Treat a model built from a POM file as the project, whatever its validation level

maven-model-builder/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/model/building/DefaultModelBuilder.java

@@ -506,13 +506,16 @@ void performFor(String value, String locationKey, Consumer<String> mutator) {
     /**
      * Determines whether the given request builds a model to resolve a dependency, i.e. a POM
      * read from a remote repository (a dependency POM, one of its parents, or an imported BOM)
-     * rather than a POM belonging to the project being built. Such requests use
+     * rather than a POM belonging to the project being built. Such requests have no POM file
+     * (see {@link ModelBuildingRequest#setPomFile(File)}) and use
      * {@link ModelBuildingRequest#VALIDATION_LEVEL_MINIMAL}, see for instance
-     * {@code DefaultArtifactDescriptorReader#loadPom}; a project build uses
-     * {@link ModelBuildingRequest#VALIDATION_LEVEL_MAVEN_2_0} or higher.
+     * {@code DefaultArtifactDescriptorReader#loadPom}. A request with a POM file is in project
+     * mode whatever its validation level, so an embedder that builds its own project at
+     * {@code VALIDATION_LEVEL_MINIMAL} keeps full profile activation.
      */
     private static boolean isExternalModelBuildingRequest(ModelBuildingRequest request) {
-        return request.getValidationLevel() < ModelBuildingRequest.VALIDATION_LEVEL_MAVEN_2_0;
+        return request.getPomFile() == null
+                && request.getValidationLevel() < ModelBuildingRequest.VALIDATION_LEVEL_MAVEN_2_0;
     }
 
     /**

maven-model-builder/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/model/interpolation/AbstractStringBasedModelInterpolator.java

@@ -196,12 +196,13 @@ public Object getValue(String expression) {
 
         valueSources.add(modelValueSource1);
 
-        // Models built at VALIDATION_LEVEL_MINIMAL are the models Maven builds while resolving
-        // dependency, parent and BOM-import POMs from a repository, not the operator's own
-        // project. Such models interpolate only against their own properties and a small set
-        // of environment-independent expressions; everything else in the user/system property
-        // space stays uninterpolated. Operator project builds use a higher validation level and
-        // keep the full set of value sources, unchanged from previous behavior.
+        // Models built without a POM file at VALIDATION_LEVEL_MINIMAL are the models Maven builds
+        // while resolving dependency, parent and BOM-import POMs from a repository, not the
+        // operator's own project. Such models interpolate only against their own properties and a
+        // small set of environment-independent expressions; everything else in the user/system
+        // property space stays uninterpolated. Operator project builds have a POM file or use a
+        // higher validation level and keep the full set of value sources, unchanged from previous
+        // behavior.
         boolean restricted = restrictExternalModelInterpolation(config);
 
         ValueSource userPropertiesValueSource = new MapBasedValueSource(config.getUserProperties());
@@ -234,7 +235,8 @@ public Object getValue(String expression) {
     }
 
     private static boolean restrictExternalModelInterpolation(ModelBuildingRequest config) {
-        return config.getValidationLevel() < ModelBuildingRequest.VALIDATION_LEVEL_MAVEN_2_0
+        return config.getPomFile() == null
+                && config.getValidationLevel() < ModelBuildingRequest.VALIDATION_LEVEL_MAVEN_2_0
                 && !Boolean.parseBoolean(config.getSystemProperties().getProperty(FULL_EXTERNAL_INTERPOLATION_PROPERTY))
                 && !Boolean.parseBoolean(config.getUserProperties().getProperty(FULL_EXTERNAL_INTERPOLATION_PROPERTY));
     }

maven-model-builder/src/test/java/org/apache/maven/model/building/ResolvedDependencyProfileActivationTest.java

@@ -18,10 +18,15 @@
  */
 package org.apache.maven.model.building;
 
+import java.io.File;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
 import java.util.Properties;
 
 import org.apache.maven.model.Model;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
@@ -166,6 +171,44 @@ private Model build(int validationLevel, Properties systemProperties, Properties
         return builder.build(request).getEffectiveModel();
     }
 
