AUR

What is the AUR?

The Arch User Repository (AUR) is a collection of software build instructions shared by the community. It can help you get apps that aren’t in Arch’s official software sources.

These instructions live in a file called PKGBUILD. Your computer uses it to download the files and turn them into an installable package.

A word of caution…

Anyone can submit packages to the AUR. They are maintained by individual users, who may not be the app’s original developers, and aren’t reviewed like Arch’s official packages. Being listed in the AUR doesn’t guarantee that a package is safe.

Malware has appeared in AUR packages. In June 2026, Arch reported a wave of malicious package takeovers and updates (opens in a new tab). Security researchers at Sonatype reported that around 1,500 AUR packages were affected (opens in a new tab) across multiple waves of the attack. This means a package you trusted before can become unsafe after an update.

Check the build instructions and any changes before installing or updating. Tools like yay make installation easier, but don’t guarantee that a package is safe.

What is yay?

yay is a tool that handles much of that work for you. It can search for software, build AUR packages, and help keep them updated.

You don’t need the AUR for everything. Check Arch’s official packages with pacman first.

Before you install

Read the package’s comments and review its PKGBUILD and any extra scripts before running them. If you don’t understand what they do, ask for help before continuing.

The ArchWiki AUR guide (opens in a new tab) explains what to check.

Install yay

Make sure your Arch system is up to date before starting. Then install the tools needed to build packages.

sudo pacman -S --needed git base-devel

Download yay’s build files and open the folder.

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

Read the PKGBUILD before continuing. Press q to leave the viewer.

less PKGBUILD

Once you’ve checked the files, build and install yay.

makepkg -si

Run this as your normal user. Don’t put sudo before makepkg or yay; they’ll ask for your password when needed.

Using yay

Replace package-name with the name of the software you want.

Find and install software

Search, then choose a package from the results.

yay package-name

Read the prompts and review the build-file changes before agreeing to install.

Check for updates

Update Arch’s packages and check your installed AUR packages for updates.

yay -Syu

For more commands, see yay’s documentation (opens in a new tab).