pkgfile

Synchronize pkgfile database

$ sudo pkgfile --update

$ pkgfile [filename]

$ pkgfile --list [package]

$ pkgfile --list --binaries [package]

$ pkgfile --ignorecase [filename]

$ pkgfile --binaries [filename]

$ pkgfile --verbose [filename]

pkgfile [--update] [--list] [--binaries] [--verbose] [--repo repo] target

pkgfile searches for packages in the official Arch Linux repositories that contain a specific file. It maintains its own database of file-to-package mappings for fast lookups.
The tool is commonly used to find which package provides a missing command or file. It can also list all files a package contains, useful for understanding package contents before installation.

-u, --update

Synchronize pkgfile database

List files in package

Only search/list executables

Case-insensitive matching

Show package version

Search specific repository

Database must be synchronized before use. Only searches official repositories, not AUR. Database updates require root privileges. Large database may take time to download initially.

pkgfile was created for Arch Linux to provide fast file-to-package lookups. It offers similar functionality to `pacman -F` but with a dedicated database optimized for this purpose.

pacman(8), pactree(1), pkgstats(1)