Add --resolve-symlinks flag to build and push artifact commands

This adds a --resolve-symlinks flag to the flux build artifact and flux push artifact
commands. When enabled, symlinks in the source directory are resolved (copied as regular
files/directories) before building the artifact. This includes:

- Recursive symlink resolution with cycle detection
- File permission preservation
- Proper handling of both single-file and directory symlink targets
- Comprehensive test coverage

Fixes #5055

Signed-off-by: Rohan Sood <56945243+rohansood10@users.noreply.github.com>

cmd/flux/build_artifact.go

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
@@ -51,6 +52,7 @@ type buildArtifactFlags struct {
 	output          string
 	path            string
 	ignorePaths     []string
+	resolveSymlinks bool
 }
 
 var excludeOCI = append(strings.Split(sourceignore.ExcludeVCS, ","), strings.Split(sourceignore.ExcludeExt, ",")...)
@@ -61,6 +63,7 @@ func init() {
 	buildArtifactCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&buildArtifactArgs.path, "path", "p", "", "Path to the directory where the Kubernetes manifests are located.")
 	buildArtifactCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&buildArtifactArgs.output, "output", "o", "artifact.tgz", "Path to where the artifact tgz file should be written.")
 	buildArtifactCmd.Flags().StringSliceVar(&buildArtifactArgs.ignorePaths, "ignore-paths", excludeOCI, "set paths to ignore in .gitignore format")
+	buildArtifactCmd.Flags().BoolVar(&buildArtifactArgs.resolveSymlinks, "resolve-symlinks", false, "resolve symlinks by copying their targets into the artifact")
 
 	buildCmd.AddCommand(buildArtifactCmd)
 }
@@ -85,6 +88,15 @@ func buildArtifactCmdRun(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("invalid path '%s', must point to an existing directory or file", path)
 	}
 
+	if buildArtifactArgs.resolveSymlinks {
+		resolved, cleanupDir, err := resolveSymlinks(path)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("resolving symlinks failed: %w", err)
+		}
+		defer os.RemoveAll(cleanupDir)
+		path = resolved
+	}
+
 	logger.Actionf("building artifact from %s", path)
 
 	ociClient := oci.NewClient(oci.DefaultOptions())
@@ -96,6 +108,141 @@ func buildArtifactCmdRun(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// resolveSymlinks creates a temporary directory with symlinks resolved to their
+// real file contents. This allows building artifacts from symlink trees (e.g.,
+// those created by Nix) where the actual files live outside the source directory.
+// It returns the resolved path and the temporary directory path for cleanup.
+func resolveSymlinks(srcPath string) (string, string, error) {
+	absPath, err := filepath.Abs(srcPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", "", err
+	}
+
+	info, err := os.Stat(absPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", "", err
+	}
+
+	// For a single file, resolve the symlink and return the path to the
+	// copied file within the temp dir, preserving file semantics for callers.
+	if !info.IsDir() {
+		resolved, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(absPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", "", fmt.Errorf("resolving symlink for %s: %w", absPath, err)
+		}
+		tmpDir, err := os.MkdirTemp("", "flux-artifact-*")
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", "", err
+		}
+		dst := filepath.Join(tmpDir, filepath.Base(absPath))
+		if err := copyFile(resolved, dst); err != nil {
+			os.RemoveAll(tmpDir)
+			return "", "", err
+		}
+		return dst, tmpDir, nil
+	}
+
+	tmpDir, err := os.MkdirTemp("", "flux-artifact-*")
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", "", err
+	}
+
+	visited := make(map[string]bool)
+	if err := copyDir(absPath, tmpDir, visited); err != nil {
+		os.RemoveAll(tmpDir)
+		return "", "", err
+	}
+
+	return tmpDir, tmpDir, nil
+}
+
+// copyDir recursively copies the contents of srcDir to dstDir, resolving any
+// symlinks encountered along the way. The visited map tracks resolved real
+// directory paths to detect and break symlink cycles.
+func copyDir(srcDir, dstDir string, visited map[string]bool) error {
+	real, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(srcDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("resolving symlink %s: %w", srcDir, err)
+	}
+	abs, err := filepath.Abs(real)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("getting absolute path for %s: %w", real, err)
+	}
+	if visited[abs] {
+		return nil // break the cycle
+	}
+	visited[abs] = true
+
+	entries, err := os.ReadDir(srcDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	for _, entry := range entries {
+		srcPath := filepath.Join(srcDir, entry.Name())
+		dstPath := filepath.Join(dstDir, entry.Name())
+
+		// Resolve symlinks to get the real path and info.
+		realPath, err := filepath.EvalSymlinks(srcPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("resolving symlink %s: %w", srcPath, err)
+		}
+		realInfo, err := os.Stat(realPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("stat resolved path %s: %w", realPath, err)
+		}
+
+		if realInfo.IsDir() {
+			if err := os.MkdirAll(dstPath, realInfo.Mode()); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			// Recursively copy the resolved directory contents.
+			if err := copyDir(realPath, dstPath, visited); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if !realInfo.Mode().IsRegular() {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if err := copyFile(realPath, dstPath); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func copyFile(src, dst string) error {
+	srcInfo, err := os.Stat(src)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	in, err := os.Open(src)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer in.Close()
+
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(dst), 0o755); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	out, err := os.OpenFile(dst, os.O_WRONLY|os.O_CREATE|os.O_TRUNC, srcInfo.Mode())
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer out.Close()
+
+	if _, err := io.Copy(out, in); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return out.Close()
+}
+
 func saveReaderToFile(reader io.Reader) (string, error) {
 	b, err := io.ReadAll(bufio.NewReader(reader))
 	if err != nil {

