emaint

Synchronize repositories that are set to auto-sync (default for most repositories)

$ sudo emaint sync [[-a|--auto]]

$ sudo emaint sync [[-r|--repo]] [repository]

$ sudo emaint sync [[-A|--allrepos]]

$ sudo emaint cleanresume [[-f|--fix]]

$ sudo emaint logs [[-C|--clean]]

emaint [options] <subcommand> [args]

-h, --help
    Display help message and exit

--version
    Show emaint version information

-q, --quiet
    Reduce output verbosity

-v, --verbose
    Increase output verbosity

--debug
    Enable debug output

checkblocks [--fix] [--verbose]
    Check and optionally fix blocked packages in vdb

checknews [--cron] [--quiet] [--notify]
    Check for unread news items

cleanset [setname [atom ...]]
    Clean package set by removing uninstalled atoms

distclean
    Clean distfiles directory

gennewsxml
    Generate XML for news items

listnews [--quiet] [--category category] [--scope scope]
    List available news items

sync [--auto]
    Sync metadata cache (vdb)

world [scan | diff | merge] [--backtrack=1] [--quiet]
    Maintain @world set for USE changes

emaint is a command-line tool in Gentoo Linux's Portage package management system, designed for routine maintenance tasks. It ensures the package database (vdb), world sets, and metadata caches remain consistent and up-to-date, preventing issues during package builds and updates.

Primary uses include syncing the volatile database cache with emaint sync, which is faster than full emerge --sync; managing the @world set via emaint world to detect USE flag changes and update package lists; handling Gentoo developer news with checknews or listnews; cleaning package sets with cleanset to remove uninstalled entries; and resolving blocked packages using checkblocks --fix.

emaint is lightweight and ideal for cron jobs, supporting automation with --auto or -a flags. It reduces manual intervention, improves emerge reliability, and keeps systems current with news items that may require action before upgrades. Global options control verbosity and output.

Gentoo-specific; some subcommands (e.g., world, sync) require write access to /var/db/pkg or root. Use --auto cautiously in cron to avoid conflicts with manual emerges.

emaint sync -a # Auto-sync vdb cache
emaint world -a # Auto-update world set
emaint checknews -q # Quiet news check

Typical cron: 0 2 * * 0 /usr/bin/emaint sync -a >/dev/null
Run daily/weekly for maintenance.

Introduced in Portage 2.1.5 (2008) to consolidate maintenance scripts. Evolved in Portage 2.2+ with enhanced world scanning and news handling; now integral for automated Gentoo setups.

emerge(1), equery(1), portage(5)