borg-with-lock(1)

💅 borg-with-lock(1) — the borg backup tool's most "hold my hand while I do crimes" moment

okay bestie, so this is borg-with-lock(1), and honestly? it's giving bodyguard energy. you tell borg "hey hold this lock for me" and it just... does it, while your command runs. iconic. periodt. 🫶

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✨ Name ✨

borg-with-lock — run a user specified command with the repository lock held

like, the whole personality of this command is "I will guard the door while you do your thing." no cap. 🚪🔒

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

borg [common options] with-lock [options] REPOSITORY COMMAND [ARGS...]

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so this command literally runs a user-specified command while locking the repository. that's it. that's the vibe. here's an example, and yes it's the real one:

$ borg with-lock /mnt/borgrepo rsync -av /mnt/borgrepo /somewhere/else/borgrepo

the way that it works: first it tries to acquire the lock (aka it makes sure no other operation is running in the repository 👀), then it executes the given command as a subprocess and waits for its termination, releases the lock, and returns the user command's return code as Borg's return code. slay. ✨

Note (important, bestie, don't skip this one 😭): if you copy a repository with the lock held, the lock will be present in the copy. so before using Borg on the copy from a different host, you need to use borg break-lock on the copied repository — because Borg is cautious and does not automatically remove stale locks made by a different host. it's not being shady, it's just careful. 🎀

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👑 OPTIONS 👑

See borg-common(1) for common options of Borg commands.

🍓 arguments

• REPOSITORY — repository to lock 🔒 (the thing we're guarding, the main character's house)
• COMMAND — command to run 🏃♀️ (the thing it's guarding for)
• ARGS — command arguments 📋 (all the little extra bits your command needs)

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• borg-common(1)

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🦋 Author 🦋

The Borg Collective 💜

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and that's the whole page, bestie! you understood it, you ate, no crumbs left. this was page borg-with-lock(1) from the borg backup tool, dated 2026-07-18 — go forth and lock responsibly, mwah 💅✨🎀