dh_auto_install modifying source files

[Ben Finney <ben+debian@benfinney.id.au>]

Howdy all,

In preparing a package [0] using Debhelper, I am getting a Lintian
warning:

    source: patch-system-but-direct-changes-in-diff burn.egg-info/SOURCES.txt

Investigating this, I find that ‘dh_auto_install(1)’ is re-writing that
file from its initial state in the source package. The file is a source
manifest, and it is modified to get an extra line, referring to a file
‘setup.cfg’ that is not in the original source.

In the meantime I've added a Lintian override, but ideally
‘dh_auto_install’ shouldn't modify the source files and the problem
wouldn't occur at all.

Why is this happening? Can I stop it? Should I stop it?


[0] http://mentors.debian.net/debian/pool/main/b/burn/burn_0.4.4-1.dsc

-- 
 \            “Why was I with her? She reminds me of you. In fact, she |
  `\                reminds me more of you than you do!” —Groucho Marx |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney