[tldistro] mtxrun skipping config file

[Karl Berry]

    One of the steps I usually run for this is `mtxrun --generate`.

Yes, that is what install-tl does too (because Hans told us to). I've
never understood what it really does though. Creates some kind of cache
file somewhere according to the man page, but I don't know any details.

    resolvers       | resolving | skipping configuration file 'selfautodir:/share/texmf-dist/web2c/texmfcnf.lua' (no valid format)
    resolvers       | resolving | no texmf paths are defined (using TEXMF)

That does look problematic. When I do a normal user install, I see this:

resolvers       | resolving | variable 'SELFAUTOLOC' set to '/usr/local/texlive/pretest/bin/x86_64-linux'
resolvers       | resolving | variable 'SELFAUTODIR' set to '/usr/local/texlive/pretest/bin'
resolvers       | resolving | variable 'SELFAUTOPARENT' set to '/usr/local/texlive/pretest'
resolvers       | resolving | variable 'TEXMFCNF' set to ''
resolvers       | resolving | variable 'TEXMF' set to ''
resolvers       | resolving | variable 'TEXOS' set to 'bin'
resolvers       | resolving |
resolvers       | resolving | using configuration specification 'home:texmf/web2c;{selfautoloc:,selfautoloc:/share/texmf-local/web2c,selfautoloc:/share/texmf-dist/web2c,selfautoloc:/share/texmf/web2c,selfautoloc:/texmf-local/web2c,selfautoloc:/texmf-dist/web2c,selfautoloc:/texmf/web2c,selfautodir:,selfautodir:/share/texmf-local/web2c,selfautodir:/share/texmf-dist/web2c,selfautodir:/share/texmf/web2c,selfautodir:/texmf-local/web2c,selfautodir:/texmf-dist/web2c,selfautodir:/texmf/web2c,$SELFAUTOGRANDPARENT/texmf-local/web2c,selfautoparent:,selfautoparent:/share/texmf-local/web2c,selfautoparent:/share/texmf-dist/web2c,selfautoparent:/share/texmf/web2c,selfautoparent:/texmf-local/web2c,selfautoparent:/texmf-dist/web2c,selfautoparent:/texmf/web2c}'

Those SELF* variables are all set automatically by the programs, not in
the environment. I don't have any TeX-related envvars set.

    As far as I know, since `mtxrun` is part of context, it'd be looking for
    the `cont-en.fmt` files, right? 

I don't believe so. cont-en.fmt are for (old) "MkII" (Perl)
ConTeXt. Since thenm, Hans completely moved away from using
fmtutil.cnf. I don't know how or where the MkIV (Lua) formats get
built. I've tried to figure out occasionally, but never succeeded.

    Any ideas?

Do you have texmfcnf.lua in place? That's
texmf-dist/web2c/texmfcnf.lua. But I don't know how mtxrun finds it
there.

Failing that, I think you'll have to find a context forum to ask
on. Unfortunately I don't know the best one to recommend. For me,
ConTeXt is a big black box of mystery. --good luck, karl.