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https://github.com/ripytide/metapac

multi-backend declarative package manager
https://github.com/ripytide/metapac

declarative package-manager

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multi-backend declarative package manager

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README 

          
# metapac



multi-backend declarative package manager



`metapac` allows you to maintain a consistent set of packages and repos,

across multiple machines. It also makes setting up a new system with your

preferred packages and repos from your preferred package managers much

easier.



## Obligatory XKCDs



[](https://xkcd.com/927/)

[](https://xkcd.com/1654/)



## Installation



### With Cargo



```shell

cargo install metapac

```



### With Arch User Repository



```shell

paru -S metapac

```



## Meta



`metapac` is a meta package manager, that means it does not directly

implement the functionality to install packages on your system, instead it

provides a standardised interface for installing packages from other

package managers. See the [Supported Backends](#supported-backends) section

for a list of the currently supported backend package managers.



## Declarative



`metapac` is also a declarative package manager, that means that you

declare in `.toml` group files the packages and repos you would like

installed on your system and then run one of the `metapac` commands which

read these group files and then operate on your system to do some function

such as install packages and repos in your group files that are not present

on your system yet (`metapac sync`), or remove packages and repos present

on your system but not in your group files (`metapac clean`).



The group files are then stored with your other system configuration files

and so can be tracked with version control.



## Usage



### Enable backends



By default all backends are disabled. Enable the backends you want

`metapac` to manage in the config file. See the [`Config`](#config) section

for more details.



### Migrating a default system into `metapac`



Run `metapac unmanaged` and save the output into a group file in

`metapac`'s `groups/` folder, see the [`Group Files`](#group-files)

section for the exact location of this folder on your operating system.



For example, on linux:



```console

mkdir -p ~/.config/metapac/groups

metapac unmanaged > ~/.config/metapac/groups/all.toml

```



Now `metapac` won't try to remove any of your explicitly installed packages

when you run `metapac clean`.



> [!CAUTION]

> If you run `metapac clean` without first configuring your group files

> with the packages you want installed then `metapac` will attempt to

> remove all of your packages and repos from your enabled backends.

>

> `metapac clean` will always show you which packages and repos it intends

> to remove and ask for confirmation, so make sure to double check that the

> expected packages and repos are being removed before confirming.



### Adding a new package/repo



Use a text editor to add the package/repo to an existing group file or

create a new group file and add the package/repo to it. See the [`Group

Files`](#group-files) section for the group file syntax.



You can then run `metapac sync` and `metapac` will install the package if

it is not already present on your system.



### Removing a package/repo



Do the opposite of [`Adding a new package`](#adding-a-new-packagerepo). But

instead use `metapac clean` after editing your group files to remove all

packages/repos on your system not in your group files.



### Hooks



Hooks are commands that you can add per-package or per-repo in your group

files. They get run by `metapac` at various stages in some of `metapac`'s

commands.



One of the main use-cases for hooks is to allow you to declaratively

maintain your enabled `systemd` services alongside each package in your

group files. See the [`Group Files`](#group-files) section for some

examples.



- `before_install`: Run before a package/repo is installed. Only applies to the

  `metapac sync` command.

- `after_install`: Run after a package/repo is installed. Only applies to the

  `metapac sync` command.

- `before_sync`: Run before installing any packages/repos, regardless of

  whether the package/repo was already installed or not. Only applies to the

  `metapac sync` command.

- `after_sync`: Run after installing all packages/repos, regardless of

  whether the package/repo was already installed or not. Only applies to the

  `metapac sync` command.



Repo/package hooks are run before/after installing all repos/packages, not

between each repo/package.



### Enable more logs for debugging



You can enable additional log levels by setting the `RUST_LOG` environment

variable, this can be useful to see which commands are being run on the

backends by `metapac`. For example, `RUST_LOG=trace metapac unmanaged`. See

 for more information.



### Advanced usage



For more advanced usage read through the remaining sections, especially the

[`Config`](#config) section. You can also run `metapac --help` to get a

list of all of the available commands.



