# sow export

> Export one built RPM Dist architecture as a standalone compatibility repository.

---

LLMS index: [llms.txt](/llms.txt)

---

SOW provides one export subcommand: `sow export rpm-leaf`. It creates an external, standalone
RPM repository whose repodata uses local `pool/...` hrefs.

## Synopsis

```text
sow export rpm-leaf DIST ARCH DIR [--hardlink] [-C|--workdir DIR] [-r|--repo NAME] [--json]
```

| Argument | Requirement |
|---|---|
| `DIST` | Canonical configured RPM Dist name |
| `ARCH` | `x86_64` or `aarch64` |
| `DIR` | Absent or empty destination outside Repository, private-state, and filesystem-target roots |

| Flag | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|
| `--hardlink` | Use hard links for trusted, same-filesystem, read-only output | copy files |
| `-C, --workdir DIR` | Workspace discovery start directory | current directory |
| `-r, --repo NAME` | Select a Repository | selection rules |
| `--json` | Emit the `sow.cli/v1` envelope | false |

The command accepts no `--dist`, jobs, timeout, or lock option.

## Output

```console
sow export rpm-leaf el9 x86_64 /srv/export/el9-x86_64
exported RPM leaf el9/x86_64 generation=00000000000000000012 method=copy packages=84 to /srv/export/el9-x86_64
```

The destination contains:

- rewritten RPM repodata with local payload hrefs;
- the required package subtree;
- an export manifest;
- `.sow-export.json` provenance.

The source must be a completed Built Generation. The export is a separate artifact: it is not
Desired Membership, a Built Generation, publication input, or a GC root.

A failed export can leave partial files in `DIR`; there is no export journal or automatic
rollback. Keep that directory offline, correct the cause (for example, an unavailable signer),
and retry into a different absent or empty directory. Do not publish a failed export or
expect a retry to merge into its non-empty output.

Managed RPM and `export rpm-leaf` use a fixed `0` repomd data timestamp and expose no
`--metadata-timestamp` option. They cannot directly take over the same EL7 repository ID
while clients retain a positive cached timestamp; changing the base URL alone does not help.
Use a new client repository ID or clear its metadata cache. To keep the old ID and cache,
continue with Plain `create` and an explicit publication time, following the
[migration guide](/docs/tutorial/yum-migration/) and re-signing repomd.

## Copy versus hard link

Copying is the safe default. `--hardlink` is an explicit optimization for an output on the same
filesystem that consumers cannot mutate. A hard-linked payload shares an inode with SOW's pool; do
not use this mode for writable or untrusted destinations. Creating (and later removing) the
links changes the ctime of the shared Pool files, so the next build re-hashes those payloads once
to refresh its fast-validation fingerprints.

SOW rejects output that overlaps a configured filesystem publication root. This prevents an export
from being mistaken for, or modifying, a managed publication target.

## Exit behavior

| Code | Trigger |
|---|---|
| `0` | Standalone RPM leaf exported |
| `1` | Filesystem, copy, hard-link, or metadata-write failure |
| `2` | Invalid syntax, malformed Dist/architecture token, discovery, or implicit Repository ambiguity |
| `5` | Source Generation or Repository state is inconsistent |
| `6` | Explicit Repository is not configured, Dist is not RPM, view/signer is unavailable, or destination is unsafe/non-empty/overlapping |

## See also

- [Platforms & Integrations](/docs/reference/compatibility/) — validated and unsupported workflows
- [Repository Layout](/docs/reference/layout/) — source tree and export boundaries
- [`sow publish`](/docs/command/publish/) — managed delivery to configured targets