GSTACK(1)

📦 version 17.2, in arch rolling

🌸 NAME 🌸

okay so gstack — as in the GSTACK(1) manual page from GNU Development Tools — is literally here to print a stack trace of a running program. Main character energy for debugging, no cap. 🫶

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

the whole vibe is:

gstack [-h | --help] [-v | --version] pid

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

So gstack prints a stack trace of a running program with process ID pid. If the process is multi-threaded, gstack outputs backtraces for every thread which exists in the process — every single one, not just the main character thread. 👑

The script invokes GDB, attaches to the given process ID, prints the stack trace, and detaches from the process. That’s the whole little ritual: attach, spill the tea, detach. 💅

Heads up though: gstack exits with non-zero status if "gdb" was unable to attach to the given process ID for any reason, such as a non-existent process ID or insufficient privileges to attach to the process. So if the pid is a ghost or you don’t have the privileges, it’s not gonna work — and that’s a non-zero exit, periodt. 😭

✨ OPTIONS ✨

  • --help, -h — lists all options with brief explanations. Tiny tour, zero gatekeeping. 🎀
  • --version, -v — prints version information and then exits. Bye bestie. ✨

🦋 ENVIRONMENT 🦋

  • AWK — full file name for an Awk interpreter to use. If it’s not set, PATH will be searched for a "awk" program. 🍓
  • GDB — full file name for a GDB executable to use to generate stack backtraces. If it’s not set, PATH will be searched for a "gdb" program. 💜
  • GDBARGS — optional arguments to be passed to the "gdb" program. Extra lil’ flags for GDB, iykyk. 🎀

🌈 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. Slay. 📚

Also: Using GDB: A Guide to the GNU Source-Level Debugger, Richard M. Stallman and Roland H. Pesch, July 1991. Iconic debugger literature, fr fr. 👑

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."

okay that’s the whole page! signing off from GSTACK(1) — source/version gdb-17.2, dated 2026-05-10. mwah 💋

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