Plan output¶

syslet --diff prints the plan to stdout. An apply logs each operation to stderr and prints only the summary rows to stdout.

Validation errors¶

A plan with any error prints only its errors, to stderr, and no other section. --diff and an apply print them the same way:

Text Only
1 2 3 4	`Validation errors: error: <message> error [<unit>]: <message> error: plan has errors`

Line	Source
`error: pre-render validation: ...`	Checks on the specs.
`error: post-render validation: ...`	Checks on the rendered unit files.
`error: quadlet generator failed ...`, `error: unit verification failed ...`	Staging checks by podman's generator and `systemd-analyze verify`.
`error: secret "<name>": decryption failed: ...`, `error: secrets present in spec but no age key available ...`	The host can't decrypt a secret spec.
`error [<unit>]: ...`	A check of one unit against the host, such as a volume change the installed markers don't allow, or `checking image <image>: ...` when podman can't tell whether the container's image is on the host.

See Validation rules for every check, and Safety mechanisms for why the stages exist.

Sections¶

A section is printed only when it has entries, in this order:

Section	Lists
`Images to pull:`	Container images not on the host yet, pulled before any other change. Images of build units are never listed.
`Unit file changes:`	Per unit, `--- <unit>` followed by `added:`, `changed:` (with `old:`/`new:`) and `removed:` options.
`Unit files to delete:`	Unit files of stale units.
`Config file changes:`	Unified diff per `configFiles` entry, as `<container>:<mountPath>`, and mode changes.
`Config files to delete:`	Stale `configFiles` entries, as `<container>/<file>`.
`Config directories to delete:`	A container's whole config directory, as `<container>/`.
`ConfigDir changes:`	Per `configDirs` entry, `<container>:<mountPath> → version <n>`, followed by a diff per file.
`ConfigDir groups to delete:`	Stale `configDirs` entries.
`Build context file changes:`	Unified diff per `containerfile` and `contextFiles` entry.
`Build context files to delete:`	Stale context files, as `<build>/<file>`.
`Build context directories to delete:`	A build's whole context directory, as `<build>/`.
`Secret changes:`	Per secret spec, `+ <key>=(secret)` for new or changed keys and `- <key>=(secret)` for deleted ones. With `SYSLET_SHOW_SECRETS` set, new values print in plain text.
`Services to stop:`	Units stopped before files are written.
`Systemd daemon-reload: required`	Printed when any unit file is written or deleted.
`Containers to start:`	Containers started at the end of the apply.
`Podman volumes to delete:`	Volumes deleted under `reclaimPolicy: "Delete"`, or recreated.
`Podman networks to delete:`	Networks deleted under `reclaimPolicy: "Delete"`, or recreated.
`Podman images to delete:`	Built images deleted under `reclaimPolicy: "Delete"`.

Reloads are not listed in a section; they appear as reloaded in the summary.

Summary¶

Text Only
1 2 3	`Summary: UNIT STATUS CHANGES site.container updated unit updated, restarted (desired: running)`

One row per unit in the input or on the host, except unchanged units, which are left out. The summary is printed only when it has rows. An apply prints the same rows, without the Summary: and header lines. When nothing changes, the output ends with No changes detected. All units are up to date., which is the whole output when there are no rows either.

STATUS¶

Value	Meaning
`created`	The unit file is new.
`updated`	The unit, its files or its runtime state change.
`removed`	The unit is stale and will be deleted.
`skipped`	The unit is stale but its installed unit has `RemovalAllowed=false`; it is left as it is.
`error`	The unit failed, during the plan or the apply.

CHANGES for containers¶

A comma-separated list, followed by (desired: <state>):

Entry	Cause
`created`	New unit file.
`unit updated`	The unit file changed.
`image pulled`	The container's image isn't on the host and is pulled first. On its own, this doesn't restart the container.
`config updated`	A `configFiles` entry changed.
`configDir updated`	A `configDirs` entry's files changed.
`volume recreated`, `network recreated`, `build recreated`	A referenced volume, network or build is recreated in the same apply.
`secret updated`	A referenced secret changed.
`restarted`, `started`, `stopped`, `reloaded`	The service action.

For other types, CHANGES is created, unit updated or removed; builds also report build context updated and unit and build context updated. A skipped unit reads protected (removalAllowed: false), or not managed by syslet (no [X-Syslet] marker) for a unit file syslet didn't write.