snap changes
(not 'snap refresh changes') will list the recent installs, refreshes, and removals. "Recent" means same session of snapd.
Here's an example showing a removal, refresh, and install actions today:
# snapd refreshed and restarted earlier
$ snap changes # today so older data is lost
ID Status Spawn Ready Summary
272 Done today at 10:05 CDT today at 10:05 CDT Auto-refresh snap "rpi-imager"
273 Done today at 14:13 CDT today at 14:13 CDT Remove "rpi-imager" snap
274 Done today at 14:16 CDT today at 14:17 CDT Refresh snap "snapd"
275 Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Install "rpi-imager" snap
Note the ID number. If we want additional verbosity, we can use that number:
$ sudo snap change 271 # You cannot use the ID Number to see older changes
error: cannot find change with id "271"
$ sudo snap change 275
Status Spawn Ready Summary
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Ensure prerequisites for "rpi-imager" are available
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Download snap "rpi-imager" (465) from channel "stable"
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Fetch and check assertions for snap "rpi-imager" (465)
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Mount snap "rpi-imager" (465)
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Copy snap "rpi-imager" data
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Setup snap "rpi-imager" (465) security profiles
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Make snap "rpi-imager" (465) available to the system
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Automatically connect eligible plugs and slots of snap "rpi-imager"
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Set automatic aliases for snap "rpi-imager"
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Setup snap "rpi-imager" aliases
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Run install hook of "rpi-imager" snap if present
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Run default-configure hook of "rpi-imager" snap if present
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Start snap "rpi-imager" (465) services
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Run configure hook of "rpi-imager" snap if present
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Run health check of "rpi-imager" snap
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:udisks2 to snapd:udisks2
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:gsettings to snapd:gsettings
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:gtk-3-themes to gtk-common-themes:gtk-3-themes
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:hardware-observe to snapd:hardware-observe
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:home to snapd:home
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:icon-themes to gtk-common-themes:icon-themes
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:sound-themes to gtk-common-themes:sound-themes
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:wayland to snapd:wayland
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:x11 to snapd:x11
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:desktop to snapd:desktop
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:desktop-legacy to snapd:desktop-legacy
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:opengl to snapd:opengl
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:mount-observe to snapd:mount-observe
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:network to snapd:network
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Connect rpi-imager:removable-media to snapd:removable-media
Done today at 14:23 CDT today at 14:23 CDT Setup snap "rpi-imager" (465) security profiles for auto-connections
Install, refresh, and removal information is currently available only from snapd. It's not logged in either journal or syslog. However, the inverse is true when refreshes AREN'T available: snap changes
is silent, but the check is logged.
$ journalctl --unit=snapd --lines=1
Aug 22 14:24:25 my-system snapd[338944]: storehelpers.go:773: cannot refresh: snap has no updates available: "bare", "core", "core20", "core22", "cups", "discord", "firefox", "gnome-3-38-2004", "gnome-42-2204", "gtk-common-themes", "gtk2-common-themes", "hunspell-dictionaries-1-7-2004", "inkscape", "lxd", "rpi-imager", "snapd", "snapd-desktop-integration", "thunderbird"
$ grep snapd /var/log/syslog | tail -n1
2023-08-22T14:24:25.365238-05:00 my-system snapd[338944]: storehelpers.go:773: cannot refresh: snap has no updates available: "bare", "core", "core20", "core22", "cups", "discord", "firefox", "gnome-3-38-2004", "gnome-42-2204", "gtk-common-themes", "gtk2-common-themes", "hunspell-dictionaries-1-7-2004", "inkscape", "lxd", "rpi-imager", "snapd", "snapd-desktop-integration", "thunderbird"