## Supported Backends



At the moment, these are the supported backends. Pull requests and issues

for additional backends are always welcome!



| Backend               |

| --------------------- |

| [`apt`](#apt)         |

| [`arch`](#arch)       |

| [`brew`](#brew)       |

| [`bun`](#bun)         |

| [`cargo`](#cargo)     |

| [`dnf`](#dnf)         |

| [`flatpak`](#flatpak) |

| [`mas`](#mas)         |

| [`mise`](#mise)       |

| [`npm`](#npm)         |

| [`pipx`](#pipx)       |

| [`pnpm`](#pnpm)       |

| [`scoop`](#scoop)     |

| [`snap`](#snap)       |

| [`uv`](#uv)           |

| [`vscode`](#vscode)   |

| [`winget`](#winget)   |

| [`xbps`](#xbps)       |

| [`yarn`](#yarn)       |

| [`zypper`](#zypper)   |



### apt



Standard usage.



### arch



#### Package Groups



Arch has two special types of packages called meta packages and package

groups. (See

).

`metapac` only supports meta packages in group files since they are "real"

packages whereas groups are not "real". This is because meta packages are

normal PKGBUILD files with no content of themselves but which have several

dependencies, whereas package groups are special cases that don't have a

corresponding PKGBUILD file. For example, running `pacman -Si nerd-fonts`

returns "error: package 'nerd-fonts' was not found".



If you still want the behavior of a meta package you have two options.



Firstly, consider creating your own meta package with the same packages as

the group. Consider also publishing this package to the AUR so other users

can also benefit from it. Convention has it that meta packages end in

`-meta`, for example, the meta package version of `nerd-fonts` might be

called `nerd-fonts-meta` (Although `nerd-fonts-meta` does not yet exist at

the time of writing, 2025-09-03).



Alternatively, you could create a new group file using the packages from

the package group, which you can get from the command: `pacman -Sgq

`.



#### Yay Bug



Due to a bug in `yay`: ,

`metapac` will sometimes keep trying to install some packages when doing

`metapac sync`. To fix this, either switch to `paru` or use `pacman` to

mark the packages in question as installed explicitly using `pacman

--database --asexplicit `.



Reported in #152.



### brew



Standard usage.



### bun



Standard usage.



### cargo



Standard usage.



### dnf



Standard usage.



### flatpak



Standard usage.



### mas



Standard usage.



### mise



Standard usage.



### npm



If on linux you might need to first run `npm config set prefix ~/.local`.



### pipx



Standard usage.



### pnpm



You might need to first run `pnpm setup`.



### scoop



`scoop` doesn't differentiate between implicit and explicit packages.

Therefore, you will need to list all packages and their dependencies in

your group files. See

.



### snap



Standard usage.



### uv



Standard usage.



### vscode



Standard usage.



### winget



Standard usage.



### xbps



Standard usage.



### yarn



Standard usage.



### zypper



Standard usage.



## Config



```toml

# metapac's config.toml file (like this one) should be placed in the following location

# dependent on the operating system as specified in the `dirs` crate:

# | Platform | Value                                                 | Example                                                      |

# | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |

# | Linux    | $XDG_CONFIG_HOME or $HOME/.config/metapac/config.toml | /home/alice/.config/metapac/config.toml                      |

# | macOS    | $HOME/Library/Application Support/metapac/config.toml | /Users/Alice/Library/Application Support/metapac/config.toml |

# | Windows  | {FOLDERID_RoamingAppData}\metapac\config.toml         | C:\Users\Alice\AppData\Roaming\metapac\config.toml           |



# Backends to enable. These will be merged with any hostname-specific backends

# from the [hostname_enabled_backends] config table.

# Default: []

enabled_backends = ["arch", "cargo"]



# If this is `false` all toml files recursively found in the groups folder

# will be used as group files.

# If this is `true` then the [hostname_groups] config table will be used to

# decide which group files to use per hostname.

# Default: false

hostname_groups_enabled = false



# Backends to enable per hostname. These will be merged with the base

# `enabled_backends` config.

# Default: None

[hostname_enabled_backends]

pc = ["winget", "cargo"]

laptop = ["arch", "cargo"]

server = ["apt"]



# Which group files will be used per hostname. Subject to `hostname_groups_enabled`.

# Relative paths are relative to the groups folder.

# Default: None

[hostname_groups]

pc = ["relative_group", "/etc/absolute_group"]

laptop = ["relative_group"]

server = ["relative_group"]



[arch]

# Since pacman, pamac, paru, pikaur and yay all operate on the same package database

# they are mutually exclusive and so you must pick which one you want

# metapac to use.

# Must be one of: ["pacman", "pamac", "paru", "pikaur", "yay"]

# Default: "pacman"

package_manager = "paru"



[brew]

# If this is `true` then brew packages default to using the `--quarantine`

# option.

# If this is `false` then brew packages default to using the `--no-quarantine`

# option.

# Default: true

quarantine = true



[cargo]

# Whether to default to installing cargo packages with the `--locked` option.

# Default: false

locked = false



# Whether to use `cargo-binstall` instead of `cargo install` for installing packages.

# When `true`, metapac will use `cargo binstall --no-confirm` instead of `cargo install`.

# This can be faster for installing packages as it downloads pre-built binaries.

# Default: false

binstall = false



[vscode]

# Since VSCode and VSCodium both operate on the same package database

# they are mutually exclusive and so you must pick which one you want

# metapac to use.

# Must be one of: ["code", "codium"]

# Default: "code"

variant = "code"



[zypper]

# Since OpenSUSE Leap and Tumbleweed should be updated with different commands

# (see https://en.opensuse.org/System_Updates for more details), you can set how

# metapac updates system packages.

# If this is `false` then the system is updated with the subcommand `update` (`up`).

# If this is `true` then the system is updated with the subcommand `dist-upgrade` (`dup`).

# Default: false

distribution_upgrade = false

