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FAQ

How do I run the latest version of pkgx?

Typically you want to upgrade pkgx so either:

  1. brew upgrade pkgx; or
  2. curl -LSsf pkgx.sh | sh

{% hint style='info' %} Yes. Our installer upgrades pkgx too. {% endhint %}

How do I run the latest version of a specific pkg?

Unless otherwise instructed, pkgx executes the latest version of packages that are downloaded. The first time you run a package the latest version will be downloaded, but after that updates will only be fetched if requested or required by other packages.

For us neophiliacs we have written a [mash] script to upgrade your pkgx packages:

pkgx mash upgrade

How do I “install” pkgs?

Use pkgm.

What is a package?

A package is:

  • A plain tarball containing a single project for a single platform and architecture compiled from that project’s sources
  • A bundle of metadata (package.yml) from the [pantry]

Relative to some other packaging systems:

  • No scripts are executed post “install”
  • Packages must work from any location (we say our pkgs are “relocatable“)

A package version I need is unavailable

Sorry about that. Open a ticket asking for it and we’ll build it.

I need a pkg greater than v20.1.3 but less than v21

The commonly used @ syntax would evaluate to v20.1.x (@20.1.3).

To provide more control we support the full semantic version range syntax. So for the given example we would use the caret (^):

$ pkgx node^20.1.3 --version
v20.1.5

Which will match node v20.1.3 up to but not including v21.

What does +pkg syntax do?

+pkg syntax is a way to include additional pkgs in your environment. Typing pkgx +deno dumps the environment to the terminal, if you add additional commands then those commands are invoked in that environment.

How do I list what packages are downloaded?

We have created a [mash] script to list everything pkgx has downloaded:

pkgx mash ls

All packages are encapsulated in individual, versioned folders in ~/.pkgx just like brew so you can just browse them with a file browser.

A pkg I was expecting is not available

Open source is ever moving and somebody needs to keep up with it. You may need to contribute to the pantry.

Where do you put pkgs?

Everything goes in ~/.pkgx. eg. Deno v1.2.3 is an independent POSIX prefix at ~/.pkgx/deno.land/v1.2.3, thus the deno executable is at ~/.pkgx/deno.land/v1.2.3/bin/deno.

We also create symlinks for majors, minors and latest:

$ cd ~/.pkgx/deno.land
$ ls -la
v*   -> v1.2.3
v1   -> v1.2.3
v1.2 -> v1.2.3

Open source is vast and unregulated, thus we use fully-qualified naming scheme to ensure pkgs can be disambiguated.

Can I bundle ~/.pkgx into my distributable app?

Yes! Our pkgs are relocatable.

Will you support other platforms?

We would love to support all platforms. All that is holding is back from new platforms is expertise. Will you help? Let’s talk.

How do I add my package to pkgx?

You need to add to the pantry.

{% hint style="info" %} Eventually we will support describing how to build or obtain distributables for your package via your repo so you can just add a pkgx.yaml and users can use pkgx to use your package automatically. {% endhint %}

How should I recommend people use my pkg with pkgx?

pkgx your-package --args

You can also recommend our shell one-liner if you like:

sh <(curl https://pkgx.sh) your-package --args

This is neat because pkgx is not installed and it runs your package from a temporary location making this a very low friction way to try out your package.

Finally, you can have them try your package out via our Docker image:

docker run pkgxdev/pkgx your-package --args

How do I uninstall pkgx?

sudo rm /usr/local/bin/pkg[xm]
rm -rf ~/.pkgx

Then there are a couple platform specific cache/data directories:

macOS

rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/pkgx
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/pkgx

Non macOS

rm -rf "${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/pkgx"
rm -rf "${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}"/pkgx

{% hint style="warning" %}

Caveats

Though not a problem unique to pkgx you should note that tools run with pkgx may have polluted your system during use. Check directories like:

  • ~/.local
  • ~/.gem
  • ~/.npm
  • ~/.node
  • etc.

{% endhint %}

What are the rules for @ syntax?

The rules for @ are complex, but more human. We convert them to the following semver syntax:

  • @3 → ^3
  • @3.1 → ~3.1
  • @3.1.2 → >=3.1.2<3.1.3
  • @3.1.2.3 → >=3.1.2.3<3.1.3.4
  • etc.

Where does pkgx store files

Packages are downloaded to $PKGX_DIR if set. If not set:

  • macOS
    • ~/Library/Packages if the directory exists
    • ~/.pkgx otherwise
  • *nix
    • ~/.pkgx if the directory exists
    • ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-$HOME/.local/share}/pkgx otherwise

Some cache data is stored:

  • ~/Library/Caches/pkgx on Mac
  • ${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-$HOME/.cache}/pkgx on *nix
  • %LOCALAPPDATA%/pkgx on Windows

What happens if two packages provide the same named program?

We error with a method to disambiguation, eg:

$ yarn
× multiple projects provide: yarn
│ pls be more specific:
│
│     pkgx +classic.yarnpkg.com --internal.use +yarn
│     pkgx +yarnpkg.com --internal.use +yarn
│
╰─➤ https://docs.pkgx.sh/help/ambiguous-pkgspec

How do I see a man page for a pkgx pkg?

man foo won’t work since pkgx pkgs are not “installed”. Thus you have to first create an environment that contains that package before invoking man:

pkgx +foo man foo

This uses pkgx’s man tool. To use the system man:

pkgx +foo -- man foo

Where is the pkgx GPG Public Key?

https://dist.pkgx.dev/gpg-public.asc.

I have another question

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