deb: integrate ccache for content-keyed compile reuse

Fresh chroots also mean fresh compiles: nothing survived to make the
recompile-heavy middle of a run cheap. Every deb build now wires a
shared ccache — /var/tmp/pkh/ccache/<slug>/, bind-mounted at the
chroot's /var/cache/pkh-ccache — through a PATH shim rather than CC
environment variables: gcc/g++/cc/c++ symlinks in /usr/lib/pkh-ccache-
shim resolve to the ccache the essentials install, so rules that call
the plain compiler names are cached while explicit exotic compilers
stay untouched. CCACHE_COMPILERCHECK=content is critical — the default
is mtime-based and would never hit across fresh chroots, where every
toolchain's mtime is the extraction's — with CCACHE_BASEDIR=/tmp/pkh-
build and CCACHE_NOHASHDIR=true keying the staged tree's relative
paths, and CCACHE_MAXSIZE=10G (PKH_CCACHE_MAXSIZE overrides).

No mtime clamping anywhere: the tarball extraction preserves mtimes,
so the toolchain and libc headers stay older than carried objects and
make keeps them, while build-dependency reinstalls are newer and make
rebuilds their dependents — ccache turns those into hits, and a real
archive library change is a miss that rebuilds them, exactly the
signal clamping would silence. `pkh deb --no-ccache` skips the shim,
the env and the mount entirely: an escape hatch for rules that
mishandle compiler wrappers (kbuild-style flavour configs).

README.md

@@ -140,6 +140,16 @@ downloaded packages, and an `apt-get autoclean` at the end of each run
 drops the debs the archive no longer serves). `pkh prune` removes the
 caches untouched for a week.
 
+Fresh chroots do not mean fresh compiles either: every run's chroot
+gets a shared ccache (at `/var/tmp/pkh/ccache/<target>/`, mounted at
+`/var/cache/pkh-ccache`) wired in through a compiler PATH shim —
+`gcc`, `g++`, `cc` and `c++` resolve to ccache — with content-keyed
+cache checks (`CCACHE_COMPILERCHECK=content`), so cache hits survive
+the fresh toolchain of a new chroot. The cache is capped at 10G per
+target (override with `PKH_CCACHE_MAXSIZE`); `pkh deb --no-ccache`
+bypasses the shim and cache entirely, an escape hatch for rules that
+mishandle compiler wrappers (kbuild-style flavour configs).
+
 `--incremental` forks a previous record — a copy, the base is never
 modified — so a failed run can never destroy the last-good state it was
 built from. The staged tree is carried only when the base's recorded
@@ -163,7 +173,7 @@ pkh deb list            # the records of this tree: id, outcome,
                         # version, fork lineage, staged-tree state, age
 pkh deb log [-f] [<id>] # print a record's build log; -f follows a
                         # live build
-pkh prune               # garbage-collect records (7-day retention)
+pkh deb --no-ccache     # build without the shared compile cache
 ```
 
 Each target keeps at most five staged trees: when a sixth is retained,

src/deb/ephemeral.rs

@@ -289,6 +289,82 @@ pub(crate) fn write_apt_keep_conf(chroot_path: &Path) -> std::io::Result<()> {
     )
 }
 
+/// The in-chroot mount point of the shared ccache directory.
+pub(crate) const CCACHE_MOUNT: &str = "/var/cache/pkh-ccache";
+
+/// The in-chroot directory holding the ccache compiler shims
+/// (gcc/g++/cc/c++ → `/usr/bin/ccache`), prepended to the build's PATH
+/// by [`crate::deb::local`].
+pub(crate) const CCACHE_SHIM_DIR: &str = "/usr/lib/pkh-ccache-shim";
+
+/// Bind-mount the shared ccache directory of a build identity over the
+/// chroot's [`CCACHE_MOUNT`] and install the compiler shims, so the
+/// builds of that target reuse each other's compiled objects (content
+/// keyed, see the ccache env in [`crate::deb::local`]). ccache is
+/// designed for concurrent access to one cache — no cross-run lock is
+/// needed.
