ci: vcpkg-specific cleanups #34883

pull hebasto wants to merge 3 commits into bitcoin:master from hebasto:260320-release-triplet changing 2 files +4 −14

hebasto commented at 3:29 pm on March 20, 2026: member

This PR removes three vcpkg-specific workarounds. See the commit messages for more details.

ci: Remove upstreamed vcpkg workaround

See https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg/pull/44712.

65882fa68f

ci: Switch to `x64-windows-release` triplet

This removes the need to patch vcpkg source code to skip debug builds
for dependencies.

9aa5b3c3a3

hebasto added the label Windows on Mar 20, 2026
hebasto added the label Tests on Mar 20, 2026
DrahtBot commented at 3:29 pm on March 20, 2026: contributor
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- #31507 (build: Use clang-cl to build on Windows natively by hebasto)
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ci: Switch to VS-vendored vcpkg instance

The GHA Windows image contains two vcpkg installations: one vendored by
VS (`VCPKG_ROOT`) and an independent one (`VCPKG_INSTALLATION_ROOT`).
Our build documentation recommends using the VS-vendored instance to
minimize user effort. While this option previously failed to build in
the CI, forcing us to use the independent installation, it is now
working correctly.

This change removes the no-longer-needed workaround.

2d5cedfe12

hebasto force-pushed on Mar 20, 2026
fanquake commented at 0:24 am on March 21, 2026: member

cc @hodlinator
janb84 commented at 7:41 pm on March 23, 2026: contributor
Concept ACK 2d5cedfe1291ecfc22081f3368471e4a9af0c695

The changes are CI changes but;

Did a local build on windows 11 (non-ci):
- with the new triplet: 27,9gb of packages disk usage
- without: 42,6 gb of packages disk usage
Both build fine but given the difference in disk usage, is the usage of the TRIPLET not something we also want add to the build documentation ?

Browsed trough the CI logs and I could not spot any error
hebasto commented at 8:32 pm on March 23, 2026: member
Did a local build on windows 11 (non-ci):

with the new triplet: 27,9gb of packages disk usage

without: 42,6 gb of packages disk usage

Both build fine but given the difference in disk usage, is the usage of the TRIPLET not something we also want add to the build documentation ?
Consider the content of the triplet files:
- triplets/x64-windows.cmake:
0set(VCPKG_TARGET_ARCHITECTURE x64) 1set(VCPKG_CRT_LINKAGE dynamic) 2set(VCPKG_LIBRARY_LINKAGE dynamic)
- triplets/x64-windows-release.cmake:
0set(VCPKG_TARGET_ARCHITECTURE x64) 1set(VCPKG_CRT_LINKAGE dynamic) 2set(VCPKG_LIBRARY_LINKAGE dynamic) 3set(VCPKG_BUILD_TYPE release)
The same diff we currently apply manually on the master branch:https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/1a1f584360ce053f9f832e310d063d686f86c6d7/.github/workflows/ci.yml#L258

Not sure about updating the build docs. If we want to do this, perhaps we should first document a policy on which triplets are documented and which are not.
janb84 commented at 9:30 am on March 24, 2026: contributor
Did a local build on windows 11 (non-ci):

with the new triplet: 27,9gb of packages disk usage

without: 42,6 gb of packages disk usage

Both build fine but given the difference in disk usage, is the usage of the TRIPLET not something we also want add to the build documentation ?

Consider the content of the triplet files:

triplets/x64-windows.cmake:

0set(VCPKG_TARGET_ARCHITECTURE x64) 1set(VCPKG_CRT_LINKAGE dynamic) 2set(VCPKG_LIBRARY_LINKAGE dynamic)

triplets/x64-windows-release.cmake:

0set(VCPKG_TARGET_ARCHITECTURE x64) 1set(VCPKG_CRT_LINKAGE dynamic) 2set(VCPKG_LIBRARY_LINKAGE dynamic) 3set(VCPKG_BUILD_TYPE release)
The same diff we currently apply manually on the master branch:

https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/blob/1a1f584360ce053f9f832e310d063d686f86c6d7/.github/workflows/ci.yml#L258

Not sure about updating the build docs. If we want to do this, perhaps we should first document a policy on which triplets are documented and which are not.
The CI changes are not disputed, as you show they are equal to what we already did in CI.

Because of the disk usage savings I was merely suggesting it to add this as an option to the manual build instructions build-windows-msvc.md. In there we are already describing the x64-windows and x64-windows-static triplets. The -release triplet would be the same but without additional debug information/options.

But I agree to keep this PR an CI only change.
hodlinator approved
hodlinator commented at 2:33 pm on March 24, 2026: contributor
utACK 2d5cedfe1291ecfc22081f3368471e4a9af0c695

Nice to get rid of:
- A workaround no longer needed due to upstream fix.
- Using a CLI arg rather than patching out-of-tree file.
- Using the GHA vendored vcpkg root.
Unchanged mentions of vcpkg in ci.yml already used ~/AppData/Local/vcpkg/archives for the binary cache.

“Generate build system” step took 1h49m on CI but I guess that’s not slower than usual when the cache is cold? https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/actions/runs/23361871973/job/67966938087?pr=34883#step:8:211
DrahtBot requested review from janb84 on Mar 24, 2026
hebasto commented at 2:39 pm on March 24, 2026: member

“Generate build system” step took 1h49m on CI but I guess that’s not slower than usual when the cache is cold?

I guess so.
fanquake merged this on Mar 25, 2026
fanquake closed this on Mar 25, 2026
hebasto deleted the branch on Mar 25, 2026

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ci: vcpkg-specific cleanups #34883

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