FreeBSD 12 – Package Dependency Conflict Stops Upgrades – Resolver Alignment

📖 ~1 min read

Table of contents

1. Symptom & Impact
2. Environment & Reproduction
3. Root Cause Analysis
4. Quick Triage
5. Step-by-Step Diagnosis
6. Solution – Primary Fix
7. Solution – Alternative Approaches
8. Verification & Acceptance Criteria
9. Rollback Plan
10. Prevention & Hardening
11. Related Errors & Cross-Refs
12. References & Further Reading

Symptom & Impact

pkg upgrade fails due to incompatible version constraints between installed and target packages.

Environment & Reproduction

Often appears after mixed quarterly/latest repository usage.

pkg -vv | grep -A4 url
pkg upgrade -n

Root Cause Analysis

Repository branch mismatch or held packages create an unsatisfiable dependency graph.

Quick Triage

Detect held packages and confirm single repository branch usage.

pkg lock -l
pkg rquery '%n %v'

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

Inspect resolver output for first conflicting dependency edges.

pkg upgrade -n
pkg info -d 

Solution – Primary Fix

Align repos, unlock stale pins, and perform full dependency-aware upgrade.

pkg lock -a -y
pkg unlock -y 
pkg update -f
pkg upgrade -fy

Solution – Alternative Approaches

Temporarily remove conflicting package set and reinstall from a consistent branch.

Verification & Acceptance Criteria

Upgrade simulation reports no conflicts and target packages install cleanly.

Rollback Plan

Restore package state from snapshot if conflict resolution impacts application compatibility.

Prevention & Hardening

Enforce one repository branch policy per environment and track package locks.

Related Errors & Cross-Refs

pkg: cannot solve problem using SAT solver, conflict in dependencies.

Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for freebsd-12.

View all freebsd-12 tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →

Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.

References & Further Reading

FreeBSD pkg repository branching and dependency resolution docs.