Inspect Packages

The query command shows everything a repository says about a package, so you can check it before installing and confirm what you got afterward.

Query Command

The query command provides detailed metadata about packages, including versions, sizes, dependencies, and repository information.

Basic Usage

# Query a package by name
soar query <package>

# Using the short alias
soar Q <package>

How Query Works

The query command searches for packages and displays detailed information in a formatted table. It checks:

• Package name
• Family and package id, where the repository publishes them
• Version numbers
• Repository sources

Examples

$ soar query bat

✓ Name            bat#cat:soarpkgs
✓ Description     A cat(1) clone with wings
✓ Version         0.24.0
✓ Size            1.8 MB
✓ Checksum        abc123... (blake3)
✓ Type            binary

Query Output Format

The query command displays the following information.

Field	Description
Name	Package name in format family/name:repo, with the family omitted when the repository publishes none
Description	Human-readable package description
Version	Current package version
Size	Download size (formatted for readability)
Checksum	BLAKE3 checksum for download verification
Homepages	Official project websites
Licenses	Package license information
Maintainers	Package maintainer contact information
Notes	Additional installation or usage notes
Type	Package type (appimage, flatimage, archive, etc.)
Build CI	Build action and build ID
Build Date	When the package was built
GHCR Blob	GitHub Container Registry blob URL (if available)
Download URL	Direct download URL (shown if GHCR Blob not available)
GHCR Package	Full GHCR package URL
Index	Package index page URL

Optional fields

Some fields are optional and may not appear if they are not available for the package. The download information shows either GHCR Blob or Download URL depending on the package source.

Use Cases

• Before installation: verify package details before installing.
• Version comparison: check what versions are available.
• Repository verification: confirm which repository provides a package.
• Size planning: check package size for disk space planning.

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Package Query Syntax

The query command accepts a flexible package query syntax.

Query Formats

# By name only
soar query bat

# By package ID (includes version variants)
soar query python@3.12

# By specific version
soar query "ripgrep@14.0"

# By repository (using colon syntax)
soar query bat:soarpkgs

Query Components

Component	Format	Example	Description
Name	package	bat	Package name
Package ID	package@version	python@3.12	Specific variant
Version	package@version	ripgrep@14.0	Exact version
Repository	package:repo	bat:soarpkgs	Source repository

Interactive Selection

When multiple packages match your query, Soar prompts for selection.

$ soar query python

Multiple packages found. Select one:
  1) python@3.12 (soarpkgs) - Python 3.12.1
  2) python@3.11 (soarpkgs) - Python 3.11.8
  3) python@3.10 (soarpkgs) - Python 3.10.13

Enter selection [1-3]: 1

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Common Workflows

Pre-installation investigation

soar query bat
soar info | grep bat

Debugging failed installations

soar query python@3.12
soar install python@3.12 -vv

Comparing package versions

soar query "ripgrep@13.0"
soar query "ripgrep@14.0"

Tips

• Use soar query before installing to verify package details.
• Run an install with -vv to see each step when something fails.

Troubleshooting

Query returns multiple matches

Use a more specific query such as soar query python@3.12, or specify a repository with soar query python:soarpkgs.

For more help, see Health Check.

See Also

• Search Packages
• Install Packages
• Remove Packages