limactl validate fails to validate lima.yml that use Go template in mount location #5670

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1. jandubois commented on Oct 23, 2026

   

   jandubois

   on Oct 23, 2026

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   Potential solutions in my order of preference:

   1. The validate command should probably ignore the fields if it starts with a Go template.

   I don't see how this would work. The go templates are already evaluated by the time the lima template is validated.

   2. Alternatively, it could allow us to pass --param so that we can specify example values

   Yes, I think both limactl template validate and limactl template copy should support --set and --param options.
2. jandubois

   self-assigned this

   on Oct 23, 2026
3. SethFalco commented on Oct 23, 2026

   

   SethFalco

   on Oct 23, 2026

   Last edited by SethFalco

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   Thanks for chiming in! Yeah, I realized my first idea doesn't really fit. Sorry, my original proposal was from a user's perspective as it was before I looked at the code!

   I can see you've self-assigned this, so I'll just leave what I'd established/wrote so far anyway. Your choice if you do anything with it!

   Don't be afraid to pester though if you'd like me to handle it!

   ---

   WIP test case (doesn't handle/pass the equivalent of --param yet):

   pkg/limayaml/validate_test.go

   func TestValidateGoTemplateInLocation(t *testing.T) {
   	yamlWithGoTemplateInLocation := `
   images:
     - location: /
   mounts:
     - location: "{{.Param.AbsolutePathPassedViaCli}}"
   param:
     AbsolutePathPassedViaCli:
   `
   
   	y, err := Load(t.Context(), []byte(yamlWithGoTemplateInLocation), "template-in-location.yaml")
   	assert.NilError(t, err)
   	err = Validate(y, false)
   	assert.NilError(t, err)
   }

   The "issue" is that the Go templates are interpolated in Load. Validate doesn't have the context of which properties are dynamic or not.

   So indeed, an easier fix would probably be to make it possible to have limactl validate support args the same way other commands can.
4. jandubois commented on Oct 23, 2026

   

   jandubois

   on Oct 23, 2026

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   @SethFalco Please see #5672. I'm going to leave it as a draft until I have time to properly review it; it is completely AI generated so far. I hope it does what you are looking for.
5. jandubois

   added a commit that references this issue on Oct 23, 2026

   limactl template: add --set and --param to copy and validate

   ...

   This issue will close once commit 2b36b10 is merged into the 'master' branch.

   2b36b10