Currently, cpackget tries to update the index at least once a day (if the tool is online). This is also done when I try to add a local pack. If the download of the index fails, I have no means to install the pack because it always tries to update the index first.
I would suggest to add a cpackget flag to run it in offline mode/without updating the index first. For example, we could have a no-update or offline command in cpackget.