Score:11

Ubuntu

How to install a package via `apt-get` without flagging it as manually installed

Albert

4/27/23, 9:54 AM

I want to install some package (apt-get install XXX) but I don't want that it will be added to the list of manually installed packages (apt-mark showmanual). How?

In Gentoo, the corresponding flag for emerge is --oneshot, which says to not add it to the world file (which corresponds to the list of manually installed packages).

One use case is that I want to write some scripts which would automatically install or reinstall some packages via apt-get install in order to fix up some messed up system, but I do not want to mark those packages as manually installed.

I imagine there are other use cases as well. As emerge also has such flag, I wondered if there is a similar flag for apt-get install.

Maybe the answer is simply no, and I have to manually mark it as auto (apt-mark auto XXX) afterwards.

716

0 + 0

apt

Score:9

Ubuntu

Archisman Panigrahi

4/27/23, 11:38 AM

You can add it to the list of automatically installed packages once again.

sudo apt install package
sudo apt-mark auto package

0 + 0

N0rbert

4/27/23, 12:58 PM

This is good, but will not allow user to determine which package were installed on top of initially installed system. So it will not allow tools like mine https://github.com/N0rbert/srslsud to operate in save-restore manner.

Archisman Panigrahi

4/27/23, 1:00 PM

@N0rbert Is there an alternative?

N0rbert

4/27/23, 1:01 PM

For me it sounds like XY-problem. There are no alternatives, the question is questionable as for me. Command reference is at https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch02.en.html#_basic_package_management_operations_with_the_commandline .

Archisman Panigrahi

4/27/23, 1:05 PM

@N0rbert May not be an XY problem. I can give an similar example from my use case. Sometimes I install a lot of dependencies to compile software. I may not need those dependencies afterwards, and sometimes, it is a hassle to remove them one by one.

N0rbert

4/27/23, 1:06 PM

Good point, I agree about `*-dev` packages.

Albert

4/27/23, 2:14 PM

@N0rbert Also, e.g on Gentoo, `emerge` has the `--oneshot` flag for this purpose.

Austin Hemmelgarn

4/28/23, 2:27 AM

@N0rbert Another example for why you would want to do this (based on personal experience): Package A is a weak dependency of package B (`Recommends` or more likely `Suggests` in Debian packaging parlance) that was not installed at the time package B was installed, and you want to add package A but want it to be properly handled as a dependency of package B (for example, if you manually remove package B, package A should be removed).

N0rbert

4/28/23, 7:32 AM

@AustinHemmelgarn ok, I know about this problem. So really, not an XY-problem.

Elon Musk

I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

EN: How to install a package via `apt-get` without flagging it as manually installed

TH: วิธีติดตั้งแพ็คเกจผ่าน `apt-get` โดยไม่ตั้งค่าสถานะเป็นติดตั้งด้วยตนเอง

RO: Cum se instalează un pachet prin `apt-get` fără a-l marca ca instalat manual

RU: Как установить пакет через `apt-get`, не помечая его как установленный вручную

VI: Cách cài đặt gói qua `apt-get` mà không gắn cờ gói đó là cài đặt thủ công

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