paccapability

List all available capabilities

$ paccapability

$ paccapability [nls|downloader|signatures]

$ paccapability --help

$ paccapability --version

paccapability [-h|-l|-Q|-q|-V] [capability]

-h, --help
    Display help and exit

-l, --list
    List all known capabilities from databases

-Q, --localdb
    Query only the local package database

-q, --quiet
    Minimal output; suppress headers

-V, --version
    Display version information

paccapability is a command-line utility for Arch Linux and derivatives that identifies which package(s) provide a specific capability, typically a file path, library, or executable. It queries both local and remote pacman databases to find providers without needing the package installed.

Useful when troubleshooting missing files, dependency issues, or determining package ownership post-installation. By default, it searches sync (remote) repositories. For example, running paccapability /usr/bin/ls reveals the package supplying that binary.

It supports listing all tracked capabilities with -l and querying only the local db with -Q. Output is concise, showing package names and versions. Requires network access for remote queries and works alongside pacman for comprehensive package management.

Part of pacman-contrib, it complements tools like pkgfile but focuses on pacman-specific data.

Requires pacman-contrib package; remote queries need internet and configured repos. Capabilities are file-centric; non-file queries may fail. Local db queries only match installed packages.

paccapability /usr/bin/git → Finds git package.
paccapability -l | grep lib → Lists library capabilities.
paccapability -Q /etc/passwd → Checks local db.

Introduced in pacman-contrib 1.1.0 (2019) for Arch Linux to streamline file-to-package lookups, evolving from community scripts. Maintained alongside pacman core.

pacman(8), pkgfile(1), pactree(1)