paccheck

List and check all installed packages

$ paccheck

$ paccheck [package1 package2 ...]

$ paccheck --quiet

$ paccheck --depends

$ paccheck --help

$ paccheck --version

paccheck [options] [pkg...]

-b, --dbpath <path>
    Set an alternative package database path

-D, --chroot <root>
    Set an alternate installation root and chroot into it

-d, --deptest
    Test only for missing dependencies

-f, --filecheck
    Check packages for missing files

-k, --checkmd5sums
    Check MD5 sums against the package database

-M, --checkmd5sums-always
    Always check MD5 sums, ignoring modification flags

-Q, --quiet
    Produce less verbose output

-r, --root <root>
    Set an alternate installation root (no chroot)

Paccheck is a utility from the pacman-contrib package designed to verify the integrity and correctness of installed Arch Linux packages. It performs several critical checks: scanning for missing dependencies (-d), absent files that should be provided by packages (-f), and mismatched MD5 checksums on installed files (-k). By default, it targets explicitly installed packages (those not marked as dependencies) and reports issues that could indicate corruption, incomplete installations, or filesystem problems. This makes it invaluable for system administrators maintaining clean package states. Options like --quiet reduce verbosity, while root and database path overrides support chroot environments or custom setups. Running as root is recommended for full file and checksum access, ensuring reliable diagnostics without altering the system.

Requires root privileges for file and checksum checks; non-root runs limit functionality. Only checks explicitly installed packages by default unless specified.

Without options, performs file existence, dependency resolution, and MD5 checksum verification on explicitly installed packages.

0 if no errors found; non-zero otherwise. Use paccheck -Q for scriptable parsing.

paccheck : Full check on all explicit packages.
sudo paccheck -f -k : Files and checksums only.
paccheck -d <pkgfile> : Dependency test on a local package file.

Developed as part of the pacman-contrib suite for Arch Linux, paccheck was introduced around 2009 to complement pacman's core functionality. It evolved with pacman releases, adding features like chroot support in later versions (pacman 5.x+), and remains a staple for package validation in Arch-based distributions.

pacman(8), pacman.conf(5), makepkg(8)