pklocalauthority

pklocalauthority

--help
    Displays help text and exits.

The pklocalauthority command is a command-line tool used to inspect and manage the configuration of PolicyKit (polkit) local authorizations. Polkit is a system component that manages privileges for non-privileged applications. pklocalauthority allows administrators and system integrators to review and modify the local authorization settings which control how polkit handles requests for elevated privileges. It can be used to determine what actions are allowed or denied by default for specific users or groups, and to customize these authorizations based on the local system's requirements. Specifically, it's used to check the status of rules that control who can perform privileged operations without needing authentication or by providing authentication.

pklocalauthority is primarily used for debugging and system configuration. Direct manipulation of the underlying files is generally discouraged, as it can lead to inconsistencies. Understanding the structure of polkit authorization rules is essential for using this command effectively.

While pklocalauthority doesn't take many specific arguments beyond --help, it is commonly used in conjunction with other tools to examine the files and directories that control Polkit's authorization behavior.

For example, you might use it in conjunction with ls, cat or grep to identify and review Polkit configuration files.

The typical location of Polkit configuration files is /etc/polkit-1/localauthority. To find all the files, you could use: ls -R /etc/polkit-1/localauthority and then review their contents using cat.

pkcheck(1), pkaction(1), polkit(8)