Merge a9aaf0ed1d into 479b6b73a9

src/libstore-tests/find-cycles.cc

@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+#include "nix/store/build/find-cycles.hh"
+
+#include <gtest/gtest.h>
+#include <algorithm>
+
+namespace nix {
+
+/**
+ * Parameters for transformEdgesToMultiedges tests
+ */
+struct TransformEdgesParams
+{
+    std::string description;
+    std::vector<std::vector<std::string>> inputEdges;
+    std::vector<std::vector<std::string>> expectedOutput;
+
+    friend std::ostream & operator<<(std::ostream & os, const TransformEdgesParams & params)
+    {
+        os << "Test: " << params.description << "\n";
+        os << "Input edges (" << params.inputEdges.size() << "):\n";
+        for (const auto & edge : params.inputEdges) {
+            os << "  ";
+            for (size_t i = 0; i < edge.size(); ++i) {
+                if (i > 0)
+                    os << " -> ";
+                os << edge[i];
+            }
+            os << "\n";
+        }
+        os << "Expected output (" << params.expectedOutput.size() << "):\n";
+        for (const auto & multiedge : params.expectedOutput) {
+            os << "  ";
+            for (size_t i = 0; i < multiedge.size(); ++i) {
+                if (i > 0)
+                    os << " -> ";
+                os << multiedge[i];
+            }
+            os << "\n";
+        }
+        return os;
+    }
+};
+
+class TransformEdgesToMultiedgesTest : public ::testing::TestWithParam<TransformEdgesParams>
+{};
+
+namespace {
+// Helper to convert vector<vector<string>> to StoreCycleEdgeVec
+StoreCycleEdgeVec toStoreCycleEdgeVec(const std::vector<std::vector<std::string>> & edges)
+{
+    StoreCycleEdgeVec result;
+    result.reserve(edges.size());
+    for (const auto & edge : edges) {
+        result.emplace_back(edge.begin(), edge.end());
+    }
+    return result;
+}
+
+// Comparator for sorting multiedges deterministically
+bool compareMultiedges(const StoreCycleEdge & a, const StoreCycleEdge & b)
+{
+    if (a.size() != b.size())
+        return a.size() < b.size();
+    return std::lexicographical_compare(a.begin(), a.end(), b.begin(), b.end());
+}
+} // namespace
+
+TEST_P(TransformEdgesToMultiedgesTest, TransformEdges)
+{
+    const auto & params = GetParam();
+
+    auto inputEdges = toStoreCycleEdgeVec(params.inputEdges);
+    StoreCycleEdgeVec actualOutput;
+    transformEdgesToMultiedges(inputEdges, actualOutput);
+
+    auto expectedOutput = toStoreCycleEdgeVec(params.expectedOutput);
+
+    ASSERT_EQ(actualOutput.size(), expectedOutput.size()) << "Number of multiedges doesn't match expected";
+
+    // Sort both for comparison (order may vary, but content should match)
+    std::sort(actualOutput.begin(), actualOutput.end(), compareMultiedges);
+    std::sort(expectedOutput.begin(), expectedOutput.end(), compareMultiedges);
+
+    // Compare each multiedge
