diff --git a/apk/capabilities.go b/apk/capabilities.go
index ba67975..803f7de 100644
--- a/apk/capabilities.go
+++ b/apk/capabilities.go
@@ -11,8 +11,12 @@ var (
 	_ snack.VersionQuerier = (*Apk)(nil)
 	_ snack.Cleaner        = (*Apk)(nil)
 	_ snack.FileOwner      = (*Apk)(nil)
+	_ snack.DryRunner      = (*Apk)(nil)
 )
 
+// SupportsDryRun reports that apk honors [snack.WithDryRun] via --simulate.
+func (a *Apk) SupportsDryRun() bool { return true }
+
 // LatestVersion returns the latest available version from configured repositories.
 func (a *Apk) LatestVersion(ctx context.Context, pkg string) (string, error) {
 	return latestVersion(ctx, pkg)
diff --git a/apt/apt.go b/apt/apt.go
index a0aeae7..abc82f7 100644
--- a/apt/apt.go
+++ b/apt/apt.go
@@ -196,6 +196,9 @@ func (a *Apt) ParseArch(name string) (string, string) {
 	return parseArch(name)
 }
 
+// SupportsDryRun reports that apt honors [snack.WithDryRun] via --dry-run.
+func (a *Apt) SupportsDryRun() bool { return true }
+
 // Compile-time interface checks.
 var (
 	_ snack.Manager        = (*Apt)(nil)
@@ -206,4 +209,5 @@ var (
 	_ snack.RepoManager    = (*Apt)(nil)
 	_ snack.KeyManager     = (*Apt)(nil)
 	_ snack.NameNormalizer = (*Apt)(nil)
+	_ snack.DryRunner      = (*Apt)(nil)
 )
diff --git a/capabilities.go b/capabilities.go
index e9b3337..048a9bd 100644
--- a/capabilities.go
+++ b/capabilities.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ type Capabilities struct {
 	KeyManagement  bool
 	Groups         bool
 	NameNormalize  bool
+	DryRun         bool
 }
 
 // GetCapabilities probes a Manager for all optional interface support.
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ func GetCapabilities(m Manager) Capabilities {
 	_, km := m.(KeyManager)
 	_, g := m.(Grouper)
 	_, nn := m.(NameNormalizer)
+	_, dr := m.(DryRunner)
 	return Capabilities{
 		VersionQuery:   vq,
 		Hold:           h,
@@ -33,5 +35,6 @@ func GetCapabilities(m Manager) Capabilities {
 		KeyManagement:  km,
 		Groups:         g,
 		NameNormalize:  nn,
+		DryRun:         dr,
 	}
 }
diff --git a/dnf/capabilities.go b/dnf/capabilities.go
index 1b8dc38..5af06a2 100644
--- a/dnf/capabilities.go
+++ b/dnf/capabilities.go
@@ -17,8 +17,12 @@ var (
 	_ snack.Grouper        = (*DNF)(nil)
 	_ snack.GroupQuerier   = (*DNF)(nil)
 	_ snack.NameNormalizer = (*DNF)(nil)
+	_ snack.DryRunner      = (*DNF)(nil)
 )
 
+// SupportsDryRun reports that dnf honors [snack.WithDryRun] via --setopt=tsflags=test.
+func (d *DNF) SupportsDryRun() bool { return true }
+
 // LatestVersion returns the latest available version from configured repositories.
 func (d *DNF) LatestVersion(ctx context.Context, pkg string) (string, error) {
 	return latestVersion(ctx, pkg, d.v5)
diff --git a/dpkg/dpkg.go b/dpkg/dpkg.go
index 76fa30e..a5bdf5b 100644
--- a/dpkg/dpkg.go
+++ b/dpkg/dpkg.go
@@ -101,9 +101,13 @@ func (d *Dpkg) ParseArch(name string) (string, string) {
 	return parseArch(name)
 }
 
+// SupportsDryRun reports that dpkg honors [snack.WithDryRun] via --simulate.
+func (d *Dpkg) SupportsDryRun() bool { return true }
+
 // Compile-time interface checks.
 var (
 	_ snack.Manager        = (*Dpkg)(nil)
 	_ snack.FileOwner      = (*Dpkg)(nil)
 	_ snack.NameNormalizer = (*Dpkg)(nil)
+	_ snack.DryRunner      = (*Dpkg)(nil)
 )
diff --git a/pacman/capabilities.go b/pacman/capabilities.go
index d5400ad..bee23f4 100644
--- a/pacman/capabilities.go
+++ b/pacman/capabilities.go
@@ -13,12 +13,16 @@ var (
 	_ snack.FileOwner      = (*Pacman)(nil)
 	_ snack.Grouper        = (*Pacman)(nil)
 	_ snack.GroupQuerier   = (*Pacman)(nil)
+	_ snack.DryRunner      = (*Pacman)(nil)
 )
 
 // NOTE: snack.Holder is not implemented for pacman. While pacman supports
 // IgnorePkg in /etc/pacman.conf, there is no clean CLI command to hold/unhold
 // packages. pacman-contrib provides some tooling but it's not standard.
 
+// SupportsDryRun reports that pacman honors [snack.WithDryRun] via --print.
+func (p *Pacman) SupportsDryRun() bool { return true }
+
 // LatestVersion returns the latest available version from configured repositories.
 func (p *Pacman) LatestVersion(ctx context.Context, pkg string) (string, error) {
 	return latestVersion(ctx, pkg)
diff --git a/snack.go b/snack.go
index a70e91d..05a90ef 100644
--- a/snack.go
+++ b/snack.go
@@ -207,3 +207,18 @@ type NameNormalizer interface {
 	// Returns the name without arch and the arch string.
 	ParseArch(name string) (string, string)
 }
+
+// DryRunner reports whether a Manager backend natively supports dry-run mode.
+// Backends that implement this interface honor [WithDryRun] in Install, Remove,
+// Purge, and Upgrade and pass the appropriate flag to the underlying CLI
+// (e.g. apt-get --dry-run, apk --simulate, dnf --setopt=tsflags=test,
+// pacman --print).
+//
+// Backends that do NOT implement this interface (snap, flatpak, rpm, ports)
+// silently ignore [WithDryRun].
+//
+// Supported by: apt, apk, dnf, pacman.
+type DryRunner interface {
+	// SupportsDryRun reports whether this backend honors [WithDryRun].
+	SupportsDryRun() bool
+}
diff --git a/snack_test.go b/snack_test.go
index 895ca82..0c849a2 100644
--- a/snack_test.go
+++ b/snack_test.go
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ func TestGetCapabilities_NilSafe(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.False(t, caps.KeyManagement)
 	assert.False(t, caps.Groups)
 	assert.False(t, caps.NameNormalize)
+	assert.False(t, caps.DryRun)
 }
 
 func TestErrors(t *testing.T) {