pacman.conf NetworkTimeout: Uncertain behavior on abrupt cancellation

pacman.conf NetworkTimeout: Uncertain behavior on abrupt cancellation

Administrators often tune pacman’s NetworkTimeout to avoid hanging on stalled downloads during system updates. However, when a transaction is interrupted—typically with Ctrl+C—pacman does not provide a documented rollback or safe‑abort mechanism. The package database can be left in a partially updated state, requiring manual cleanup.

There is no direct pacman command to request a graceful cancellation, and systemd timeout directives do not apply to the pacman process itself. The key uncertainty is whether pacman’s current implementation guarantees database consistency after an immediate abort, and what the best practice is for ensuring a clean state.

What is the actual state of the package database immediately after a Ctrl+C during a sync? Does NetworkTimeout influence the abort logic? Should a rollback or safe‑abort feature be added to pacman to guarantee consistency?