+    EXPECT_EQ(actualOutput, expectedOutput);
+}
+
+INSTANTIATE_TEST_CASE_P(
+    FindCycles,
+    TransformEdgesToMultiedgesTest,
+    ::testing::Values(
+        // Empty input
+        TransformEdgesParams{"empty input", {}, {}},
+
+        // Single edge - no joining possible
+        TransformEdgesParams{"single edge", {{"a", "b"}}, {{"a", "b"}}},
+
+        // Two edges that connect (append case: A->B, B->C becomes A->B->C)
+        TransformEdgesParams{"two edges connecting via append", {{"a", "b"}, {"b", "c"}}, {{"a", "b", "c"}}},
+
+        // Two edges that connect (prepend case: B->C, A->B becomes A->B->C)
+        TransformEdgesParams{"two edges connecting via prepend", {{"b", "c"}, {"a", "b"}}, {{"a", "b", "c"}}},
+
+        // Complete cycle (A->B, B->C, C->A becomes A->B->C->A)
+        TransformEdgesParams{"complete cycle", {{"a", "b"}, {"b", "c"}, {"c", "a"}}, {{"a", "b", "c", "a"}}},
+
+        // Two disjoint edges - no joining
+        TransformEdgesParams{"disjoint edges", {{"a", "b"}, {"c", "d"}}, {{"a", "b"}, {"c", "d"}}},
+
+        // Chain of multiple edges (A->B, B->C, C->D, D->E)
+        TransformEdgesParams{
+            "chain of edges", {{"a", "b"}, {"b", "c"}, {"c", "d"}, {"d", "e"}}, {{"a", "b", "c", "d", "e"}}},
+
+        // Multiple disjoint cycles
+        TransformEdgesParams{
+            "multiple disjoint cycles",
+            {{"a", "b"}, {"b", "a"}, {"c", "d"}, {"d", "c"}},
+            {{"a", "b", "a"}, {"c", "d", "c"}}},
+
+        // Complex graph requiring multiple merge passes
+        // First pass: (A->B, B->C) -> (A->B->C)
+        // Then: (A->B->C, C->D) -> (A->B->C->D)
+        // Then: (D->A, A->B->C->D) -> (A->B->C->D->A)
+        TransformEdgesParams{
+            "complex requiring multiple passes",
+            {{"a", "b"}, {"b", "c"}, {"c", "d"}, {"d", "a"}},
+            {{"a", "b", "c", "d", "a"}}},
+
+        // Y-shaped graph (A->B, B->C, B->D)
+        // B->C and B->D can't connect, but A->B can prepend to B->C and A->B can prepend to B->D
+        // However, once A->B joins with B->C to form A->B->C, the original A->B is consumed
+        // So we should get A->B->C and B->D (or A->B->D and B->C depending on order)
+        TransformEdgesParams{"Y-shaped graph", {{"a", "b"}, {"b", "c"}, {"b", "d"}}, {{"a", "b", "c"}, {"b", "d"}}},
+
+        // Edge with longer path (multi-hop edge)
+        TransformEdgesParams{
+            "edge with multiple hops", {{"a", "x", "y", "b"}, {"b", "c"}}, {{"a", "x", "y", "b", "c"}}},
+
+        // Self-loop edge
+        TransformEdgesParams{"self-loop", {{"a", "a"}}, {{"a", "a"}}},
+
+        // Reverse order joining (tests prepend logic thoroughly)
+        TransformEdgesParams{
+            "reverse order joining", {{"d", "e"}, {"c", "d"}, {"b", "c"}, {"a", "b"}}, {{"a", "b", "c", "d", "e"}}}));
+
+} // namespace nix

