DPKG-PRECONFIGURE(8)

📦
version 1.5.92 · 9 versions
, in ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

💖 NAME 💖

dpkg-preconfigure — the lil helper that lets packages ask you questions before they even get installed 🎀

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

dpkg-preconfigure [options] package.deb

dpkg-preconfigure --apt

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

okay so bestie, here's the vibe: dpkg-preconfigure lets packages ask questions before they're installed. wild, right? 🦋

It operates on a set of debian packages, and every package that uses debconf will have its config script run, so it can peek at the system and ask you stuff. It's giving ✨pre-flight check✨ but for questions. 💅

🔥 OPTIONS 🔥

  • -ftype, --frontend=type — pick which frontend to use. choose your fighter 💖
  • -pvalue, --priority=value — sets the lowest priority of questions you actually care about. any question with a priority below the one you picked gets ignored, and its default answers get used instead. so lowkey you're saying "don't bother me with anything under this" 🙈
  • --terse — turns on terse output mode. ngl this only affects some frontends, so don't come for me if your fave frontend is unbothered 💀
  • --apt — run in apt mode. it expects to read a set of package filenames from stdin instead of getting them as parameters. typically this is used to make apt run dpkg-preconfigure on all packages before they get installed. 🫶

to do that, add something like this to /etc/apt/apt.conf:

// Pre-configure all packages before
// they are installed.
DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs {
       "dpkg-preconfigure --apt --priority=low";
};
  • -h, --help — display usage help. the classic. the icon. 👑

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

debconf(7) — go read it, iykyk 💜

🧚 AUTHOR 🧚

Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org> — thank you for your service, king 🎀

this has been your girl, signing off — Debconf manual, version dated 2026-02-16, from the DPKG-PRECONFIGURE(8) page. slay, stay configured, and may your priorities always be exactly right ✨💅🌸
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