Starting with RPM 4.1, rpmbuild will exit if all files in the $RPM_BUILD_ROOT directory are not found in the %files section (or in a file that lists file names used with the -f option). This is officially known as a Fascist build policy and you can turn it off with the following macros.

The %_unpackaged_files_terminate_build macro, if set to 1, tells rpmbuild to exit if it finds files that are in the $RPM_BUILD_ROOT directory but not listed as part of the package. Set this macro to 0 to turn off the Fascist build policy. For example:

%define _unpackaged_files_terminate_build 0

You can also control the flag that specifies whether missing documentation files cause rpmbuild to exit. Set the %_missing_doc_files_terminate_build macro to 0 to turn off this feature:

%define _missing_doc_files_terminate_build 0

See the "Defining Spec File Macros" section later in the chapter for more on using macros.

Cross Reference

You can also store this setting in a macro file so that it applies for all packages you build. See Chapter 20, Customizing RPM Behavior for more on macro files.

While the Fascist build policy may be an annoyance, it can prove very useful. Chances are your spec file has an error if you have files in the $RPM_BUILD_ROOT directory that are not listed in the %files section. The Fascist build policy helps catch these errors. In addition, since the error outputs a list of files in the $RPM_BUILD_ROOT directory that are not listed in the %files section, you can often paste this list into your %files section.