Neoarch Wiki

Status: Beta

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CLI reference

CLI Reference

Every neo command at a glance. neo and neoarch-cli are the same command; every command accepts --json, -y/--yes, and --no-confirm.

Global flags

Flag	Meaning
`--json`	Emit machine-readable JSON for scripting
`-y, --yes`	Assume yes for confirmation prompts
`--no-confirm`	Non-interactive run using safe defaults
`--version`	Print the NeoArch version

Output adapts to terminal width (tables on wide terminals, compact lists on small ones) and colors turn off with NO_COLOR=1.

Search & install

neo search cmatrix                    # indexed results + source badges
neo search code --aur -l 5            # AUR-only search, 5 results
neo search foo --pacman               # official repos only
neo search foo --flatpak              # Flatpak only
neo search foo --npm                  # npm only
neo install 3                         # install result #3 from last search
neo install yay                       # auto-fallback repo → AUR
neo install --aur yay-bin             # force AUR
neo install --flatpak spotify         # force a Flatpak
neo install https://host/app.pkg.tar.zst   # install from URL
neo install-url https://host/app.pkg.tar.zst
neo remove firefox -c                 # remove + cascade unneeded deps
neo downgrade firefox -l              # list cached versions
neo downgrade firefox -p              # downgrade + pin to IgnorePkg
neo build yay --check --install       # AUR build (chroot/check/commit)
neo aur-build ./path                  # build an AUR PKGBUILD (scan-gated)

Updates & upgrades

neo upgrade                           # full system upgrade
neo upgrade --aur                     # AUR packages only
neo upgrade --flatpak                  # Flatpak only
neo upgrade --npm                      # npm only
neo updates                           # list available updates (alias: list-updates)
neo update firefox                    # update specific packages
neo list -e                           # explicitly installed packages
neo list -m                           # foreign (AUR) packages

Marks, ignores & keys

neo hold list                         # show IgnorePkg / HoldPkg
neo hold linux                        # hold (alias: neo marks hold)
neo hold reason firefox explicit      # set install reason (explicit/dependency)
neo hold unhold linux
neo ignore -a linux-lts               # add to ignore list
neo ignore -l                         # list ignored packages
neo keys list                         # trusted pacman keys
neo keys init                         # initialize keyring
neo keys populate                     # official Arch keyrings
neo keys refresh                      # refresh from keyserver
neo keys sign KEYID                   # locally sign a key

Hygiene & safety

neo clean orphans                     # remove orphaned packages
neo clean cache --keep 2              # trim package cache (paccache)
neo clean corrupt                     # find corrupted archives
neo clean flatpak                     # remove unused Flatpak runtimes
neo clean merge /etc/x.pacnew --accept   # three-way .pacnew merge
neo backup                            # create a backup (default)
neo backup -l                         # list backups
neo backup -r /path/to/backup         # restore from a backup
neo doctor                            # system health check
neo scan ./PKGBUILD                   # static security scan (see Security scanner)

System & automation

neo reboot --check --json             # is a reboot recommended?
neo parallel                          # show ParallelDownloads
neo parallel 10                       # set it (root)
neo schedule                          # show weekly schedule (default)
neo schedule set --days 1,3,5 --time 05:30 --enable
neo recommend -n 5                    # curated recommendations
neo news -l 5                         # latest Arch news
neo news --mark-read                  # read + mark as read
neo appimage list                     # managed AppImages
neo appimage add ./Some.AppImage      # add a local file
neo appimage add-repo Code ossia/score
neo appimage check --json             # check for updates
neo appimage update                   # update all managed apps
neo config get theme                  # read a config key
neo config set theme dark             # write a config key
neo purge                             # remove unused dependencies
neo marks list                        # package hold/mark bookkeeping
neo restart                           # restart-related helpers

Worked example

$ neo search cmatrix
 [1] cmatrix         [pacman]  A curses-based scrolling 'Matrix'-like screen
 [2] libcmatrix      [pacman]  Matrix client library written in GObject
 [3] cmatrix-git     [aur]     A curses-based scrolling 'Matrix'-like screen
 Tip: neo install <number> installs that result

$ neo install 3
[neoarch] selected [3] cmatrix-git  [aur]
  → cmatrix-git  [aur]
Install cmatrix-git? [y/N]

Good to know

Commands run against the same backends as the GUI, so behavior always matches the app.
Removed a safety desired? neo scan runs automatically before AUR builds/installs — you can invoke it manually on any PKGBUILD.
For per-page workflows, each wiki page links its matching CLI commands.