Manual: gdb-add-index

GDB-ADD-INDEX(1)				    GNU Development Tools				    GDB-ADD-INDEX(1)

NAME
       gdb-add-index - Add index files to speed up GDB

SYNOPSIS
       gdb-add-index [-h | --help] [-v | --version] [--dwarf-5] filename

DESCRIPTION
       When GDB finds a symbol file, it scans the symbols in the file in order to construct an internal symbol table.  This
       lets most GDB operations work quickly--at the cost of a delay early on.	For large programs, this delay can be quite
       lengthy, so GDB provides a way to build an index, which speeds up startup.

       To determine whether a file contains such an index, use the command "readelf -S filename": the index is stored in a
       section named ".gdb_index" (pre-DWARF 5) or ".debug_names" and ".debug_str" (DWARF 5).  Indexes can only be produced
       on systems which use ELF binaries and DWARF debug information (i.e., sections named ".debug_*").

       By default gdb-add-index will add a pre-DWARF 5 ".gdb_index" section to filename.  With --dwarf-5 the DWARF 5 section
       ".debug_names" is added instead.

       filename must be writable.

       gdb-add-index uses GDB, objcopy, and readelf found in the PATH environment variable.  If you want to use different
       versions of these programs, you can specify them through the appropriate environment variables (see below).

       gdb-add-index exits with status 0 if it succeeds in creating the index for filename or greater than 0 if an error
       occurs.

       See more in the GDB manual in node "Index Files" -- shell command "info -f gdb -n "Index Files"".

OPTIONS
       --dwarf-5
	   Add DWARF 5 sections instead of previous ".gdb_index" section.

       --help
       -h  List all options, with brief explanations.

       --version
       -v  Print version information and then exit.

ENVIRONMENT
       GDB Full	 file  name  of	 the "gdb" program to use for index generation.	 If not set, the PATH will be searched for a
	   "gdb" program.

       OBJCOPY
	   Full file name of the "objcopy" program to use to copy section information into the given file.  If not set,	 the
	   PATH will be searched for a "objcopy" program.

       READELF
	   Full	 file  name  of	 the "readelf" program to use to inspect properties of the given file.	If not set, the PATH
	   will be searched for a "readelf" program.

SEE ALSO
       The full documentation for GDB is maintained as a Texinfo manual.  If the "info" and "gdb" programs and GDB's Texinfo
       documentation are properly installed at your site, the command

	       info gdb

       should give you access to the complete manual.

       Using GDB: A Guide to the GNU Source-Level Debugger, Richard M. Stallman and Roland H. Pesch, July 1991.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (c) 1988-2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

       Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU	 Free  Documentation
       License,	 Version  1.3  or  any	later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the Invariant Sections
       being "Free Software" and "Free Software Needs Free Documentation", with the Front-Cover Texts being "A GNU  Manual,"
       and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below.

       (a)  The	 FSF's	Back-Cover  Text is: "You are free to copy and modify this GNU Manual.	Buying copies from GNU Press
       supports the FSF in developing GNU and promoting software freedom."

gdb-17.1						 2026-01-30					    GDB-ADD-INDEX(1)