1 files changed, 23 insertions, 6 deletions

diff --git a/src/nix/why-depends.cc b/src/nix/why-depends.cc
index 1d9ab28ba..76125e5e4 100644
--- a/src/nix/why-depends.cc
+++ b/src/nix/why-depends.cc
@@ -83,20 +83,37 @@ struct CmdWhyDepends : SourceExprCommand
     {
         auto package = parseInstallable(store, _package);
         auto packagePath = Installable::toStorePath(getEvalStore(), store, Realise::Outputs, operateOn, package);
+
+        /* We don't need to build `dependency`. We try to get the store
+         * path if it's already known, and if not, then it's not a dependency.
+         *
+         * Why? If `package` does depends on `dependency`, then getting the
+         * store path of `package` above necessitated having the store path
+         * of `dependency`. The contrapositive is, if the store path of
+         * `dependency` is not already known at this point (i.e. it's a CA
+         * derivation which hasn't been built), then `package` did not need it
+         * to build.
+         */
         auto dependency = parseInstallable(store, _dependency);
-        auto dependencyPath = Installable::toStorePath(getEvalStore(), store, Realise::Derivation, operateOn, dependency);
-        auto dependencyPathHash = dependencyPath.hashPart();
+        auto optDependencyPath = [&]() -> std::optional<StorePath> {
+            try {
+                return {Installable::toStorePath(getEvalStore(), store, Realise::Derivation, operateOn, dependency)};
+            } catch (MissingRealisation &) {
+                return std::nullopt;
+            }
+        }();
 
         StorePathSet closure;
         store->computeFSClosure({packagePath}, closure, false, false);
 
-        if (!closure.count(dependencyPath)) {
-            printError("'%s' does not depend on '%s'",
-                store->printStorePath(packagePath),
-                store->printStorePath(dependencyPath));
+        if (!optDependencyPath.has_value() || !closure.count(*optDependencyPath)) {
+            printError("'%s' does not depend on '%s'", package->what(), dependency->what());
             return;
         }
 
+        auto dependencyPath = *optDependencyPath;
+        auto dependencyPathHash = dependencyPath.hashPart();
+
         stopProgressBar(); // FIXME
 
         auto accessor = store->getFSAccessor();