How to list broken packages in console

Question

When I try to google how to do this, all the results I get are "How to fix broken packages".

Could you give me a hint how to only list them in the console one by one?

Answer 1

It seems that nobody has recommended this:

sudo apt-get check

also for more info try

apt-get --help

Answer 2

You can list broken packages :

dpkg -l | grep ^..r 

r state (on the third field) means: reinst-required (package broken, reinstallation required)

dpkg fields explanation

Answer 3

To get the list of partially installed packages (with architecture information) preceded by their states, one by line, run

dpkg-query -W -f='${db:Status-Abbrev} ${binary:Package}\n' | grep -E ^.[^nci]

See man dpkg-query for information about the states etc. (I suppose the Reinst-required i.e. R flag can not appear with states n, c or i. If it could, the extended regular expression in grep command should be modified.)

Answer 4

I did a dist-upgrade which completed, but had puked some errors during the process. So I wanted to validate the errors weren't merely just noise.

apt-get check -v returned NO faults.

HOWEVER: Suspicious the previous command didn't provide correct feedback, I next executed:

dpkg -C

This command DID validate the errors

Given the above experience, I'd suggest not to take the output of apt-get check -v as the gospel everything is clean...