+///
+/// Failures are warnings, never errors: an unshared cache dir makes
+/// ccache per-run (still correct, just slower), and a missing shim
+/// leaves the build on the real compilers.
+fn share_ccache(chroot_path: &Path, cache: &Path, ctx: Arc<context::Context>) {
+    if let Err(e) = fs::create_dir_all(cache).and_then(|()| install_ccache_shim(chroot_path)) {
+        log::warn!("Cannot share the ccache {}: {e}", cache.display());
+        return;
+    }
+    let mount_point = chroot_path.join(CCACHE_MOUNT.trim_start_matches('/'));
+    if let Err(e) = fs::create_dir_all(&mount_point) {
+        log::warn!(
+            "Cannot create the ccache mount point {}: {e}",
+            mount_point.display()
+        );
+        return;
+    }
+    // Check if we're running as root to avoid unnecessary sudo
+    let is_root = crate::utils::root::is_root().unwrap_or(false);
+    let mut cmd = ctx.command(if is_root { "mount" } else { "sudo" });
+    if !is_root {
+        cmd.arg("mount");
+    }
+    match cmd.arg("--bind").arg(cache).arg(&mount_point).status() {
+        Ok(status) if status.success() => {
+            log::debug!(
+                "Bind-mounted the shared ccache {} over {}",
+                cache.display(),
+                mount_point.display()
+            );
+        }
+        outcome => {
+            log::warn!(
+                "Cannot bind-mount the shared ccache {} over {}: {:?}; \
+                 this run's cache is not shared",
+                cache.display(),
+                mount_point.display(),
+                outcome
+            );
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Install the ccache PATH shim inside the chroot: `gcc`, `g++`, `cc`
+/// and `c++` symlinking to the ccache binary the essentials install, in
+/// a directory nothing else populates. The absolute target resolves
+/// inside the chroot, where the shim dir is prepended to PATH.
+pub(crate) fn install_ccache_shim(chroot_path: &Path) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+    let shim_dir = chroot_path.join(CCACHE_SHIM_DIR.trim_start_matches('/'));
+    fs::create_dir_all(&shim_dir)?;
+    for compiler in ["gcc", "g++", "cc", "c++"] {
+        let shim = shim_dir.join(compiler);
+        match fs::symlink_metadata(&shim) {
+            Ok(_) => fs::remove_file(&shim)?, // idempotent re-install
+            Err(e) if e.kind() == std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound => {}
+            Err(e) => return Err(e),
+        }
+        std::os::unix::fs::symlink("/usr/bin/ccache", &shim)?;
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 /// Unmount `path`, falling back to a lazy unmount if the first attempt fails
 /// because something still holds the mount busy (e.g. an interrupted child
 /// that has not exited yet); returns whether the mount is gone
@@ -406,7 +482,7 @@ impl EphemeralContextGuard {
         base_ctx: Arc<Context>,
         view: &dyn BuildView,
     ) -> Result<Self, Box<dyn Error>> {
-        Self::new_internal(None, series, arch, base_ctx, view, false).await
+        Self::new_internal(None, series, arch, base_ctx, view, false, None).await
     }
 
     /// Create the ephemeral build context inside `session`'s chroot.
