vix list

vix list lists project dependencies or globally installed packages.

Use it when you want to inspect the dependencies locked by the current project or the packages installed globally in your Vix environment.

bash

vix list

Overview

vix list has two modes:

txt

project mode
global mode

Project mode reads the current project lockfile:

bash

vix list

Global mode reads the global package manifest:

bash

vix list -g

or:

bash

vix list --global

The command only lists package state. It does not install anything. It does not update anything. It does not check whether packages are outdated.

Usage

bash

vix list
vix list -g
vix list --global

Basic examples

bash

# List project dependencies from vix.lock
vix list

# List globally installed packages
vix list -g

# Same as -g
vix list --global

Modes

Mode	Command	Reads from	Scope
Project mode	`vix list`	`./vix.lock`	Current project
Global mode	`vix list -g`	`~/.vix/global/installed.json`	Global Vix environment

Project dependencies

Run from inside a project folder:

bash

vix list

Vix reads:

txt

./vix.lock

Example output shape:

txt

Project dependencies
lock: /home/user/api/vix.lock

gk/json  1.0.0
commit: 8f3a9c4...
repo: https://github.com/gk/json

gk/jwt  1.2.0
commit: 5d1b7c2...
repo: https://github.com/gk/jwt

✔ Found 2 dependency(ies).

Project lockfile requirement

Project mode requires:

txt

vix.lock

If the lockfile is missing, Vix reports:

txt

missing lock file: /path/to/project/vix.lock
Tip: add a package with: vix add <pkg>@<version>

Fix it by adding or resolving dependencies:

bash

vix registry sync
vix add gk/json
vix install
vix list

Or, if the project already has a committed lockfile, restore it from version control.

Supported project lockfile shapes

vix list supports two project lockfile shapes.

Array shape:

json

[
  {
    "id": "gk/json",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "commit": "8f3a9c4..."
  }
]

Object shape:

json

{
  "lockVersion": 1,
  "dependencies": [
    {
      "id": "gk/json",
      "version": "1.0.0",
      "repo": "https://github.com/gk/json",
      "tag": "v1.0.0",
      "commit": "8f3a9c4..."
    }
  ]
}

If the lockfile does not match one of these shapes, Vix reports:

txt

invalid lock: expected array or { dependencies: [] }

Displayed project fields

For each dependency, Vix can display:

Field	Source
package id	`id`
version	`version` or `tag`
commit	`commit`
repository	`repo`

If version is missing but tag exists, Vix derives the version from the tag.

Example:

json

{
  "tag": "v1.0.0"
}

is displayed as:

txt

1.0.0

Empty project dependencies

If vix.lock exists but contains no dependencies, Vix prints:

txt

No dependencies.

This means the project has no locked registry dependencies.

Global packages

Run:

bash

vix list -g

or:

bash

vix list --global

Vix reads:

txt

~/.vix/global/installed.json

Example output shape:

txt

Global packages

gk/json  1.0.0
commit: 8f3a9c4...
repo: https://github.com/gk/json
type: header-only
include: include

✔ Found 1 global package(s).

Global manifest path

Global packages are tracked in:

txt

~/.vix/global/installed.json

The manifest has this shape:

json

{
  "packages": [
    {
      "id": "gk/json",
      "version": "1.0.0",
      "repo": "https://github.com/gk/json",
      "tag": "v1.0.0",
      "commit": "8f3a9c4...",
      "type": "header-only",
      "include": "include",
      "installed_path": "/home/user/.vix/global/packages/gk.json/8f3a9c4..."
    }
  ]
}

No global packages

If no global manifest exists, Vix prints:

txt

No global packages installed.

If the manifest exists but the packages array is empty, Vix also prints:

txt

No global packages installed.

Invalid global manifest

Global mode expects:

json

{
  "packages": []
}

If the manifest does not contain a valid packages array, Vix reports:

txt

invalid global manifest: expected { packages: [] }

Displayed global fields

For global packages, Vix displays the normal dependency fields:

txt

id
version
commit
repo

It also displays:

txt

type
include

when available.

