Docker: 1.11.1, "lang: fr" and "--to pdf": LaTeX Error: File `luatexbase.sty' not found.

[chung-salomon]

I have:

• searched the issue tracker for similar issues
• installed the latest version of Quarto CLI
• formatted my issue following the Bug Reports guide

Bug description

Dear Quarto Developers & Maintainers,

TL;DR

I encountered a LaTeX Error: File \`luatexbase.sty' not found. issue when rendering a PDF document with lang: fr using your quarto:1.11.1 Docker image.

Developer Environment

Here is my development environment running ghcr.io/quarto-dev/quarto:1.11.1:

$ docker pull ghcr.io/quarto-dev/quarto:1.11.1
1.11.1: Pulling from quarto-dev/quarto
Digest: sha256:f2e1a6a1f769b1b4d50ce7f52afbddb98f3888e456838ca755c6725927fe6f25
Status: Image is up to date for ghcr.io/quarto-dev/quarto:1.11.1
ghcr.io/quarto-dev/quarto:1.11.1

$ docker run -it ghcr.io/quarto-dev/quarto:1.11.1
root@1d44b8fd71b3:/# cd 

Creating a Dummy Project

root@1d44b8fd71b3:~# apt update -y
[...]
root@1d44b8fd71b3:~# apt install -y git
[...]

root@1d44b8fd71b3:~# quarto create project default demo --no-prompt
WARN: No 'title' for project provided in `quarto create project`. Using 'demo' as default.
Creating project at /root/demo:
  - Created _quarto.yml
  - Created demo.qmd
root@1d44b8fd71b3:~# cd demo/

Test 1/2: Rendering your template: ✅

root@1d44b8fd71b3:~/demo# apt install -y xz-utils
[...]

root@1d44b8fd71b3:~/demo# quarto install tinytex
Installing tinytex
[✓] Downloading TinyTex v2026.08
[✓] Unzipping TinyTeX-linux-x86_64-v2026.08.tar.xz
[✓] Moving files
[✓] Verifying tlgpg support
[✓] Configuring font paths
[✓] Default Repository: https://tlnet.yihui.org
Installation successful
root@1d44b8fd71b3:~/demo# quarto render demo.qmd --to pdf
pandoc 
  to: latex
  output-file: demo.tex
  standalone: true
  pdf-engine: lualatex
  variables:
    graphics: true
    tables: true
  default-image-extension: pdf
  
metadata
  documentclass: scrartcl
  classoption:
    - DIV=11
    - numbers=noendperiod
  papersize: letter
  header-includes:
    - \KOMAoption{captions}{tableheading}
  block-headings: true
  title: demo
  

Rendering PDF
running lualatex - 1
  This is LuaHBTeX, Version 1.24.0 (TeX Live 2026) 
   restricted system commands enabled.
  
  luaotfload | db : Font names database not found, generating new one.
  luaotfload | db : This can take several minutes; please be patient.
running lualatex - 2
  This is LuaHBTeX, Version 1.24.0 (TeX Live 2026) 
   restricted system commands enabled.
  

Output created: demo.pdf

root@1d44b8fd71b3:~/demo# 

Steps to reproduce

Test 2/2: Changing Language: ❌

root@1d44b8fd71b3:~/demo# sed -i "3i lang: fr" demo.qmd

---
title: "demo"
lang: fr
---

## Quarto

Quarto enables you to weave together content and executable code into a finished document. To learn more about Quarto see <https://quarto.org>.

Actual behavior

root@1d44b8fd71b3:~/demo# quarto render demo.qmd --to pdf
pandoc 
  to: latex
  output-file: demo.tex
  standalone: true
  pdf-engine: lualatex
  variables:
    graphics: true
    tables: true
  default-image-extension: pdf
  
metadata
  documentclass: scrartcl
  classoption:
    - DIV=11
    - numbers=noendperiod
  papersize: letter
  header-includes:
    - \KOMAoption{captions}{tableheading}
  block-headings: true
  title: demo
  lang: fr
  

Rendering PDF
running lualatex - 1
  This is LuaHBTeX, Version 1.24.0 (TeX Live 2026) 
   restricted system commands enabled.
  
updating tlmgr

updating existing packages
finding package for luatexbase.sty
ERROR: 
compilation failed- no matching packages
LaTeX Error: File `luatexbase.sty' not found.

Type X to quit or <RETURN> to proceed,
or enter new name. (Default extension: sty)

Enter file name: 
! Emergency stop.
<read *> 
   
l.1470   \bbl@activate@preotf
                           


see /root/demo/demo.log for more information.
WARN: Error encountered when rendering files
root@1d44b8fd71b3:~/demo#

Expected behavior

luatexbase.sty must be automatically installed, e.g. #12161

Your environment

root@1d44b8fd71b3:~/demo# quarto --version
1.11.1
root@1d44b8fd71b3:~/demo# 

Quarto check output

root@1d44b8fd71b3:~/demo# quarto check    
Quarto 1.11.1
[✓] Checking environment information...
      Quarto cache location: /root/.cache/quarto
[✓] Checking versions of quarto binary dependencies...
      Pandoc version 3.10.0: OK
      Dart Sass version 1.101.0: OK
      Deno version 2.7.14: OK
      Typst version 0.15.1: OK
[✓] Checking versions of quarto dependencies......OK
[✓] Checking Quarto installation......OK
      Version: 1.11.1
      Path: /opt/quarto/bin

[✓] Checking tools....................OK
      TinyTeX: v2026.08
      Chrome Headless Shell: (not installed)
      VeraPDF: (not installed)

[✓] Checking LaTeX....................OK
      Using: TinyTex
      Path: /root/.TinyTeX/bin/x86_64-linux
      Version: 2026

[✓] Checking Chrome Headless....................OK
      Chrome:  (not detected)

[✓] Checking basic markdown render....OK

[✓] Checking R installation...........(None)

      Unable to locate an installed version of R.
      Install R from https://cloud.r-project.org/

[✓] Checking Python 3 installation....(None)

      Unable to locate an installed version of Python 3.
      Install Python 3 from https://www.python.org/downloads/

[✓] Checking Julia installation...
root@1d44b8fd71b3:~/demo# 

Best regards,

[mcanouil]

This looks like an intermittent issue with CTAN mirrors. (checking the issue)

[mcanouil]

luatexbase is present on the TinyTeX default repository, so the package is not missing. What failed is the download of the TeX Live package database from the mirror.

When tlmgr cannot fetch tlpkg/texlive.tlpdb it exits non-zero with no output, and Quarto reports that as no matching packages, hiding the real error.

$ tlmgr search --file --global luatexbase.sty
luatexbase:
	texmf-dist/tex/luatex/luatexbase/luatexbase.sty

Re-running the render should now work. Keeping this open: Quarto should surface the tlmgr error instead.

[mcanouil]

Deterministic reproduction, no mirror outage needed. Forcing an unreachable repository gives the same output for any package that is available but not installed locally:

cat > demo.qmd <<'EOF'
---
title: demo
format:
  pdf:
    header-includes: \usepackage{chemformula}
---

Bonjour.
EOF

quarto render demo.qmd --to pdf \
  --latex-tlmgr-opt --repository \
  --latex-tlmgr-opt https://tlnet.yihui.org/definitely-not-here

updating tlmgr
updating existing packages
finding package for chemformula.sty
compilation failed- no matching packages
LaTeX Error: File `chemformula.sty' not found.

Detection works, the search is what fails, and the tlmgr error is replaced by no matching packages.

Note that --latex-tlmgr-opt takes a space-separated value.