otty / apps

All apps/cabal-install

cabal-install

The command-line tool for the Cabal build system.

Runs as cabal|macOS, Linux, Windows|github.com

Open form in Otty otty.toml

Sync rules

What travels, what stays, what never leaves

cabal-install in your home directory Every rule on this page, by file

· ~/.config/cabal/config Sync

· ~/.cabal/packages/ Exclude

Only what the catalog names. A directory that syncs brings everything inside it except what is listed as excluded here.

apps/cabal-install/otty.tomlThe file this page is generated from

id = "cabal-install"

name = "cabal-install"

homepage = "https://github.com/haskell/cabal"

description = "The command-line tool for the Cabal build system."

executables = ["cabal"]

[dotfiles]

# Cabal's upstream project documentation calls ~/.config/cabal/config the

# user-wide global configuration. Its remote-repo-cache defaults to

# ~/.cabal/packages and is downloaded package-index state, not configuration.

# https://github.com/haskell/cabal/blob/master/doc/cabal-project-description-file.rst#config-file-discovery

# https://github.com/haskell/cabal/blob/master/doc/cabal-project-description-file.rst#remote-repo-cache

paths = ["[configHome]/cabal/config"]

exclude = ["~/.cabal/packages/"]

secret = []

side_effect = false

[commands]

format = 1

label = "Cabal"

description = "Common cabal-install jobs: build, run, test and update the package index. Configuration flags, constraints and project-file options are left out."

quality = "ai-draft"

parser = { end_of_options = "--", interleave = "permute", long_equals = true, short_attached = false, short_bundles = false }

[[commands.source]]

id = "docs"

kind = "manual"

url = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/haskell/cabal/HEAD/doc/cabal-commands.rst"

revision = "HEAD 2026-10-27"

evidence = """.. option:: --dry-run

Do not download, build, or install anything, only print what would happen.

.. option:: --only-configure

Instead of performing a full build just run the configure step.

Only accepted by the ``build`` command.

.. option:: --only-dependencies

--dependencies-only

Install only the dependencies necessary to build the given packages.

Not accepted by the ``repl`` command."""

[[commands.subcommand]]

path = ["build"]

label = "Build targets"

description = "Build targets and their dependencies."

[[commands.subcommand.source]]

id = "docs"

kind = "manual"

url = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/haskell/cabal/HEAD/doc/cabal-commands.rst"

revision = "HEAD 2026-10-27"

evidence = """.. option:: --dry-run

Do not download, build, or install anything, only print what would happen.

.. option:: --only-configure

Instead of performing a full build just run the configure step.

Only accepted by the ``build`` command.

.. option:: --only-dependencies

--dependencies-only

Install only the dependencies necessary to build the given packages.

Not accepted by the ``repl`` command."""

[[commands.subcommand.field]]

id = "dry_run"

label = "Dry run"

type = "boolean"

option = ["--dry-run"]

sources = ["docs"]

[[commands.subcommand.field]]

id = "only_dependencies"

label = "Dependencies only"

type = "boolean"

option = ["--only-dependencies"]

sources = ["docs"]

[[commands.subcommand.field]]

id = "only_configure"

label = "Configure only"

type = "boolean"

option = ["--only-configure"]

sources = ["docs"]

[[commands.subcommand.field]]

id = "targets"

label = "Targets"

description = "Package, component, module or file targets; empty builds the package in the current directory."

type = "string"

position = 0

multiple = true

sources = ["docs"]

[[commands.subcommand.task]]

id = "build"

label = "Build"

fields = ["targets"]

required = []

[[commands.subcommand.task]]

id = "deps"

label = "Build dependencies only"

fields = ["targets", "only_dependencies"]

required = []

[[commands.subcommand.group]]

id = "basic"

label = "Basic"

fields = ["targets", "dry_run", "only_dependencies", "only_configure"]

[[commands.subcommand]]

path = ["run"]

label = "Run an executable"

description = "Run an executable, test or benchmark target."

[[commands.subcommand.source]]

id = "docs"

kind = "manual"

url = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/haskell/cabal/HEAD/doc/cabal-commands.rst"

revision = "HEAD 2026-10-27"

evidence = """.. option:: --dry-run

Do not download, build, or install anything, only print what would happen.

.. option:: --only-configure

Instead of performing a full build just run the configure step.

Only accepted by the ``build`` command.

.. option:: --only-dependencies

--dependencies-only

Install only the dependencies necessary to build the given packages.

Not accepted by the ``repl`` command."""

[[commands.subcommand.field]]

id = "dry_run"

label = "Dry run"

type = "boolean"

option = ["--dry-run"]

sources = ["docs"]

[[commands.subcommand.field]]

id = "target"

label = "Target"

description = "Component, package or script path; may be empty if it identifies one executable."

type = "string"

position = 0

sources = ["docs"]

[[commands.subcommand.task]]

id = "run"

label = "Run"

fields = ["target"]

required = []

[[commands.subcommand.group]]

id = "basic"

label = "Basic"

fields = ["target", "dry_run"]

[[commands.subcommand]]

path = ["test"]

label = "Run tests"

description = "Build and run test suites."

[[commands.subcommand.source]]

id = "docs"

kind = "manual"

url = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/haskell/cabal/HEAD/doc/cabal-commands.rst"

revision = "HEAD 2026-10-27"

evidence = """.. option:: --dry-run

Do not download, build, or install anything, only print what would happen.

.. option:: --only-configure

Instead of performing a full build just run the configure step.

Only accepted by the ``build`` command.

.. option:: --only-dependencies

--dependencies-only

Install only the dependencies necessary to build the given packages.

Not accepted by the ``repl`` command."""

[[commands.subcommand.field]]

id = "dry_run"

label = "Dry run"

type = "boolean"

option = ["--dry-run"]

sources = ["docs"]

[[commands.subcommand.field]]

id = "targets"

label = "Targets"

description = "Test suite or package targets; empty tests the current package."

type = "string"

position = 0

multiple = true

sources = ["docs"]

[[commands.subcommand.task]]

id = "test"

label = "Test"

fields = ["targets"]

required = []

[[commands.subcommand.group]]

id = "basic"

label = "Basic"

fields = ["targets", "dry_run"]

[[commands.subcommand]]

path = ["update"]

label = "Update package index"

description = "Update the package index from remote repositories."

[[commands.subcommand.source]]

id = "docs"

kind = "manual"

url = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/haskell/cabal/HEAD/doc/cabal-commands.rst"

revision = "HEAD 2026-10-27"

evidence = """.. option:: --dry-run

Do not download, build, or install anything, only print what would happen.

.. option:: --only-configure

Instead of performing a full build just run the configure step.

Only accepted by the ``build`` command.

.. option:: --only-dependencies

--dependencies-only

Install only the dependencies necessary to build the given packages.

Not accepted by the ``repl`` command."""

[[commands.subcommand.field]]

id = "repos"

label = "Repositories"

description = "REPO or REPO,INDEX-STATE; empty updates all."

type = "string"

position = 0

multiple = true

sources = ["docs"]

[[commands.subcommand.task]]

id = "update"

label = "Update"

fields = ["repos"]

required = []

[[commands.subcommand.group]]

id = "basic"

label = "Basic"

fields = ["repos"]

Use it with your dotfile manager

Same data, in the shape your tool already reads

Opens Otty and adds this tool to what it syncs

Opens otty://sync/add/cabal-install. Otty ships with this catalog, so the link only has to name the tool — nothing is downloaded.

Every one of these is generated from the same rules as this page.