```



## Group Files



```toml

# metapac's group files (like this one) should be placed in the following location

# dependent on the operating system as specified in the `dirs` crate:

# | Platform | Value                                             | Example                                                  |

# | -------- | ------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |

# | Linux    | $XDG_CONFIG_HOME or $HOME/.config/metapac/groups/ | /home/alice/.config/metapac/groups/                      |

# | macOS    | $HOME/Library/Application Support/metapac/groups/ | /Users/Alice/Library/Application Support/metapac/groups/ |

# | Windows  | {FOLDERID_RoamingAppData}\metapac\groups\         | C:\Users\Alice\AppData\Roaming\metapac\groups\           |

#

# The packages for each backend in group files can come in two formats, short-form

# and long-form:

#

# short-form syntax is simply a string of the name of the package.

#

# long-form syntax is a table which contains several fields which can

# optionally be set to specify install options on a per-package basis.

# The "package" field in the table specifies the name of the package.

#

# For example, the following two packages are equivalent:

# arch = [

#  "metapac",

#  { package = "metapac" }

# ]



apt = { packages = ["package1", { name = "package2" }] }

arch = {

  packages = [

    "package1",

    { name = "package2" },

    {

      name = "syncthing",

      hooks = {

        after_sync = [

          "sudo",

          "systemctl",

          "enable",

          "--now",

          "syncthing@ripytide",

        ]

      }

    },

    {

      name = "openssh",

      hooks = {

        after_sync = [

          "sudo",

          "systemctl",

          "enable",

          "--now",

          "sshd",

        ]

      }

    },

    {

      name = "fastfetch",

      hooks = {

        before_install = [

          "echo",

          "before_install",

        ],

        after_install = [

          "echo",

          "after_install",

        ],

        before_sync = [

          "echo",

          "before_sync",

        ],

        after_sync = [

          "echo",

          "after_sync",

        ]

      }

    },

  ]

}

brew = {

  packages = [

    "package1",

    { name = "package2", options = { quarantine = false } }

  ]

}

bun = { packages = ["package1", { name = "package2" }] }

cargo = {

  packages = [

    "package1",

    {

      name = "package2",

      options = {

        git = "https://github.com/ripytide/metapac",

        all_features = true,

        no_default_features = false,

        features = [

          "feature1",

        ],

        locked = true

      }

    },

  ]

}

dnf = {

  repos = [

    "copr.fedorainfracloud.org/ripytide/package1",

    {

      name = "copr.fedorainfracloud.org/ripytide/package2",

      hooks = {

        before_install = [

          "echo",

          "hooks still work with repos too!",

        ],

      }

    },

  ],

  packages = ["package1", { name = "package2" }]

}

flatpak = {

  repos = [

    {

      name = "system:flathub",

      options = { url = "https://dl.flathub.org/repo/" }

    },

    {

      name = "user:ykc",

      options = { url = "https://flatpak.yellowkeycard.net/ykc.flatpakrepo" }

    },

    {

      name = "custom_installation:flathub_beta",

      options = {

        url = "https://flathub.org/beta-repo/flathub-beta.flatpakrepo"

      }

    },

  ],

  packages = [

    { name = "system:org.gimp.GIMP", options = { remote = "flathub" } },

    { name = "user:io.github.sonicgalactic", options = { remote = "ykc" } },

    {

      name = "custom_installation:org.mozilla.firefox",

      options = { remote = "flathub_beta" }

    },

  ]

}

mas = { packages = ["package1", { name = "package2" }] }

mise = {

  packages = [

    "package1",

    { name = "package2", options = { version = "1.0.0" } },

    { name = "package3", options = { version = "lts" } },

  ]

}

npm = { packages = ["package1", { name = "package2" }] }

pipx = { packages = ["package1", { name = "package2" }] }

pnpm = { packages = ["package1", { name = "package2" }] }

scoop = { packages = ["main/metapac1", { name = "main/package2" }] }

snap = {

  packages = [

    "package1",

    { name = "package2" },

    { name = "package3", options = { confinement = "strict" } },

    { name = "package4", options = { confinement = "classic" } },

    { name = "package5", options = { confinement = "dangerous" } },

    { name = "package6", options = { confinement = "devmode" } },

    { name = "package7", options = { confinement = "jailmode" } },

  ]

}

uv = {

  packages = ["package1", { name = "package2", options = { python = "3.11" } }]

}

vscode = { packages = ["package1", { name = "package2" }] }

winget = { packages = ["ripytide.package1", { name = "ripytide.package2" }] }

xbps = { packages = ["package1", { name = "package2" }] }

yarn = { packages = ["package1", { name = "package2" }] }

zypper = { packages = ["package1", { name = "package2" }] }

```



## Wishlist



Here is a list of package managers we would like to support along with any

reasons why we can't yet if any. Feel free to add to this list if you know

of any other package managers we should be aware of.



- [`apk`](https://wiki.alpinelinux.org/wiki/Alpine_Package_Keeper): no

  attempt made yet

- [`cygwin`](https://cygwin.com/): no attempt made yet

- [`choco`](https://github.com/chocolatey/choco): no attempt made yet

- [`deno`](https://github.com/denoland/deno): can't list installed global

  packages 

- [`emerge`](https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Emerge): no attempt made yet

- [`guix`](https://codeberg.org/guix/guix): no attempt made yet

- [`nala`](https://github.com/volitank/nala): no attempt made yet

- [`nix`](https://github.com/NixOS/nix): no attempt made yet

- [`opkg`](https://github.com/oe-mirrors/opkg): no attempt made yet

- [`pip`](https://pypi.org/project/pip/): we support `pipx` instead which

  only allows you to install cli programs which makes sense for a global

  package manager

- [`pkg`](https://github.com/freebsd/pkg): no attempt made yet

- [`ports`](https://github.com/openbsd/ports): no attempt made yet

- [`pkgsrc`](https://github.com/NetBSD/pkgsrc): no attempt made yet

- [`sdk`](https://github.com/sdkman/sdkman-cli): can't list installed

  packages . The project

  is being rewritten in rust with the intention to implement the command in

  the new version , also see

  

- [`yum`](https://github.com/rpm-software-management/yum): project

  deprecated in favor of `dnf`



## Similar Projects



- [decman](https://github.com/kiviktnm/decman): written in python,

  archlinux specific, supports installing dotfiles

- [declaro](https://github.com/mantinhas/declaro): written in shell script,

  currently provides support for `apt`, `dnf`, `pacman`, `paru` and `yay`

  but is extensible

- [pacdef](https://github.com/steven-omaha/pacdef): written in rust, custom

  file format, unmaintained, supported `pacman`, `apt`, `dnf`, `flatpak`,

  `pip`, `cargo`, `rustup` and `xbps`

- [upt](https://github.com/sigoden/upt/tree/main): written in rust,

  supports 28 package managers! Designed for manual package management

  rather than declarative.



## Credits



This project was forked from  so

credits to the author(s) of that project for all their prior work.