src/libstore-tests/meson.build

@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ sources = files(
   'derived-path.cc',
   'downstream-placeholder.cc',
   'dummy-store.cc',
+  'find-cycles.cc',
   'http-binary-cache-store.cc',
   'legacy-ssh-store.cc',
   'local-binary-cache-store.cc',

src/libstore/build/find-cycles.cc

@@ -0,0 +1,222 @@
+#include "nix/store/build/find-cycles.hh"
+
+#include "nix/store/store-api.hh"
+#include "nix/util/source-accessor.hh"
+
+#include <algorithm>
+#include <filesystem>
+#include <map>
+
+namespace nix {
+
+CycleEdgeScanSink::CycleEdgeScanSink(StringSet && hashes, std::string storeDir)
+    : RefScanSink(std::move(hashes))
+    , storeDir(std::move(storeDir))
+{
+}
+
+void CycleEdgeScanSink::setCurrentPath(const std::string & path)
+{
+    currentFilePath = path;
+    // Clear tracking for new file
+    recordedForCurrentFile.clear();
+}
+
+void CycleEdgeScanSink::operator()(std::string_view data)
+{
+    // Call parent's operator() to do the actual hash searching
+    // This reuses all the proven buffer boundary handling logic
+    RefScanSink::operator()(data);
+
+    // Check which hashes have been found and not yet recorded for this file
+    // getResult() returns the set of ALL hashes found so far
+    for (const auto & hash : getResult()) {
+        if (recordedForCurrentFile.insert(hash).second) {
+            // This hash was just found and not yet recorded for current file
+            // Create an edge from current file to the target
+            auto targetPath = storeDir + hash;
+
+            edges.push_back({currentFilePath, targetPath});
+
+            debug("found cycle edge: %s → %s (hash: %s)", currentFilePath, targetPath, hash);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+StoreCycleEdgeVec && CycleEdgeScanSink::getEdges()
+{
+    return std::move(edges);
+}
+
+void scanForCycleEdges(const Path & path, const StorePathSet & refs, StoreCycleEdgeVec & edges)
+{
+    StringSet hashes;
+
+    // Extract the store directory from the path
+    // Example: /run/user/1000/nix-test/store/abc-foo -> /run/user/1000/nix-test/store/
+    auto storePrefixPath = std::filesystem::path(path);
+    storePrefixPath.remove_filename();
+    std::string storePrefix = storePrefixPath.string();
+
+    debug("scanForCycleEdges: storePrefixPath = %s", storePrefixPath.string());
+    debug("scanForCycleEdges: storePrefix = %s", storePrefix);
+
+    // Collect hashes to search for
+    for (auto & i : refs) {
+        hashes.insert(std::string(i.hashPart()));
+    }
+
+    // Create sink that reuses RefScanSink's hash-finding logic
+    CycleEdgeScanSink sink(std::move(hashes), storePrefix);
+
+    // Get filesystem accessor and walk the tree
+    auto accessor = getFSSourceAccessor();
+    walkAndScanPath(*accessor, CanonPath(path), path, sink);
+
+    // Extract the found edges
+    edges = sink.getEdges();
+}
+
+/**
+ * Recursively walk filesystem and stream files into the sink.
+ * This reuses RefScanSink's hash-finding logic instead of reimplementing it.
+ */
+void walkAndScanPath(
+    SourceAccessor & accessor, const CanonPath & path, const std::string & displayPath, CycleEdgeScanSink & sink)
+{
+    auto stat = accessor.lstat(path);
+
+    debug("walkAndScanPath: scanning path = %s", displayPath);
+
+    switch (stat.type) {
+    case SourceAccessor::tRegular: {
+        // Handle regular files - stream contents into sink
+        sink.setCurrentPath(displayPath);
+        accessor.readFile(path, sink);
+        break;
+    }
+
+    case SourceAccessor::tDirectory: {
+        // Handle directories - recursively scan contents
+        auto entries = accessor.readDirectory(path);
+        for (const auto & [name, entryType] : entries) {
+            auto childPath = path / name;
+            auto childDisplayPath = displayPath + "/" + name;
+            debug("walkAndScanPath: recursing into %s", childDisplayPath);
+            walkAndScanPath(accessor, childPath, childDisplayPath, sink);
+        }
+        break;
+    }
+
+    case SourceAccessor::tSymlink: {
+        // Handle symlinks - stream link target into sink
+        auto linkTarget = accessor.readLink(path);
+
+        debug("walkAndScanPath: scanning symlink %s -> %s", displayPath, linkTarget);
+
+        sink.setCurrentPath(displayPath);
+        sink(std::string_view(linkTarget));
+        break;
+    }
+
+    case SourceAccessor::tChar:
+    case SourceAccessor::tBlock:
+    case SourceAccessor::tSocket:
+    case SourceAccessor::tFifo:
+    case SourceAccessor::tUnknown:
+    default:
+        throw Error("file '%1%' has an unsupported type", displayPath);
+    }
+}
+
+void transformEdgesToMultiedges(StoreCycleEdgeVec & edges, StoreCycleEdgeVec & multiedges)
+{
+    debug("transformEdgesToMultiedges: processing %lu edges", edges.size());
+
+    // Maps to track path endpoints for efficient joining
+    // Key: node name, Value: index into multiedges vector
+    std::map<std::string, size_t> pathStartingAt; // Maps start node -> path index
+    std::map<std::string, size_t> pathEndingAt;   // Maps end node -> path index
+
+    for (auto & edge : edges) {
+        if (edge.empty())
+            continue;
+
+        const std::string & edgeStart = edge.front();
+        const std::string & edgeEnd = edge.back();
+
+        // Check if this edge can connect to existing paths
+        auto startIt = pathEndingAt.find(edgeStart);
+        auto endIt = pathStartingAt.find(edgeEnd);
+
+        bool canPrepend = (startIt != pathEndingAt.end());
+        bool canAppend = (endIt != pathStartingAt.end());
+
+        if (canPrepend && canAppend && startIt->second == endIt->second) {
+            // Edge connects a path to itself - append it to form a cycle
+            size_t pathIdx = startIt->second;
+            auto & path = multiedges[pathIdx];
+            // Append all but first element of edge (first element is duplicate)
+            path.insert(path.end(), std::next(edge.begin()), edge.end());
+            // Update the end point (start point stays the same for a cycle)
+            pathEndingAt.erase(startIt);
+            pathEndingAt[edgeEnd] = pathIdx;
+        } else if (canPrepend && canAppend) {
+            // Edge joins two different paths - merge them
+            size_t prependIdx = startIt->second;
+            size_t appendIdx = endIt->second;
+            auto & prependPath = multiedges[prependIdx];
+            auto & appendPath = multiedges[appendIdx];
+
+            // Save endpoint before modifying appendPath
+            const std::string appendPathEnd = appendPath.back();
+            const std::string appendPathStart = appendPath.front();
+
+            // Append edge (without first element) to prependPath
+            prependPath.insert(prependPath.end(), std::next(edge.begin()), edge.end());
+            // Append appendPath (without first element) to prependPath
+            prependPath.insert(prependPath.end(), std::next(appendPath.begin()), appendPath.end());
+
+            // Update maps: prependPath now ends where appendPath ended
+            pathEndingAt.erase(startIt);
+            pathEndingAt[appendPathEnd] = prependIdx;
+            pathStartingAt.erase(appendPathStart);
+
+            // Mark appendPath for removal by clearing it
+            appendPath.clear();
+        } else if (canPrepend) {
+            // Edge extends an existing path at its end
+            size_t pathIdx = startIt->second;
+            auto & path = multiedges[pathIdx];
+            // Append all but first element of edge (first element is duplicate)
+            path.insert(path.end(), std::next(edge.begin()), edge.end());
+            // Update the end point
+            pathEndingAt.erase(startIt);
+            pathEndingAt[edgeEnd] = pathIdx;
+        } else if (canAppend) {
+            // Edge extends an existing path at its start
+            size_t pathIdx = endIt->second;
+            auto & path = multiedges[pathIdx];
+            // Prepend all but last element of edge (last element is duplicate)
+            path.insert(path.begin(), edge.begin(), std::prev(edge.end()));
+            // Update the start point
+            pathStartingAt.erase(endIt);
+            pathStartingAt[edgeStart] = pathIdx;
+        } else {
+            // Edge doesn't connect to anything - start a new path
+            size_t newIdx = multiedges.size();
+            multiedges.push_back(edge);
+            pathStartingAt[edgeStart] = newIdx;
+            pathEndingAt[edgeEnd] = newIdx;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Remove empty paths (those that were merged into others)
+    multiedges.erase(
+        std::remove_if(multiedges.begin(), multiedges.end(), [](const StoreCycleEdge & p) { return p.empty(); }),
+        multiedges.end());
+
+    debug("transformEdgesToMultiedges: result has %lu multiedges", multiedges.size());
+}
+
+} // namespace nix

