Mark conda_build.build.check_external() for deprecation (#5355)

Co-authored-by: Bianca Henderson <bhenderson@anaconda.com>

conda_build/build.py

@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
 from . import environ, noarch_python, source, tarcheck, utils
 from .config import Config
 from .create_test import create_all_test_files
+from .deprecations import deprecated
 from .exceptions import (
     BuildScriptException,
     CondaBuildException,
@@ -3527,6 +3528,11 @@ def tests_failed(package_or_metadata, move_broken, broken_dir, config):
     sys.exit("TESTS FAILED: " + os.path.basename(pkg))
 
 
+@deprecated(
+    "24.7",
+    "24.9",
+    addendum="`patchelf` is an explicit conda-build dependency on Linux so it will always be installed.",
+)
 def check_external():
     if on_linux:
         patchelf = external.find_executable("patchelf")

conda_build/cli/main_build.py

@@ -535,7 +535,6 @@ def execute(args: Sequence[str] | None = None) -> int:
     context.__init__(argparse_args=parsed)
 
     config = get_or_merge_config(None, **parsed.__dict__)
-    build.check_external()
 
     # change globals in build module, see comment there as well
     config.channel_urls = get_channel_urls(parsed.__dict__)

news/5355-deprecate-check_external

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+### Enhancements
+
+* <news item>
+
+### Bug fixes
+
+* <news item>
+
+### Deprecations
+
+* Mark `conda_build.build.check_external` for deprecation. `patchelf` is an explicit conda-build dependency on Linux so it will always be installed. (#5355)
+
+### Docs
+
+* <news item>
+
+### Other
+
+* <news item>

tests/test_build.py

@@ -324,3 +324,8 @@ def test_guess_interpreter(
 ):
     with pytest.raises(error) if error else nullcontext():
         assert build.guess_interpreter(script) == interpreter
+
+
+def test_check_external():
+    with pytest.deprecated_call():
+        build.check_external()