There may not exist any relationship between the --separate-debug=off and packaging of the debugsymbols archive. When --separate-debug=off, the debug symbols are in the binaries and there is nothing and no reason to package up the debugsymbols archive.

Its not known what all builders are affected by this, but here is an example of empty debugsymbols archive task

Looking at the compile_dist_test task dependency, it was built with --separate-debug=off.

This ticket is to create some mechanism so that empty debugsymbols archives are not created as their existence is confusing and misleading.