Native package configuration

Shelly reads repository definitions and native package-manager options from /etc/shelly.conf on Devario, or /etc/pacman.conf on Arch Linux and CachyOS. If you are coming from Arch, the structure will look familiar: an [options] section followed by named repositories.

This guide shows how to back up the file, make a small change, inspect the result and restore the original. For CLI and GUI JSON preferences, use Configuration.

Choose the right file

Installation	Usual native configuration	Package database	Package cache
Devario	/etc/shelly.conf	/var/lib/shelly	/var/cache/shelly/pkg
Arch Linux / CachyOS	/etc/pacman.conf	/var/lib/pacman	/var/cache/pacman/pkg

These are distribution defaults. A package can select another path profile, and directives inside the file can override database and cache paths. shelly --config /path/to/file ... selects a different native configuration for that invocation.

Choosing RLPM does not switch an Arch installation to Devario paths. Backend selection and path profiles are separate; see RLPM distribution paths. Keep the configuration supplied by your distribution. Do not create /etc/pacman.conf on Devario just because an Arch tutorial uses it, or rename an Arch configuration to convert its database and keyring.

Which configuration does this change?

shelly config set edits Shelly’s CLI preferences, such as output formatting and backend selection. It is not a general editor for shelly.conf or pacman.conf. shelly config reset does not restore either native file. /etc/shellybuild.conf belongs to the package builder and is separate too.

Back up and open the file

Choose the commands for your installation. Keep the backup until you have checked the change. If a backup with this name already exists, the copy command asks before replacing it; use another backup name if you need to keep both versions. Run the backup first and check that it succeeds before opening the editor. If the expected file is missing, check your distribution’s package and configuration instructions rather than creating an empty file.

Devario

sudo cp --interactive --preserve=all /etc/shelly.conf /etc/shelly.conf.before-edit
sudoedit /etc/shelly.conf

Arch / CachyOS

sudo cp --interactive --preserve=all /etc/pacman.conf /etc/pacman.conf.before-edit
sudoedit /etc/pacman.conf

sudoedit opens a temporary copy with your editor and installs the edited file after you close it. It uses your SUDO_EDITOR, VISUAL or EDITOR setting, or the editor configured by sudo. If it cannot find an editor, select a text editor already installed on the system. Do not assume that nano or micro is installed on a fresh Devario system.

Make a small change

For a first edit, find ParallelDownloads inside [options]. Devario’s default configuration sets it to 5. To reduce the maximum number of concurrent native downloads, change that existing line to:

[options]
ParallelDownloads = 3

This is a fragment, not a replacement configuration. Keep the other options and repository sections. Use an integer from 1 to 255; 1 limits native downloads to one at a time. Save the file and close the editor. The next native package operation reads the edited configuration; no reboot is needed.

The native ParallelDownloads directive is separate from the ParallelDownloadCount CLI preference. Avoid changing both while testing one setting. Changing download concurrency alone does not require a database refresh or a package upgrade.

Read the options section

Some useful entries to recognize:

Entry	What it controls
DBPath	Installed-package and repository database location. This is not a disposable download cache.
CacheDir	Storage for downloaded native package archives.
GPGDir	The keyring used for native signature checks.
LogFile	The native package-manager log.
Architecture	Accepted package architectures and architecture substitution in server URLs. Keep your distribution’s value unless you need to change it.
CheckSpace	Enables the space check; this entry has no = value.
HoldPkg	Requests confirmation before removing a listed package. It does not stop that package from being upgraded.
IgnorePkg	Packages excluded from ordinary upgrades. Holding back packages can leave an inconsistent system; see partial upgrades.
SigLevel	Signature policy. Repository sections can set their own policy.
DownloadUser	User used by the native downloader. Devario supplies alpm; preserve the configured account and sandbox settings.
HookDir	Directories containing transaction hooks. Keep the distribution’s system and administrator directories.

Devario’s default file uses HookDirMode = Replace and explicitly lists /usr/share/rlpm/hooks/ and /etc/shelly.d/hooks/. Replacement mode uses only the listed hook directories; an empty list disables hook discovery. Preserve these entries unless you intend to change transaction hooks.

