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Subject: BUG #19624: postgresql14-devel (and in general postgresqlXX-devel) do
 not set PKG_CONFIG_PATH
To: pgsql-bugs@lists.postgresql.org
From: PG Bug reporting form <noreply@postgresql.org>
Cc: michael.mayer@posit.co
Reply-To: michael.mayer@posit.co, pgsql-bugs@lists.postgresql.org
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:50:59 +0000
Message-ID: <19624-9d8e09d2134408ae@postgresql.org>
Auto-Submitted: auto-generated
Archived-At: 
 <https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/19624-9d8e09d2134408ae%40postgresql.org>
Precedence: bulk

The following bug has been logged on the website:

Bug reference:      19624
Logged by:          Michael Mayer
Email address:      michael.mayer@posit.co
PostgreSQL version: 14.24
Operating system:   Red Hat Enterprise Linux (any)
Description:       =20

I love your common repository where you offer more up-to-date versions of
`gdal`, `proj` and `geos` for RHEL based linux distros. This enables many
users to leverage those libraries when installing R packages that depend on
versions of the mentioned packages that are newer compared to what Red Hat
ships.

When using the repository, any installation of `libpq-devel` will
automatically install `postgresql14-devel`. This is fine in general and from
a runtime linking perspective `postgresql14-libs` works as expected. When
building an R package such as `RPostgresql` from source however, it fails to
find both the include files and libraries to link to. This is caused by a
non-existing `PKG_CONFIG_PATH` setting.

It would be great if we could add a `%post` script to the
`postgresql14-devel` RPM that would append the location of the pkgconfig
files (e.g. `/usr/pgsql-14/lib/pkgconfig/`) to `PKG_CONFIG_PATH`. This will
ensure that the include files and libs are found at configure and compile
time as well.

Example when installing `RPostgres` R package in RockyLinux 10 from sources

[root@a11d116ef183 /]# /opt/R/4.6.0/bin/R -q -e 'pak::pak(c("RPostgres"))'
> pak::pak(c("RPostgres"))
=E2=9C=94 Updated metadata database: 2.87 MB in 8 files.
=E2=9C=94 Updating metadata database ... done
=20
=E2=86=92 Package library at /opt/R/4.6.0/lib/R/library.
=E2=86=92 Will install 1 package.
=E2=86=92 Will download 1 CRAN package (1.47 MB).
+ RPostgres   1.4.10 [bld][cmp][dl] (1.47 MB) + =E2=9C=96 libpq-devel
=E2=86=92 Will install 1 system package:
+ libpq-devel  - RPostgres
=E2=84=B9 Getting 1 pkg (1.47 MB)
=E2=9C=94 Got RPostgres 1.4.10 (source) (1.46 MB)
=E2=84=B9 Installing system requirements
=E2=84=B9 Executing `sh -c dnf install -y libpq-devel`
=E2=84=B9 Building RPostgres 1.4.10
^[[A=E2=9C=96 Failed to build RPostgres 1.4.10 (5.8s)
Error:
! error in pak subprocess
Caused by error in `stop_task_build(state, worker)`:
! Failed to build source package RPostgres.
Full installation output:
* installing *source* package =E2=80=98RPostgres=E2=80=99 ...
** this is package =E2=80=98RPostgres=E2=80=99 version =E2=80=981.4.10=E2=
=80=99
** package =E2=80=98RPostgres=E2=80=99 successfully unpacked and MD5 sums c=
hecked
staged installation is only possible with locking
** using non-staged installation
Using PKG_CFLAGS=3D
Using PKG_LIBS=3D-lpq
------------------------- ANTICONF ERROR ---------------------------
Configuration failed because libpq was not found. Try installing:
 * deb: libpq-dev libssl-dev (Debian, Ubuntu, etc)
 * rpm: postgresql-devel (Fedora, EPEL)
 * rpm: postgreql8-devel, postgresql92-devel, postgresql93-devel, or
postgresql94-devel (Amazon Linux)
 * csw: postgresql_dev (Solaris)
 * brew: libpq (OSX)
If libpq is already installed, check that either:
(i)  'pkg-config' is in your PATH AND PKG_CONFIG_PATH contains
     a libpq.pc file; or
(ii) 'pg_config' is in your PATH.
If neither can detect , you can set INCLUDE_DIR
and LIB_DIR manually via:
R CMD INSTALL --configure-vars=3D'INCLUDE_DIR=3D... LIB_DIR=3D...'
--------------------------[ ERROR MESSAGE ]----------------------------
<stdin>:1:10: fatal error: libpq-fe.h: No such file or directory
compilation terminated.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ERROR: configuration failed for package =E2=80=98RPostgres=E2=80=99
* removing =E2=80=98/tmp/Rtmp86r4DO/pkg-lib72f74d2a627/RPostgres=E2=80=99
---
Backtrace:
1. pak::pak(c("RPostgres"))
2. pak::pkg_install(pkg, ...)
3. pak:::remote(function(...) get("pkg_install_do_plan",
asNamespace("pak"))(...), =E2=80=A6
4. err$throw(res$error)
---
Subprocess backtrace:
 1. base::withCallingHandlers(cli_message =3D function(msg) { =E2=80=A6
 2. get("pkg_install_do_plan", asNamespace("pak"))(...)
 3. proposal$install()
 4. pkgdepends::install_package_plan(plan, lib =3D private$library,
num_workers =3D nw, =E2=80=A6
 5. base::withCallingHandlers({ =E2=80=A6
 6. pkgdepends:::handle_events(state, events)
 7. pkgdepends:::handle_event(state, i)
 8. pkgdepends:::stop_task(state, worker)
 9. pkgdepends:::stop_task_build(state, worker)
10. base::throw(pkg_error("Failed to build source package {.pkg {pkg}}.", =
=E2=80=A6
11. | base::signalCondition(cond)
12. global (function (e) =E2=80=A6
Execution halted
[root@a11d116ef183 /]# export
PKG_CONFIG_PATH=3D/usr/pgsql-14/lib/pkgconfig:$PKG_CONFIG_PATH
[root@a11d116ef183 /]# /opt/R/4.6.0/bin/R -q -e 'pak::pak(c("RPostgres"))'
> pak::pak(c("RPostgres"))
=E2=9C=94 Loading metadata database ... done
=20
=E2=86=92 Package library at /opt/R/4.6.0/lib/R/library.
=E2=86=92 Will install 1 package.
=E2=86=92 Will download 1 CRAN package (1.47 MB).
+ RPostgres   1.4.10 [bld][cmp][dl] (1.47 MB) + =E2=9C=96 libpq-devel
=E2=86=92 Will install 1 system package:
+ libpq-devel  - RPostgres
=E2=84=B9 Getting 1 pkg (1.47 MB)
=E2=9C=94 Cached copy of RPostgres 1.4.10 (source) is the latest build
=E2=84=B9 Installing system requirements
=E2=84=B9 Executing `sh -c dnf install -y libpq-devel`
=E2=84=B9 Building RPostgres 1.4.10
=E2=9C=94 Built RPostgres 1.4.10 (38.7s)
=E2=9C=94 Installed RPostgres 1.4.10  (1.1s)
=E2=9C=94 1 pkg + 16 deps: kept 16, added 1 [44.7s]
>
[root@a11d116ef183 /]#