src/libstore/include/nix/store/build/find-cycles.hh

@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+#pragma once
+///@file
+
+#include "nix/store/store-api.hh"
+#include "nix/store/references.hh"
+#include "nix/util/types.hh"
+
+#include <string>
+#include <deque>
+#include <vector>
+
+namespace nix {
+
+/**
+ * Represents a cycle edge as a sequence of file paths.
+ * Uses deque to allow efficient prepend/append when joining edges.
+ *
+ * Example: {"/nix/store/abc-foo/file1", "/nix/store/def-bar/file2"}
+ * represents a reference from file1 to file2.
+ */
+using StoreCycleEdge = std::deque<std::string>;
+
+/**
+ * A collection of cycle edges found during scanning.
+ */
+using StoreCycleEdgeVec = std::vector<StoreCycleEdge>;
+
+/**
+ * A sink that extends RefScanSink to track file paths where references are found.
+ *
+ * This reuses the existing reference scanning logic from RefScanSink, but adds
+ * tracking of which file contains which reference. This is essential for providing
+ * detailed cycle error messages.
+ */
+class CycleEdgeScanSink : public RefScanSink
+{
+    std::string currentFilePath;
+    std::string storeDir;
+    StoreCycleEdgeVec edges;
+
+    // Track hashes we've already recorded for current file
+    // to avoid duplicates
+    StringSet recordedForCurrentFile;
+
+public:
+
+    CycleEdgeScanSink(StringSet && hashes, std::string storeDir);
+
+    /**
+     * Set the current file path being scanned.
+     * Must be called before processing each file.
+     */
+    void setCurrentPath(const std::string & path);
+
+    /**
+     * Override to intercept when hashes are found and record the file location.
+     */
+    void operator()(std::string_view data) override;
+
+    /**
+     * Get the accumulated cycle edges.
+     */
+    StoreCycleEdgeVec && getEdges();
+};
+
+/**
+ * Scan output paths to find cycle edges with detailed file paths.
+ *
+ * This is the second pass of cycle detection. The first pass (scanForReferences)
+ * detects that a cycle exists. This function provides detailed information about
+ * where the cycles occur in the actual file system.
+ *
+ * @param path The store path to scan (e.g., an output directory)
+ * @param refs The set of potentially referenced store paths
+ * @param edges Output parameter that accumulates found cycle edges
+ */
+void scanForCycleEdges(const Path & path, const StorePathSet & refs, StoreCycleEdgeVec & edges);
+
+/**
+ * Recursively walk filesystem tree and scan each file for hash references.
+ *
+ * This function walks the file system tree, streaming file contents into
+ * the provided sink which performs the actual hash detection. This reuses
+ * the existing RefScanSink infrastructure for robustness.
+ *
+ * @param accessor Source accessor for reading files
+ * @param path Current path being scanned
+ * @param displayPath Physical path for error messages
+ * @param sink The CycleEdgeScanSink that will detect and record hash references
+ */
+void walkAndScanPath(
+    SourceAccessor & accessor, const CanonPath & path, const std::string & displayPath, CycleEdgeScanSink & sink);
+
+/**
+ * Transform individual edges into connected multi-edges (paths).
+ *
+ * Takes a list of edges like [A→B, B→C, C→A] and connects them into
+ * longer paths like [A→B→C→A]. This makes it easier to visualize the
+ * actual cycle paths.
+ *
+ * Uses hashmaps to track path endpoints, enabling O(n) joining of edges
+ * where n is the number of input edges.
+ *
+ * @param edges Input edges to transform
+ * @param multiedges Output parameter with connected paths
+ */
+void transformEdgesToMultiedges(StoreCycleEdgeVec & edges, StoreCycleEdgeVec & multiedges);
+
+} // namespace nix

src/libstore/include/nix/store/meson.build

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ headers = [ config_pub_h ] + files(
   'build/derivation-resolution-goal.hh',
   'build/derivation-trampoline-goal.hh',
   'build/drv-output-substitution-goal.hh',
+  'build/find-cycles.hh',
   'build/goal.hh',
   'build/substitution-goal.hh',
   'build/worker.hh',

src/libstore/meson.build

@@ -267,6 +267,7 @@ sources = files(
   'build/derivation-trampoline-goal.cc',
   'build/drv-output-substitution-goal.cc',
   'build/entry-points.cc',
+  'build/find-cycles.cc',
   'build/goal.cc',
   'build/substitution-goal.cc',
   'build/worker.cc',

src/libstore/unix/build/derivation-builder.cc

@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@
 
 #include "store-config-private.hh"
 #include "build/derivation-check.hh"
+#include "nix/store/build/find-cycles.hh"
 
 #if NIX_WITH_AWS_AUTH
 #  include "nix/store/aws-creds.hh"
@@ -1473,7 +1474,10 @@ SingleDrvOutputs DerivationBuilderImpl::registerOutputs()
         outputStats.insert_or_assign(outputName, std::move(st));
     }
 
