Handle Repo-less RPMs

Some packages on your system may have no repository source – they were installed from a local .rpm file, their original repo was disabled, or the repo was removed after installation. inspectah detects these automatically and provides a path to include them in your migration.

How detection works

During the scan, inspectah compares each package’s install-time repository against the list of currently enabled repos (dnf repolist --enabled). A package is flagged as repo-less when:

  • Its source_repo field is empty (locally installed RPM)
  • Its source_repo names a repository not in the enabled list

For each repo-less package, inspectah searches /var/cache/dnf/ for a cached .rpm file matching the package NEVRA (name-version-release.arch). Matching uses case-insensitive substring comparison to handle short name vs. full repo ID differences (e.g., AppStream vs. rhel-9-for-aarch64-appstream-rpms).

What you get

After the scan, repo-less packages fall into two categories:

Status Meaning Containerfile rendering
Cached .rpm found in /var/cache/dnf/ COPY + dnf localinstall (commented-out by default)
Missing No cached .rpm available MANUAL comment with the package NEVRA

Cached RPM example 

# === Repo-less RPM packages ===
# Repo-less package: custom-tool (cached RPM, no repository provenance)
# WARNING: This package has no upstream repo and no GPG verification.
# It was found in the dnf cache but cannot be reinstalled from a repository.
# Uncomment to install from the bundled RPM.
# COPY repoless-packages/custom-tool-1.2.3-1.el9.x86_64.rpm /tmp/
# RUN dnf localinstall -y /tmp/custom-tool-1.2.3-1.el9.x86_64.rpm && rm /tmp/custom-tool-1.2.3-1.el9.x86_64.rpm

Cached RPMs are bundled in the tarball under repoless-packages/.

Missing RPM example 

# Repo-less package: legacy-app (MANUAL — no cached RPM found)
# NEVRA: legacy-app-3.0-1.el9.x86_64
# ACTION REQUIRED: Obtain the RPM and upload it in the refine UI,
# or add a repository that provides this package.

Providing missing RPMs

Single upload

In the refine UI, repo-less packages with missing RPMs show an upload button. Click it to open the upload modal, then drag and drop (or browse for) the .rpm file.

The upload endpoint validates:

  • File has a .rpm extension
  • File matches the expected package by name.arch (non-NEVRA filenames are accepted as long as the name and architecture match)
  • File size is under 500 MiB

After upload, the package status changes from MANUAL to cached, and the Containerfile preview updates to show the COPY + dnf localinstall directives.

Batch upload

When multiple repo-less packages need RPMs, use the batch upload modal. It shows a checklist of all packages needing RPMs with live match progress. Drop multiple .rpm files at once – inspectah auto-matches each file to its package by name.arch.

The batch view shows:

  • Packages still needing RPMs (grey)
  • Packages matched to an uploaded file (green)
  • Conflicts when an uploaded file does not match any expected package

Including cached RPMs

Cached RPMs (whether from the dnf cache or uploaded) are pre-excluded by default. To include them in your Containerfile:

  1. Open the refine UI
  2. Navigate to the Packages section
  3. Find the repo-less package (it has a “repo-less” annotation)
  4. Toggle it to included

The Containerfile preview updates immediately to show active (not commented-out) COPY and dnf localinstall directives.

Alternatives to bundling RPMs

Bundling RPMs works for one-off packages, but consider these alternatives for a more maintainable image:

  • Add the repository to your Containerfile and install via dnf install. This gives you update coverage.
  • Rebuild the package for a supported repository if the source is available.
  • Replace the package with an equivalent from an enabled repository if one exists.

The repo-less detection is a safety net – it ensures you know about every package that cannot be reinstalled from a repo, so nothing falls through the cracks during migration.