Bug#1131438: marked as done (Feature request: 'Dpkg -L -R <pkg>' to show files from metapackages including dependencies.)

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Your message dated Sun, 7 Jun 2026 04:31:47 +0200
with message-id <[email protected]>
and subject line Re: Bug#1131438: Feature request: 'Dpkg -L -R <pkg>' to sh=
ow files from metapackages including dependencies.
has caused the Debian Bug report #1131438,
regarding Feature request: 'Dpkg -L -R <pkg>' to show files from metapackag=
es including dependencies.
to be marked as done.

This means that you claim that the problem has been dealt with.
If this is not the case it is now your responsibility to reopen the
Bug report if necessary, and/or fix the problem forthwith.

(NB: If you are a system administrator and have no idea what this
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misconfiguration somewhere. Please contact [email protected]
immediately.)


--=20
1131438: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=3D1131438
Debian Bug Tracking System
Contact [email protected] with problems

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Date: Sat, 21 Mar 2026 09:42:05 -0300
From: Tomas <[email protected]>
To: "Submit" <[email protected]>
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Feature request: 'Dpkg -L -R <pkg>' to show files from metapackages
 including dependencies.
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package: dpkg

Hello, thank you for reading this feature request.



Hopefully the title is self-explanatory, but I will try to make this clear:



#The issue:



User wants to know what files were installed by running 'apt install <packa=
ge>'



He can run 'dpkg -L <package>' but that only shows files installed by the m=
etapackage itself, not its dependencies.



He can also use 'apt-cache depends --recurse', but that produces huge files=
 with too much info, not just the files added.



#Backwards Compatibility?:



Yes, fully, currently dpkg -L -R reads out an error, as the options are con=
sidered incompatible (-R is used for something else, but the option can be =
reused in this separate context).



#Implementation:



I am available to attempt implementing the fix if I can be formally assigne=
d the issue with the expectation that in principle there's interest in appl=
ying the patch to mainstream.=C2=A0



No general guidance is needed, my approach would be to start by reading the=
 Debian New Maintainer's guide, the project specific readmes, building dpkg=
, hacking a recursive solution and integrating it with the main binary when=
 the combination of both options is invoked.



The deliverable would of course be in git-patch format.


#Clarification:



I know that these days there's a lot of LLM spam to OS projects, so I'd lik=
e to clarify of course that this message is not LLM written, and that a pat=
ch would not include LLM output.



