Rust static linking with +verbatim= fails on macos

[elmarco]

Describe the bug
Modified test 3 fails to link:

[1/1] Compiling Rust source '../test cases/rust/3 staticlib/prog.rs'
FAILED: [code=1] prog 
rustc -C linker=cc --color=always -C debug-assertions=yes -C overflow-checks=no --crate-type bin -g --crate-name prog --emit dep-info=prog.p/prog.d --emit link=prog -C metadata=prog@exe --extern stuff=libstuff.rlib -Clink-arg=libvalue.a -L. '../test cases/rust/3 staticlib/prog.rs'
error: linking with `cc` failed: exit status: 1
  |
  = note:  "cc" "/var/folders/1l/gdhl58ps3x9g3722b48txl0w0000gn/T/rustcxctcQc/symbols.o" "<2 object files omitted>" "/Users/user/meson/builddir/{libstuff.rlib}.rlib" "-llibvalue.a" "./{libother.rlib}.rlib" "-llibvalue.a" "<sysroot>/lib/rustlib/x86_64-apple-darwin/lib/{libstd-*,libpanic_unwind-*,libobject-*,libmemchr-*,libaddr2line-*,libgimli-*,librustc_demangle-*,libstd_detect-*,libhashbrown-*,librustc_std_workspace_alloc-*,libminiz_oxide-*,libadler2-*,libunwind-*,libcfg_if-*,liblibc-*,librustc_std_workspace_core-*,liballoc-*,libcore-*,libcompiler_builtins-*}.rlib" "-lSystem" "-lc" "-lm" "-arch" "x86_64" "-mmacosx-version-min=10.12.0" "-L" "." "-o" "prog" "-Wl,-dead_strip" "-nodefaultlibs" "libvalue.a"
  = note: some arguments are omitted. use `--verbose` to show all linker arguments
  = note: ld: warning: ignoring duplicate libraries: '-llibvalue.a', 'libvalue.a'
          ld: library 'libvalue.a' not found
          clang: error: linker command failed with exit code 1 (use -v to see invocation)

To Reproduce
Change test 3 to not use "bundle":

diff --git a/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/meson.build b/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/meson.build
index cf8e1032e..1710fa865 100644
--- a/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/meson.build   
+++ b/test cases/rust/3 staticlib/meson.build   
@@ -2,6 +2,6 @@ project('rust static library', 'rust', 'c')
 
 o = static_library('other', 'other.rs')
 v = static_library('value', 'value.c')
-l = static_library('stuff', 'stuff.rs', link_whole : [o, v], install : true)
+l = static_library('stuff', 'stuff.rs', link_with : [o, v])

./meson.py 'test cases/rust/3 staticlib' builddir && ninja -C builddir

Expected behavior
libother.rlib is compiled with -lstatic:-bundle,+verbatim=libvalue.a

but verbatim is problematic given that system linkers will behave differently:
https://doc.rust-lang.org/stable/rustc/command-line-arguments.html#linking-modifiers-verbatim

If instead, it were to compile with -lstatic:-bundle=value, then it should work with both GNU ld or Apple ld.

btw, why not add rust to macos CI brew installation to cover rust?

system parameters

• meson 1.9.99 3734ff4
• rustc 1.89.0 (29483883e 2025-08-04) (Homebrew)
• @(#)PROGRAM:ld PROJECT:ld-1115.7.3

CC @bonzini

[bonzini]

If instead, it were to compile with -lstatic:-bundle=value, then it should work with both GNU ld or Apple ld.

The comment around line 2080 says why verbatim was appealing, but it's implemented wrong given that it doesn't work on all linkers.

For sure verbatim would have to be false on link.exe or ld64. But maybe if you add and d.uses_rust() to the if that chooses -l, then verbatim is more or less unnecessary and we can avoid it? Can we raise an error if name_prefix/name_suffix are used and a -l option would be necessary?