Main code changes to get scripts out of melange

Makefile

@@ -214,6 +214,69 @@ test-e2e: kernel/$(ARCH)/vmlinuz melange generate # This is invoked by a separat
 	MELANGE=$(TOP_D)/melange \
 	./run-tests
 
+#######################
+# Script Export Tests
+#######################
+
+.PHONY: test-script-export
+test-script-export: kernel/$(ARCH)/vmlinuz melange ## Build and test script export functionality
+	@echo "Building script export test package..."
+	QEMU_KERNEL_IMAGE=$(TOP_D)/kernel/$(ARCH)/vmlinuz \
+	QEMU_KERNEL_MODULES=$(TOP_D)/kernel/$(ARCH)/modules/ \
+	$(TOP_D)/melange build \
+		--runner=qemu \
+		--pipeline-dir ./e2e-tests/script-export-pipelines/ \
+		--out-dir ./e2e-tests/output/ \
+		--cache-dir /tmp/script-export-cache \
+		./e2e-tests/script-export-test.yaml
+	@echo "Running script export validation tests..."
+	QEMU_KERNEL_IMAGE=$(TOP_D)/kernel/$(ARCH)/vmlinuz \
+	QEMU_KERNEL_MODULES=$(TOP_D)/kernel/$(ARCH)/modules/ \
+	$(TOP_D)/melange test \
+		--runner=qemu \
+		--repository-append ./e2e-tests/output/ \
+		--repository-append https://packages.wolfi.dev/os \
+		--keyring-append https://packages.wolfi.dev/os/wolfi-signing.rsa.pub \
+		--ignore-signatures \
+		--pipeline-dirs ./e2e-tests/script-export-pipelines/ \
+		./e2e-tests/script-export-test.yaml
+
+.PHONY: test-script-export-debug
+test-script-export-debug: kernel/$(ARCH)/vmlinuz melange ## Build script export test in debug mode with script saving
+	@echo "Building script export test package in debug mode..."
+	QEMU_KERNEL_IMAGE=$(TOP_D)/kernel/$(ARCH)/vmlinuz \
+	QEMU_KERNEL_MODULES=$(TOP_D)/kernel/$(ARCH)/modules/ \
+	$(TOP_D)/melange build \
+		--runner=qemu \
+		--arch=$(ARCH) \
+		--debug \
+		--interactive \
+		--save-scripts \
+		--pipeline-dir ./e2e-tests/script-export-pipelines/ \
+		--out-dir ./e2e-tests/output/ \
+		--cache-dir /tmp/script-export-cache \
+		./e2e-tests/script-export-test.yaml
+	@echo "Running script export validation tests in debug mode..."
+	QEMU_KERNEL_IMAGE=$(TOP_D)/kernel/$(ARCH)/vmlinuz \
+	QEMU_KERNEL_MODULES=$(TOP_D)/kernel/$(ARCH)/modules/ \
+	$(TOP_D)/melange test \
+		--runner=qemu \
+		--arch=$(ARCH) \
+		--debug \
+		--interactive \
+		--save-scripts \
+		--repository-append ./e2e-tests/output/ \
+		--repository-append https://packages.wolfi.dev/os \
+		--keyring-append https://packages.wolfi.dev/os/wolfi-signing.rsa.pub \
+		--ignore-signatures \
+		--pipeline-dirs ./e2e-tests/script-export-pipelines/ \
+		./e2e-tests/script-export-test.yaml
+
+.PHONY: clean-script-export-test
+clean-script-export-test: ## Clean script export test artifacts
+	rm -rf ./e2e-tests/output/
+	rm -rf /tmp/script-export-cache
+
 .PHONY: clean
 clean: ## Clean the workspace
 	rm -rf melange