-    auto sortedOutputNames = topoSort(
+    std::vector<std::string> sortedOutputNames;
+
+    try {
+        sortedOutputNames = topoSort(
             outputsToSort,
             {[&](const std::string & name) {
                 auto orifu = get(outputReferencesIfUnregistered, name);
@@ -1510,6 +1514,60 @@ SingleDrvOutputs DerivationBuilderImpl::registerOutputs()
                     path,
                     parent);
             }});
+    } catch (std::exception & e) {
+        debug("cycle detected during topoSort, analyzing for detailed error report");
+
+        // Scan all outputs for cycle edges with exact file paths
+        StoreCycleEdgeVec edges;
+        for (auto & [outputName, _] : drv.outputs) {
+            auto scratchOutput = get(scratchOutputs, outputName);
+            if (!scratchOutput)
+                continue;
+
+            auto actualPath = realPathInSandbox(store.printStorePath(*scratchOutput));
+            debug("scanning output '%s' at path '%s' for cycle edges", outputName, actualPath);
+
+            scanForCycleEdges(actualPath, referenceablePaths, edges);
+        }
+
+        if (edges.empty()) {
+            debug("no detailed cycle edges found, re-throwing original error");
+            throw;
+        }
+
+        debug("found %lu cycle edges, transforming to connected paths", edges.size());
+
+        // Transform individual edges into connected multi-edges (paths)
+        StoreCycleEdgeVec multiedges;
+        transformEdgesToMultiedges(edges, multiedges);
+
+        // Build detailed error message
+        std::string cycleDetails = fmt("Detailed cycle analysis found %d cycle path(s):", multiedges.size());
+
+        for (size_t i = 0; i < multiedges.size(); i++) {
+            auto & multiedge = multiedges[i];
+            cycleDetails += fmt("\n\nCycle %d:", i + 1);
+            for (auto & file : multiedge) {
+                cycleDetails += fmt("\n  → %s", file);
+            }
+        }
+
+        cycleDetails +=
+            fmt("\n\nThis means there are circular references between output files.\n"
+                "The build cannot proceed because the outputs reference each other.");
+
+        // Add hint with temp paths for debugging
+        if (settings.keepFailed || verbosity >= lvlDebug) {
+            cycleDetails +=
+                fmt("\n\nNote: Build outputs are kept for inspection.\n"
+                    "You can examine the files listed above to understand the cycle.");
+        }
+
+        // Throw new error with original message + cycle details
+        BuildError * buildErr = dynamic_cast<BuildError *>(&e);
+        std::string originalMsg = buildErr ? std::string(buildErr->msg()) : std::string(e.what());
+        throw BuildError(BuildResult::Failure::OutputRejected, "%s\n\n%s", originalMsg, cycleDetails);
+    }
 
     std::reverse(sortedOutputNames.begin(), sortedOutputNames.end());
 
