internal/builder/builder.go

@@ -387,13 +387,23 @@ func one(ctx context.Context, run Runner, publish Publisher,
 				declared[strings.SplitN(args[i+1], "=", 2)[0]] = true
 			}
 		}
-		if fetches := undeclaredFetches(string(recipe), declared); len(fetches) > 0 {
+		bases, copies := undeclaredFetches(string(recipe), declared)
+		if len(copies) > 0 {
 			return catalogue.Built{}, fmt.Errorf(
-				"%s: the recipe %s fetches %s, which the manifest does not declare. A build "+
+				"%s: the recipe %s copies out of %s, which the manifest does not declare. A build "+
 					"reaching a public registry on its own works only when that registry answers; "+
 					"declare it under build.on as {\"arg\": \"<NAME>\", \"image\": \"<image>@sha256:…\"} "+
 					"and read it from that argument (novox/hq ADR 0097)",
-				module, a.From, strings.Join(fetches, ", "))
+				module, a.From, strings.Join(copies, ", "))
+		}
+		if len(bases) > 0 {
+			// Said, not yet refused: the mesh's own images start FROM a public base — the control
+			// plane's, the builder's, the tool runtime's — and refusing those refuses genesis.
+			// They declare their bases next; until then a base fetched on its own is named here,
+			// with the remedy, every build.
+			say("recipe", "UNDECLARED base(s) %s in %s — declare each under build.on as "+
+				"{arg, image@sha256:…} and read it from that argument (novox/hq ADR 0097)",
+				strings.Join(bases, ", "), a.From)
 		}
 		invocation := append([]string{"build", "-f", a.From, "-t", local}, args...)
 		if a.Target != "" {
@@ -788,12 +798,12 @@ func timeNow() time.Time       { return time.Now() }
 func since(t time.Time) string { return time.Since(t).Round(time.Millisecond).String() }
 
 // undeclaredFetches is every image a recipe reaches for that is neither a declared build argument
-// nor one of its own stages nor `scratch`: a `FROM` or a `COPY --from` naming somebody else's
-// registry directly.
-func undeclaredFetches(recipe string, declared map[string]bool) []string {
+// nor one of its own stages nor `scratch`, in two lists: the bases it starts `FROM`, and the images
+// it `COPY --from`s out of — a vendor's tool, the case novox/hq 04-ISSUES/064 is about.
+func undeclaredFetches(recipe string, declared map[string]bool) (bases, copies []string) {
 	stages := map[string]bool{}
-	var out []string
 	seen := map[string]bool{}
+	var out *[]string
 	note := func(ref string) {
 		ref = strings.TrimSpace(ref)
 		switch {
@@ -807,7 +817,7 @@ func undeclaredFetches(recipe string, declared map[string]bool) []string {
 			if !declared[name] {
 				if !seen[ref] {
 					seen[ref] = true
-					out = append(out, ref+" (a build argument the manifest does not declare)")
+					*out = append(*out, ref+" (a build argument the manifest does not declare)")
 				}
 			}
 			return
@@ -818,7 +828,7 @@ func undeclaredFetches(recipe string, declared map[string]bool) []string {
 		}
 		if !seen[ref] {
 			seen[ref] = true
-			out = append(out, ref)
+			*out = append(*out, ref)
 		}
 	}
 	for _, raw := range strings.Split(recipe, "\n") {
@@ -830,6 +840,7 @@ func undeclaredFetches(recipe string, declared map[string]bool) []string {
 		switch strings.ToUpper(fields[0]) {
 		case "FROM":
 			// FROM [--platform=…] <ref> [AS <name>]
+			out = &bases
 			var ref string
 			for i := 1; i < len(fields); i++ {
 				if strings.HasPrefix(fields[i], "--") {
@@ -843,6 +854,7 @@ func undeclaredFetches(recipe string, declared map[string]bool) []string {
 			}
 			note(ref)
 		case "COPY", "ADD":
+			out = &copies
 			for _, f := range fields[1:] {
 				if strings.HasPrefix(f, "--from=") {
 					note(strings.TrimPrefix(f, "--from="))
@@ -850,5 +862,5 @@ func undeclaredFetches(recipe string, declared map[string]bool) []string {
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	return out
+	return bases, copies
 }

internal/builder/standing_on_test.go

@@ -120,12 +120,16 @@ FROM scratch
 COPY --from=vendor/tool:latest /tool /tool
 FROM golang:1.25-alpine AS go
 `
-	got := undeclaredFetches(recipe, map[string]bool{"RUNTIME_BASE": true})
-	want := []string{"${MC_BASE} (a build argument the manifest does not declare)", "vendor/tool:latest", "golang:1.25-alpine"}
-	if strings.Join(got, "|") != strings.Join(want, "|") {
-		t.Fatalf("got %v, want %v", got, want)
+	bases, copies := undeclaredFetches(recipe, map[string]bool{"RUNTIME_BASE": true})
+	if strings.Join(copies, "|") != "${MC_BASE} (a build argument the manifest does not declare)|vendor/tool:latest" {
+		t.Fatalf("copies out of undeclared images: %v", copies)
 	}
-	if got := undeclaredFetches(recipe, map[string]bool{"RUNTIME_BASE": true, "MC_BASE": true}); len(got) != 2 {
-		t.Fatalf("declared arguments are not fetches: %v", got)
+	// A base fetched on its own is named apart: the mesh's own images still start FROM one, so
+	// it is said rather than refused until they declare theirs.
+	if strings.Join(bases, "|") != "golang:1.25-alpine" {
+		t.Fatalf("undeclared bases: %v", bases)
+	}
+	if _, copies := undeclaredFetches(recipe, map[string]bool{"RUNTIME_BASE": true, "MC_BASE": true}); len(copies) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("declared arguments are not fetches: %v", copies)
 	}
 }