AUTOMAKE(1)

📦
version 1.19 · 7 versions
, in arch rolling

💖 AUTOMAKE 💖

okay bestie, pull up a chair because we're talking about automake — a User Commands girly from the GNU house 🎀 she's the one who generates Makefile.in files for configure out of your Makefile.am, and honestly? she ate 💅

✨ NAME ✨

automake — generates Makefile.in files for configure from Makefile.am. that's it, that's the whole job, and she does it flawlessly no cap 🫶

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

automake [OPTION]... [Makefile]...

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Generate Makefile.in for configure from Makefile.am. literally the entire concept. she reads your cute little Makefile.am and hands configure a Makefile.in like a bestie handing you a scrunchie 🎀

💫 Operation modes:

  • --help — prints this help, then dips out. exit stage left, periodt
  • --version — prints the version number, then exits. short and sweet, iconic
  • -v, --verbose — lists every single file she processes, out loud, verbosely. main character narration energy ✨
  • --no-force — only updates the Makefile.in's that are out of date. she's not doing extra work for no reason, we love a low-effort queen
  • -W, --warnings=CATEGORY — reports the warnings that fall into CATEGORY. pick your fighter

🔍 Dependency tracking:

  • -i, --ignore-deps — disables the dependency tracking code. off, gone, blocked 💀
  • --include-deps — enables the dependency tracking code. on, slaying, unblocked ✨

🎀 Flavors:

  • --foreign — sets strictness to foreign
  • --gnits — sets strictness to gnits
  • --gnu — sets strictness to gnu

three flavors, choose your vibe check wisely 🧚

📚 Library files:

  • -a, --add-missing — adds the missing standard files to your package. filling in the gaps like a true friend 🫶
  • --libdir=DIR — sets the directory that stores library files
  • --print-libdir — prints the directory that stores library files
  • -c, --copy — with -a, copies the missing files (default is symlink, just so u know 👀)
  • -f, --force-missing — forces an update of the standard files. no consent, just force, but like, in a Makefile way

🔥 Warning categories are:

  • cross — cross compilation issues
  • gnu — GNU coding standards (this is the default in gnu and gnits modes)
  • obsolete — obsolete features or constructions (default)
  • override — user redefinitions of Automake rules or variables. bestie that's your fault 😭
  • portability — portability issues (default in gnu and gnits modes)
  • portability-recursive — nested Make variables (default with -Wportability)
  • extra-portability — extra portability issues related to obscure tools
  • syntax — dubious syntactic constructs (default)
  • unsupported — unsupported or incomplete features (default)

⭐ -W also understands:

  • all — turn on all the warnings. chaos mode, activate 🌈
  • none — turn off all the warnings. ignorance is bliss, slay
  • no-CATEGORY — turn off warnings in CATEGORY
  • error — treat all enabled warnings as errors. no more little yellow notes, they're real problems now 💀

👑 Files automatically distributed if found (always):

ABOUT-GNU           COPYING.LIB         config.sub          ltmain.sh
ABOUT-NLS           COPYINGv2           depcomp             mdate-sh
BACKLOG             COPYINGv3           install-sh          missing
COPYING             TODO                libversion.in       mkinstalldirs
COPYING.DOC         ar-lib              ltcf-c.sh           py-compile
COPYING.LESSER      compile             ltcf-cxx.sh         texinfo.tex
COPYING.LESSERv2    config.guess        ltcf-gcj.sh         ylwrap
COPYING.LESSERv3    config.rpath        ltconfig

🌸 Files automatically distributed if found (as .md if needed):

AUTHORS[.md]        INSTALL[.md]        README[.md]         THANKS[.md]
ChangeLog[.md]      NEWS[.md]

🧚 Files automatically distributed if found (under certain conditions):

README-alpha[.md]   config.h.bot        configure           configure.in
acconfig.h          config.h.top        configure.ac        stamp-vti
aclocal.m4
ok so those three lists are just "if she finds these, she ships them with you" — always, as .md if needed, or under certain conditions. no guessing, that's literally what the original says 💅

💜 AUTHOR

Written by Tom Tromey <tromey@redhat.com>

and Alexandre Duret-Lutz <adl@gnu.org>. two legends, one credit line, we stan 👑

🍓 REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to <bug-automake@gnu.org>. she wants to hear it, fr fr

GNU Automake home page: <https://www.gnu.org/software/automake/>.

General help using GNU software: <https://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>.

Features: subsecond-mtime ✨ (yes that's a feature and yes it's cute)

Copyright © 2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv2+: GNU GPL version 2 or later

<https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html>

This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. like, none, zero, nada — read that again bestie 🫶

🎀 SEE ALSO

The full documentation for automake is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and automake programs are properly installed at your site, the command

info automake

should give you access to the complete manual. go read her, she's worth it 💖

and that's the whole page!! this was GNU automake 1.19, dated September 2026, User Commands, delivered straight to your terminal. mwah 💋 slay, bye 🦋✨

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