`README` dependencies not in sync with `pyproject.toml`

[tsbinns]

Core dependencies in README.rst are out of date with pyproject.toml, and have been since end of Jan. E.g., scipy >= 1.11 is listed in the readme, but this hasn't been the case since #13611.

There is a pre-commit hook dependency-sync that handles this, but seems like it hasn't been run. Is now causing checks to fail in Azure. Would be interested to know why this wasn't raising an error before. If you run the hook the readme dependencies do get updated as expected, so nothing's broken with the script being called.

The similar pre-commit hook update-env-file for updating environment.yml gets run whenever dependencies get updated through the spec_zero action, but dependeny-sync just passes (i.e., nothing to update; https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-python/actions/runs/24017316599/job/70039144843#step:10:110).

[larsoner]

That hook only gets updated when we release .We should

1. Fix the README.rst quickly so that CIs are green again
2. Get rid of it as a pre-commit hook and add it as part of what runs with our version-bump updates / CIs

@tsbinns you up for doing either or both?

[tsbinns]

@larsoner Sure, happy to work on both

[tsbinns]

@larsoner Out of interest, why was dependency-sync only being run on release, and not every commit like update-env-file?

[drammock]

Note that our README also gets incorporated as "project description" into the PyPI release: https://pypi.org/project/mne/, so the deps listed on PyPI are also wrong.

Personally I wish that the README stays in sync with pyproject.toml, because I think folks reading it on the repo will assume it reflects current state of main. But doing this:

Get rid of it as a pre-commit hook and add it as part of what runs with our version-bump updates / CIs

...will allow it to get out of sync, and since dep version bumps can happen quite early in a release cycle, they could be out of sync for up to 4 months. Not sure what the best solution is.

[tsbinns]

@larsoner Out of interest, why was dependency-sync only being run on release, and not every commit like update-env-file?

Ah just saw this in pre-commit config:

ci:
    skip: [dependency-sync] # needs MNE to work, which exceeds the free tier space alloc.

[tsbinns]

Note that our README also gets incorporated as "project description" into the PyPI release: https://pypi.org/project/mne/, so the deps listed on PyPI are also wrong.

Personally I wish that the README stays in sync with pyproject.toml, because I think folks reading it on the repo will assume it reflects current state of main. But doing this:

Get rid of it as a pre-commit hook and add it as part of what runs with our version-bump updates / CIs

...will allow it to get out of sync, and since dep version bumps can happen quite early in a release cycle, they could be out of sync for up to 4 months. Not sure what the best solution is.

@drammock Just opened #13832 as an attempt addressing this by including the syncing with README in the SPEC-0 action. At least then any changes would be caught each Monday when the job is run.

However, it does muddy what the function of the SPEC-0 action is, since now you could have changes to dependencies that are not being tracked by our SPEC-0 policy getting caught here.

Also, could be the case a change to the deps is made and a release pushed mid-week between SPEC-0 action runs, so that wouldn't be caught.

What about a new action for just checking this that runs on PRs?

[larsoner]

Personally I wish that the README stays in sync with pyproject.toml, because I think folks reading it on the repo will assume it reflects current state of main. But doing this:

Get rid of it as a pre-commit hook and add it as part of what runs with our version-bump updates / CIs

...will allow it to get out of sync, and since dep version bumps can happen quite early in a release cycle, they could be out of sync for up to 4 months. Not sure what the best solution is.

I don't quite follow this. SPEC0 action is what bumps these deps in pyproject.toml, so it makes sense to me to have it also bump in README . This would ensure pyproject and README are always in sync, and reflect what is being used in main. So when I say:

Get rid of it as a pre-commit hook and add it as part of what runs with our version-bump updates / CIs

What I mean is really have SPEC0 update everything all at once. No need for any pre-commit hooks to mess with README deps list anymore (the "Copy core dependencies from pyproject.toml to README.rst" currently in pre-commit should be done in SPEC0).

@drammock Just opened #13832 as an attempt addressing this by including the syncing with README in the SPEC-0 action. At least then any changes would be caught each Monday when the job is run.

Excellent, that's what I had in mind!

[larsoner]

... and actually tools/hooks/update_environment_file.py should probably be part of SPEC0 action, too. No need for that as pre-commit hook, either

[larsoner]

ooohhhh wait tools/hooks/update_environment_file.py will update things when a dep is added, not just when it updates. Never mind, that one can stay as a pre-commit hook.

[tsbinns]

SPEC0 action is what bumps these deps in pyproject.toml

But of the deps included in the README, SPEC0 only bumps numpy, scipy, and matplotlib.
decorator, jinja2, lazy_loader, packaging, pooch, and tqdm are not managed by the SPEC0 action.

So these other packages could be updated independently of the SPEC0 action, and then we wait until the next Monday for this to be synced with the README.

[larsoner]

So these other packages could be updated independently of the SPEC0 action, and then we wait until the next Monday for this to be synced with the README.

Sounds good to me. 1 week delay (max) seems totally fine, especially given how devs typically have very up-to-date dependencies rather than very out-of-date ones!

[drammock]

I don't quite follow this. SPEC0 action is what bumps these deps in pyproject.toml, so it makes sense to me to have it also bump in README

Maybe I misunderstood, I thought the proposal was to only sync README at release time. Weekly sync via SPEC0 action seems fine.

[larsoner]

I thought the proposal was to only sync README at release time. Weekly sync via SPEC0 action seems fine.

Not quite, that's the current state of affairs on main 😬 Hence why it was out of date and not noticed until I cut 1.12