Manifest validation fails with 'validation failed for: None / expected a dictionary. Got None' (single-integration repo, valid manifest.json, likely duplicate of #5252)

Hitting the exact same symptom as #5252 (closed without a documented root cause) on a fresh repo, and ruled out two real hypotheses with actual evidence rather than guessing further -- reporting in case this helps pin it down.

Repro

Repository: code-imstillalive/nimbus (private; happy to grant read access to a maintainer on request) Category: integration Action: hacs/action@main, category: integration

Log output:

::INFO:: <Validation brands> completed
::INFO:: <Validation topics> completed
::INFO:: <Validation description> completed
::INFO:: <Validation license> completed
::INFO:: <Validation archived> completed
::INFO:: <Validation issues> completed
::INFO:: <Validation information> completed
##[warning] Integration manifest validation failed for: None
##[error] <Validation integration_manifest> failed:  expected a dictionary. Got None
##[error] <Validation hacsjson> failed:  The repository has an invalid 'hacs.json' file

What I checked before filing (ruling out the obvious candidates)

1. Line endings -- the local working tree shows CRLF (Windows core.autocrlf=true), but confirmed via git show HEAD:<path> | cat -A that the actual committed blob (what CI checks out) is plain LF for both manifest.json and hacs.json. Not the cause.

2. Multiple manifest.json files confusing discovery -- git ls-files | grep manifest.json returns exactly one match: custom_components/nimbus_load/manifest.json. git ls-tree HEAD custom_components/ shows exactly one entry (nimbus_load). No duplicate or stray manifest.json anywhere in the tracked repo.

3. hacs.json itself -- valid JSON, contains name (the one documented required field per https://hacs.xyz/docs/publish/include):

   json复制

   {
     "name": "Nimbus",
     "render_readme": true,
     "zip_release": false
   }

4. manifest.json itself -- valid JSON, standard shape:

   json复制

   {
     "domain": "nimbus_load",
     "name": "Nimbus",
     "codeowners": ["@code-imstillalive"],
     "config_flow": true,
     "dependencies": ["recorder"],
     "documentation": "https://github.com/code-imstillalive/nimbus",
     "integration_type": "service",
     "iot_class": "calculated",
     "issue_tracker": "https://github.com/code-imstillalive/nimbus/issues",
     "requirements": ["numpy>=1.24", "highspy"],
     "version": "0.56.0"
   }

What's notably different from a typical repo

• requirements includes highspy (a real, compiled LP-solver dependency, no version pin currently -- unrelated to this specific error but worth mentioning in case requirements parsing is somehow in the code path).
• The repo also contains a separate, unrelated Docker-packaged HA Supervisor add-on (nimbus_solver_app/, its own config.yaml, no manifest.json at all) alongside the HACS integration. Not sure if a repo containing both an add-on and an integration is a scenario your discovery logic has been tested against -- flagging in case it's relevant, since #5252 doesn't mention anything similar.

Actual real-world impact

None currently -- HACS itself installs this integration successfully for real users (confirmed live, same day). This only affects the hacs/action CI validator specifically, not actual installability. Filing for visibility on a genuine, reproducible instance of #5252's symptom, not because anything is broken for end users.

Happy to add any diagnostic output a maintainer would find useful.