Example:

txt

type: header-only
include: include

These fields come from the package metadata read during global installation or upgrade.

Project vs global packages

Project dependencies and global packages are different.

Project dependencies belong to the current project and are pinned in:

txt

vix.lock

Global packages belong to the user’s Vix environment and are tracked in:

txt

~/.vix/global/installed.json

Use project dependencies for normal application or library builds.

Use global packages for packages you intentionally install globally.

Difference between `vix list` and `vix outdated`

Command	Purpose
`vix list`	Show what is currently locked or globally installed.
`vix outdated`	Compare locked project dependencies against registry latest versions.

Use vix list to inspect current state.

Use vix outdated to check whether project dependencies are behind.

Difference between `vix list` and `vix install`

Command	Purpose
`vix list`	Read and display dependency state.
`vix install`	Install exact dependencies from `vix.lock`.

vix list does not install missing dependencies.

If dependency files are missing, run:

bash

vix install

Difference between `vix list` and `vix search`

Command	Purpose
`vix list`	Show dependencies already locked or installed.
`vix search`	Search packages in the local registry index.

Use vix search when you want to discover packages.

Use vix list when you want to inspect your current project or global state.

Add and list workflow

bash

vix registry sync
vix add gk/json
vix install
vix list

This shows the dependency after it has been added and locked.

Update and list workflow

bash

vix outdated
vix update --install
vix list

This lets you inspect the project after updating dependency versions.

Remove and list workflow

bash

vix remove gk/json
vix install
vix list

This lets you confirm the dependency is no longer present in the lockfile.

Global package workflow

Install globally:

bash

vix registry sync
vix install -g gk/json

List global packages:

bash

vix list -g

Upgrade global package:

bash

vix upgrade -g gk/json

Remove global package:

bash

vix uninstall -g gk/json

List again:

bash

vix list -g

CI usage

In CI, vix list can be useful for debugging dependency state.

bash

vix install
vix list
vix check --tests

For normal CI validation, vix install and vix check --tests matter more.

vix list is mainly informational.

Options

Option	Description
`-g`	List globally installed packages.
`--global`	Same as `-g`.
`-h, --help`	Show command help.

Commands reference

Command	Description
`vix list`	List project dependencies from `vix.lock`.
`vix list -g`	List globally installed packages.
`vix list --global`	Same as `vix list -g`.

Common workflows

List project dependencies

bash

vix list

List global packages

bash

vix list -g

Add and list

bash

vix add gk/json
vix install
vix list

Update and list

bash

vix update --install
vix list

Remove and list

bash

vix remove gk/json
vix install
vix list

Install and inspect after clone

bash

git clone https://github.com/example/api.git
cd api
vix install
vix list

Common mistakes

Running project list outside a project

Wrong:

bash

cd /tmp
vix list

Correct:

bash

cd /path/to/project
vix list

Project mode needs:

txt

vix.lock

Expecting `vix list` to check latest versions

vix list only shows current dependency state.

To check for newer versions:

bash

vix registry sync
vix outdated

Expecting `vix list` to install dependencies

vix list does not install anything.

To install locked dependencies:

bash

vix install

Confusing project and global packages

Project packages:

bash

vix list

Global packages:

bash

vix list -g

Expecting global packages to appear in project list

Global packages are not project dependencies.

If a project needs a package, add it to the project:

bash

vix add gk/json
vix install

Expecting project dependencies to appear in global list

Project dependencies are not global installs.

Use:

bash

vix list

inside the project.

Troubleshooting

Missing lock file

If Vix reports:

txt

missing lock file

run the command from a Vix project folder or create dependency state:

bash

vix add gk/json
vix install

Failed to read lock

If Vix reports:

txt

failed to read lock

the lockfile may be invalid JSON or unreadable.

