PKGBUILD reference

A PKGBUILD is a shell script that makepkg executes to produce a package. It contains metadata variables, integrity arrays, and up to four functions. This page is the complete reference for the format; the example packages page shows four fully worked PKGBUILDs and the command reference covers the tools around them.

Required variables

Optional metadata variables

Dependency variables

Declare what the software actually uses, no more and no less. Virtual dependencies are expressed with the provides array of the supplying package, not by guessing names.

Relationship variables

Source and integrity variables

Sources that need a different local filename use the name::url renaming syntax, which also pins a stable name when upstream archives lack version numbers:

source=(
  "${pkgname}-${pkgver}.tar.gz::https://github.com/parchlinux/example/archive/refs/tags/v${pkgver}.tar.gz"
  "example.desktop::assets/example.desktop.in"
  "fix-build.patch"
)

Integrity arrays

Use sha256sums as the default. Use b2sums where a stronger digest is wanted. SKIP is only valid for VCS sources such as git+https://..., where the git object itself is the integrity guarantee. Never append checksums: replace them with updpkgsums, or print them with makepkg -g and edit them into the file.

$ updpkgsums                 # rewrites the integrity arrays in place
$ makepkg -g                 # prints them, for review or manual editing

The four functions

Both srcdir/ (extracted sources) and pkgdir/ (the package root) are available in all four. package() must never touch the host system: it only writes under pkgdir, usually with install (-Dm755, -Dm644, -Dt) rather than cp.

Complete example: a Rust CLI

A small command-line application built from source with cargo. The values are illustrative for the packaging shape, checksums must always be generated from the real sources with updpkgsums.

# Maintainer: Parch Developers <contact@parchlinux.com>
# Contributor: Your Name <you@example.com>

pkgname=example-todo
pkgver=1.4.2
pkgrel=1
pkgdesc="Command-line todo manager for the terminal"
arch=('x86_64')
url="https://github.com/parchlinux/example-todo"
license=('MIT')
depends=('glibc' 'gcc-libs')
makedepends=('cargo')
checkdepends=()
source=("${pkgname}-${pkgver}.tar.gz::https://github.com/parchlinux/example-todo/archive/refs/tags/v${pkgver}.tar.gz")
sha256sums=('0f3c9a2b4e6d1a8c7f5e0b3d9a4c8e2f6b1d7a5c9e3f8b2d6a4c1e7f3b9d5a2c')

prepare() {
  cd "${pkgname}-${pkgver}"
  export RUSTUP_TOOLCHAIN=stable
  cargo fetch --locked --target "$(rustc -vV | sed -n 's/host: //p')"
}

build() {
  cd "${pkgname}-${pkgver}"
  export RUSTUP_TOOLCHAIN=stable
  export CARGO_TARGET_DIR=target
  cargo build --frozen --release --all-features
}

check() {
  cd "${pkgname}-${pkgver}"
  export RUSTUP_TOOLCHAIN=stable
  cargo test --frozen --all-features
}

package() {
  cd "${pkgname}-${pkgver}"
  install -Dm755 -t "${pkgdir}/usr/bin" "target/release/${pkgname#example-}"
  install -Dm644 README.md -t "${pkgdir}/usr/share/doc/${pkgname}/README.md"
  install -Dm644 LICENSE -t "${pkgdir}/usr/share/licenses/${pkgname}/LICENSE"
}

Validation

From the package directory, as an unprivileged user:

$ bash -n PKGBUILD                                  # shell syntax check
$ makepkg --printsrcinfo > .SRCINFO                 # metadata must generate cleanly
$ namcap PKGBUILD                                   # policy lint

namcap output uses W: for warnings and E: for errors. Fix errors, evaluate each warning, and repeat after the build with the package file itself. The full pre-submission sequence is on the testing and validation page.

Related pages

• Building packages: makepkg flags, chroot builds, signing.
• Example packages: four complete PKGBUILDs to copy from.
• Submission: what to send and where.