@@ -1848,12 +1906,61 @@ SingleDrvOutputs DerivationBuilderImpl::registerOutputs()
     /* Register each output path as valid, and register the sets of
        paths referenced by each of them.  If there are cycles in the
        outputs, this will fail. */
-    {
+    try {
         ValidPathInfos infos2;
         for (auto & [outputName, newInfo] : infos) {
             infos2.insert_or_assign(newInfo.path, newInfo);
         }
         store.registerValidPaths(infos2);
+    } catch (BuildError & e) {
+        debug("cycle detected during registerValidPaths, analyzing for detailed error report");
+
+        // Scan all outputs for cycle edges with exact file paths
+        StoreCycleEdgeVec edges;
+        for (auto & [outputName, newInfo] : infos) {
+            auto actualPath = store.toRealPath(store.printStorePath(newInfo.path));
+            debug("scanning registered output '%s' at path '%s' for cycle edges", outputName, actualPath);
+
+            scanForCycleEdges(actualPath, referenceablePaths, edges);
+        }
+
+        if (edges.empty()) {
+            debug("no detailed cycle edges found, re-throwing original error");
+            throw;
+        }
+
+        debug("found %lu cycle edges, transforming to connected paths", edges.size());
+
+        // Transform individual edges into connected multi-edges (paths)
+        StoreCycleEdgeVec multiedges;
+        transformEdgesToMultiedges(edges, multiedges);
+
+        // Build detailed error message
+        std::string cycleDetails = fmt("Detailed cycle analysis found %d cycle path(s):", multiedges.size());
+
+        for (size_t i = 0; i < multiedges.size(); i++) {
+            auto & multiedge = multiedges[i];
+            cycleDetails += fmt("\n\nCycle %d:", i + 1);
+            for (auto & file : multiedge) {
+                cycleDetails += fmt("\n  → %s", file);
+            }
+        }
+
+        cycleDetails +=
+            fmt("\n\nThis means there are circular references between output files.\n"
+                "The build cannot proceed because the outputs reference each other.");
+
+        // Add hint with temp paths for debugging
+        if (settings.keepFailed || verbosity >= lvlDebug) {
+            cycleDetails +=
+                fmt("\n\nNote: Build outputs were kept for inspection.\n"
+                    "You can examine the files listed above to understand the cycle.");
+        }
+
+        // Throw new error with original message + cycle details
+        BuildError * buildErr = dynamic_cast<BuildError *>(&e);
+        std::string originalMsg = buildErr ? std::string(buildErr->msg()) : std::string(e.what());
+        throw BuildError(BuildResult::Failure::OutputRejected, "%s\n\n%s", originalMsg, cycleDetails);
     }
 
     /* If we made it this far, we are sure the output matches the

tests/functional/multiple-outputs.nix

@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ rec {
     '';
   };
 
+  # Test for cycle detection with detailed error messages
+  # This creates multiple cycles: a→b→c→a and a→c→b→a
   cyclic =
     (mkDerivation {
       name = "cyclic-outputs";
@@ -92,10 +94,22 @@ rec {
         "c"
       ];
       builder = builtins.toFile "builder.sh" ''
-        mkdir $a $b $c
+        mkdir -p $a/subdir $b/subdir $c/subdir
-        echo $a > $b/foo
+
-        echo $b > $c/bar
+        # First cycle: a → b → c → a
-        echo $c > $a/baz
+        echo "$b/subdir/b-to-c" > $a/subdir/a-to-b
+        echo "$c/subdir/c-to-a" > $b/subdir/b-to-c
+        echo "$a/subdir/a-to-b" > $c/subdir/c-to-a
+
+        # Second cycle: a → c → b → a
+        echo "$c/subdir/c-to-b-2" > $a/subdir/a-to-c-2
+        echo "$b/subdir/b-to-a-2" > $c/subdir/c-to-b-2
+        echo "$a/subdir/a-to-c-2" > $b/subdir/b-to-a-2
+
+        # Non-cyclic reference (just for complexity)
+        echo "non-cyclic-data" > $a/data
+        echo "non-cyclic-data" > $b/data
+        echo "non-cyclic-data" > $c/data
       '';
     }).a;
 

tests/functional/multiple-outputs.sh

@@ -91,9 +91,22 @@ nix-build multiple-outputs.nix -A a.first --no-out-link
 
 # Cyclic outputs should be rejected.
 echo "building cyclic..."
-if nix-build multiple-outputs.nix -A cyclic --no-out-link; then
+if cyclicOutput=$(nix-build multiple-outputs.nix -A cyclic --no-out-link 2>&1); then
     echo "Cyclic outputs incorrectly accepted!"
     exit 1
+else
+    echo "Cyclic outputs correctly rejected"
+    # Verify error message mentions cycles
+    echo "$cyclicOutput" | grepQuiet "cycle"
+
+    # Enhanced cycle error messages were added in 2.33
+    if isDaemonNewer "2.33"; then
+        echo "$cyclicOutput" | grepQuiet "Detailed cycle analysis"
+        echo "$cyclicOutput" | grepQuiet "Cycle 1:"
+        # The error should mention actual file paths with subdirectories
+        echo "$cyclicOutput" | grepQuiet "subdir"
+        echo "Enhanced cycle error messages verified"
+    fi
 fi
 
 # Do a GC. This should leave an empty store.