@@ -421,6 +497,9 @@ impl EphemeralContextGuard {
     /// * `keep_upper` - Retain the record's staged tree after the build
     ///   (`pkh deb --incremental`); a plain run's record keeps metadata
     ///   and log only
+    /// * `ccache_dir` - The shared ccache directory to mount at the
+    ///   chroot's `/var/cache/pkh-ccache` (`pkh deb` computes it from the
+    ///   build identity; `None` leaves the chroot unshared)
     pub async fn new_for_session(
         session: Session,
         series: &str,
@@ -428,8 +507,18 @@ impl EphemeralContextGuard {
         base_ctx: Arc<Context>,
         view: &dyn BuildView,
         keep_upper: bool,
+        ccache_dir: Option<&Path>,
     ) -> Result<Self, Box<dyn Error>> {
-        Self::new_internal(Some(session), series, arch, base_ctx, view, keep_upper).await
+        Self::new_internal(
+            Some(session),
+            series,
+            arch,
+            base_ctx,
+            view,
+            keep_upper,
+            ccache_dir,
+        )
+        .await
     }
 
     async fn new_internal(
@@ -439,6 +528,7 @@ impl EphemeralContextGuard {
         base_ctx: Arc<Context>,
         view: &dyn BuildView,
         keep_upper: bool,
+        ccache_dir: Option<&Path>,
     ) -> Result<Self, Box<dyn Error>> {
         // Save the globally-installed context so Drop can restore exactly
         // this handle: concurrent builds install their own ephemeral
@@ -505,6 +595,7 @@ impl EphemeralContextGuard {
             &chroot_path,
             base_ctx.clone(),
             view,
+            ccache_dir,
         )
         .await
         {
@@ -584,6 +675,7 @@ impl EphemeralContextGuard {
         chroot_path: &PathBuf,
         ctx: Arc<context::Context>,
         view: &dyn BuildView,
+        ccache_dir: Option<&Path>,
     ) -> Result<Option<fs::File>, Box<dyn Error>> {
         // The chroot is per-run scratch: nothing is reused, so never
         // extract over stale content.
@@ -665,23 +757,25 @@ impl EphemeralContextGuard {
 
         // Create device nodes, bind-mount /proc and share the apt cache
         let apt_cache_lock =
-            Self::finalize_chroot(series, arch, chroot_path, ctx_for_devices, view)?;
+            Self::finalize_chroot(series, arch, chroot_path, ctx_for_devices, view, ccache_dir)?;
 
         // The bootstrap's tarball digest is recorded by the caller (the
         // record's fork gate compares it against the cache later).
         Ok(apt_cache_lock)
     }
 
-    /// Device nodes, the /proc bind mount and the shared apt download
-    /// cache for a fresh chroot: idempotent finalization, safe to run on
-    /// every run. Returns the shared cache's lock, held while the mount
-    /// is up (see [`EphemeralContextGuard::share_apt_cache`]).
+    /// Device nodes, the /proc bind mount, the shared apt download cache
+    /// and the shared ccache for a fresh chroot: idempotent
+    /// finalization, safe to run on every run. Returns the shared apt
+    /// cache's lock, held while its mount is up (see
+    /// [`EphemeralContextGuard::share_apt_cache`]).
     fn finalize_chroot(
         series: &str,
         arch: Option<&str>,
         chroot_path: &Path,
         ctx: Arc<context::Context>,
         view: &dyn BuildView,
+        ccache_dir: Option<&Path>,
     ) -> Result<Option<fs::File>, Box<dyn Error>> {
         if !chroot_path.join("dev/null").exists() {
             // Create device nodes in the chroot
@@ -701,6 +795,9 @@ impl EphemeralContextGuard {
             Self::bind_mount_proc(chroot_path, ctx.clone())?;
         }
 
+        if let Some(dir) = ccache_dir {
+            share_ccache(chroot_path, dir, ctx.clone());
+        }
         Ok(Self::share_apt_cache(series, arch, chroot_path, ctx))
     }
 
@@ -1352,4 +1449,25 @@ mod chroot_cleanup_tests {
         write_apt_keep_conf(&chroot).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(fs::read_to_string(&conf).unwrap(), content);
     }
+
+    /// The ccache shim installs the four compiler symlinks pointing at
+    /// the ccache binary, and reinstalls cleanly over an existing one.
+    #[test]
+    fn ccache_shim_installs_the_four_compiler_links() {
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let chroot = dir.path().join("chroot");
+
+        install_ccache_shim(&chroot).unwrap();
+
+        let shim_dir = chroot.join(CCACHE_SHIM_DIR.trim_start_matches('/'));
+        for compiler in ["gcc", "g++", "cc", "c++"] {
+            let target = fs::read_link(shim_dir.join(compiler))
+                .unwrap_or_else(|_| panic!("the {compiler} shim must be a symlink"));
+            assert_eq!(target, Path::new("/usr/bin/ccache"));
+        }
+
+        // A second install refreshes the links instead of failing.
