pkcheck
Check PolicyKit authorization for actions
TLDR
Check authorization
$ pkcheck --action-id [org.freedesktop.action] --process [pid]
Check with user$ pkcheck --action-id [action] --user [username]
Allow user interaction$ pkcheck --action-id [action] --process [pid] --allow-user-interaction
SYNOPSIS
pkcheck [options]
DESCRIPTION
pkcheck queries the polkit daemon to determine whether a specific process, user, or D-Bus connection is authorized to perform a given action. It is the standard programmatic entry point for non-graphical authorization checks.
PARAMETERS
-a, --action-id ACTION
The polkit action identifier to authorize against (e.g., org.freedesktop.systemd1.manage-units).-p, --process PID[,START-TIME,UID]
Authorize the named process. Supplying start-time and uid closes a TOCTOU window where a PID can be reused.-u, --user USER
Authorize as a specific user (only callable by root).-s, --system-bus-name NAME
Authorize the D-Bus connection identified by NAME.--allow-user-interaction
Permit polkit to prompt the user via the registered authentication agent.--enable-internal-agent
Use a built-in text-mode agent when no graphical agent is registered (useful in TTY scripts).--detail KEY VALUE
Pass extra detail key/value pairs to the polkit policy (used by some action rules).--help
Display help.
EXIT STATUS
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | Authorization granted. |
| 1 | Not authorized. |
| 2 | Help shown / invocation error. |
| 3 | Authentication is required but --allow-user-interaction was not given. |
INSTALL
sudo apt install polkitd
sudo apk add polkit-common
CAVEATS
Part of PolicyKit. Requires polkitd running.
HISTORY
pkcheck is part of PolicyKit for checking authorization policies.
