Fix pkg Repository Signature Mismatch on FreeBSD 15

📖 ~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 update fails with signature verification or repository metadata errors.

Environment & Reproduction

Stale repository keys, wrong mirror URL, or corrupted local pkg cache.

Root Cause Analysis

Run pkg -vv and pkg update -f to confirm which repository and certificate path are in use.

Quick Triage

Clear metadata cache with rm -rf /var/db/pkg/repo-* and retry pkg update.

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

Use pkg -d update to capture detailed debug output and verify trust chain handling.

Solution – Primary Fix

Check /usr/local/etc/pkg/repos/*.conf for URL and signature_type consistency.

Solution – Alternative Approaches

Set the correct repo in /usr/local/etc/pkg/repos/FreeBSD.conf, then run pkg bootstrap -f and pkg update.

Verification & Acceptance Criteria

Confirm pkg search and pkg install work without trust warnings.

Rollback Plan

Keep /etc/resolv.conf and system time accurate to avoid TLS and signature validation issues.

Prevention & Hardening

Restore previous repo files from backup and force-refresh with pkg update -f.

Related Errors & Cross-Refs

Escalate if multiple hosts fail against known-good mirrors, indicating upstream signing issues.

Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for freebsd-15.

View all freebsd-15 tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →

Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.

References & Further Reading

pkg -vv; pkg update -f; pkg bootstrap -f; cat /usr/local/etc/pkg/repos/FreeBSD.conf