dh_sphinxdoc generates a substvar called sphinxdoc:Built-Using, which is
then used by packages to fill a Built-Using control header.

This is missusing Built-Using, which is strictly only for license
compliance purposes where source availability is required.  This only
really affects *GPL and MPL or so, but Spinx and that stuff is BSD
licensed, which does not carry any related requirement.

Setting Built-Using forces strict update order both in the Debian
archive and in testing updates, leading to problems in other packages.

Bastian

Hi Bastian!

I added this in response to #836248, and since then I regret making this
change, because many packages [1] started to use it without a need, prompted
by dpkg’s warnings about variable being defined but not used.

But I do not know what is the best escape from this situation. I thought that
maybe I should scan debian/control, and generate this substitution variable
only if the package is already using it, to prevent the warning for packages
that don’t use it. And for packages that are already using it, maybe I should
print a warning from dh_sphinxdoc itself?

This approach will not work with debhelper 14’s automatic substvars, but maybe
we can force people who want to continue using this variable to keep using it
explicitly rather than implicitly.

What do you think? Maybe you have better suggestions?

[1]: https://codesearch.debian.net/search?q=sphinxdoc%3ABuilt-Using+path%3Adebian%2Fcontrol&literal=1

Hello,

Bug #1136263 in sphinx reported by you has been fixed in the
Git repository and is awaiting an upload. You can see the commit
message below and you can check the diff of the fix at:

https://salsa.debian.org/python-team/packages/sphinx/-/commit/bb3f575facae7968a4583973326831065670023e
------------------------------------------------------------------------
dh_sphinxdoc: Generate Built-Using variable only for packages already using it.

And add a usage note to the man page.

Closes: #1136263.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

(this message was generated automatically)
-- 
Greetings

https://bugs.debian.org/1136263

We believe that the bug you reported is fixed in the latest version of
sphinx, which is due to be installed in the Debian FTP archive.

A summary of the changes between this version and the previous one is
attached.

Thank you for reporting the bug, which will now be closed.  If you
have further comments please address them to 1136263@bugs.debian.org,
and the maintainer will reopen the bug report if appropriate.

Debian distribution maintenance software
pp.
Dmitry Shachnev <mitya57@debian.org> (supplier of updated sphinx package)

(This message was generated automatically at their request; if you
believe that there is a problem with it please contact the archive
administrators by mailing ftpmaster@ftp-master.debian.org)
Format: 1.8
Date: Mon, 25 May 2026 18:19:00 +0300
Source: sphinx
Architecture: source
Version: 9.1.0-4
Distribution: unstable
Urgency: medium
Maintainer: Debian Python Team <team+python@tracker.debian.org>
Changed-By: Dmitry Shachnev <mitya57@debian.org>
Closes: 1073497 1136263 1137424
Changes:
 sphinx (9.1.0-4) unstable; urgency=medium
 .
   [ Stefano Rivera ]
   * Patch: Support snowball 3.1.0.
 .
   [ Dmitry Shachnev ]
   * Install language_data.js files for all supported languages.
   * dh_sphinxdoc:
     - Symlink language_data.js files (closes: #1137424).
     - Remove *-stemmer.js files (closes: #1073497). Sphinx installs these
       files as source for minified JS, but there is no need to ship them in
       the binary packages.
     - Generate ${sphinxdoc:Built-Using} variable only for packages that are
       already using it, add a usage note to the man page (closes: #1136263).
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