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Pacman missing on fresh 2.5.2 install #397
Description
Context
Got a fresh windows 10 machine, Installed Git-2.5.2-64-bit.exe last Friday. Wanted to install some packages Today - found this package management guide in the wiki, tried to run pacman in git bash:
$ pacman
sh: pacman: command not foundversion info:
C:\> ver
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.10240]$ git --version
git version 2.5.2.windows.1Steps to reproduce the problem
Install git for windows using the setup tools from the git-for-windows website, using mintty shell and try to run pacman... (I'm not using Chocolatey).
I am using ConEmu 150908 64bit
Am I missing something? Also, what are the steps to update git for windows? I couldn't find any documentation for that. Do I have to use chocolatey? (I'd rather not, gave me issues in the past).
Activity
so0k commentedon Sep 17, 2015
to eliminate ConEmu comment, running git bash shortcut created in start menu gives same issue
nalla commentedon Sep 17, 2015
This is intended. We do not ship
pacmanwith Git for Windows. If you are interested in a fully fledged package manager maintained environment you have to give the Git for Windows SDK a try.so0k commentedon Sep 17, 2015
oh thanks, just found this here: #146
dscho commentedon Sep 17, 2015
Yep. duplicate.
How about contributing an entry in the Frequently Asked Questions?
so0k commentedon Sep 17, 2015
@dscho - I tried to contribute, is this acceptable?
dscho commentedon Sep 17, 2015
Very nice! Thanks!
eric-newton commentedon Oct 28, 2015
Thanks for updating the FAQs, I kept wondering why "pacman" gave me "command not found" when it seemed that everyone else had it...
shimondoodkin commentedon Mar 15, 2021
maybe somebody could make a script out of this and include it in the distribution
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/32712133/package-management-in-git-for-windows/65204171#65204171
dscho commentedon Mar 16, 2021
You really want to make my life as maintainer as miserable as you can possibly make it, don't you?
This is not a supported use case. The reason for that is that it is quite finicky a hack, and unless you really understand the internals of Pacman and Git for Windows' architecture, you are going to shoot yourself in your foot. And then you flock here and complain that it ain't working.
Please do not encourage such a waste of my time.
zlaski commentedon Jul 22, 2022
We're already building Pacman:
https://github.com/git-for-windows/git-sdk-64/blob/main/usr/bin/pacman.exe
What's preventing us from including this in the installer? Out on the web, it seems that several people have integrated Pacman with Git for Windows without any problems.
As to the "finicky hack", I would gladly take a look if you pointed me in the right direction.
rimrul commentedon Jul 22, 2022
I don't think we actually build our own
pacman, but rather pick it up fromMsys2.The fact that it would significantly increase the burden of support, while not providing a significant benefit for any intended Git for Windows use case. What advantage would we gain from including
pacmanin the installer?Which part of that stack overflow answer does not seem finicky or like a hack to you? They're ignoring the Git for Windows Package databases and repositories, so all those pacakges will drift apart from what a proper Git for Windows install would include. They're also ignoring the whole
git-extrasituation.There are at least three different ways in wich the setup instructions could stop working at any point in the future.
I've probably missed a few issues with that, but it's certainly both finicky and a hack.
shimondoodkin commentedon Jul 22, 2022
The solution in the link I have shared is kind of straightforward
The hard part was the compression thing I think it was XZ. That was missing.
The solution was
To restore the metadata
Of installed packages
In a way of like copied back of what was deleted
And copy the 3 files that were missing
And that's all
PhilipOakley commentedon Jul 22, 2022
@dscho [aside] Do we have a wiki page, or reference point, to the Git for Windows (GfW) general policy that covers the purpose of Git-for-Windows (i.e. simply allow Git to operate on Windows with minimal problems and a 'small' installation)?
Referring to such policy could balance the conflicting desire of users who become familiar with the POSIX/Linux interface and push toward including the kitchen sink and all the utensils in the GfW package, when other approaches should be used (Cygwin & MSYS, or the SDK etc).
I had a look at the wiki and there we offer plenty of guidance on extending the usage of GfW via the SDK, noting that it is open source, such as: "So if you are missing some packages" and Technical-overview#hacking-on-git. However there's no section on 'limiting' GfW.
It maybe that it's just an additional line in the first paragraph of the Home:About to clarify that adding extra packages needs to be well justified within the parameters of supporting Git, keeping the installer small, and avoiding loading the maintainer! (with asimilar reference in the Contributions section of the gitforwindows.org page.
(this could be moved to a separate issue or discussion)
dscho commentedon Jul 22, 2022
I understand the wish for a generic system like MSYS2. And for running Git for Windows in it.
At the same time, I also understand what an amount of effort it would be on my part to support that. And I simply decline that invitation to spend even more time and passion than I already do.
There is plenty of opportunity to bring Git for Windows closer to MSYS2, of course, and I am the last person to stop anyone from working on any part of that, be it to document the differences, to "upstream" patches we carry in Git for Windows, or to contribute other changes to reduce the gap.
nitoygo commentedon Jan 26, 2023
Instead of looking for such features in git-for-windows, why not use Windows Subsystem for Linux?
tim1mw commentedon Dec 12, 2025
Appreciating that this issue is closed, the Git for Windows website implies that pacman is shipped with git for windows:
https://gitforwindows.org/package-management.html
So if pacman isn't shipped with git for windows by design, this page either needs to be removed or updated to avoid confusion.
dscho commentedon Dec 12, 2025
No, it says this:
Git for Windows is based on MSYS2, and MSYS2 does bundle Pacman. It's just that you need to use the Git for Windows SDK if you want to use
pacman.exe. But then, the SDK really is meant to work on Git for Windows, not to use Pacman.@tim1mw if you want to update that page so that it clarifies things further, feel free to open a PR with modifications for https://github.com/git-for-windows/git-for-windows.github.io/blob/main/content/package-management.md.
tim1mw commentedon Dec 15, 2025
I read that line as "Git for Windows is based on MSYS2, which includes pacman, so we include it as well". I've submitted a PR to clarify this here:
git-for-windows/git-for-windows.github.io#82