+    private Model buildProjectAtMinimal(File pomFile, Properties systemProperties, Properties userProperties)
+            throws Exception {
+        ModelBuilder builder = new DefaultModelBuilderFactory().newInstance();
+
+        DefaultModelBuildingRequest request = new DefaultModelBuildingRequest();
+        request.setPomFile(pomFile);
+        request.setValidationLevel(ModelBuildingRequest.VALIDATION_LEVEL_MINIMAL);
+        request.setSystemProperties(systemProperties);
+        request.setUserProperties(userProperties);
+        request.setModelResolver(new DefaultModelBuilderTest.BaseModelResolver());
+
+        return builder.build(request).getEffectiveModel();
+    }
+
+    private Model buildFromRepositoryAtMinimal(File pomFile, Properties systemProperties, Properties userProperties)
+            throws Exception {
+        ModelBuilder builder = new DefaultModelBuilderFactory().newInstance();
+
+        DefaultModelBuildingRequest request = new DefaultModelBuildingRequest();
+        request.setModelSource(new FileModelSource(pomFile));
+        request.setValidationLevel(ModelBuildingRequest.VALIDATION_LEVEL_MINIMAL);
+        request.setSystemProperties(systemProperties);
+        request.setUserProperties(userProperties);
+        request.setModelResolver(new DefaultModelBuilderTest.BaseModelResolver());
+
+        return builder.build(request).getEffectiveModel();
+    }
+
+    private File writePom(Path dir) throws Exception {
+        String pom = POM.replace(
+                "<pom.declared.prop>hello</pom.declared.prop>",
+                "<pom.declared.prop>hello</pom.declared.prop>\n"
+                        + "    <interpolated.user.property>${user.gating.prop}</interpolated.user.property>");
+        Path file = dir.resolve("pom.xml");
+        Files.write(file, pom.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
+        return file.toFile();
+    }
+
     private Properties systemPropertiesWithTestValues() {
         Properties sp = new Properties();
         sp.putAll(System.getProperties());
@@ -213,6 +256,42 @@ void testProjectBuildEvaluatesAllActivators() throws Exception {
                 "profile repository must be present in project build");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void testProjectModeAtMinimalValidationEvaluatesUserPropertyAndFileActivators(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        // An embedder (an IDE) builds the operator's own project from its POM file at
+        // VALIDATION_LEVEL_MINIMAL for leniency. A POM file means project mode, so the
+        // repository-model sandbox must not apply.
+        Model model =
+                buildProjectAtMinimal(writePom(dir), systemPropertiesWithTestValues(), userPropertiesWithTestValues());
+
+        assertEquals(
+                "activated",
+                model.getProperties().get("profile.user.property"),
+                "user-property profile must fire for a project built from its POM file");
+        assertEquals(
+                "activated",
+                model.getProperties().get("profile.file"),
+                "file profile must fire for a project built from its POM file");
+        assertEquals(
+                "true",
+                model.getProperties().get("interpolated.user.property"),
+                "user properties must be interpolated for a project built from its POM file");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testSamePomFromRepositoryAtMinimalValidationStaysSandboxed(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        // The same POM loaded as a repository model (model source, no POM file) keeps the sandbox.
+        Model model = buildFromRepositoryAtMinimal(
+                writePom(dir), systemPropertiesWithTestValues(), userPropertiesWithTestValues());
+
+        assertNull(model.getProperties().get("profile.user.property"), "user-property profile must NOT fire");
+        assertNull(model.getProperties().get("profile.file"), "file profile must NOT fire");
+        assertEquals(
+                "${user.gating.prop}",
+                model.getProperties().get("interpolated.user.property"),
+                "user properties must stay literal in a repository model");
+    }
+
     @Test
     void testExternalModelFileActivationIsSuppressed() throws Exception {
         // File activation must be suppressed in external model builds regardless of whether the