SBUILD-CHECKPACKAGES(1)

📦
version 0.89.3 · 10 versions
, in debian trixie

💅 SBUILD-CHECKPACKAGES 💅

okay so real talk, bestie — this is the SBUILD-CHECKPACKAGES(1) page from the Debian sbuild manual, and it's genuinely one of the most underrated little tools in the whole chroot game. no cap. let's get into it 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

sbuild-checkpackages — it checks the package list in an sbuild chroot against a reference list. that's it. that's the whole vibe. 🦋

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

sbuild-checkpackages [-h|--help | -V|--version  | -l|--list | -s|--set]
CHROOT

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so what this icon actually does is compare the package list inside an sbuild chroot — that's the dpkg status file, iykyk — against a reference list of packages. then it shows you the differences between the two lists, which is basically the tea: what you'd need to remove and what you'd need to install to make the chroot match the reference list again. slay. 💅

the reference list can be set from the dpkg status file, and honestly you have to do that first, because otherwise you have no baseline to compare against. it's giving "you can't diff nothing, bestie." 😭

and here's the lowkey important part: the chroot should only include essential and build-essential packages, plus the extra packages that sbuild needs — like fakeroot. don't be stuffing random stuff in there, that's not the vibe. 🙈

⭐ OPTIONS ⭐

🎀 Actions 🎀

  • -h, --help — displays this manual. hi bestie, you found it 🫶
  • -V, --version — prints version information. flex the number ✨
  • -l, --list — lists the differences between the installed packages and the reference file. this is the main character option fr fr 🔥
  • -s, --set — sets the reference file from the currently installed package list. do this first or you're just floating with no baseline 💀

🦋 Chroot selection 🦋

  • CHROOT — the chroot to use. and here's the cute part: the letters o, s, t, u and e can be used as abbreviations for oldstable, stable, testing, unstable and experimental, respectively. single-letter shortcuts, we love efficiency 👑

🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

want to set the reference file in the unstable chroot? periodt:

% sbuild-checkpackages unstable --set

want to see the differences in the unstable chroot? go off:

% sbuild-checkpackages unstable --list

👑 AUTHORS 👑

Roger Leigh. respect the legend 🫡

Copyright © 2006–2008 Roger Leigh <rleigh@debian.org>.

💀 SEE ALSO 💀

sbuild(1) — go read the big one, it's the parent fr fr 🧚

reminder bestie: set your reference list first. if you don't, there's no baseline, and a comparison with no baseline is just ✨vibes✨ and not actual information. 😭

okay that's the whole page, no gatekeeping. this was Version 0.89.3+deb13u4, dated 28 December 2025 — go forth and keep your chroots immaculate. 💅✨🎀

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