Bug#1124070: fontconfig: Installation fails due to libfreetype6/libharfbuzz0b circular dependency in Sid

[Purian23]

Package: fontconfig
Version: 2.15.0-2.4
Severity: serious
Tags: sid

Hi there,

The circular dependency between libfreetype6 and libharfbuzz0b in Debian Sid
prevents fontconfig from installing in clean build environments (OBS,
pbuilder).

The dependency resolver breaks the cycle by not installing libharfbuzz0b,
leaving libfreetype6 in a broken state. When fontconfig's postinst script
runs fc-cache, it crashes because libfreetype6 cannot load harfbuzz symbols.

This issue does NOT occur in Debian 13 (Trixie) or Testing, only
Sid/Unstable.

Build log excerpt:
[   11s] cycle: libfreetype6 -> libharfbuzz0b
[   11s]   breaking dependency libfreetype6 -> libharfbuzz0b
[   32s] [278/541] installing libfreetype6-2.14.1+dfsg-1
[   32s] dpkg: libfreetype6:amd64: dependency problems, but configuring
anyway
[   32s]  libfreetype6:amd64 depends on libharfbuzz0b (>= 2.1.1); however:
[   32s]   Package libharfbuzz0b is not installed.
[   39s] [341/541] installing fontconfig-2.15.0-2.4
[   39s] Regenerating fonts cache... failed.

The circular dependency needs to be resolved, possibly by:
1. Building freetype without harfbuzz support initially
2. Splitting harfbuzz-core as a separate package
3. Moving the circular dependency to Recommends instead of Depends

-- System Information:
Debian Release: sid
Architecture

Thank you, Purian
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