11. REPL Mode Reference

This section describes available commands in the Pkg REPL. The Pkg REPL mode is mostly meant for interactive use, and for non-interactive use it is recommended to use the functional API, see API Reference.

package commands

add REPL command
add [--preserve=<opt>] pkg[=uuid] [@version] [#rev] ...

Add package pkg to the current project file. If pkg could refer to multiple different packages, specifying uuid allows you to disambiguate. @version optionally allows specifying which versions of packages to add. Version specifications are of the form @1, @1.2 or @1.2.3, allowing any version with a prefix that matches, or ranges thereof, such as @1.2-3.4.5. A git revision can be specified by #branch or #commit.

If a local path is used as an argument to add, the path needs to be a git repository. The project will then track that git repository just like it would track a remote repository online. If the package is not located at the top of the git repository, a subdirectory can be specified with path:subdir/path.

Pkg resolves the set of packages in your environment using a tiered approach. The --preserve command line option allows you to key into a specific tier in the resolve algorithm. The following table describes the command line arguments to --preserve (in order of strictness).

ArgumentDescription
installedLike all except also only add versions that are already installed
allPreserve the state of all existing dependencies (including recursive dependencies)
directPreserve the state of all existing direct dependencies
semverPreserve semver-compatible versions of direct dependencies
noneDo not attempt to preserve any version information
tiered_installedLike tiered except first try to add only installed versions
tieredUse the tier that will preserve the most version information while
allowing version resolution to succeed (this is the default)

Note: To make the default strategy tiered_installed set the env var JULIA_PKG_PRESERVE_TIERED_INSTALLED to true.

After the installation of new packages the project will be precompiled. For more information see pkg> ?precompile.

With the installed strategy the newly added packages will likely already be precompiled, but if not this may be because either the combination of package versions resolved in this environment has not been resolved and precompiled before, or the precompile cache has been deleted by the LRU cache storage (see JULIA_MAX_NUM_PRECOMPILE_FILES).

Examples

pkg> add Example
pkg> add --preserve=all Example
pkg> add Example@0.5
pkg> add Example#master
pkg> add Example#c37b675
pkg> add https://github.com/JuliaLang/Example.jl#master
pkg> add git@github.com:JuliaLang/Example.jl.git
pkg> add "git@github.com:JuliaLang/Example.jl.git"#master
pkg> add https://github.com/Company/MonoRepo:juliapkgs/Package.jl
pkg> add Example=7876af07-990d-54b4-ab0e-23690620f79a
build REPL command
build [-v|--verbose] pkg[=uuid] ...

Run the build script in deps/build.jl for pkg and all of its dependencies in depth-first recursive order. If no packages are given, run the build scripts for all packages in the manifest. The -v/--verbose option redirects build output to stdout/stderr instead of the build.log file. The startup.jl file is disabled during building unless julia is started with --startup-file=yes.

compat REPL command
compat [pkg] [compat_string]

Edit project [compat] entries directly, or via an interactive menu by not specifying any arguments. When directly editing use tab to complete the package name and any existing compat entry. Specifying a package with a blank compat entry will remove the entry. After changing compat entries a resolve will be attempted to check whether the current environment is compliant with the new compat rules.

develop REPL command
[dev|develop] [--preserve=<opt>] [--shared|--local] pkg[=uuid] ...
[dev|develop] [--preserve=<opt>] path

Make a package available for development. If pkg is an existing local path, that path will be recorded in the manifest and used. Otherwise, a full git clone of pkg is made. The location of the clone is controlled by the --shared (default) and --local arguments. The --shared location defaults to ~/.julia/dev, but can be controlled with the JULIA_PKG_DEVDIR environment variable.

When --local is given, the clone is placed in a dev folder in the current project. This is not supported for paths, only registered packages.

This operation is undone by free.

The preserve strategies offered by add are also available via the preserve argument. See add for more information.

Examples

pkg> develop Example
pkg> develop https://github.com/JuliaLang/Example.jl
pkg> develop ~/mypackages/Example
pkg> develop --local Example
free REPL command
free pkg[=uuid] ...
free [--all]

Free pinned packages, which allows it to be upgraded or downgraded again. If the package is checked out (see help develop) then this command makes the package no longer being checked out. Specifying --all will free all dependencies (direct and indirect).

generate REPL command
generate pkgname

Create a minimal project called pkgname in the current folder. For more featureful package creation, please see PkgTemplates.jl.

pin REPL command
pin pkg[=uuid] ...
pin [--all]

Pin packages to given versions, or the current version if no version is specified. A pinned package has its version fixed and will not be upgraded or downgraded. A pinned package has the symbol next to its version in the status list.. Specifying --all will pin all dependencies (direct and indirect).

Examples

pkg> pin Example
pkg> pin Example@0.5.0
pkg> pin Example=7876af07-990d-54b4-ab0e-23690620f79a@0.5.0
pkg> pin --all
remove REPL command
[rm|remove] [-p|--project] pkg[=uuid] ...
[rm|remove] [-p|--project] [--all]

Remove package pkg from the project file. Since the name pkg can only refer to one package in a project this is unambiguous, but you can specify a uuid anyway, and the command is ignored, with a warning, if package name and UUID do not match. When a package is removed from the project file, it may still remain in the manifest if it is required by some other package in the project. Project mode operation is the default, so passing -p or --project is optional unless it is preceded by the -m or --manifest options at some earlier point. All packages can be removed by passing --all.

