# Julia artifact overrides

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/julia-artifact-overrides/94704>\
**Category:** New to Julia\
**Created:** [February 16, 2023, 12:02am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/julia-artifact-overrides/94704 "2023-02-16T00:02:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![smartalecH](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/smartalech/32/32379_2.png) [@smartalecH](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/smartalecH)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 12:02am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/julia-artifact-overrides/94704/1 "2023-02-16T00:02:56Z")

</div>

I have a few questions regarding the behavior of the `Overrides.toml` file, which aren’t directly answered in the [docs](https://pkgdocs.julialang.org/v1/artifacts/#Overriding-artifact-locations) (although I’m happy to add a PR with more detail once answered 😃)

1. To override a `*_jll` package, does the original `*_jll` package actually have to be installed at all? Or does the presence of an override tell Julia that there’s no need to search for the original package? I imagine it depends on what kind of override, right?

2. The docs claim that an override to a specific artifact requires an _absolute path_. Is there a way to specify a _relative_ path, which is relative to the location of the overrides.toml?

Thanks!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![carstenbauer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/carstenbauer/32/4981_2.png) [@carstenbauer](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/carstenbauer)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 7:14am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/julia-artifact-overrides/94704/2 "2023-02-16T07:14:45Z")

</div>

> [@smartalecH](#):
>
> To override a `*_jll` package, does the original `*_jll` package actually have to be installed at all? Or does the presence of an override tell Julia that there’s no need to search for the original package?

Last time I tried the original artifact was still downloaded. There should be some issue about this in the MKL.jl repository on GitHub. (I’m on my cellphone right now)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![smartalecH](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/smartalech/32/32379_2.png) [@smartalecH](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/smartalecH)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/julia-artifact-overrides/94704/3 "2023-02-16T16:34:27Z")

</div>

Thanks @carstenbauer! After following a trail of GitHub issues, I stumbled upon a potential fix (but not yet merged):

> <https://github.com/JuliaLang/Pkg.jl/pull/3076>
>
> fixes https://github.com/JuliaLang/Pkg.jl/issues/2664
> 
> I think this needs a bi…t of thinking though. For example, if you use PackageCompiler you want that \`ensure\_artifact\_installed\` to download the artifact even if it is overridden. So it probably needs an option.
> 
> cc @carstenbauer, @staticfloat (who is on vacation AFAIU).