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Receiving 'rules:rule exists should be an array of strings' error in GitLab CI

I'm trying to run a pipeline job in GitLab CI to perform npm build but only if a package.json exists in the project that triggers the upstream pipeline. I used 'needs:' to download files from the upstream pipeline. When the pipeline job runs I get an error stating: jobs:packages.react:rules:rule exists should be an array of strings. I checked the GitLab documentation for rules:exists:project and the YAML syntax is correct. I made sure the YAML is indented correctly. How do I solve the error?

Here's the code:

packages.react:
  stage: app-build
  needs:
    - project: $UPSTREAM_PROJECT_PATH
      job: get-source-files
      ref: $UPSTREAM_BRANCH_REF
      artifacts: true
  rules:
    - exists:
        paths:
          - package.json
        project: $UPSTREAM_PROJECT_PATH
  image: $NODE_IMAGE
  script:
    - npm install --frozen-lockfile
    - npm run build
Solution

  • I figured out the issue. It's due to the version of GitLab I'm using, which is 16.9. The 'rules:exists:project' feature does not exist in version 16.9, only in version 16.11 and above. I have a self managed GitLab instance so I will need to upgrade to 16.11.