Shelly 3.1.3 adds AUR cache cleanup, PKGBUILD parsing fixes, and isolated build environments

Shelly 3.1.3 introduces targeted AUR cache management through the --aur-cache option in shelly purify. This allows users to remove previously built package archives and signatures while preserving PKGBUILDs, sources, and build directories. The addition addresses a common pain point for Arch users who frequently build from AUR, where accumulated package archives consume significant disk space without automated cleanup. The DisableCacheClean setting provides a way to suppress cleanup prompts during full upgrades, offering flexibility for unattended operations.

The release improves Shelly’s native PKGBUILD builder with fixes for parsing issues that previously caused problems with here-strings and command substitutions. Conditional and architecture-specific dependencies now handle more reliably, and split packages receive better support. These changes reduce manual intervention for package maintainers working with complex PKGBUILDs. Archive support expands to include better detection of extensionless archives and decompression for multiple formats, which simplifies source handling for packages distributed in less common archive types.

shellystrap replaces the previous pacstrap dependency for provisioning isolated build environments. The new helper keeps provisioning inside private namespaces and improves key handling, dependency checking, and cleanup when builds are canceled. This change makes Shelly more self-contained and reduces external dependencies for users who need reproducible build environments. The isolated builds benefit from better cleanup, which prevents leftover files from interfering with subsequent builds.

AppImage handling receives an update that allows individual installed AppImages to have persistent environment variables. These overrides survive AppImage updates and can be configured through Shelly’s graphical interface or command line. This improvement addresses a limitation of AppImages, where environment variables typically reset after updates. For automation, Shelly 3.1.3 adds JSON output for version information and build results, configurable package output destinations, and a new shelly resolve command for mapping package names to their bases.

The release also includes usability improvements for desktop users. Flathub links now open the correct application more reliably, and Flatpak details offer better uninstall and remote-selection controls. Repository database and package downloads now properly honor the ParallelDownloadCount setting, which accepts values between 1 and 255. These changes make Shelly more consistent with user expectations for package management tools, particularly for those managing mixed-format packages across CLI, TUI, and GTK interfaces.