+        install_ccache_shim(&chroot).unwrap();
+        assert!(fs::symlink_metadata(shim_dir.join("gcc")).is_ok());
+    }
 }

src/deb/local.rs

@@ -35,6 +35,58 @@ fn patch_stamp(session: &session::Session) -> Option<String> {
     session::patches_stamp(&host_tree)
 }
 
+/// The ccache size cap of a build: `$PKH_CCACHE_MAXSIZE`, default 10G
+/// (the unit syntax of ccache's own configuration: `10G`, `512M`, ...).
+fn ccache_maxsize() -> String {
+    std::env::var("PKH_CCACHE_MAXSIZE").unwrap_or_else(|_| "10G".to_string())
+}
+
+/// Wire the build environment to the shared ccache (on by default,
+/// `pkh deb --no-ccache` skips it entirely): the compilers resolve to
+/// ccache through a PATH shim, the cache is the identity's shared
+/// directory mounted in the chroot, and the cache checks are keyed on
+/// content.
+///
+/// Mechanics: the tarball extraction preserves mtimes, so the toolchain
+/// and libc headers (inside the buildd tarball) stay older than the
+/// carried objects and make keeps them; the build dependencies
+/// reinstall fresh each run, so their headers are newer and make
+/// rebuilds their dependents — ccache turns those rebuilds into hits,
+/// and a real archive library change is a cache miss that rebuilds
+/// them (the correct, if slow, path). No mtime clamping anywhere:
+/// clamping would silence exactly that signal.
+///
+/// `CCACHE_COMPILERCHECK=content` is critical: the default is
+/// mtime-based and would never hit across fresh chroots, where every
+/// toolchain's mtime is the extraction's.
+pub(crate) fn apply_ccache_env(env: &mut HashMap<String, String>, enabled: bool, maxsize: &str) {
+    if !enabled {
+        return;
+    }
+    // The shim shadows the real compilers with ccache invocations;
+    // the rest of PATH keeps resolving the other build tools.
+    let path = env
+        .get("PATH")
+        .cloned()
+        .or_else(|| std::env::var("PATH").ok())
+        .unwrap_or_default();
+    env.insert(
+        "PATH".to_string(),
+        format!("{}:{path}", crate::deb::ephemeral::CCACHE_SHIM_DIR),
+    );
+    env.insert(
+        "CCACHE_DIR".to_string(),
+        crate::deb::ephemeral::CCACHE_MOUNT.to_string(),
+    );
+    env.insert("CCACHE_COMPILERCHECK".to_string(), "content".to_string());
+    env.insert("CCACHE_MAXSIZE".to_string(), maxsize.to_string());
+    env.insert(
+        "CCACHE_BASEDIR".to_string(),
+        crate::deb::session::BUILD_ROOT.to_string(),
+    );
+    env.insert("CCACHE_NOHASHDIR".to_string(), "true".to_string());
+}
+
 #[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
 pub async fn build(
     package: &str,
@@ -52,6 +104,7 @@ pub async fn build(
     jobs: Option<usize>,
     session: Option<&session::Session>,
     build_resume: bool,
+    ccache: bool,
 ) -> Result<Vec<PathBuf>, Box<dyn Error>> {
     let sink: Option<Arc<dyn LineSink>> = view.sink();
 
@@ -62,6 +115,7 @@ pub async fn build(
     let mut env = HashMap::<String, String>::new();
     env.insert("LANG".to_string(), "C".to_string());
     env.insert("DEBIAN_FRONTEND".to_string(), "noninteractive".to_string());
+    apply_ccache_env(&mut env, ccache, &ccache_maxsize());
 
     // Parallel building: honor an explicit -j/--jobs count, otherwise detect
     // the number of cores available inside the build context (nproc).
@@ -232,6 +286,11 @@ pub async fn build(
         .arg("build-essential")
         .arg("dose-builddebcheck")
         .arg("fakeroot");
+    // The compiler cache comes free from the shared download cache; the
+    // build env wires the compilers to it (see apply_ccache_env).
