is there a way to check for updates from cli for scripting ex conky?

[jeff666]

is there a way to check for updates from cli for scripting (for example conky)? I would like to know about newest kernel and security updates right when they are released (by using conky) but "apt upgrade -s | grep linux-image" will always return "WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts." which makes it impossible to script with and it will also display auto removes which makes the results ambiguous. I need a cmd that would return something like "55 updates pending, new kernel, 12 security"

[QIII]

Hello!

You might be able to create a cron task to invoke


/usr/lib/update-notifier/apt-check --human-readable

in a script and pipe that to a log that can be read by conky rather than having it try to echo in the terminal.

Sorry, not at home at my Linux machines to check, but that's where I'd start.

[jeff666]

thanks a ton thats perfect!

sorry spoke to soon
sudo /usr/lib/update-notifier/apt-check --human-readable

returns zero updates

where as sudo apt upgrade has ten

[QIII]

What do you get from


apt list --upgradable

What I am getting from apt-check, by the way, are three packages plus 7 dependencies. So three. Odd that you have 0 + 11. Could you post back what you are seeing from upgradable and apt-check?

[CatKiller]

It's not something that I've played with, but doesn't apt update the MOTD to show available updates for when you log in? That might be useful as a data source for Conky.