cmd/flux/build_artifact_test.go

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -68,3 +69,113 @@ data:
 
 	}
 }
+
+func Test_resolveSymlinks(t *testing.T) {
+	g := NewWithT(t)
+
+	// Create source directory with a real file
+	srcDir := t.TempDir()
+	realFile := filepath.Join(srcDir, "real.yaml")
+	g.Expect(os.WriteFile(realFile, []byte("apiVersion: v1\nkind: Namespace\nmetadata:\n  name: test\n"), 0o644)).To(Succeed())
+
+	// Create a directory with symlinks pointing to files outside it
+	symlinkDir := t.TempDir()
+	symlinkFile := filepath.Join(symlinkDir, "linked.yaml")
+	g.Expect(os.Symlink(realFile, symlinkFile)).To(Succeed())
+
+	// Also add a regular file in the symlink dir
+	regularFile := filepath.Join(symlinkDir, "regular.yaml")
+	g.Expect(os.WriteFile(regularFile, []byte("apiVersion: v1\nkind: ConfigMap\n"), 0o644)).To(Succeed())
+
+	// Create a symlinked subdirectory
+	subDir := filepath.Join(srcDir, "subdir")
+	g.Expect(os.MkdirAll(subDir, 0o755)).To(Succeed())
+	g.Expect(os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(subDir, "nested.yaml"), []byte("nested"), 0o644)).To(Succeed())
+	g.Expect(os.Symlink(subDir, filepath.Join(symlinkDir, "linkeddir"))).To(Succeed())
+
+	// Resolve symlinks
+	resolved, cleanupDir, err := resolveSymlinks(symlinkDir)
+	g.Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+	t.Cleanup(func() { os.RemoveAll(cleanupDir) })
+
+	// Verify the regular file was copied
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(resolved, "regular.yaml"))
+	g.Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+	g.Expect(string(content)).To(Equal("apiVersion: v1\nkind: ConfigMap\n"))
+
+	// Verify the symlinked file was resolved and copied
+	content, err = os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(resolved, "linked.yaml"))
+	g.Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+	g.Expect(string(content)).To(ContainSubstring("kind: Namespace"))
+
+	// Verify that the resolved file is a regular file, not a symlink
+	info, err := os.Lstat(filepath.Join(resolved, "linked.yaml"))
+	g.Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+	g.Expect(info.Mode().IsRegular()).To(BeTrue())
+
+	// Verify that the symlinked directory was resolved and its contents were copied
+	content, err = os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(resolved, "linkeddir", "nested.yaml"))
+	g.Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+	g.Expect(string(content)).To(Equal("nested"))
+
+	// Verify that the file inside the symlinked directory is a regular file
+	info, err = os.Lstat(filepath.Join(resolved, "linkeddir", "nested.yaml"))
+	g.Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+	g.Expect(info.Mode().IsRegular()).To(BeTrue())
+}
+
+func Test_resolveSymlinks_singleFile(t *testing.T) {
+	g := NewWithT(t)
+
+	// Create a real file
+	srcDir := t.TempDir()
+	realFile := filepath.Join(srcDir, "manifest.yaml")
+	g.Expect(os.WriteFile(realFile, []byte("kind: ConfigMap"), 0o644)).To(Succeed())
+
+	// Create a symlink to the real file
+	linkDir := t.TempDir()
+	linkFile := filepath.Join(linkDir, "link.yaml")
+	g.Expect(os.Symlink(realFile, linkFile)).To(Succeed())
+
+	// Resolve the single symlinked file
+	resolved, cleanupDir, err := resolveSymlinks(linkFile)
+	g.Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+	t.Cleanup(func() { os.RemoveAll(cleanupDir) })
+
+	// The returned path should be a file, not a directory
+	info, err := os.Stat(resolved)
+	g.Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+	g.Expect(info.IsDir()).To(BeFalse())
+
+	// Verify contents
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(resolved)
+	g.Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+	g.Expect(string(content)).To(Equal("kind: ConfigMap"))
+}
+
+func Test_resolveSymlinks_cycle(t *testing.T) {
+	g := NewWithT(t)
+
+	// Create a directory with a symlink cycle: dir/link -> dir
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	g.Expect(os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(dir, "file.yaml"), []byte("data"), 0o644)).To(Succeed())
+	g.Expect(os.Symlink(dir, filepath.Join(dir, "cycle"))).To(Succeed())
+
+	// resolveSymlinks should not infinite-loop
+	resolved, cleanupDir, err := resolveSymlinks(dir)
+	g.Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+	t.Cleanup(func() { os.RemoveAll(cleanupDir) })
+
+	// The file should be copied
+	content, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(resolved, "file.yaml"))
+	g.Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+	g.Expect(string(content)).To(Equal("data"))
+
+	// The cycle directory should exist but not cause infinite nesting
+	_, err = os.Stat(filepath.Join(resolved, "cycle"))
+	g.Expect(err).To(BeNil())
+
+	// There should NOT be deeply nested cycle/cycle/cycle/... paths
+	_, err = os.Stat(filepath.Join(resolved, "cycle", "cycle", "cycle"))
+	g.Expect(os.IsNotExist(err)).To(BeTrue())
+}

