--- name: "pkgcli" section: "1" platform: "linux" package: "packagekit" version: "1.4.0-1" release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/pkgcli" --- # pkgcli(1) command-line client for PackageKit ## NAME pkgcli - command-line client for PackageKit ## SYNOPSIS **pkgcli** \[**GLOBAL-OPTIONS**...\] *COMMAND* \[**COMMAND-OPTIONS**...\] \[*ARGUMENTS*...\] ## DESCRIPTION **pkgcli** is a command line client for PackageKit, a distribution-neutral interface to the operating system's package manager. It provides a set of subcommands for querying and managing software packages, repositories and transaction history. Use **pkgcli** **--help** to get a list of available commands, and **pkgcli** *COMMAND* **--help** for command-specific help. ## GLOBAL OPTIONS The following options are parsed before the command name and affect most subcommands: - **-v**, **--version** Show the **pkgcli** version and exit. - **-h**, **--help** Show generic help and a list of available commands. - **-q**, **--quiet** Only provide minimal output. - **--verbose** Show more detailed and debug-style output. - **--json** Output results in JSON format suitable for consumption by other tools. Output is generated in the JSONL (JSON Lines) format, with one JSON object per line. - **--no-color** Disable colored terminal output. This is also enabled when the **NO\_COLOR** environment variable is set. - **-y**, **--yes** Answer “yes” to all questions and run in non-interactive mode. - **-f**, **--filter**=*FILTER* Apply one or more filters when querying packages, such as restricting results to installed or available packages. You can view all supported filter options by running **pkgcli organization**. - **-n**, **--background** Hint that the command is not urgent and may use idle network bandwidth and power-saving settings where supported. ## COMMANDS The following commands are available: **backend** Display information about the PackageKit backend currently in use, including the backend name, version, and the roles it supports. **history** Show a list of recent package management transactions (like installation, removal, and update operations performed on the system). **search** Search for packages matching a given pattern. The first argument may optionally be one of name, details, file or group, to limit the search to the selected domain. If only one argument is given, a search across package details (name, summary, and description) is performed. **list** List packages, optionally filtered by installation status or name pattern. Use with **--filter** to show only installed, available, or other categories of packages. **show** Display detailed information about one or more packages, including version, size, description, license, and repository information. **list-depends** List all packages that the specified package depends on. Use the **--recursive** flag to list dependencies of the entire chain. **list-requiring** List packages that depend on or require the specified package. **what-provides** Find and list packages that provide a given capability, shared library, or file path. **files** Display a list of all files contained in the specified package. **list-updates** List all available package updates for installed software. **show-update** Display detailed information about a specific update, including changelog entries, security advisories, and other update metadata. **resolve** Resolve package names or identifiers to their package state, showing whether they are installed, available, or unavailable. **organization** Display available package filters (such as installed, available, newest), groups (such as system, development, graphics), and categories that can be used to query packages. **show-os-upgrade** Check for and display information about available operating system or distribution upgrades, such as upgrades to a newer OS release. **last-time** Show the elapsed time since the last transaction of a specified role occurred, such as the last package update or cache refresh. **refresh** Refresh the local package metadata cache by downloading the latest package information from configured repositories. This should be run before checking for updates or searching for new packages. **install** Install one or more packages by name, or install local package files if a path is provided instead of a package name. **remove** Remove one or more installed packages from the system. This may also remove dependent packages if they are no longer needed. Use with the --autoremove option to clean up unused packages as well. **update** Install available updates for all installed packages on the system, or for specific packages if specified as arguments. **upgrade** Perform a system upgrade to newer package versions or a new distribution release. This may involve major version updates and significant changes. **download** Download package files to the local system without installing them. This is useful for offline installation or package inspection. **offline-update** Prepare, trigger, cancel, or inspect offline system updates. Offline updates are applied during system boot before the desktop environment starts, allowing critical system packages to be updated safely. **install-sig** Install a cryptographic signature for a package to verify its authenticity and integrity. **repair** Attempt to automatically repair problems with the package management system, such as broken dependencies, corrupted databases, or interrupted transactions. **quit** Request the PackageKit daemon to terminate gracefully after completing any ongoing operations. The daemon will restart automatically when needed. **repo-list** Display a list of all configured software repositories, showing their identifiers, descriptions, and enabled/disabled status. **repo-enable** Enable a previously disabled repository, allowing packages from that repository to be installed and updated. **repo-disable** Disable a repository, preventing packages from that source from being installed or updated while keeping the repository configuration. **repo-remove** Completely remove a repository from the system configuration. This is permanent and the repository will need to be re-added if needed later. Takes a repository-ID as parameter. **monitor** Monitor and display real-time PackageKit transaction events and status changes on the bus. This is useful for debugging or observing package management activity. Use **pkgcli** *COMMAND* **--help** for detailed usage information including supported options and arguments for each command. ## EXIT STATUS The following exit codes are used by **pkgcli**: 0 The command completed successfully. 1 A non-specific error occurred. 2 Invalid syntax or command-line options were supplied. 3 Insufficient permissions to perform the requested operation. 4 Required information or packages could not be found. 5 The transaction failed. Additional exit codes may be used for more specific failure conditions by individual commands. ## ENVIRONMENT **NO\_COLOR** When set to any non-empty value, disables colored output, equivalent to passing **--no-color**. ## EXAMPLES Search for packages related to text editors **pkgcli search editor** Search only in package names **pkgcli search name python3** Show detailed information about a package **pkgcli show nano** Install a package non-interactively **pkgcli --yes install nano** List all installed packages **pkgcli --filter=installed list** Check for available updates **pkgcli refresh && pkgcli list-updates** List dependencies of a package **pkgcli list-depends inkscape** Find which package provides the AV1 GStreamer codec **pkgcli what-provides "gstreamer1(decoder-video/x-av1)"** ## SEE ALSO [**appstreamcli**(1)](/appstreamcli/1.md), and the PackageKit documentation at **https://www.freedesktop.org/software/PackageKit/**. ## AUTHORS **Matthias Klumpp** \ Developer **Richard Hughes** \ Developer ## COPYRIGHT Copyright © 2012-2026 Matthias Klumpp\