Interrupted transaction recovery

An interrupted package operation may leave a journal recording its intended ledger update. Recovery reconciles that bookkeeping; it does not undo package files, replay failed hooks, or rerun pacman automatically.

Inspect the operation

pacvamp recover
pacvamp recover --json

The report compares each intended version or removal with current installed state. It includes the original journal, whether restoration is allowed, suggested commands, and bounded pacman log context. Select one report with --id OPERATION_ID.

Log context covers at most the last 256 KiB and 50 matching lines since the intent. Rotation, missing logs, and concurrent operations can leave that context incomplete.

Restore completed bookkeeping

When the report permits restoration, replace OPERATION_ID with its journal ID:

pacvamp recover --id OPERATION_ID --write

Restoration requires both a durably recorded successful pacman operation and installed state that still matches the journal. Matching versions or log entries alone never turn an uncertain operation into trusted evidence.

Resolve uncertain or divergent operations

Inspect the differences and reconcile the host through an explicitly reviewed package operation. Once you have inspected a journal that should be forgotten:

pacvamp recover --discard OPERATION_ID

Discard removes that journal entry only. It does not change packages or certify their evidence. Use snapshot rollback or your separate filesystem recovery procedure when package contents need restoration.

See the recover reference for flags and the architecture for journal ordering.