Using custom channels

How to install plugins from custom or private channels.

Configure channels first

conda-self uses your configured channels for all operations. Use conda config to add a custom channel:

conda config --add channels my-channel -n base

Then install normally:

conda self install my-plugin

Why channel-qualified package specs are rejected

conda self install conda-forge::my-plugin is not supported. Channel-qualified package specs would cause inconsistencies between install and update operations – the channel would apply to the install but not to future updates, leading to unexpected solver behavior.

Instead, configure channels once and let all operations use the same configuration.

Channel priority

Channels are searched in the order they appear in your configuration. With strict channel priority, packages from lower-priority channels are not considered when a package with the same name exists in a higher-priority channel. With flexible priority, the solver may use lower-priority channels to satisfy dependencies.

You can inspect channels with conda info or by showing configuration values:

conda config --show channels
conda config --show channel_priority

Private channels

For private channels that require authentication, follow your channel provider’s instructions to configure authentication for conda. conda-self invokes conda for package operations, so the same authentication configuration applies.

Multiple channels

With strict channel priority, if a plugin is available on multiple channels, conda will use the one with highest priority:

conda config --add channels conda-forge -n base
conda config --add channels my-company-channel -n base

# my-company-channel has higher priority (added last)
conda self install my-plugin