[rm|remove] [-m|--manifest] pkg[=uuid] ...
[rm|remove] [-m|--manifest] [--all]

Remove package pkg from the manifest file. If the name pkg refers to multiple packages in the manifest, uuid disambiguates it. Removing a package from the manifest forces the removal of all packages that depend on it, as well as any no-longer-necessary manifest packages due to project package removals. All packages can be removed by passing --all.

test REPL command
test [--coverage] pkg[=uuid] ...

Run the tests for package pkg. This is done by running the file test/runtests.jl in the package directory. The option --coverage can be used to run the tests with coverage enabled. The startup.jl file is disabled during testing unless julia is started with --startup-file=yes.

update REPL command
[up|update] [-p|--project]  [opts] pkg[=uuid] [@version] ...
[up|update] [-m|--manifest] [opts] pkg[=uuid] [@version] ...

opts: --major | --minor | --patch | --fixed
      --preserve=<all/direct/none>

Update pkg within the constraints of the indicated version specifications. These specifications are of the form @1, @1.2 or @1.2.3, allowing any version with a prefix that matches, or ranges thereof, such as @1.2-3.4.5. In --project mode, package specifications only match project packages, while in --manifest mode they match any manifest package. Bound level options force the following packages to be upgraded only within the current major, minor, patch version; if the --fixed upgrade level is given, then the following packages will not be upgraded at all.

After any package updates the project will be precompiled. For more information see pkg> ?precompile.

registry commands

registry add REPL command
registry add reg...

Add package registries reg... to the user depot. Without arguments it adds known registries, i.e. the General registry and registries served by the configured package server.

Examples

pkg> registry add General
pkg> registry add https://www.my-custom-registry.com
pkg> registry add
registry remove REPL command
registry [rm|remove] reg...

Remove package registries reg....

Examples

pkg> registry [rm|remove] General
registry status REPL command
registry [st|status]

Display information about installed registries.

Examples

pkg> registry status
registry update REPL command
registry [up|update]
registry [up|update] reg...

Update package registries reg.... If no registries are specified all registries will be updated.

Examples

pkg> registry up
pkg> registry up General

Other commands

activate REPL command
activate
activate [--shared] path
activate --temp

Activate the environment at the given path, or use the first project found in LOAD_PATH if no path is specified. The active environment is the environment that is modified by executing package commands. When the option --shared is given, path will be assumed to be a directory name and searched for in the environments folders of the depots in the depot stack. In case no such environment exists in any of the depots, it will be placed in the first depot of the stack. Use the --temp option to create temporary environments which are removed when the julia process is exited.

gc REPL command
gc [-v|--verbose] [--all]

Free disk space by garbage collecting packages not used for a significant time. The --all option will garbage collect all packages which can not be immediately reached from any existing project. Use verbose mode for detailed output.

help REPL command
[?|help]

List available commands along with short descriptions.

[?|help] cmd

If cmd is a partial command, display help for all subcommands. If cmd is a full command, display help for cmd.

instantiate REPL command
instantiate [-v|--verbose]
instantiate [-v|--verbose] [-m|--manifest]
instantiate [-v|--verbose] [-p|--project]

Download all the dependencies for the current project at the version given by the project's manifest. If no manifest exists or the --project option is given, resolve and download the dependencies compatible with the project.

After packages have been installed the project will be precompiled. For more information see pkg> ?precompile.

precompile REPL command
precompile
precompile pkgs...

Precompile all or specified dependencies of the project in parallel. The startup.jl file is disabled during precompilation unless julia is started with --startup-file=yes.

Errors will only throw when precompiling the top-level dependencies, given that not all manifest dependencies may be loaded by the top-level dependencies on the given system.

This method is called automatically after any Pkg action that changes the manifest. Any packages that have previously errored during precompilation won't be retried in auto mode until they have changed. To disable automatic precompilation set the environment variable JULIA_PKG_PRECOMPILE_AUTO=0. To manually control the number of tasks used set the environment variable JULIA_NUM_PRECOMPILE_TASKS.

resolve REPL command
resolve

Resolve the project i.e. run package resolution and update the Manifest. This is useful in case the dependencies of developed packages have changed causing the current Manifest to be out of sync.

status REPL command
[st|status] [-d|--diff] [-o|--outdated] [pkgs...]
[st|status] [-d|--diff] [-o|--outdated] [-p|--project] [pkgs...]
[st|status] [-d|--diff] [-o|--outdated] [-m|--manifest] [pkgs...]
[st|status] [-d|--diff] [-e|--extensions] [-p|--project] [pkgs...]
[st|status] [-d|--diff] [-e|--extensions] [-m|--manifest] [pkgs...]
[st|status] [-c|--compat] [pkgs...]

Show the status of the current environment. Packages marked with have new versions that may be installed, e.g. via pkg> up. Those marked with have new versions available, but cannot be installed due to compatibility constraints. To see why use pkg> status --outdated which shows any packages that are not at their latest version and if any packages are holding them back.

Use pkg> status --extensions to show dependencies with extensions and what extension dependencies of those that are currently loaded.

In --project mode (default), the status of the project file is summarized. In --manifest mode the output also includes the recursive dependencies of added packages given in the manifest. If there are any packages listed as arguments the output will be limited to those packages. The --diff option will, if the environment is in a git repository, limit the output to the difference as compared to the last git commit. The --compat option alone shows project compat entries.

Julia 1.8

The and indicators were added in Julia 1.8 The --outdated and --compat options require at least Julia 1.8.