While yay doesn’t have a direct --needed option like pacman, you can still achieve a similar result using a loop. Here’s how you can install packages from a list, skipping those that are already installed:

1. First, export the list of installed packages from the source system:

yay -Qqe > installed_packages.txt

2. Transfer the “installed_packages.txt” file to the new Manjaro system.

3. On the new system, use the following bash script to install packages:

#!/bin/bash

# Function to print a separator line
print_separator() {
    echo "========================================"
}

# Function to handle Ctrl+C
ctrl_c() {
    echo
    echo "Skipping current package..."
    return 1
}

# Set up trap for Ctrl+C
trap ctrl_c INT

# Read the file line by line
while IFS= read -r package; do
    print_separator
    echo "Processing package: $package"
    print_separator

    if ! yay -Qi "$package" &> /dev/null; then
        echo "Installing $package..."
        echo "Press Ctrl+C to skip this package."
        print_separator
        if yay -S --noconfirm "$package"; then
            echo "Installation of $package completed."
        else
            if [ $? -eq 130 ]; then
                echo "Installation of $package skipped."
            else
                echo "Installation of $package failed."
            fi
        fi
    else
        echo "$package is already installed. Skipping."
    fi

    echo  # Print an empty line for better readability
done < installed_packages.txt

# Remove the trap
trap - INT

print_separator
echo "All packages processed."
print_separator

This script does the following:

• It reads each package name from the “installed_packages.txt” file.
• For each package, it checks if it’s already installed using yay -Qi.
• If the package is not installed, it installs it using yay -S --noconfirm.
• If the package is already installed, it skips it and prints a message.

Save this script as “install_packages.sh” and make it executable:

chmod +x install_packages.sh

Then run the script:

./install_packages.sh

Important considerations:

• This method will install packages one by one, which may be slower than installing them all at once.
• The --noconfirm option is used to avoid prompts, but be cautious as it will automatically accept all default options.
• Some AUR packages might still require manual intervention during the build process.
• Be aware that not all packages may be compatible with the new system, especially if there are significant differences in hardware or software versions.
• This method only installs packages, not their configurations. You’ll need to transfer configuration files separately.

By using this approach, you can replicate the functionality of the --needed option while using yay to install packages from both official repositories and the AUR[2].

Citations: [1] https://www.hostzealot.com/blog/how-to/installing-yay-aur-helper-on-arch-linux-a-step-by-step-guide [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/archlinux/comments/jtaraj/is_there_a_way_to_automate_pkg_install_with_yay/ [3] https://linuxcommandlibrary.com/man/yay [4] https://stackoverflow.com/questions/53921707/loop-in-order-to-load-or-install-packages-does-not-work-what-am-i-doing-wrong [5] https://forum.manjaro.org/t/force-yay-to-rebuild-aur-package-s/141726 [6] https://es.hostzealot.com/blog/how-to/instalacion-de-yay-aur-helper-en-arch-linux-guia-paso-a-paso [7] https://xerolinux.xyz/posts/install-yay-paru/ [8] https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=281104