Linux yay Guide - ryzendew/Linux-Tips-and-Tricks GitHub Wiki

Linux yay Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to yay AUR helper on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including installation, usage, and AUR package management.

Table of Contents

  1. yay Installation
  2. yay Basics
  3. AUR Packages
  4. yay Configuration
  5. Troubleshooting

yay Installation

Install yay

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install git and base-devel
sudo pacman -S git base-devel

# Clone yay
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
cd yay

# Build and install
makepkg -si

Verify Installation

Check yay:

# Check version
yay --version

# Check help
yay --help

yay Basics

Search Packages

Search AUR:

# Search packages
yay package-name

# Search with details
yay -Ss package-name

Install Packages

Install from AUR:

# Install package
yay -S package-name

# Install with confirmation
yay -S package-name --noconfirm

AUR Packages

Update Packages

Update system:

# Update all packages
yay -Syu

# Update AUR packages only
yay -Sua

Remove Packages

Uninstall:

# Remove package
yay -R package-name

# Remove with dependencies
yay -Rs package-name

yay Configuration

Configuration File

Edit config:

# Edit config
vim ~/.config/yay/config.json

Common Settings

Configuration:

{
  "aururl": "https://aur.archlinux.org",
  "buildDir": "$HOME/.cache/yay",
  "editor": "vim",
  "editorflags": "",
  "makepkgbin": "makepkg",
  "redownload": "no",
  "rebuild": "no"
}

Troubleshooting

yay Not Working

Check installation:

# Check yay
which yay
yay --version

# Reinstall if needed
cd ~/yay
makepkg -si

Build Errors

Fix dependencies:

# Install base-devel
sudo pacman -S base-devel

# Clean build cache
yay -Sc

Summary

This guide covered yay installation, AUR package management, and configuration for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

Next Steps

This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.