pre-destructive-changes and post-destructive-changes require manifest?

[jhgihub0]

I am currently using SF CLI 2.79.4

@salesforce/cli/2.79.4 darwin-arm64 node-v22.11.0

When I try to use pre-destructive-changes or post-destructive-changes, the CLI complains that I need the manifest, for example:

sf org login web --alias OrgAlias --instance-url https://test.salesforce.com     
sf project deploy start --target-org OrgAlias --wait 120 --test-level "NoTestRun" --source-dir ./sfdx-source --dry-run  --verbose --pre-destructive-changes ./src_pre_destructive/destructiveChanges.xml

Then I get the error

All of the following must be provided when using --pre-destructive-changes: --manifest

Why is --manifest needed? I already specify --source-dir or --metadata-dir. Can the CLI be updated to work with --source-dir and --metadata-dir?

Thank you

[WillieRuemmele]

It's currently required because the source-deploy-retrieve library can, only build component sets with destructive elements when everything is passed as a manifest.

this has been on my list of things to fix for a while. I recently looked at the code, and the complexities in ComponentSetBuilder have expanded since it's inception. It would require a new approach, and maybe a breaking change or two, but I would love for it to support this