aur-helpers

name	aur-helpers
description	Use AUR helper tools (yay, paru) to build and install packages from the AUR. Covers common commands and safety practices. Use when installing or managing AUR packages via helpers.
license	MIT

Skill: aur-helpers

Purpose

Use AUR helper tools to search, build, install, and manage AUR packages.

yay

yay -S pkgname           # search + install from AUR/official
yay -Syu                 # system update + AUR update
yay -R pkgname           # remove package
yay -Q                   # query installed
yay -Ps                  # print system stats
yay -Yc                  # clean unneeded deps
yay -G pkgname           # get PKGBUILD from AUR
yay --gendb              # generate dev DB

paru

paru -S pkgname          # search + install
paru -Syu                # full system update with AUR
paru -R pkgname          # remove
paru -G pkgname          # get PKGBUILD
paru --report            # show outdated AUR packages
paru --clean             # remove build files
paru -Pg                 # print config

Key Differences

Feature	yay	paru
Config	~/.config/yay/config.json	/etc/paru.conf / ~/.paru.conf
Language	Go	Rust
PKGBUILD review	show-diff by default	diff by default
Dev mode	yay -G	paru -G

Safety

• Always review the PKGBUILD before building — helpers don't replace human review
• Use --noconfirm carefully — it skips all prompts including diffs
• Check for suspicious sources, install paths, or post-install scripts
• Use a scanner (traur, ks-aur-scanner) before installing unfamiliar packages
• Prefer building in a chroot: yay -S --builddir /tmp/pkg pkgname
• AUR helpers are officially unsupported

Related

• aur-pacman — underlying pacman commands
• aur-pkgbuild — understanding PKGBUILDs
• aur-rpc — the JSON RPC helpers query under the hood