---

name: rpm-packager description: Build RPM packages from source code for CentOS/RHEL systems. Use when user needs to: (1) package software source into installable RPM, (2) create SPEC files, (3) build packages for CentOS 7/8/9 or RHEL, (4) prepare software for distribution on RPM-based Linux systems.

RPM Packager Skill

Transform source code into installable RPM packages for CentOS/RHEL systems.

Quick Start

# Basic usage
./scripts/build-rpm.sh <source-dir> <package-name> <version> <release>

# Example
./scripts/build-rpm.sh ./myapp myapp 1.0.0 1

Workflow

1. Prepare Source Code

Ensure source code is ready:

• Has a build system (Makefile, CMakeLists.txt, setup.py, etc.)
• Clean directory structure
• No build artifacts

2. Check Prerequisites

Required tools on CentOS/RHEL (requires sudo privileges):

sudo yum install rpm-build mock gcc make

Note: Installing system packages requires sudo privileges. The build process itself runs as your user account.

3. Run Build Script

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/rpm-packager
chmod +x scripts/build-rpm.sh
./scripts/build-rpm.sh /path/to/source package-name 1.0.0 1

4. Verify Output

Build produces:

• Binary RPM: ~/rpmbuild/RPMS/x86_64/package-name-1.0.0-1.el8.x86_64.rpm
• Source RPM: ~/rpmbuild/SRPMS/package-name-1.0.0-1.el8.src.rpm

5. Install & Test

# Install the RPM
sudo rpm -ivh ~/rpmbuild/RPMS/x86_64/package-name-1.0.0-1.el8.x86_64.rpm

# Or use yum/dnf for dependency resolution
sudo yum localinstall ~/rpmbuild/RPMS/x86_64/package-name-1.0.0-1.el8.x86_64.rpm

# Verify installation
rpm -q package-name

SPEC File Customization

For complex packages, customize the SPEC file:

1. Review template: See references/spec-template.md
2. Edit generated SPEC: Modify ~/rpmbuild/SPECS/package-name.spec
3. Rebuild: rpmbuild -ba ~/rpmbuild/SPECS/package-name.spec

Common Customizations

Add dependencies:

BuildRequires: python3-devel openssl-devel
Requires: python3 openssl-libs

Custom install paths:

%install
mkdir -p %{buildroot}%{_bindir}
mkdir -p %{buildroot}%{_sysconfdir}/package-name
install -m 755 myapp %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/
install -m 644 config.conf %{buildroot}%{_sysconfdir}/package-name/

Include documentation:

%files
%doc README.md LICENSE CHANGELOG.md
%{_bindir}/myapp

Build for Different CentOS Versions

Use mock for clean builds targeting specific versions:

# CentOS 7
mock -r centos-7-x86_64 package-name.spec

# CentOS 8
mock -r centos-8-x86_64 package-name.spec

# CentOS 9
mock -r centos-9-x86_64 package-name.spec

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
RPM_BUILDER_NAME	OpenClaw Builder	Builder name in changelog
RPM_BUILD_DIR	~/rpmbuild	Custom build directory

Troubleshooting

Build fails with "No such file or directory"

• Check BuildRequires for missing tools
• Verify source tarball extracts correctly

RPM installs but command not found

• Ensure %files section includes correct paths
• Check executable permissions in %install

Dependency errors during install

• Add missing Requires entries to SPEC file
• Use yum localinstall instead of rpm -i for auto-dependency resolution

Output Locations

After successful build:

• Binary RPMs: ~/rpmbuild/RPMS/<arch>/
• Source RPM: ~/rpmbuild/SRPMS/
• Build logs: ~/rpmbuild/BUILDLOGS/
• SPEC files: ~/rpmbuild/SPECS/

Security Notes

• Build directory defaults to ~/rpmbuild to avoid conflicts with system-wide builds
• Builder identity is anonymized by default (uses OpenClaw Builder)
• No personal information is embedded in generated RPMs unless explicitly configured