echo "tags http://www.miriamruiz.es/tags" >> /etc/debtags/sources.list && debtags update test with: debtags search rating:violence::none after that, ept-cache, debtags and adept will see your tags, but aptitude and apt-cache still won't. Plans for the future (enrico): * patch aptitude soon to read the tags from the merged source * adding a /etc/debtags/sources.list.d directory, then you will be able to put the tags in /usr/share/yourtags and plug a tag source definition in /etc/debtags/sources.list.d