paclock

Lock the database

$ sudo paclock

$ paclock --print

$ sudo paclock --unlock

$ paclock --help

paclock [options]

paclock manages the libalpm database lock file used by pacman to prevent simultaneous package management operations. It allows manually locking or unlocking the database, which is useful for scripts that need exclusive database access or for recovering from stale locks.
The lock file prevents multiple pacman processes from modifying the package database concurrently, which could cause corruption. Normally pacman handles locking automatically, but paclock provides direct control when needed.

--unlock

Remove the database lock instead of creating it

Print lock file path without taking any action

Run command with the database locked, then unlock

Use alternate pacman configuration file

Use alternate database path

Use alternate installation root

Display help information

Display version information

Requires root privileges to modify the lock file. Manually unlocking while pacman is running can cause database corruption. Use with caution; prefer letting pacman manage locks automatically unless troubleshooting specific issues.

Part of pacutils, a collection of utilities for pacman by Andrew Gregory. Provides explicit lock management for advanced use cases and recovery from stale lock files left by crashed pacman processes.

pacman(8), pactrans(8), flock(1)