! error: (file ) (type 2): cannot find file '' with Cinzel variable font

[callegar]

I have a very weird problem with font loading in lualatex.

I am trying to use the Cinzel variable font and I am on linux, with TexLive2025. Because this font is not distributed with texlive nor with my linux distro, I have it in ~/.local/share/fonts. As a matter of fact, I have it in a subdirectory of this directory.

Now if this subdirectory is ~/.local/share/fonts/Cinzel everything is fine. If it has any other name, I get the error in the bug title when the PDF should be generated. Any clue?

[callegar]

Getting rid of ~/.texlive2025/texmf-var/luatex-cache/generic/fonts solves the issue, until anything is renamed in the ~/.local/share/fonts directory. Is there a problem with lualatex or luaotfload regenerating its caches when they get stale?
The command luaotfload-tool --force --update does not fix the issue by itelf.

[callegar]

I think that I may have found the issue: the variable font and the non variable font have exactly the same Family, Full and Postscript names... Possibly this confuses the cache machinery.

[callegar]

No, it is not that... Even if I leave only the variable fonts (that at this point I believe are made to be used as full substitute for the static fonts) the problem remains.

Whenever I need to move something in ~/.local/share/fonts then I also need a luaotfload-tool --cache=erase.

Why isn't the cache updated automatically, when it is clear that it is stale? Why do I have to force an erase and luaotfload-tool --update is not sufficient to fix the stale cache (not even with force)?

[zauguin]

What happens when you enable HarfBuzz mode. Is that also affected?