Linux yay Guide

Linux yay Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to yay AUR helper on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including installation, usage, and AUR package management.

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Table of Contents

1. yay Installation
2. yay Basics
3. AUR Packages
4. yay Configuration
5. Troubleshooting

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yay Installation

Install yay

Arch/CachyOS:

# Install git and base-devel
sudo pacman -S git base-devel

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

# Build and install
makepkg -si

Verify Installation

Check yay:

# Check version
yay --version

# Check help
yay --help

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yay Basics

Search Packages

Search AUR:

# Search packages
yay package-name

# Search with details
yay -Ss package-name

Install Packages

Install from AUR:

# Install package
yay -S package-name

# Install with confirmation
yay -S package-name --noconfirm

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AUR Packages

Update Packages

Update system:

# Update all packages
yay -Syu

# Update AUR packages only
yay -Sua

Remove Packages

Uninstall:

# Remove package
yay -R package-name

# Remove with dependencies
yay -Rs package-name

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yay Configuration

Configuration File

Edit config:

# Edit config
vim ~/.config/yay/config.json

Common Settings

Configuration:

{
  "aururl": "https://aur.archlinux.org",
  "buildDir": "$HOME/.cache/yay",
  "editor": "vim",
  "editorflags": "",
  "makepkgbin": "makepkg",
  "redownload": "no",
  "rebuild": "no"
}

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Troubleshooting

yay Not Working

Check installation:

# Check yay
which yay
yay --version

# Reinstall if needed
cd ~/yay
makepkg -si

Build Errors

Fix dependencies:

# Install base-devel
sudo pacman -S base-devel

# Clean build cache
yay -Sc

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Summary

This guide covered yay installation, AUR package management, and configuration for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

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Next Steps

• paru Guide - paru AUR helper
• Package Management - Package management
• yay: https://github.com/Jguer/yay

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.