# New problem for Pkg.update() with proxy/antivirus

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/new-problem-for-pkg-update-with-proxy-antivirus/136851>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Tags:** question\
**Created:** [April 24, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/new-problem-for-pkg-update-with-proxy-antivirus/136851 "2026-04-24T14:32:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![LaurentPlagne](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/laurentplagne/32/10103_2.png) [@LaurentPlagne](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/LaurentPlagne)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/new-problem-for-pkg-update-with-proxy-antivirus/136851/1 "2026-04-24T14:32:22Z")

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Hi,

I use Julia behind a firewall and since a few days I cannot do Pkg.update() anymore (even with a clean environment with no dependencies) .

The command stalls at 49.9 % and finally times out.

 ![Capture d’écran du 2026-04-24 16-30-08](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/original/3X/8/9/896298606adf5799128ba36ad1061c415c3d2bf9.png)

I wonder if this is due to an evolution of

- the antivirus (mcafee web gateway ?)
- the Julia package manager (or storage)

A friend did investigate a bit and reported to me that it may be related to a specific extension of some downloaded file (.tar.zst) that may be problematic for the anti-virus.

[https://storage.julialang.net/registry/23338594-aafe-5451-b93e-139f81909106/bafdb285267cf95b18b7c9f11d60266a773dbef3.tar.zst](https://storage.julialang.net/registry/23338594-aafe-5451-b93e-139f81909106/bafdb285267cf95b18b7c9f11d60266a773dbef3.tar.zst)

He also reported that the Pkg.update() seems to be OK if one uses:  
export JULIA\_PKG\_SERVER=[https://staging.pkg.julialang.org](https://staging.pkg.julialang.org)

Any hint would be very appreciated 🙂

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![LaurentPlagne](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/laurentplagne/32/10103_2.png) [@LaurentPlagne](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/LaurentPlagne)\
**Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 7:25am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/new-problem-for-pkg-update-with-proxy-antivirus/136851/2 "2026-04-27T07:25:50Z")

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No one has a clue 😢 ?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![LaurentPlagne](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/laurentplagne/32/10103_2.png) [@LaurentPlagne](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/LaurentPlagne)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 7:32am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/new-problem-for-pkg-update-with-proxy-antivirus/136851/3 "2026-04-28T07:32:36Z")

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My company’s proxy administrator added [julialang.net](http://julialang.net) to the list of allowed sites to bypass the antivirus, and that solved the problem. However, he still doesn’t know why it stopped working in the first place.

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**Author:** ![GunnarFarneback](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/gunnarfarneback/32/1827_2.png) [@GunnarFarneback](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/GunnarFarneback)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 7:55am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/new-problem-for-pkg-update-with-proxy-antivirus/136851/4 "2026-04-28T07:55:51Z")

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From the error message it looks like the download of a specific URL, containing a compressed tar archive of the General registry, was blocked by the antivirus, either indefinitely or with a lag of more than 20 seconds.

I don’t think it’s possible to say anything more from the Julia side of things.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![LaurentPlagne](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/laurentplagne/32/10103_2.png) [@LaurentPlagne](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/LaurentPlagne)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 8:17am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/new-problem-for-pkg-update-with-proxy-antivirus/136851/5 "2026-04-28T08:17:49Z")

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Thank you for the explanation !  
I still wonder if something has changed on the Julia side or on the antivirus side…

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GunnarFarneback](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/gunnarfarneback/32/1827_2.png) [@GunnarFarneback](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/GunnarFarneback)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 8:34am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/new-problem-for-pkg-update-with-proxy-antivirus/136851/6 "2026-04-28T08:34:41Z")

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The Julia registry slowly grows over time but I don’t think there have been any recent format changes, at least not affecting Julia 1.12.