Thank you.
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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"><html><head>=
<meta content=3D"text/html;charset=3DUTF-8" http-equiv=3D"Content-Type"></h=
ead><body ><div style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif=
; font-size: 10pt;"><div><span style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvet=
ica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant-lig=
atures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing=
: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: =
none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-s=
pace: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: in=
itial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ba=
ckground-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important;">package: d=
pkg<br><br>Hello, thank you for reading this feature request.</span><br></d=
iv><div><br></div><div><span style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetic=
a, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligat=
ures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: =
normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: no=
ne; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-spa=
ce: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: init=
ial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); back=
ground-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important;">Hopefully th=
e title is self-explanatory, but I will try to make this clear:</span><br><=
/div><div><br></div><div><span style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvet=
ica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant-lig=
atures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing=
: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: =
none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-s=
pace: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: in=
itial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); ba=
ckground-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important;">#The issue=
:</span><br></div><div><br></div><div><span style=3D"font-family: Verdana, =
Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; fon=
t-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; l=
etter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; tex=
t-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width:=
 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decorat=
ion-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; color: rgb=
(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important=
;">User wants to know what files were installed by running 'apt install &lt=
;package&gt;'</span><br></div><div><br></div><div><span style=3D"font-famil=
y: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style:=
 normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-we=
ight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-inde=
nt: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-s=
troke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; =
text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none=
; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inlin=
e !important;">He can run 'dpkg -L &lt;package&gt;' but that only shows fil=
es installed by the metapackage itself, not its dependencies.</span><br></d=
iv><div><br></div><div><span style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetic=
a, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligat=
ures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: =
normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: no=
ne; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-spa=
ce: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: init=
ial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); back=
ground-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important;">He can also =
use 'apt-cache depends --recurse', but that produces huge files with too mu=
ch info, not just the files added.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div><spa=
n style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1=
3.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-=
caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-al=
ign: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing=
: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration=
-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color:=
 initial; float: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255,=
 255); display: inline !important;">#Backwards Compatibility?:</span><br></=
div><div><br></div><div><span style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helveti=
ca, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant-liga=
tures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing:=
 normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: n=
one; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-sp=
ace: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: ini=
tial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); bac=
kground-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline !important;">Yes, fully,=
 currently dpkg -L -R reads out an error, as the options are considered inc=
ompatible (-R is used for something else, but the option can be reused in t=
his separate context).</span><br></div><div><br></div><div><span style=3D"f=
ont-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; fo=
nt-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal=
; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; =
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webk=
it-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: =
initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; fl=
oat: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); displ=
ay: inline !important;">#Implementation:</span><br></div><div><br></div><di=
v><span style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-s=
ize: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-va=
riant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; t=
ext-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-s=
pacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-deco=
ration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-=
color: initial; float: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255=
, 255, 255); display: inline !important;">I am available to attempt impleme=
nting the fix if I can be formally assigned the issue with the expectation =
that in principle there's interest in applying the patch to mainstream.&nbs=
p;</span><br></div><div style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sa=
ns-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures:=
 normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: norma=
l; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; w=
idows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: n=
ormal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; =
text-decoration-color: initial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(=
255, 255, 255);"><div><br></div><div>No general guidance is needed, my appr=
oach would be to start by reading the Debian New Maintainer's guide, the pr=
oject specific readmes, building dpkg, hacking a recursive solution and int=
egrating it with the main binary when the combination of both options is in=
voked.<br></div><div><br></div><div>The deliverable would of course be in g=
it-patch format.<br></div></div><div style=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, =
Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; font-varia=
nt-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-s=
pacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-trans=
form: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; w=
hite-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-sty=
le: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); backgroun=
d-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">#Clarification:<br></div><div style=3D"font-f=
amily: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-st=
yle: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; fon=
t-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-=
indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-te=
xt-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initi=
al; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; color: =
rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style=
=3D"font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333p=
x; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: n=
ormal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: st=
art; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; =
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickn=
ess: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initia=
l; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div>I know =
that these days there's a lot of LLM spam to OS projects, so I'd like to cl=
arify of course that this message is not LLM written, and that a patch woul=
d not include LLM output.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Thank you.<br></div>=
</div></div><br></body></html>
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Date: Sun, 7 Jun 2026 04:31:47 +0200
From: Guillem Jover <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Cc: Tomas <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Bug#1131438: Feature request: 'Dpkg -L -R <pkg>' to show files
 from metapackages including dependencies.
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
References: <[email protected]>
 <[email protected]>
 <[email protected]>
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In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>

Hi!

On Sun, 2026-03-22 at 04:28:54 +0100, Guillem Jover wrote:
> Control: severity -1 wishlist
> Control: tag -1 moreinfo
> 
> On Sat, 2026-03-21 at 09:42:05 -0300, Tomas wrote:
> > package: dpkg
> 
> > #The issue:
> > 
> > User wants to know what files were installed by running
> > 'apt install <package>'
> 
> I don't think this is a clear enough use case, because this could be
> an interest in only the packages that actually got installed anew,
> and not any already installed dependencies that the system already
> had. What about alternative dependencies (as in "foo | bar")? What
> about dependencies satisfied by virtual packages provided by multiple
> real packages, etc. What about packages which are only Recommended
> but apt might install depending on how it is configured?
> 
> What about the matching query on package removals? (Which dpkg would
> be unable to answer as it would no longer have the list of removed
> files.)
> 
> > He can run 'dpkg -L <package>' but that only shows files installed
> > by the metapackage itself, not its dependencies.
> 
> TBH, it does not seem like this request belongs in dpkg itself, as it
> does not have enough information to properly answer the question that
> is supposedly being asked, as mentioned above, because that depends on
> the previous dpkg state and how a frontend like apt is configured.
> 
> > He can also use 'apt-cache depends --recurse', but that produces huge
> > files with too much info, not just the files added.
> 
> To get only the list of Depends and Pre-depends one can use
> «apt-cache depends --important --recurse», but apt by default will
> install Recommends, so that will depend on how it is configured.
> 
> Given the above, I'm inclined to close this as a wontfix.

Closing this now.

Thanks,
Guillem
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