Manual: pkgcli
PKGCLI(1) pkgcli PKGCLI(1)
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-required-by
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), and the PackageKit documentation at https://www.freedesktop.org/software/PackageKit/.
AUTHORS
Matthias Klumpp
Developer
Richard Hughes
Developer
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2012-2026 Matthias Klumpp
PackageKit 26. November 2025 PKGCLI(1)