cmd/flux/push_artifact.go

@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@ type pushArtifactFlags struct {
 	debug           bool
 	reproducible    bool
 	insecure        bool
+	resolveSymlinks bool
 }
 
 var pushArtifactArgs = newPushArtifactFlags()
@@ -137,6 +138,7 @@ func init() {
 	pushArtifactCmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&pushArtifactArgs.debug, "debug", "", false, "display logs from underlying library")
 	pushArtifactCmd.Flags().BoolVar(&pushArtifactArgs.reproducible, "reproducible", false, "ensure reproducible image digests by setting the created timestamp to '1970-01-01T00:00:00Z'")
 	pushArtifactCmd.Flags().BoolVar(&pushArtifactArgs.insecure, "insecure-registry", false, "allows artifacts to be pushed without TLS")
+	pushArtifactCmd.Flags().BoolVar(&pushArtifactArgs.resolveSymlinks, "resolve-symlinks", false, "resolve symlinks by copying their targets into the artifact")
 
 	pushCmd.AddCommand(pushArtifactCmd)
 }
@@ -183,6 +185,15 @@ func pushArtifactCmdRun(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("invalid path '%s', must point to an existing directory or file: %w", path, err)
 	}
 
+	if pushArtifactArgs.resolveSymlinks {
+		resolved, cleanupDir, err := resolveSymlinks(path)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("resolving symlinks failed: %w", err)
+		}
+		defer os.RemoveAll(cleanupDir)
+		path = resolved
+	}
+
 	annotations := map[string]string{}
 	for _, annotation := range pushArtifactArgs.annotations {
 		kv := strings.Split(annotation, "=")