+    if ccache {
+        cmd.arg("ccache");
+    }
     if cross {
         cmd.arg(format!("crossbuild-essential-{arch}"));
         cmd.arg(format!("libc6-{arch}-cross"));
@@ -1270,6 +1329,62 @@ mod tests {
         crate::debian::deps::parse_simple(s, true).unwrap()
     }
 
+    /// The build env carries the ccache wiring when it is enabled: the
+    /// compiler shim first on PATH, the shared cache dir, content-keyed
+    /// compiler checks and the size cap.
+    #[test]
+    fn ccache_env_is_applied_when_enabled() {
+        let mut env = HashMap::new();
+        env.insert("PATH".to_string(), "/usr/bin:/bin".to_string());
+
+        apply_ccache_env(&mut env, true, "10G");
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            env.get("PATH").unwrap(),
+            &format!("{}:/usr/bin:/bin", crate::deb::ephemeral::CCACHE_SHIM_DIR),
+            "the shim must shadow the real compilers"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            env.get("CCACHE_DIR").unwrap(),
+            crate::deb::ephemeral::CCACHE_MOUNT
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            env.get("CCACHE_COMPILERCHECK").unwrap(),
+            "content",
+            "mtime checks would never hit across fresh chroots"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(env.get("CCACHE_MAXSIZE").unwrap(), "10G");
+        assert_eq!(
+            env.get("CCACHE_BASEDIR").unwrap(),
+            crate::deb::session::BUILD_ROOT
+        );
+        assert_eq!(env.get("CCACHE_NOHASHDIR").unwrap(), "true");
+    }
+
+    /// The size cap is the caller's choice: PKH_CCACHE_MAXSIZE flows
+    /// through as-is.
+    #[test]
+    fn ccache_env_honors_the_size_cap() {
+        let mut env = HashMap::new();
+        apply_ccache_env(&mut env, true, "512M");
+        assert_eq!(env.get("CCACHE_MAXSIZE").unwrap(), "512M");
+    }
+
+    /// With `--no-ccache` the build env is left untouched: no shim, no
+    /// cache variables.
+    #[test]
+    fn ccache_env_is_skipped_when_disabled() {
+        let mut env = HashMap::new();
+        env.insert("PATH".to_string(), "/usr/bin:/bin".to_string());
+
+        apply_ccache_env(&mut env, false, &ccache_maxsize());
+
+        assert_eq!(env.get("PATH").unwrap(), "/usr/bin:/bin");
+        assert!(!env.contains_key("CCACHE_DIR"));
+        assert!(!env.contains_key("CCACHE_COMPILERCHECK"));
+        assert!(!env.contains_key("CCACHE_MAXSIZE"));
+    }
+
     /// Unqualified dependencies install the dpkg-satisfying variant,
     /// preferring the runnable build-architecture one: Multi-Arch:
     /// foreign candidates from the build architecture, then the

src/deb/mod.rs

@@ -123,6 +123,10 @@ pub struct DebBuildOptions<'a> {
     /// whether this build's own staged tree is retained. Defaults to a
     /// plain run.
     pub incremental: Incremental,
+    /// Reuse the shared ccache of this target (on by default; `pkh deb
+    /// --no-ccache` disables it — an escape hatch for `debian/rules`
+    /// whose own compiler handling conflicts with the shim).
+    pub ccache: bool,
     /// Where build events (phases, progress, outcome) are reported.
     pub view: &'a dyn BuildView,
 }
@@ -215,6 +219,7 @@ impl Default for DebBuildOptions<'_> {
             jobs: None,
             ctx: None,
             incremental: Incremental::Off,
+            ccache: true,
             view: &QUIET,
         }
     }
@@ -258,6 +263,7 @@ async fn build_binary_package_impl(
         ref jobs,
         ref ctx,
         ref incremental,
+        ccache,
         view,
     } = opts;
     let cwd = cwd.as_deref().unwrap_or_else(|| Path::new("."));
@@ -375,6 +381,8 @@ async fn build_binary_package_impl(
         None => opts.view,
     };
 
+    // The shared ccache of this target — skipped with --no-ccache.
