Warn when grabbing internals of subprojects with include_directories.
diff --git a/mesonbuild/interpreter.py b/mesonbuild/interpreter.py
index e563f36..5b8f361 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/interpreter.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/interpreter.py
@@ -4577,6 +4577,28 @@
             absdir_build = os.path.join(absbase_build, a)
             if not os.path.isdir(absdir_src) and not os.path.isdir(absdir_build):
                 raise InvalidArguments('Include dir %s does not exist.' % a)
+        else:
+            try:
+                self.validate_within_subproject(a, '')
+            except InterpreterException:
+                mlog.warning('include_directories sandbox violation!')
+                print(f'''The project is trying to access the directory {a} which belongs to a different
+subproject. This is a problem as it hardcodes the relative paths of these two projeccts.
+This makes it impossible to compile the project in any other directory layout and also
+makes it impossible for the subproject to change its own directory layout.
+
+Instead of poking directly at the internals the subproject should be executed and 
+it should set a variable that the caller can then use. Something like:
+
+# In subproject
+my_inc = include_directories('include')
+
+# In parent project
+dep_sp = subproject('sub')
+dep_inc = dep_sp.get_variable('my_inc')
+
+This warning will become a hard error in a future Meson release. 
+''')
         i = IncludeDirsHolder(build.IncludeDirs(self.subdir, incdir_strings, is_system))
         return i
 
@@ -4774,6 +4796,10 @@
     def validate_within_subproject(self, subdir, fname):
         srcdir = Path(self.environment.source_dir)
         norm = Path(srcdir, subdir, fname).resolve()
+        if os.path.isdir(norm):
+            inputtype = 'directory'
+        else:
+            inputtype = 'file'
         if srcdir not in norm.parents:
             # Grabbing files outside the source tree is ok.
             # This is for vendor stuff like:
@@ -4782,9 +4808,9 @@
             return
         project_root = Path(srcdir, self.root_subdir)
         if project_root not in norm.parents:
-            raise InterpreterException(f'Sandbox violation: Tried to grab file {norm.name} outside current (sub)project.')
+            raise InterpreterException(f'Sandbox violation: Tried to grab {inputtype} {norm.name} outside current (sub)project.')
         if project_root / self.subproject_dir in norm.parents:
-            raise InterpreterException(f'Sandbox violation: Tried to grab file {norm.name} from a nested subproject.')
+            raise InterpreterException(f'Sandbox violation: Tried to grab {inputtype} {norm.name} from a nested subproject.')
 
     def source_strings_to_files(self, sources: T.List[str]) -> T.List[mesonlib.File]:
         mesonlib.check_direntry_issues(sources)
diff --git a/test cases/common/240 includedir violation/meson.build b/test cases/common/240 includedir violation/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a82069e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/common/240 includedir violation/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+project('foo', 'c')
+
+# This is here rather than in failing because this needs a
+# transition period to avoid breaking existing projects.
+# Once this becomes an error, move this under failing tests.
+
+inc = include_directories('subprojects/sub/include')
diff --git a/test cases/common/240 includedir violation/subprojects/sub/include/placeholder.h b/test cases/common/240 includedir violation/subprojects/sub/include/placeholder.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..196f917
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/common/240 includedir violation/subprojects/sub/include/placeholder.h
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#pragma once
+
+// Git can not handle empty directories, so there must be something here.
diff --git a/test cases/common/240 includedir violation/subprojects/sub/meson.build b/test cases/common/240 includedir violation/subprojects/sub/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7211018
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/common/240 includedir violation/subprojects/sub/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+project('subproj', 'c')
+
+# This is never actually executed, just here for completeness.
diff --git a/test cases/common/240 includedir violation/test.json b/test cases/common/240 includedir violation/test.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d6e56a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test cases/common/240 includedir violation/test.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "stdout": [
+    {
+      "line": "WARNING: include_directories sandbox violation!"
+    }
+  ]
+}