Checkdepends

Checkdepends is a field used in Arch Linux PKGBUILD files to declare dependencies that are required to run the package’s test suite. It is distinct from depends, which lists runtime dependencies, and makedepends, which lists build-time dependencies. The checkdepends array specifies the packages that provide tools or libraries needed only for testing, such as unit-test frameworks, test runners, or language-specific test utilities.

In a PKGBUILD, checkdependencies are declared as an array, for example: checkdepends=('check' 'pytest' 'libxml2'). The packages named there are intended to be present when the package’s check() function (the test phase) is executed, but they are not considered necessary for the normal operation of the installed package. This separation helps keep the final installed package lean and avoids shipping test tools as runtime requirements.

Behavior and usage notes: checkdepends is primarily relevant when maintainers wish to run the package’s test suite during packaging or verification. The test dependencies are not automatically installed in all build scenarios; they are specifically relevant to the testing step. Maintainers may choose to install them manually or configure their build environment to satisfy checkdependencies when running tests.

Best practices: place only those packages needed to run tests in checkdepends, and avoid including runtime or build-time dependencies by mistake. If tests are not intended to run in a given build, the checkdepends entry can be left empty. See also PKGBUILD, depends, makedepends, and makepkg for related packaging concepts.