✨ verdi presto: auto-start daemon (#7351)

When a broker is configured, `verdi presto` now automatically starts the
daemon after profile setup, so users can immediately submit processes
without a separate `verdi daemon start`. If the daemon fails to start, a
warning is shown and the command exits successfully with a hint to run
`verdi daemon start` manually.

The autostart can be skipped by setting `AIIDA_NO_DAEMON_AUTOSTART=1`.
This is an internal escape hatch for the Docker container, where
s6-overlay manages the daemon lifecycle separately (the editable install
in `run-before-daemon-start` must complete before the daemon starts).
The env var is deliberately omitted from `--help` and the public CLI
reference: it serves scripted container/CI setups, not interactive
users. Only the literal string `1` is recognized; any other value (`0`,
`true`, etc.) falls through to the safe default of "start the daemon" so
a misspelled or unrecognized value cannot silently disable the daemon.

---------

Co-authored-by: Julian Geiger <julian.geiger@gmx.net>
Co-authored-by: Marnik Bercx <mbercx@gmail.com>

Author: 3 people

.docker/aiida-core-base/s6-assets/init/aiida-prepare.sh

@@ -18,8 +18,11 @@ verdi config set warnings.development_version False
 # If the environment variable `SETUP_DEFAULT_AIIDA_PROFILE` is not set, set it to `true`.
 if [[ ${SETUP_DEFAULT_AIIDA_PROFILE:-true} == true ]] && ! verdi profile show ${AIIDA_PROFILE_NAME} &> /dev/null; then
 
-    # Create AiiDA profile.
-    verdi presto \
+    # Create AiiDA profile. Set AIIDA_NO_DAEMON_AUTOSTART because the
+    # Docker container manages the daemon lifecycle separately via
+    # s6-overlay (aiida-daemon-start runs after this script and
+    # run-before-daemon-start).
+    AIIDA_NO_DAEMON_AUTOSTART=1 verdi presto \
         --verbosity info \
         --profile-name "${AIIDA_PROFILE_NAME:-default}" \
         --email "${AIIDA_USER_EMAIL:-aiida@localhost}" \

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,14 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## Unreleased
+
+### Behavior changes
+
+**`verdi presto`: auto-starts the daemon** ([#7351](https://github.com/aiidateam/aiida-core/pull/7351))
+
+`verdi presto` now starts the daemon automatically after creating the profile, when a broker is configured.
+Scripts that previously ran `verdi daemon start` after `verdi presto` continue to work; the daemon-start invocation is idempotent.
+
 ## v2.8.0 - 2026-03-16
 
 This release brings important improvements to the `BaseRestartWorkChain`, the engine, stashing, typing coverage, and dependency updates.

docs/source/reference/command_line.rst

@@ -319,6 +319,7 @@ Below is a list with all available subcommands.
       * Create a default user for the profile (email can be configured through the `--email` option)
       * Set up the localhost as a `Computer` and configure it
       * Set a number of configuration options with sensible defaults
+      * Start the daemon (unless `--no-broker` is specified)
 
       By default the command creates a profile that uses SQLite for the database. For the
       message broker, it automatically checks for RabbitMQ running on localhost. If found, it

src/aiida/cmdline/commands/cmd_presto.py

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import os
 import pathlib
 import re
 import typing as t
@@ -183,6 +184,7 @@ def verdi_presto(
     * Create a default user for the profile (email can be configured through the `--email` option)
     * Set up the localhost as a `Computer` and configure it
     * Set a number of configuration options with sensible defaults
+    * Start the daemon (unless `--no-broker` is specified)
 
     By default the command creates a profile that uses SQLite for the database. For the message broker, it automatically
     checks for RabbitMQ running on localhost. If found, it configures RabbitMQ as the broker. Otherwise, it falls back
@@ -289,3 +291,20 @@ def verdi_presto(
     computer.set_default_mpiprocs_per_machine(1)
 
     echo.echo_success('Configured the localhost as a computer.')
+
+    # `AIIDA_NO_DAEMON_AUTOSTART` is an internal escape hatch for the Docker init script (see
+    # `.docker/aiida-core-base/s6-assets/init/aiida-prepare.sh`); deliberately undocumented in `--help`.
+    if broker_backend is not None and os.environ.get('AIIDA_NO_DAEMON_AUTOSTART') != '1':
+        from aiida.common.exceptions import ConfigurationError
+        from aiida.engine.daemon.client import DaemonException, get_daemon_client
+
+        echo.echo('Starting the daemon... ', nl=False)
+        try:
+            client = get_daemon_client(profile.name)
+            client.start_daemon()
+        except (DaemonException, ConfigurationError) as exception:
+            echo.echo('FAILED', fg=echo.COLORS['error'], bold=True)
+            echo.echo_warning(f'Failed to start the daemon: {exception}')
+            echo.echo_report('You can start it manually with `verdi daemon start`.')
+        else:
+            echo.echo('OK', fg=echo.COLORS['success'], bold=True)

tests/cmdline/commands/test_presto.py

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 """Tests for ``verdi presto``."""
 
 import textwrap
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -10,6 +11,16 @@
 from aiida.orm import Computer
 