Check:

bash

cat vix.lock

Then regenerate or restore it.

Invalid lock

If Vix reports:

txt

invalid lock: expected array or { dependencies: [] }

make sure vix.lock has either an array or an object with a dependencies array.

No dependencies

If Vix prints:

txt

No dependencies.

the project lockfile exists but has no dependencies.

This is valid for projects that do not use registry packages.

No global packages installed

If Vix prints:

txt

No global packages installed.

there is no global package state yet.

Install a global package with:

bash

vix install -g gk/json

Failed to read global manifest

If Vix reports:

txt

failed to read manifest

check:

txt

~/.vix/global/installed.json

It may be unreadable or malformed.

Invalid global manifest

The global manifest must contain:

json

{
  "packages": []
}

If it is corrupted, reinstall or clean global package state intentionally.

Best practices

Run vix list after adding, updating, or removing project dependencies.

Use vix list -g before upgrading or uninstalling global packages.

Use vix outdated when you need update information.

Use vix install after cloning a project.

Commit vix.lock.

Do not manually edit vix.lock.

Do not confuse global packages with project dependencies.

Command	Purpose
`vix add`	Add a project dependency.
`vix install`	Install dependencies from `vix.lock`.
`vix update`	Update project dependencies.
`vix outdated`	Check outdated project dependencies.
`vix remove`	Remove a project dependency.
`vix search`	Search packages in the local registry.
`vix registry sync`	Refresh local registry metadata.
`vix install -g`	Install a global package.
`vix upgrade -g`	Upgrade a global package.
`vix uninstall -g`	Remove a global package.

Next step

Continue with packaging.

Open the vix pack guide

vix list ​

Overview ​

Usage ​

Basic examples ​

Modes ​

Project dependencies ​

Project lockfile requirement ​

Supported project lockfile shapes ​

Displayed project fields ​

Empty project dependencies ​

Global packages ​

Global manifest path ​

No global packages ​

Invalid global manifest ​

Displayed global fields ​

Project vs global packages ​

Difference between vix list and vix outdated ​

Difference between vix list and vix install ​

Difference between vix list and vix search ​

Add and list workflow ​

Update and list workflow ​

Remove and list workflow ​

Global package workflow ​

CI usage ​

Options ​

Commands reference ​

Common workflows ​

List project dependencies ​

List global packages ​

Add and list ​

Update and list ​

Remove and list ​

Install and inspect after clone ​

Common mistakes ​

Running project list outside a project ​

Expecting vix list to check latest versions ​

Expecting vix list to install dependencies ​

Confusing project and global packages ​

Expecting global packages to appear in project list ​

Expecting project dependencies to appear in global list ​

Troubleshooting ​

Missing lock file ​

Failed to read lock ​

Invalid lock ​

No dependencies ​

No global packages installed ​

Failed to read global manifest ​

Invalid global manifest ​

Best practices ​

Related commands ​

Next step ​

vix list

Overview

Usage

Basic examples

Modes

Project dependencies

Project lockfile requirement

Supported project lockfile shapes

Displayed project fields

Empty project dependencies

Global packages

Global manifest path

No global packages

Invalid global manifest

Displayed global fields

Project vs global packages

Difference between `vix list` and `vix outdated`

Difference between `vix list` and `vix install`

Difference between `vix list` and `vix search`

Add and list workflow

Update and list workflow

Remove and list workflow

Global package workflow

CI usage

Options

Commands reference

Common workflows

List project dependencies

List global packages

Add and list

Update and list

Remove and list

Install and inspect after clone

Common mistakes

Running project list outside a project

Expecting `vix list` to check latest versions

Expecting `vix list` to install dependencies

Confusing project and global packages

Expecting global packages to appear in project list

Expecting project dependencies to appear in global list

Troubleshooting

Missing lock file

Failed to read lock

Invalid lock

No dependencies

No global packages installed

Failed to read global manifest

Invalid global manifest

Best practices

Related commands

Next step