Pkexec Root

Use this skill when a command needs root directly or uses sudo internally.

Prefer pkexec first.

Default Pattern

For yay, use:

yay -S <pkg> --sudo pkexec --sudoflags ""
yay -U "/path/to/package.pkg.tar.zst" --sudo pkexec --sudoflags ""

For direct pacman commands, use:

pkexec pacman -S <pkg>
pkexec pacman -U "/path/to/package.pkg.tar.zst"
pkexec pacman -R <pkg>

For commands that invoke sudo internally, prefer pkexec first when practical.

Fallback Order

If pkexec fails, use the first working alternative below and note which path was used:

1. Retry with the same command and confirm the exact package path/arguments are valid.
2. For yay, fall back to:

yay -S <pkg> --sudo sudo --sudoflags ""
yay -U "/path/to/package.pkg.tar.zst" --sudo sudo --sudoflags ""

1. If yay itself is the problem and the package is local, install with pkexec pacman -U ....
2. If PolicyKit is unavailable or broken and the user asked you to continue, use sudo directly.

Commands covered by this skill include:

• commands that normally run with sudo
• tools like yay that delegate privileged parts to sudo
• omarchy commands that perform privileged operations under the hood

Examples of omarchy-* command families that may need this treatment include:

• omarchy-install-*
• omarchy-update-*
• omarchy-pkg-*
• omarchy-reinstall*
• some omarchy-refresh-*
• some omarchy-setup-*
• other system-level omarchy-* commands that touch packages, services, boot config, or /etc

This list is not exhaustive.