NAME

       apt-mark - mark/unmark a package as being automatically-installed

SYNOPSIS

       apt-mark [-f=filename] {auto | manual | showauto | showmanual} pkg...  | {-v | --version}
                | {-h | --help}

DESCRIPTION

       apt-mark will change whether a package has been marked as being automatically installed.

       When you request that a package is installed, and as a result other packages are installed
       to satisfy its dependencies, the dependencies are marked as being automatically installed.
       Once these automatically installed packages are no longer depended on by any manually
       installed packages, they will be removed by e.g.  apt-get or aptitude.

       auto
           auto is used to mark a package as being automatically installed, which will cause the
           package to be removed when no more manually installed packages depend on this package.

       manual
           manual is used to mark a package as being manually installed, which will prevent the
           package from being automatically removed if no other packages depend on it.

       hold
           hold is used to mark a package as held back, which will prevent the package from being
           automatically installed, upgraded or removed. The command is only a wrapper around
           dpkg --set-selections and the state is therefore maintained by dpkg(1) and not
           affected by the --file option.

       unhold
           unhold is used to cancel a previously set hold on a package to allow all actions
           again.

       showauto
           showauto is used to print a list of automatically installed packages with each package
           on a new line. All automatically installed packages will be listed if no package is
           given. If packages are given only those which are automatically installed will be
           shown.

       showmanual
           showmanual can be used in the same way as showauto except that it will print a list of
           manually installed packages instead.

       showhold
           showhold is used to print a list of packages on hold in the same way as for the other
           show commands.

OPTIONS

       -f=filename, --file=filename
           Read/Write package stats from the filename given with the parameter filename instead
           of from the default location, which is extended_status in the directory defined by the
           Configuration Item: Dir::State.

       -h, --help
           Show a short usage summary.

       -v, --version
           Show the program version.

       -c, --config-file
           Configuration File; Specify a configuration file to use. The program will read the
           default configuration file and then this configuration file. If configuration settings
           need to be set before the default configuration files are parsed specify a file with
           the APT_CONFIG environment variable. See apt.conf(5) for syntax information.

       -o, --option
           Set a Configuration Option; This will set an arbitrary configuration option. The
           syntax is -o Foo::Bar=bar.  -o and --option can be used multiple times to set
           different options.

FILES

       /var/lib/apt/extended_states
           Status list of auto-installed packages. Configuration Item:
           Dir::State::extended_states.

SEE ALSO

       apt-get(8),aptitude(8),apt.conf(5)

DIAGNOSTICS

       apt-mark returns zero on normal operation, non-zero on error.

BUGS

       APT bug page[1]. If you wish to report a bug in APT, please see
       /usr/share/doc/debian/bug-reporting.txt or the reportbug(1) command.

AUTHORS

       Mike O'Connor

       APT team

NOTES

        1. APT bug page
           http://bugs.debian.org/src:apt