The alternative to removing the package is using dkms to exclude it from being built for whichever $kernel_version is problematic - i.e. dkms remove [module] [-k kernel/arch]. The drawback is that you need to remember you did that, and remember to do it again when your shiny-new kernel is updated.
Better, just backport drivers that work as I mentioned earlier. It takes 5 minutes.

In this case though, you don't need tp-smapi unless you have a thinkpad, and one of a limited set of models at that... Debian with the kitchen-sink thing again.

Well it's an out-of-tree DKMS module, so yeah, obviously, if you don't need it just remove the package.
I assumed that since you had it installed, you wanted it.

This sounds strange but reasonable  ... so checking for 'smapi'.

Result: Package 'tp-smapi-dkms' is installed. There is no reason why, but it is. This computer is a common ATX-PC, not a notebook.

And the liquorix kernel just compiles / works!
Thanks a lot.

EDIT: Knowing this makes your first reply even more understandable.

Maybe it's possible to disable the build of 'tp_smapi'.

Well it's an out-of-tree DKMS module, so yeah, obviously, if you don't need it just remove the package.
I assumed that since you had it installed, you wanted it.

... Will have exactly the same problem. That's what I said above: Kernel packages and DKMS packages need to be in sync, so if you run a newer kernel you need to backport newer versions of any additional drivers as well.

This is not "kernel hacking", it's Debian packaging 102 and the usual stuff you need to be aware of if you deviate from the stable release or add non-devuan packages.

Still not sure how to proceed. Since I don't have a thinkpad, is the module needed at all? Maybe it's possible to disable the build of 'tp_smapi'.
Or more likely, just waiting and hoping for the next liquorix kernel; linux-6.16.1 is already released, with or without an updated driver.
I don't see me kernel-hacking these days.

Entering directory '/var/lib/dkms/tp_smapi/0.44/build'
...
error: implicit declaration of function ‘del_timer_sync’ [-Wimplicit-function-declaration]

That's nothing to do with liquorix specifically, the tp_smapi driver version you are trying to build is using an obsolete function name and will break with any kernel >6.14, because:
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commi … 5ec856c916

This is fixed in tp_smapi v0.45, which is in unstable. If you want to run a kernel newer than the de[bi|vu]an release you're tracking ships, expect that you will need to backport any dkms modules as well.
The process is not particularly complicated, but it is manual work. Do not be lazy and just add the unstable repos to sources.list, without very careful per-package pins this will bork things sooner or later.

After kernel '6.14.10-1-liquorix-amd64' I removed linux-image-liquorix due to multiple compiling errors, but kept and run this 6.14 kernel. Today I tried to install the current version.

# apt-get install linux-image-liquorix-amd64 linux-headers-liquorix-amd64 

(...)
Autoinstall of module tp_smapi/0.44 for kernel 6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64 (x86_64)
Building module(s)...(bad exit status: 2)
Failed command:
make -j12 KERNELRELEASE=6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64 -C /lib/modules/6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64/build M=/var/lib/dkms/tp_smapi/0.44/build HDAPS=1

Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64 (x86_64)
Consult /var/lib/dkms/tp_smapi/0.44/build/make.log for more information.

Autoinstall on 6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64 succeeded for module(s) acpi-call nvidia-current virtualbox.
Autoinstall on 6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64 failed for module(s) tp_smapi(10).
(...)

$ cat  /var/lib/dkms/tp_smapi/0.44/build/make.log
DKMS (dkms-3.2.0) make.log for tp_smapi/0.44 for kernel 6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64 (x86_64)
2025-08-17T21:52:51 CEST

Building module(s)
# command: make -j12 KERNELRELEASE=6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64 -C /lib/modules/6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64/build M=/var/lib/dkms/tp_smapi/0.44/build
HDAPS=1
make: Entering directory '/usr/src/linux-headers-6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64'
make[1]: Entering directory '/var/lib/dkms/tp_smapi/0.44/build'
  CC [M]  thinkpad_ec.o
  CC [M]  tp_smapi.o
  CC [M]  hdaps.o
hdaps.c: In function ‘hdaps_suspend’:
hdaps.c:430:9: error: implicit declaration of function ‘del_timer_sync’ [-Wimplicit-function-declaration]
  430 |         del_timer_sync(&hdaps_timer);
      |         ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~
make[3]: *** [/usr/src/linux-headers-6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64/scripts/Makefile.build:203: hdaps.o] Error 1
make[3]: *** Waiting for unfinished jobs....
make[2]: *** [/usr/src/linux-headers-6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64/Makefile:2013: .] Error 2
make[1]: *** [/usr/src/linux-headers-6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64/Makefile:248: __sub-make] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory '/var/lib/dkms/tp_smapi/0.44/build'
make: *** [Makefile:248: __sub-make] Error 2
make: Leaving directory '/usr/src/linux-headers-6.15.10-2-liquorix-amd64'

# exit code: 2
# elapsed time: 00:00:01
----------------------------------------------------------------