+    let ccache_dir = (session_enabled && ccache).then(|| session::ccache_dir(&identity));
     let mut guard = if let Some(s) = session.clone() {
         Some(
             ephemeral::EphemeralContextGuard::new_for_session(
@@ -384,6 +392,7 @@ async fn build_binary_package_impl(
                 base_ctx.clone(),
                 view,
                 keep_upper,
+                ccache_dir.as_deref(),
             )
             .await?,
         )
@@ -522,6 +531,7 @@ async fn build_binary_package_impl(
                     *jobs,
                     session.as_ref(),
                     build_resume,
+                    ccache,
                 )
                 .await?
             }

src/deb/session.rs

@@ -707,6 +707,18 @@ pub(crate) fn identity_dir(root: &Path, identity: &SessionIdentity) -> PathBuf {
     root.join(slug_for(identity))
 }
 
+/// Root of the shared ccache directories (`/var/tmp/pkh/ccache`), one
+/// per identity slug.
+pub(crate) const CCACHE_ROOT: &str = "/var/tmp/pkh/ccache";
+
+/// The ccache directory of an identity: `/var/tmp/pkh/ccache/<slug>/`,
+/// bind-mounted at each chroot's `/var/cache/pkh-ccache` so compiled
+/// objects are shared across runs (content-keyed, see the ccache setup
+/// in `crate::deb::local`).
+pub(crate) fn ccache_dir(identity: &SessionIdentity) -> PathBuf {
+    PathBuf::from(CCACHE_ROOT).join(slug_for(identity))
+}
+
 /// A record id not taken yet under `identity_dir`: the plain timestamp,
 /// suffixed `-02`, `-03`, ... when earlier builds took the same second
 /// (zero-padded so the ids keep sorting in creation order).
@@ -2187,6 +2199,17 @@ mod tests {
         assert_ne!(ids[0], ids[1]);
     }
 
+    /// The ccache directory of an identity lives under the shared ccache
+    /// root, keyed by the identity slug like the records.
+    #[test]
+    fn ccache_dir_is_keyed_by_the_identity_slug() {
+        let identity = test_identity();
+        assert_eq!(
+            ccache_dir(&identity),
+            PathBuf::from("/var/tmp/pkh/ccache").join(slug_for(&identity))
+        );
+    }
+
     /// The fork gate: the base's staged tree is carried only while its
     /// recorded tarball sha still matches the cached tarball AND the
     /// changelog version is unchanged. Everything else forks cold.

src/main.rs

@@ -374,6 +374,8 @@ fn main() {
                         .help("Incremental build: fork a previous build record of this target and keep its staged tree")
                         .long_help("Incremental build: fork a previous build record of this target — at an unchanged changelog version and while the chroot tarball is unchanged, the base's staged tree is copied into a new record, so make recompiles only what changed.\nWithout a value, the newest successful record of the target (among the last five carrying a staged tree) is the base; with an ID (as shown by 'pkh deb list'), that exact record — a failed one is fine if its staged tree is.\nEvery --incremental run keeps its staged tree, success or failure, so the next one can fork it; a plain 'pkh deb' keeps only metadata and its build log (the chroot is per-run and always discarded)."),
                 )
+                .arg(arg!(--"no-ccache" "Build without the shared ccache (escape hatch for kbuild-style rules that mishandle compiler shims)")
+                    .long_help("Build without the shared ccache (its compiler PATH shim is skipped and no cache is mounted). Escape hatch for packages whose debian/rules mishandles a compiler shim, e.g. some kernel flavour configs."))
                 .arg(arg!(--verbose "Show raw tool output instead of the live build view").required(false)
                     .long_help("Show raw tool output instead of the live build view.\nAlso implied by RUST_LOG=debug for pkh's own logs."))
                 .subcommand(
@@ -1007,6 +1009,7 @@ fn main() {
                     inject,
                     jobs,
                     incremental,
+                    ccache: !sub_matches.get_flag("no-ccache"),
                     view,
                     ..Default::default()
                 })