conda package

Low-level tools for creating conda packages (experimental)

The conda package command is EXPERIMENTAL and may change in future releases. Use with caution in production environments.

The conda package command provides low-level tools for creating conda packages. This command is useful for package development, debugging package installations, and creating custom packages from untracked files in an environment.

Syntax

conda package [options]

Options

-w, --which PATH [PATH ...]

Given one or more file paths, print which conda package each file came from.

conda package --which /path/to/file
conda package -w /usr/local/bin/python /usr/local/lib/libssl.so

Example output:

/usr/local/bin/python                       python-3.9.7-h12debd9_1
/usr/local/lib/libssl.so                    openssl-1.1.1l-h7f8727e_0

-u, --untracked

Display all untracked files in the environment and exit. Untracked files are files that exist in the environment but are not part of any installed conda package.

conda package --untracked

Example output:

# prefix: /home/user/miniconda3/envs/myenv
# untracked files: 3
bin/my_custom_script.py
lib/my_library.so
etc/config.yaml

-r, --reset

Remove all untracked files from the environment and exit. This is useful for cleaning up an environment to return it to a pristine state.

conda package --reset

The --reset flag permanently deletes untracked files. Use with caution and ensure you have backups of any files you want to keep.

--pkg-name NAME

Designate the package name for the package being created. Defaults to "unknown".

conda package --pkg-name my_package

--pkg-version VERSION

Designate the package version for the package being created. Defaults to "0.0".

conda package --pkg-version 1.2.3

--pkg-build BUILD

Designate the build number for the package being created. Defaults to 0.

conda package --pkg-build 1

-n, --name NAME

Name of the environment to operate on.

-p, --prefix PREFIX

Full path to the environment prefix.

Common Use Cases

Find which package a file belongs to

Determine which conda package installed a specific file:

conda package --which /opt/conda/bin/python

This is useful for:

• Debugging file conflicts
• Understanding package contents
• Tracking down the source of a binary or library

Identify untracked files

See what files exist in your environment that weren’t installed by conda:

conda package --untracked -n myenv

Untracked files might include:

• Custom scripts you’ve added
• Configuration files
• Build artifacts
• Files from pip installations

Clean up an environment

Remove all untracked files to restore an environment to its original state:

conda package --reset -n myenv

Create a custom package

Create a conda package from untracked files in your environment:

# Add your custom files to the environment
cp my_script.py $CONDA_PREFIX/bin/
cp my_lib.so $CONDA_PREFIX/lib/

# Create a package from the untracked files
conda package --pkg-name my_tools --pkg-version 1.0.0 --pkg-build 0

Output:

# prefix: /home/user/miniconda3/envs/myenv
# files: 2
# success
my_tools-1.0.0-0.tar.bz2

How Package Creation Works

When creating a package:

1. File Collection: Conda identifies all untracked files in the environment
2. Metadata Generation: Creates package metadata including:
   • Package name, version, and build number
   • Platform and architecture information
   • File list and checksums
   • Python dependencies (if files are in site-packages)
3. Shebang Fixing: For scripts in bin/, replaces hardcoded paths with conda’s prefix placeholder
4. Archive Creation: Bundles files and metadata into a .tar.bz2 archive

The resulting package can be installed in other conda environments using:

conda install ./my_tools-1.0.0-0.tar.bz2

Determining Package Origin

The --which flag works by:

1. Resolving the absolute path of the file
2. Finding the conda environment prefix containing the file
3. Checking the conda-meta/ directory for package records
4. Matching the file path against each package’s file list

The --which flag only finds packages for files installed by conda. Files installed by pip or manually added will not be found.

Advanced Usage

Create a package with Python dependencies

If your untracked files include Python modules in site-packages/, conda automatically:

• Detects the installed Python version
• Adds Python as a dependency
• Includes the Python version in the build string

# Files in site-packages/ will trigger Python dependency detection
conda package --pkg-name my_python_pkg --pkg-version 2.1.0

Output package name: my_python_pkg-2.1.0-py39_0.tar.bz2 (for Python 3.9)

Query multiple files at once

conda package -w $(which python) $(which pip) $(which jupyter)

Use in scripts

The --which flag is useful in automation scripts:

#!/bin/bash
# Check if numpy is installed and which package provides it
PYTHON_PATH=$(which python)
PACKAGE=$(conda package -w $PYTHON_PATH | awk '{print $2}')
echo "Python is from package: $PACKAGE"

This is an experimental command. The interface and behavior may change in future conda releases. For production package building, consider using conda-build instead.