b40787ffc5
Trigger container publishing via workflow_run on "Mark stable commit", gate on success, checkout the workflow_run head SHA, force-refresh tags, and derive version from the v* tag pointing at the tested commit to correctly detect and publish stable images. https://chatgpt.com/share/693c836b-0b00-800f-9536-9e273abd0fb5
Package Manager 🤖📦
Kevin's Package Manager (PKGMGR) is a multi-distro package manager and workflow orchestrator. It helps you develop, package, release and manage projects across multiple Linux-based operating systems (Arch, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, …).
PKGMGR is implemented in Python and uses Nix (flakes) as a foundation for distribution-independent builds and tooling. On top of that it provides a rich CLI that proxies common developer tools (Git, Docker, Make, …) and glues them together into repeatable development workflows.
Why PKGMGR? 🧠
Traditional distro package managers like apt, pacman or dnf focus on a
single operating system. PKGMGR instead focuses on your repositories and
development lifecycle:
- one configuration for all your repos,
- one CLI to interact with them,
- one Nix-based layer to keep tooling reproducible across distros.
You keep using your native package manager where it makes sense – PKGMGR coordinates the development and release flow around it.
Features 🚀
Multi-distro development & packaging
-
Manage many repositories at once from a single
config/config.yaml. -
Drive full release pipelines across Linux distributions using:
- Nix flakes (
flake.nix) - PyPI style builds (
pyproject.toml) - OS packages (PKGBUILD, Debian control/changelog, RPM spec)
- Ansible Galaxy metadata and more.
- Nix flakes (
Rich CLI for daily work
All commands are exposed via the pkgmgr CLI and are available on every distro:
-
Repository management
clone,update,install,delete,deinstall,path,list,config
-
Git proxies
pull,push,status,diff,add,show,checkout,reset,revert,rebase,commit,branch
-
Docker & Compose orchestration
build,up,down,exec,ps,start,stop,restart
-
Release toolchain
version,release,changelog,make
-
Mirror & workflow helpers
mirror(list/diff/merge/setup),shell,terminal,code,explore
Many of these commands support --preview mode so you can inspect the
underlying Git or Docker calls without executing them.
Full development workflows
PKGMGR is not just a helper around Git commands. Combined with its release and versioning features it can drive end-to-end workflows:
- Clone and mirror repositories.
- Run tests and builds through
makeor Nix. - Bump versions, update changelogs and tags.
- Build distro-specific packages.
- Keep all mirrors and working copies in sync.
The extensive E2E tests (tests/e2e/) and GitHub Actions workflows (including
“virgin user” and “virgin root” Arch tests) validate these flows across
different Linux environments.
Architecture & Setup Map 🗺️
The following diagram gives a full overview of:
- PKGMGR’s package structure,
- the layered installers (OS, foundation, Python, Makefile),
- and the setup controller that decides which layer to use on a given system.
Diagram status: 12 December 2025 Always-up-to-date version: https://s.veen.world/pkgmgrmp
Perfekt, dann hier die noch kompaktere und korrekt differenzierte Version, die nur zwischen
make setup und make setup-venv unterscheidet und exakt deinem Verhalten entspricht.
README-ready, ohne Over-Engineering.
Installation ⚙️
PKGMGR can be installed using make.
The setup mode defines which runtime layers are prepared.
Dependency installation (optional)
System dependencies required before running any make commands are installed via:
scripts/installation/dependencies.sh
The script detects and normalizes the OS and installs the required system-level dependencies accordingly.
Setup modes
| Command | Prepares | Use case |
|---|---|---|
| make setup | Python venv and Nix | Full development & CI |
| make setup-venv | Python venv only | Local user setup |
Install & setup
git clone https://github.com/kevinveenbirkenbach/package-manager.git
cd package-manager
make install
Full setup (venv + Nix)
make setup
Use this for CI, servers, containers and full development workflows.
Venv-only setup
make setup-venv
source ~/.venvs/pkgmgr/bin/activate
Use this if you want PKGMGR isolated without Nix integration.
Run without installation (Nix)
Run PKGMGR directly via Nix Flakes.
nix run github:kevinveenbirkenbach/package-manager#pkgmgr -- --help
Example:
nix run github:kevinveenbirkenbach/package-manager#pkgmgr -- version pkgmgr
Notes:
- full flake URL required
--separates Nix and PKGMGR arguments- can be used alongside any setup mode
Usage 🧰
After installation, the main entry point is:
pkgmgr --help
This prints a list of all available subcommands. The help for each command is available via:
License 📄
This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.
Author 👤
Kevin Veen-Birkenbach https://www.veen.world