modprobed_db(8)

📦
version 2.51 · 2 versions
, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 modprobed_db(8): the manual, but bestie edition 💅

okay so this is the manual page for modprobed_db(8), and we are gonna make it make sense. no cap, it’s actually a super useful little utility. let’s go 💖

🌸 NAME 🌸

Modprobed-db — Store every unique module probed on the system. ✨

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

modprobed-db [options]

🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

Modprobed-db is a useful utility for users wishing to build a minimal kernel via a make localmodconfig step. In a nutshell, make localmodconfig creates a config based on the current config and from a list of modules you define (that modprobed-db keeps for you). It then disables any module option that is not needed, thus not building hundreds/potentially thousands of extraneous modules. This results in a system-specific, streamlined kernel package and footprint as well as reduced compilation times. iconic behavior, honestly 🔥

Modprobed-db simply logs every module ever probed on the target system to a text-based database ($XDG_DATA_HOME/modprobed-db/modprobed.db) which can be read directly by make localmodconfig as described above. it’s giving “personalized kernel notes” and i’m obsessed 💅

Both files follow the XDG base directory specification:

  • config lives in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/modprobed-db/modprobed-db.conf (~/.config/modprobed-db/modprobed-db.conf)
  • database live in $XDG_DATA_HOME/modprobed-db/modprobed.db (~/.local/share/modprobed-db/modprobed.db).

💜 OPTIONS 💜

  • list — Display to stdout the contents of the user database defined in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/modprobed-db/modprobed-db.conf. little database reveal moment ✨
  • store — Take a snapshot of currently loaded modules and log them to the database file. Note that this operation collects a cumulative list of all modules probed and only logs ones that modprobed-db has not seen before. so it’s not re-logging the same old stuff, she’s efficient 💅
  • storesilent — Same as store but less verbose. quiet queen behavior 🤫
  • debug — Print the difference between currently loaded modules (/proc/modules) and the user database. detective mode activated 🔍
  • recall — Call modprobe for every module contained in the database. remind the system who they are 💖
  • rebuild — Rebuild the database to remove stale module entries. The current database is loaded via modprobe (warnings are suppressed if any are present) and then a new database is generated based on what loaded successfully. The old database is backed-up. glow-up for your database 🦋

🌈 SETUP AND BASIC USAGE 🌈

  1. Edit $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/modprobed-db/modprobed-db.conf to define modules to ignore in the IGNORE array. For example, modules that are not provided by the Linux kernel package and are provided by an external package. The examples provided are a few suggestions specific to Arch Linux. bestie, customize that array 🎀
  2. Optionally automate calling the script to run at some regular interval.

Users of systemd may use the included user service that will run modprobed-db in store mode once every six hours, at boot, and on shutdown. Invoke it like so:

systemctl --user enable modprobed-db
systemctl --user start modprobed-db

Status of the service and of the timer can be queried like so:

systemctl --user status modprobed-db
systemctl --user list-timers

Cron users can add an entry to their respective crontab:

For example, once every six hours:
0 */6 * * *     /usr/bin/modprobed-db store &> /dev/null
  1. When building a kernel, simply set the LSMOD variable to the database ($XDG_DATA_HOME/modprobed-db/modprobed.db) in the make step:
make LSMOD=$HOME/.local/share/modprobed-db/modprobed.db localmodconfig

this is the main character moment of the whole process, fr fr 👑

⭐ TIPS ⭐

  • As upstream kernel code changes, new modules become available or are removed. It is recommended to boot into a distro default kernel and invoke modprobed-db in store mode to capture any new modules that have become available on new major kernel releases. keep up with the kernel lore 🫶
  • When modprobed-db is run in recall mode, modprobe may throw a warning like, "modprobe: WARNING: Module foo not found in directory /lib/modules/kernel-name." To clean (refresh) the database, run modprobed-db in rebuild mode to clean the database. not a crisis, just a little database refresh moment 🧚

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

modprobe(8)

💀 BUGS 💀

No known bugs. we love a clean bill of health 💖

🍓 AUTHOR 🍓

graysky (graysky AT proton DOT me)

that’s the whole vibe, bestie 🫶 this page is from modprobed_db(8), dated 29 August 2026. go forth and keep that module database iconic ✨💅🔥

📦 where this page comes from