 
+@pytest.fixture()
+def mock_daemon_client(monkeypatch):
+    """Mock the daemon client so the daemon is not actually started during tests."""
+    from aiida.engine.daemon import client as daemon_client_mod
+
+    mock_client = MagicMock()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(daemon_client_mod, 'get_daemon_client', lambda *args, **kwargs: mock_client)
+    return mock_client
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     'profile_names, expected',
     (
@@ -30,8 +41,8 @@ def get_profile_names(self):
     assert get_default_presto_profile_name() == expected
 
 
-@pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config')
-def test_presto_without_rmq(pytestconfig, run_cli_command, monkeypatch):
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config', 'mock_daemon_client')
+def test_presto_without_rmq(run_cli_command, monkeypatch):
     """Test the ``verdi presto`` without RabbitMQ falls back to ZMQ."""
     from aiida.brokers.rabbitmq import defaults
 
@@ -52,7 +63,7 @@ def detect_rabbitmq_config(**kwargs):
         assert profile.process_control_backend == 'core.zmq'
 
 
-@pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config')
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config', 'mock_daemon_client')
 def test_presto(run_cli_command):
     """Test that ``verdi presto`` configures a broker (RabbitMQ if available, otherwise ZMQ)."""
     result = run_cli_command(verdi_presto, ['--non-interactive'])
@@ -67,7 +78,7 @@ def test_presto(run_cli_command):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.requires_psql
-@pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config')
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config', 'mock_daemon_client')
 def test_presto_use_postgres(run_cli_command, manager):
     """Test the ``verdi presto`` with the ``--use-postgres`` flag."""
     result = run_cli_command(verdi_presto, ['--non-interactive', '--use-postgres'])
@@ -89,14 +100,70 @@ def test_presto_use_postgres_fail(run_cli_command):
     assert 'Failed to connect to the PostgreSQL server' in result.output
 
 
-@pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config')
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config', 'mock_daemon_client')
 def test_presto_overdose(run_cli_command, config_with_profile_factory):
     """Test that ``verdi presto`` still works for users that have over 10 presto profiles."""
     config_with_profile_factory(name='presto-10')
     result = run_cli_command(verdi_presto)
     assert 'Created new profile `presto-11`.' in result.output
 
 
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config')
+def test_presto_starts_daemon(run_cli_command, mock_daemon_client):
+    """Test that ``verdi presto`` auto-starts the daemon."""
+    result = run_cli_command(verdi_presto, ['--non-interactive'])
+    assert 'Starting the daemon' in result.output
+    mock_daemon_client.start_daemon.assert_called_once_with()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config')
+def test_presto_no_daemon_autostart_env(run_cli_command, mock_daemon_client, monkeypatch):
+    """Test that ``AIIDA_NO_DAEMON_AUTOSTART=1`` skips the daemon auto-start."""
+    monkeypatch.setenv('AIIDA_NO_DAEMON_AUTOSTART', '1')
+    result = run_cli_command(verdi_presto, ['--non-interactive'])
+    assert 'Created new profile' in result.output
+    assert 'Starting the daemon' not in result.output
+    mock_daemon_client.start_daemon.assert_not_called()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('value', ('0', 'true', 'false', '', 'banana'))
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config')
+def test_presto_daemon_autostart_env_non_one(run_cli_command, mock_daemon_client, monkeypatch, value):
+    """Test that anything other than the literal string ``1`` does not skip the daemon.
+
+    Only ``AIIDA_NO_DAEMON_AUTOSTART=1`` is recognized; any other value (including ``0``, ``true``,
+    typos, or empty string) falls through to "start the daemon" so a misspelled or unrecognized
+    value doesn't silently disable the daemon.
+    """
+    monkeypatch.setenv('AIIDA_NO_DAEMON_AUTOSTART', value)
+    result = run_cli_command(verdi_presto, ['--non-interactive'])
+    assert 'Starting the daemon' in result.output
+    mock_daemon_client.start_daemon.assert_called_once_with()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config')
+def test_presto_no_broker_skips_daemon(run_cli_command, mock_daemon_client):
+    """Test that ``verdi presto --no-broker`` skips the daemon auto-start (no broker means no daemon)."""
+    result = run_cli_command(verdi_presto, ['--non-interactive', '--no-broker'])
+    assert 'Created new profile' in result.output
+    assert 'Starting the daemon' not in result.output
+    mock_daemon_client.start_daemon.assert_not_called()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config')
+def test_presto_daemon_start_failure(run_cli_command, mock_daemon_client):
+    """Test that ``verdi presto`` handles daemon start failure gracefully."""
+    from aiida.engine.daemon.client import DaemonException
+
+    mock_daemon_client.start_daemon.side_effect = DaemonException('Could not start daemon')
+
+    result = run_cli_command(verdi_presto, ['--non-interactive'])
+    assert 'Created new profile' in result.output
+    assert 'FAILED' in result.output
+    assert 'Could not start daemon' in result.output
+    assert 'verdi daemon start' in result.output
+
+
 @pytest.mark.requires_psql
 @pytest.mark.usefixtures('empty_config')
 def test_presto_profile_name_exists(run_cli_command, config_with_profile_factory):