cmake minimum version for nlohmann_json is not reflected for nlohmann_json lib

[amd-krishnoz]

I picked the release 0.8.0 and despite the changes being merged as part of commit ae84c8ec3fdc5f2a3aa43782933bb329140d71da I dont see the changes in the file thirdParty/nlohmann_json/CMakeLists.txt picked for the release with respect to cmake_minimum_required despite the release date being later.

For the release 0.8.0 the cmake minimum version is still as shown below and hence leading to configure failure for me

Configure Failure

How can can I use the same release and fix the configure error

[ikbuibui]

Release 0.8.0 is from Dec 18, 2024, while ae84c8ec3fdc5f2a3aa43782933bb329140d71da was merged on Dec 4, 2025 nearly an year later. I guess the confusion is due to the release year 0.8.0 being 2024 and not 2025, which is why you don't see the changes in the release :)
For most users we recommend using the dev branch of PIConGPU as it includes latest bug fixes and improvements, so if it is possible for you to use this, it would solve the issue you see.
But if you must use release 0.8.0 for some good reasons, you can either

• Use a different cmake version which is less than 4. This is the supported and tested option. (I am assuming/inferring from experience, by looking at the incomplete error message that you use a cmake version greater than 4, since the relevant part of the error is missing.)
• Try the suggestion given by cmake to add -DCMAKE_POLICY_VERSION_MINIMUM=3.5. I tested this locally for the LWFA example from the release 0.8.0 and it works for me. If you are using pic-build you can do this as pic-build -c "-DCMAKE_POLICY_VERSION_MINIMUM=3.5". This method has not been tested by us beyond what I did right now, so if you run into issues, feel free to report them.

[amd-krishnoz]

My bad I missed looking at the year and have mistaken that the release 0.8.0 is not an 2025 release but an 2024 release.
Closing the issue