docs/DEBUGGING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+# Debugging Melange Builds
+
+## Readable Log Output
+
+Melange uses structured logging by default, which can be difficult to read during interactive development. The structured output makes it hard to copy/paste commands for manual execution and can cause ANSI rendering artifacts in terminals.
+
+### Using GCP Logging for Readable Output
+
+A practical workaround is to use the `--gcplog` flag combined with `jq` to extract readable messages:
+
+```bash
+# Basic readable output
+melange build --gcplog config.yaml 2>&1 | jq -r '.message'
+
+# With Makefiles using MELANGE_EXTRA_ARGS
+MELANGE_EXTRA_ARGS="--gcplog" make package/mypackage 2>&1 | jq -r '.message'
+MELANGE_EXTRA_ARGS="--gcplog" make debug/mypackage 2>&1 | jq -r '.message'
+
+# Filter for specific message types
+melange build --gcplog config.yaml 2>&1 | jq -r 'select(.level == "info") | .message'
+
+# Extract commands being executed
+melange build --gcplog config.yaml 2>&1 | jq -r 'select(.msg | contains("running")) | .message'
+```
+
+> **Note**: This is a temporary workaround. There are plans to improve interactive logging in the future by circumventing slog for better developer experience.
+
+### Benefits
+
+- **Copy-pasteable commands**: Extract the exact shell commands being executed
+- **Cleaner QEMU output**: More readable than structured logging artifacts  
+- **No ANSI artifacts**: Avoids terminal rendering issues with charmlog
+- **Filterable**: Use `jq` to focus on specific log levels or message types
+- **Makefile compatible**: Works with existing Makefile workflows via `MELANGE_EXTRA_ARGS`
+
+### Limitations
+
+- **No color output**: ANSI colors from compilation are stripped (expected for GCP logging)
+- **Requires jq**: You need `jq` installed for filtering
+- **JSON overhead**: More verbose raw output before filtering
+- **Temporary solution**: This workaround will be superseded by native plain-text logging
+
+### Example Output
+
+Instead of structured log artifacts, you get clean output like:
+
+```
+Writing Makefile for ack
+Writing MYMETA.yml and MYMETA.json
++ exit 0
++ '[' -d /home/build ]
++ cd /home/build  
++ exit 1
+Step failed: task exited with code 1
+/bin/sh -c set -ex
+[ -d '/home/build' ] || mkdir -p '/home/build'
+cd '/home/build'
+exit 1
+```
+
+### Advanced Filtering
+
+For more complex debugging scenarios:
+
+```bash
+# Show timestamps with messages  
+MELANGE_EXTRA_ARGS="--gcplog" make debug/package 2>&1 | jq -r '"\(.time) [\(.level)] \(.message)"'
+
+# Extract only error messages
+MELANGE_EXTRA_ARGS="--gcplog" make debug/package 2>&1 | jq -r 'select(.level == "error") | .message'
+
+# Show pipeline steps only
+MELANGE_EXTRA_ARGS="--gcplog" make debug/package 2>&1 | jq -r 'select(.msg | contains("running step")) | .message'
+
+# Extract both message and any command fields
+MELANGE_EXTRA_ARGS="--gcplog" make debug/package 2>&1 | jq -r '.message + (if .command then "\n" + .command else "" end)'
+
+# Show QEMU-specific output
+MELANGE_EXTRA_ARGS="--gcplog" make debug/package 2>&1 | jq -r 'select(.message | contains("qemu:")) | .message'
+```
+
+### Debugging Failed Steps
+
+When a pipeline step fails, you can extract the failing command for manual execution:
+
+```bash
+# Capture the failing command
+MELANGE_EXTRA_ARGS="--gcplog" make debug/package 2>&1 | jq -r 'select(.msg == "Step failed") | .message' 
+
+# This will show both the error and the exact command that failed, making it easy to:
+# 1. Copy the command for manual testing
+# 2. Modify the command to debug issues  
+# 3. Re-run parts of the build manually
+```
+
+### Interactive Debugging
+
+For interactive debugging sessions, you can use:
+
+```bash
+# Get readable output while building
+MELANGE_EXTRA_ARGS="--gcplog --debug-runner --interactive" make debug/package 2>&1 | jq -r '.message'
+```
+
+## Future Improvements
+
+The structured logging issues are recognized pain points for interactive development. Future improvements may include:
+
+- Native plain-text logging option to avoid JSON overhead
+- Better command formatting for copy-paste workflows  
+- Preserved ANSI color output for compilation logs
+- Enhanced debugging modes with script extraction
+
+This `--gcplog` + `jq` approach provides a practical workaround until these native improvements are available.
+
+## Other Debugging Tips
+
+- Use `--debug` flag to enable verbose pipeline output
+- Use `--debug-runner` to keep build environment after failures
+- Use `--interactive` to attach to failed builds for manual debugging