Put option edits under [options], before the next repository header. Use separate lines beginning with # for comments. Do not assume every pacman option or syntax extension has the same behavior in Shelly.

Understand repository sections

A repository has a section name and one or more server definitions. For example, Devario’s maintained configuration contains:

[devario-core]
SigLevel = Required
Server = https://mirrors.seafoam-labs.org/devario-core/$arch

The bracketed name identifies the repository. Server points to its package database and archives; $arch is expanded from the configured architecture. A URL may also use $repo for the repository name.

Some configurations put server lines in a separate file:

[example-repo]
Include = /etc/shelly.d/example-mirrorlist

That example requires the named file to exist and contain the repository’s server lines. It is an illustration, not a repository to enable. An included file inherits the current section, and a section header inside it also changes the section used by following lines in the parent file.

Use repository instructions for your distribution. Sharing a configuration format does not make repositories interchangeable. Keep Arch/CachyOS and Devario repository sets separate, and do not disable signature verification to make a repository work. Obtain key fingerprints and trust instructions from the repository maintainer.

Repository commands

Shelly can list, add and remove repository definitions without a text editor. For example, this lists the repositories selected by the Devario file:

shelly --config /etc/shelly.conf utility repository --list

The following templates show the add/remove syntax. Replace REPO and the example URL with a repository supported by your distribution before use:

shelly --config /etc/shelly.conf utility repository REPO 'https://example.org/$repo/$arch' --add --no-sync
shelly --config /etc/shelly.conf utility repository REPO --remove --no-sync

On Arch/CachyOS, use /etc/pacman.conf in these commands. Quote the URL so your shell does not expand $repo or $arch. The two commands demonstrate alternative operations; they are not a sequence to paste and run.

--no-sync skips the automatic database refresh; it still changes the configuration. Without it, Shelly refreshes after adding or removing the repository. If that refresh fails, the configuration change may already have been saved. Inspect the file before retrying. Optional --lsign-key locally signs an existing key before adding the repository; it does not replace checking the key’s identity.

The add command writes the repository name and server URL without a separate SigLevel, so the new repository uses the global signature policy. Check the resulting section against the repository maintainer’s instructions; adding its URL alone does not set up its keys or trust policy.

After changing repositories or server URLs, refresh as part of the supported upgrade workflow rather than refreshing databases and installing selected packages against an otherwise outdated system. See repository upgrades.

For a full native repository upgrade:

shelly upgrade standard

This refreshes databases and can install package upgrades; it is not a configuration-only check. Review the transaction before confirming it.

Check what Shelly reads

Pass the file explicitly so a missing file or unreadable Include is reported:

Devario

shelly --config /etc/shelly.conf search standard --repos

Arch / CachyOS

shelly --config /etc/pacman.conf search standard --repos

Compare the listed names with the repository sections you expected. This does not install packages or refresh repository databases. It also does not prove that servers are reachable, signatures are trusted or every option is valid: unrecognized directives can be ignored. Review the edited lines as well as the command’s output and exit status.

If an expected repository is missing, check its header, whether it is commented out, and any Include paths. If parsing fails, first check the section containing your edit and the setting’s value. A successful search with no package match can also mean that the package is unavailable in the configured repositories; changing signature policy will not add it.

For failed upgrade checks after the configuration is corrected, follow Shelly troubleshooting. Do not delete the system package database as a configuration repair.

Undo your edit

To undo just the example change, reopen the file and restore its previous ParallelDownloads value. To restore the complete backup instead:

Devario

sudo cp --interactive --preserve=all /etc/shelly.conf.before-edit /etc/shelly.conf

Arch / CachyOS

sudo cp --interactive --preserve=all /etc/pacman.conf.before-edit /etc/pacman.conf

Restoring replaces the whole file, including any later edits. Check the backup first, then repeat the repository-listing check. It does not undo installed packages or restore a database, keyring or an edited include file; back up included files separately before changing them.