Helmfile silently ignores CRDs (and removes them on apply) if strategicMergePatches are used

[intelfx]

Trying to deploy ArgoCD using Helmfile:

(./argocd contains the argocd install.yaml)

releases:
  - name: argocd
    namespace: argocd
    chart: ./argocd

— works

releases:
  - name: argocd
    namespace: argocd
    chart: ./argocd
    strategicMergePatches:
      - apiVersion: apps/v1
        kind: Deployment
        metadata:
          namespace: argocd
          name: argocd-server
        spec:
          template:
            spec:
              containers:
              - name: argocd-server
                command:
                - argocd-server
                - --staticassets
                - /shared/app
                - --insecure

— doesn't work, deletes all existing CRDs on apply

[dippynark]

I am seeing the same thing when using transformers

[dippynark]

Did some investigation into this:

• If jsonPatches, strategicMergePatches or transformers are specified for a Helm release, then the release is preprocessed by chartify: https://github.com/helmfile/helmfile/blob/5837672bfaaa9b48d6132c2f534586652725ae64/pkg/state/helmx.go#L265-L305
• Chartify puts all CRDs into a crdsdirectory: https://github.com/helmfile/chartify/blob/6fbcd045d33e638ed6453b62bb2f044af5604e52/patch.go#L326-L342
• Helm template does not include the crds directory by default so CRDs are ignored even if they are in the templates directory of your original chart: https://github.com/helm/helm/issues/6930#issuecomment-2331125996

So to fix this you can add the following to your helmfile:

helmDefaults:
  # Ensure that helm template renders CRDs:
  # https://github.com/roboll/helmfile/issues/1924#issuecomment-2439925428
  args:
  - --include-crds

[rickymulder]

Did some investigation into this:

* If `jsonPatches`, `strategicMergePatches` or `transformers` are specified for a Helm release, then the release is preprocessed by chartify: https://github.com/helmfile/helmfile/blob/5837672bfaaa9b48d6132c2f534586652725ae64/pkg/state/helmx.go#L265-L305

* Chartify puts all CRDs into a `crds`directory: https://github.com/helmfile/chartify/blob/6fbcd045d33e638ed6453b62bb2f044af5604e52/patch.go#L326-L342

* Helm template does not include the `crds` directory by default so CRDs are ignored even if they are in the `templates` directory of your original chart: [[helm3][question] How to render CRDs with helm template? helm/helm#6930 (comment)](https://github.com/helm/helm/issues/6930#issuecomment-2331125996)

So to fix this you can add the following to your helmfile:

helmDefaults:
  # Ensure that helm template renders CRDs:
  # https://github.com/roboll/helmfile/issues/1924#issuecomment-2439925428
  args:
  - --include-crds

This works properly for helmfile template, but if you attempt helmfile deps on this, it fails saying:

STDERR:
  Error: unknown flag: --include-crds

Any ideas how to support both helmfile deps and helmfile template with one setup? Currently helmfile deps is a ci requirement for us. Hoping I don't have to disable for apps with crds.

EDIT: Another workaround appears to be to include args to helmfile template, like so:

helmfile template --args '--include-crds'

This way we aren't modifying our helmfiles and thus bugging our helmfile deps ci step.