
- attributes:
    controller.devfile.io/imported-by: parent
  exec:
    commandLine: pip install debugpy && python -m debugpy --listen 0.0.0.0:${DEBUG_PORT}
      app.py
    component: py
    group:
      kind: debug
    workingDir: ${PROJECT_SOURCE}
  id: debug-py
- apply:
    component: che-code-injector
  attributes:
    controller.devfile.io/imported-by: editor
  id: init-container-command
- attributes:
    controller.devfile.io/imported-by: editor
  exec:
    commandLine: nohup /checode/entrypoint-volume.sh > /checode/entrypoint-logs.txt
      2>&1 &
    component: py
  id: init-che-code-command
- exec:
    commandLine: |-
      SSH_ENV_PATH=$HOME/ssh-environment \
      && if [ -f /etc/ssh/passphrase ] && command -v ssh-add >/dev/null; \
      then ssh-agent | sed 's/^echo/#echo/' > $SSH_ENV_PATH \
      && chmod 600 $SSH_ENV_PATH && source $SSH_ENV_PATH \
      && ssh-add /etc/ssh/dwo_ssh_key < /etc/ssh/passphrase \
      && if [ -f $HOME/.bashrc ] && [ -w $HOME/.bashrc ]; then echo "source ${SSH_ENV_PATH}" >> $HOME/.bashrc; fi; fi
    component: py
  id: init-ssh-agent
components:
- attributes:
    app.kubernetes.io/component: che-code-runtime
    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: che-code.eclipse.org
    controller.devfile.io/imported-by: parent
    controller.devfile.io/merged-contributions: editor
  container:
    args:
    - tail
    - -f
    - /dev/null
    endpoints:
    - attributes:
        controller.devfile.io/endpoint-url: https://che-dogfooding.apps.che-dev.x6e0.p1.openshiftapps.com/aobuchow/child-devfile-reproducer/3100/
        cookiesAuthEnabled: true
        discoverable: false
        type: main
        urlRewriteSupported: true
      exposure: public
      name: che-code
      protocol: https
      secure: true
      targetPort: 3100
    - attributes:
        controller.devfile.io/endpoint-url: https://aobuchow-child-devfile-reproducer-code-redirect-1.apps.che-dev.x6e0.p1.openshiftapps.com/
        discoverable: false
        urlRewriteSupported: false
      exposure: public
      name: code-redirect-1
      protocol: https
      targetPort: 13131
    - attributes:
        controller.devfile.io/endpoint-url: https://aobuchow-child-devfile-reproducer-code-redirect-2.apps.che-dev.x6e0.p1.openshiftapps.com/
        discoverable: false
        urlRewriteSupported: false
      exposure: public
      name: code-redirect-2
      protocol: https
      targetPort: 13132
    - attributes:
        controller.devfile.io/endpoint-url: https://aobuchow-child-devfile-reproducer-code-redirect-3.apps.che-dev.x6e0.p1.openshiftapps.com/
        discoverable: false
        urlRewriteSupported: false
      exposure: public
      name: code-redirect-3
      protocol: https
      targetPort: 13133
    - attributes:
        controller.devfile.io/endpoint-url: https://aobuchow-child-devfile-reproducer-https-python.apps.che-dev.x6e0.p1.openshiftapps.com/
        discoverable: true
      name: https-python
      protocol: http
      secure: true
      targetPort: 8080
    - exposure: none
      name: debug
      targetPort: 5858
    env:
    - name: CHE_DASHBOARD_URL
      value: https://che-dogfooding.apps.che-dev.x6e0.p1.openshiftapps.com
    - name: CHE_PLUGIN_REGISTRY_URL
      value: ""
    - name: CHE_PLUGIN_REGISTRY_INTERNAL_URL
      value: ""
    - name: CLUSTER_CONSOLE_URL
      value: https://console-openshift-console.apps.che-dev.x6e0.p1.openshiftapps.com
    - name: CLUSTER_CONSOLE_TITLE
      value: OpenShift console
    - name: OPENVSX_REGISTRY_URL
      value: https://open-vsx.org
    - name: DEBUG_PORT
      value: "5858"
    image: quay.io/devfile/universal-developer-image:ubi8-latest
    memoryLimit: 1152Mi
    memoryRequest: 320Mi
    mountSources: true
    sourceMapping: /projects
    volumeMounts:
    - name: checode
      path: /checode
  name: py
- attributes:
    controller.devfile.io/imported-by: editor
  container:
    command:
    - /entrypoint-init-container.sh
    cpuLimit: 500m
    cpuRequest: 30m
    env:
    - name: CHE_DASHBOARD_URL
      value: https://che-dogfooding.apps.che-dev.x6e0.p1.openshiftapps.com
    - name: CHE_PLUGIN_REGISTRY_URL
      value: ""
    - name: CHE_PLUGIN_REGISTRY_INTERNAL_URL
      value: ""
    - name: CLUSTER_CONSOLE_URL
      value: https://console-openshift-console.apps.che-dev.x6e0.p1.openshiftapps.com
    - name: CLUSTER_CONSOLE_TITLE
      value: OpenShift console
    - name: OPENVSX_REGISTRY_URL
      value: https://open-vsx.org
    image: quay.io/che-incubator/che-code:insiders
    memoryLimit: 256Mi
    memoryRequest: 32Mi
    sourceMapping: /projects
    volumeMounts:
    - name: checode
      path: /checode
  name: che-code-injector
- attributes:
    controller.devfile.io/imported-by: editor
  name: checode
  volume: {}
events:
  postStart:
  - init-che-code-command
  - init-ssh-agent
  preStart:
  - init-container-command
projects:
- git:
    checkoutFrom:
      revision: main
    remotes:
      origin: https://github.com/AObuchow/parent-devfile-starterProject-reproducer.git
  name: parent-devfile-starterproject-reproducer
starterProjects:
- attributes: # Missing the `controller.devfile.io/use-starter-project` attribute
    controller.devfile.io/imported-by: parent 
  git:
    remotes:
      origin: https://github.com/devfile-samples/python-ex
  name: flask-example

Note: in this case, the controller.devfile.io/use-starter-project attribute is missing from the devworkspace.

Workaround

As a temporary workaround, you can change starterProjects to projects in the parent devfile. This results in both the implicit project being cloned into the workspace, as well as the flask-example project. $PROJECT_SOURCE will also be set correctly to /projects/flask-example