conda notices

Retrieve latest channel notifications

The conda notices command retrieves, caches, and displays notifications from conda channels. Channel maintainers can set messages that users will see, including informational messages and notices about channel stability.

Syntax

conda notices [options]

Description

Conda channel maintainers have the option of setting messages that users will see intermittently. Some of these notices are informational, while others are messages concerning the stability of the channel.

When you run conda notices, conda will:

1. Contact configured channels to retrieve notifications
2. Cache the notifications locally
3. Display any new or important notices

Options

-c, --channel CHANNEL

Specify additional channels to retrieve notices from. Can be used multiple times.

# Get notices from defaults
conda notices

# Get notices from specific channel
conda notices -c conda-forge

# Get notices from multiple channels
conda notices -c conda-forge -c bioconda

--json

Report all output as JSON. Suitable for programmatic use.

conda notices --json

Common Use Cases

Retrieve notices from default channels

Get notices from your configured channels:

conda notices

Check specific channel for notices

Query a particular channel for notifications:

conda notices -c defaults

Check multiple channels

Get notices from several channels at once:

conda notices -c defaults -c conda-forge -c bioconda

Get JSON output for automation

Extract notices programmatically:

conda notices --json

Notice Types

Channel notices may include:

• Informational messages: General announcements about the channel
• Stability warnings: Notices about channel maintenance or issues
• Security alerts: Important security-related notifications
• Deprecation notices: Warnings about deprecated packages or features
• Service updates: Information about channel service changes

When Notices Are Displayed

Notices are displayed:

• When you explicitly run conda notices
• Intermittently during other conda operations (if new notices are available)
• Based on notice priority and your last check time

Conda caches notices locally to avoid checking on every command. The cache is refreshed periodically.

Example Output

Typical output might look like:

Channel Notices:

[conda-forge]
  Important: We will be performing maintenance on Saturday, Dec 15
  from 10:00-12:00 UTC. Package installs may be slower during this time.

[defaults]
  New: Python 3.12 packages are now available in defaults channel!

Automation and Scripting

Use JSON output for scripts:

# Check for critical notices
notices=$(conda notices --json)
if echo "$notices" | grep -q "CRITICAL"; then
    echo "Critical notice detected!"
    echo "$notices"
    exit 1
fi

Troubleshooting

Unable to retrieve notices

If you see an error like:

CondaError: Unable to retrieve notices: [error details]

This could be due to:

• Network connectivity issues
• Channel server temporarily unavailable
• Invalid channel configuration
• Firewall or proxy blocking access

Solutions:

• Check your network connection
• Verify channel URLs in your conda configuration
• Check proxy settings if behind a corporate firewall
• Try again later if the channel is experiencing issues

No notices displayed

If no notices appear:

• There may be no new notices from the channels
• You may have already seen all current notices
• The channels may not have any active notices configured

Configuration

Notices behavior can be affected by your conda configuration:

# View your configured channels
conda config --show channels

# Add a channel
conda config --add channels conda-forge

# Remove a channel
conda config --remove channels conda-forge

The conda notices command only retrieves notices from channels. It does not modify your environment or install packages.

Privacy and Security

When you run conda notices:

• Conda makes network requests to configured channel servers
• No personal information is sent beyond standard HTTP headers
• Notices are cached locally after retrieval
• The command respects your proxy and network settings

Best Practices

1. Run periodically: Check for notices regularly to stay informed about channel updates
2. Before critical operations: Check notices before important package installations or updates
3. After adding channels: Run after adding new channels to see their current notices
4. In CI/CD: Include in automated workflows to catch important announcements

# Good practice in automation
conda notices || echo "Warning: Could not retrieve notices"
conda install package-name