Scoop Skills

Scoop Skill

This skill enables you to manage Windows software packages using the Scoop command-line installer. It provides a comprehensive reference for all Scoop commands and prioritizes the discovery of installed tools and their shims.

Installation

If Scoop is not yet installed on the system, use the following PowerShell commands:

1. Set the execution policy:

   Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
   

2. Run the installation script:

   irm get.scoop.sh | iex
   

All Scoop Commands Reference

Package Management

• Search: scoop search <query> — Find available apps.
• Install: scoop install <app> [options] — Install apps (e.g., -g for global, -i to skip dependencies).
  • After install: If the installed app provides valuable third-party command-line tools (not a language or built-in tool), append to your global memory file in the <!-- scoop-shims --> comment block format: - cmd: short description (from package)
• Uninstall: scoop uninstall <app> [options] — Remove apps (e.g., -p to purge persistent data).
• Update: scoop update <app> — Update apps or Scoop itself (use * or -a for all).
• List: scoop list [query] — List all installed apps or those matching a query.
• Status: scoop status — Check for app updates and environmental issues.
• Info: scoop info <app> — Display detailed app information and manifests.
• Home: scoop home <app> — Open the app's homepage.
• Depends: scoop depends <app> — List dependencies for an app.
• Download: scoop download <app> — Download apps to the cache folder without installing.
• Hold/Unhold: scoop hold <app> / scoop unhold <app> — Disable/enable updates for an app.

Backup and Restore

• Export/Import: scoop export / scoop import <file> — Standard JSON-based backup for app lists and buckets.
• Manual Backup Restore: If you have a backup of the entire scoop directory (e.g., from a previous system installation), follow these steps to restore:
  1. Copy the scoop folder to its target location (typically ~\scoop).
  2. Set the SCOOP environment variable to point to this folder if it's not the default.
  3. Add ~\scoop\shims to your system PATH.
  4. Run scoop reset * to re-link all applications and regenerate shims.
  5. Note: If you encounter "current" version errors, ensure the current directories within app folders are symlinks. If they are actual folders, delete the empty ones and run scoop reset again.

Maintenance & Diagnostics

• Help: scoop help [command] — Show general help or help for a specific command.
• Checkup: scoop checkup — Identify potential problems in the Scoop environment.
• Cleanup: scoop cleanup <app> — Remove old versions of apps (use * for all).
• Cache: scoop cache show|rm — Show or clear the download cache.
• Prefix: scoop prefix <app> — Returns the filesystem path to the specified app.
• Which: scoop which <command> — Locate the path to a shim/executable (similar to 'which' on Linux).

Configuration & Customization

• Config: scoop config [rm] name [value] — Get, set, or remove configuration values.
• Bucket: scoop bucket add|list|known|rm — Manage Scoop software repositories.
• Alias: scoop alias add|rm|list — Manage custom Scoop subcommands.

Development & Advanced

• Shim: scoop shim add|rm|list|info|alter — Directly manipulate Scoop shims.
• Reset: scoop reset <app> — Reset an app to resolve conflicts or switch between versions.
• Virustotal: scoop virustotal [*|app] — Check app hashes or URLs on virustotal.com (requires API key).

Working with App Manifests

Scoop uses JSON manifests to define installation logic.

• Inspect Manifest: Use scoop cat <app> to see the manifest of an installed or available app.
• Create Manifest: Use scoop create <url> to generate a template or write a JSON file manually.
• Install from File/URL: scoop install <path_to_json> or scoop install <url_to_json>.
• Basic Structure:

  {
      "version": "1.0",
      "url": "https://example.com/app.zip",
      "extract_dir": "app-folder",
      "bin": "app.exe",
      "description": "Short description",
      "homepage": "https://example.com",
      "license": "MIT"
  }
  

Manifest Resources & Reference

For detailed specifications, always consult the local Wiki mirror in references/scoop-wiki/:

• Core Guide: references/scoop-wiki/App-Manifests.md
• Autoupdate Logic: references/scoop-wiki/App-Manifest-Autoupdate.md
• Buckets Reference: references/scoop-wiki/Buckets.md
• Live Examples: Always run scoop cat <app_name> on a similar app to see its real manifest structure.

Manifest Development Tools

Internal scripts in ~\scoop\apps\scoop\current\bin for testing and updates:

• Check Version: ~\scoop\apps\scoop\current\bin\checkver.ps1 <app> — Check for newer versions via checkver logic.
• Check Hashes: ~\scoop\apps\scoop\current\bin\checkhashes.ps1 <app> — Verify/Update hashes (use -Update).
• Check URLs: ~\scoop\apps\scoop\current\bin\checkurls.ps1 <app> — Verify download URL availability.
• Format JSON: ~\scoop\apps\scoop\current\bin\formatjson.ps1 <file> — Standardize manifest formatting.
• Describe: ~\scoop\apps\scoop\current\bin\describe.ps1 <app> — Metadata analysis of a manifest.

Discovering and Using Shims

Scoop uses "shims" to expose executables. If a tool's command is not found or you need to manage custom shims, use these methods:

1. List All Shims

• List Shims: scoop shim list [<regex_pattern>] — List all or matching shims.
• Direct Directory Discovery: To see all shim files (executables and scripts) directly:

  dir $env:USERPROFILE\scoop\shims
  

2. Locate Paths and Details

• Find Path: scoop which <command> — Locate the path to a shim/executable (similar to 'which' on Linux).
• Shim Info: scoop shim info <shim_name> — Show details about a specific shim's target and arguments.

3. Shim Management (scoop shim)

• Add Custom Shim: scoop shim add <shim_name> <command_path> [<args>...] Note: Use a quoted '--' to separate shim-specific options from arguments you want to pass to the target executable. Example: scoop shim add myapp 'C:\path\app.exe' '--' --arg1 --arg2
  • After add: If the new shim is a valuable third-party command-line tool (not a language or built-in tool), append to your global memory file in the <!-- scoop-shims --> comment block format: - cmd: short description (from package)
• Remove Shim: scoop shim rm <shim_name>... (Caution: can remove manifest-created shims).
• Alter Shim: scoop shim alter <shim_name> — Alternate a shim's target source.

Best Practices

• Environment Refresh: If a newly installed command isn't recognized, check the shims directory or use the absolute path (e.g., ~\scoop\shims\tool.exe).
• Global Installation: Use -g for apps that require administrative privileges or are used by multiple users.
• Clear Cache: Run scoop cache rm * after installations to free up disk space by removing downloaded installers.
• Cleanup: Regularly run scoop cleanup * to save disk space by removing old versions.
• Deep Knowledge: For any advanced questions, troubleshooting, or general guidance not covered here, consult the local Wiki mirror: references/scoop-wiki/Home.md.