---
name: "register-plist"
section: "1"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/register-plist"
---

# register-plist(1)

smart diff and registration of packing-lists

## NAME

**register-plist** – smart diff and registration of packing-lists

## SYNOPSIS

**register-plist** \[**-n**\] \[**-s** *snapdir*\] *dir* \[*pkgname* *...*\]

**register-plist** **-p** *dir*

**register-plist** **-t** *p1* *p2*

## DESCRIPTION

**register-plist** is used to check that a packing-list for a given package name doesn't change. By default, it is invoked at the end of make package, and compares a temporary package with the *${PLIST\_REPOSITORY}* before moving it to *${PACKAGE\_REPOSITORY}/${MACHINE\_ARCH}/all*( see PACKAGE\_REPOSITORY and PLIST\_REPOSITORY in [bsd.port.mk(5)](/bsd.port.mk/5.md)). Package names (package stem plus version) are used to uniquely identify packages. When something in the package changes, the package name should change, usually by increasing REVISION.

**register-plist** checks for a lot of details, including DESCR contents. Thus changes in MAINTAINER, hard and symlinks existence and values, comments, and other things, will trigger REVISION bumps).

Dependencies receive special treatment. Addition or deletion of dependencies should warrant a bump, but **register-plist** will also verify that dependencies go ‘forward’: namely it's okay for a **@wantlib** to go from *liba.so.2.0* to *liba.so.3.0* but not the other way around.

Starting with OpenBSD 6.6, **@version** bumps allow system-wide change to affect plists without triggering an error.

**register-plist** records a packing-list for each *pkgname* into the given directory *dir*. If no previous packing-list for the given pkgname exists, the packing-list is recorded. If a previous packing-list exists, **register-plist** compares both packing-list for discrepancies. Whenever something significant changes, **register-plist** will display a diff of the differences, and exit with an error.

Some items in the packing-list may change without actual problems. For instance, dependencies are allowed to go forward. On the other hand, some items like the package DESCR can't change at all. Since this is a generated file, porters often overlook that items such as the HOMEPAGE or the MAINTAINER's email address are embedded into that file, and thus that changing these requires a REVISION bump.

If option **-n** is specified, **register-plist** will do the exact same checks, but will not write any new packing-list.

If option **-s** *snapdir* is specified, **register-plist** will write the packing-list into a separate *snapdir* directory if there have been no errors (snapshot directory, to record all packing-lists from the current snapshot).

**register-plist** can also be invoked with **-p** and a *dir*. This will read the packing-list from standard input and check that it would register correctly into *dir*, as used by target **check-register** in [bsd.port.mk(5)](/bsd.port.mk/5.md).

**register-plist** can also be invoked with **-t** and two packing-lists *p1* *p2* to directly compare those packing-lists.

## SEE ALSO

[bsd.port.mk(5)](/bsd.port.mk/5.md)