Dependency version drift

April 30, 2026 · View on GitHub

Playbook ID: dependency-drift Category: build Severity: medium Tags: dependencies, lockfile, version

What this failure means

Dependency constraints have drifted apart enough that the package manager cannot compute a valid install plan.

Common log signals

conflicting requirements
dependency conflict
version conflict
incompatible versions
requires a different version
error: there is a conflict
failed to resolve dependencies
dependency resolution failed

Diagnosis

Two or more packages now require incompatible versions of a shared dependency, so resolution fails before installation can begin.

Fix steps

  1. Re-run dependency resolution from a clean cache or clean environment to confirm the conflict is reproducible.
  2. Inspect the dependency tree with the native tool, such as npm ls, pipdeptree, bundle viz, or go mod graph.
  3. Regenerate the lockfile with the team-standard tool and version, then commit the result instead of hand-editing generated files.
  4. Pin, upgrade, or replace the conflicting dependency pair so top-level constraints agree on a compatible range.
  5. If the conflict appears only in CI, align the runtime or package manager version with local development before changing dependency constraints.

Validation

  • Re-run dependency resolution from a clean environment.
  • Confirm the lockfile and install step complete without version conflicts.

Likely files to inspect

  • package.json
  • package-lock.json
  • requirements.txt
  • go.mod

Run Faultline

faultline analyze build.log
faultline explain dependency-drift
faultline workflow build.log --json --mode agent

Search phrases this page answers

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Generated from playbooks/bundled/log/build/dependency-drift.yaml. Do not edit directly — run make docs-generate.