asp

Retrieve Arch Linux package build files

TLDR

Clone a package from the Arch repositories

$ asp checkout [package]

Update all checked out packages

$ asp update

Export PKGBUILD files without full checkout

$ asp export [package]

List repositories containing a package

$ asp list-repos [package]

Show PKGBUILD content for a package

$ asp show [package]

View revision history for a package

$ asp log [package]

List all locally tracked packages

$ asp list-local

SYNOPSIS

asp command [options] [packages]

asp (Arch Build Source Management Tool) manages version-controlled sources for the build scripts used to create Arch Linux packages. It provides a thin wrapper over the svntogit repositories and serves as a replacement for the older abs tool.Unlike downloading PKGBUILDs manually, asp uses a Git-based backend with sparse checkouts, enabling tracking changes, viewing commit history, and updating individual packages efficiently.Common uses include: examining how official packages are built, modifying packages with custom options, backporting patches, and learning PKGBUILD best practices from official examples.

PARAMETERS

checkout package

Create a git repository with full source and history for the given package.

export package

Dump build source files into a directory named after the package in the current directory.

update [packages]

Track new packages or refresh existing ones from remote.

show package [file]

Display PKGBUILD content, or a specific file if given.

log package

Show revision history for a package.

difflog package

Show revision history with file diffs.

shortlog package

Show condensed revision history.

list-repos package

List repositories containing the given package.

list-arches package

List architectures available for the given package.

list-all

List all available packages.

list-local

List all locally tracked packages.

ls-files package

List source files for the given package.

untrack package

Remove remote tracking branch from local repository.

disk-usage

Report approximate disk usage for locally tracked packages.

Perform housekeeping to optimize and compact the local repo.

set-git-protocol protocol

Set communication protocol (git, http, or https).

-a arch

Use a non-default architecture.

-h

Display help text.

-V

Show version information.

CAVEATS

asp only provides build files from official Arch repositories, not the AUR. The checked-out files require makepkg to actually build packages. Requires Git to be installed for the underlying VCS operations. Package metadata is stored in $ASPROOT (defaults to $XDG_CACHE_HOME/asp or ~/.cache/asp).

HISTORY

The asp tool was created to replace the older abs (Arch Build System) tool, which downloaded a complete copy of all PKGBUILDs. Introduced around 2015, asp uses Git to provide more efficient, incremental access to individual packages. It became the recommended method for obtaining official PKGBUILDs as the Arch package repositories moved to Git-based workflows.

asp