2 files changed, 16 insertions, 13 deletions
diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/audit.py b/lib/spack/spack/audit.py
index faef15393d..c5e12017e2 100644
--- a/lib/spack/spack/audit.py
+++ b/lib/spack/spack/audit.py
@@ -351,6 +351,22 @@ def _wrongly_named_spec(error_cls):
     return errors
 
 
+@config_packages
+def _ensure_all_virtual_packages_have_default_providers(error_cls):
+    """All virtual packages must have a default provider explicitly set."""
+    configuration = spack.config.create()
+    defaults = configuration.get("packages", scope="defaults")
+    default_providers = defaults["all"]["providers"]
+    virtuals = spack.repo.PATH.provider_index.providers
+    default_providers_filename = configuration.scopes["defaults"].get_section_filename("packages")
+
+    return [
+        error_cls(f"'{virtual}' must have a default provider in {default_providers_filename}", [])
+        for virtual in virtuals
+        if virtual not in default_providers
+    ]
+
+
 def _make_config_error(config_data, summary, error_cls):
     s = io.StringIO()
     s.write("Occurring in the following file:\n")
diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/test/repo.py b/lib/spack/spack/test/repo.py
index e08d148289..a013078a82 100644
--- a/lib/spack/spack/test/repo.py
+++ b/lib/spack/spack/test/repo.py
@@ -131,19 +131,6 @@ def test_relative_import_spack_packages_as_python_modules(mock_packages):
     assert issubclass(Mpileaks, spack.package_base.PackageBase)
 
 
-def test_all_virtual_packages_have_default_providers():
-    """All virtual packages must have a default provider explicitly set."""
-    configuration = spack.config.create()
-    defaults = configuration.get("packages", scope="defaults")
-    default_providers = defaults["all"]["providers"]
-    providers = spack.repo.PATH.provider_index.providers
-    default_providers_filename = configuration.scopes["defaults"].get_section_filename("packages")
-    for provider in providers:
-        assert provider in default_providers, (
-            "all providers must have a default in %s" % default_providers_filename
-        )
-
-
 def test_get_all_mock_packages(mock_packages):
     """Get the mock packages once each too."""
     for name in mock_packages.all_package_names():