CLANG-EXTRACT(1)

💅 CLANG-EXTRACT 💅

okay bestie, so clang-extract is a Tool to extract code content from source files using clang and LLVM infrastructure. that's the whole vibe. let's get into it ✨

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

clang-extract [options] file...

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

OVERVIEW: Tool to extract code from C projects using the LLVM infrastructure.

the way that it needs to be invoked: it's literally a C compiler bestie. invoke it as one. no cap.

USAGE: clang-extract [options] file...

✨ CLANG-EXTRACT OPTIONS: ✨

• <clang-switch> — bestie this is just a clang switch, exactly like the ones you'd find by calling clang --help. nothing new here, it's giving au naturel 💅
• -D__KERNEL__ — tells clang-extract that we're processing a Linux sourcefile. yes that's double-underscore KERNEL double-underscore, iconic as always 👑
• -DCE_EXTRACT_FUNCTIONS=<args> — extract the functions that you listed in the <args> list. this is the main character directive fr fr 🌟
• -DCE_EXPORT_SYMBOLS=<args> — force externalization of the symbols you put in the <args> list. no hiding, they're going public 💫
• -DCE_OUTPUT_FILE=<arg> — outputs the code into the <arg> file. default is <input>.CE.c, which honestly is such a cute default 🎀
• -DCE_NO_EXTERNALIZATION — disable symbol externalization. periodt 🙅
• -DCE_DUMP_PASSES — dump the results of each transformation pass into files. yes queen, spill the tea on every pass 🫖
• -DCE_KEEP_INCLUDES — keep all possible #include<file> directives. don't touch them, they're precious 💖
• -DCE_KEEP_INCLUDES=<policy> — keep all possible #include<file> directives, but using the specified include expansion <policy>. the valid values are nothing, everything, kernel, system and compiler. pick your fighter 💅
• -DCE_EXPAND_INCLUDES=<args> — force expansion of the headers provided in <args>. yep, make them grow 🌱
• -DCE_NOT_EXPAND_INCLUDES=<args> — force the headers listed in <args> to NOT be expanded. leave them alone 🙈
• -DCE_RENAME_SYMBOLS — allow renaming of extracted symbols. new name, new era ✨
• -DCE_DEBUGINFO_PATH=<arg> — path to the compiled (ELF) object of the desired program to extract. this is what decides whether externalization is necessary or not for a given symbol. it's the vibe check for symbols 🔍
• -DCE_IPACLONES_PATH=<arg> — path to .ipa-clones files generated by gcc. used to decide if the desired function to extract was inlined into other functions. sneaky inlining, always 🕵️
• -DCE_SYMVERS_PATH=<arg> — path to the kernel Modules.symvers file. only used when -D__KERNEL__ is specified. conditional queen 💜
• -DCE_DSC_OUTPUT=<arg> — Libpulp .dsc file output, used for userspace livepatching. hot-patching but make it userspace 🔥
• -DCE_OUTPUT_FUNCTION_PROTOTYPE_HEADER=<arg> — outputs a header file with a forward declaration of all functions. heads up bestie: this header is not self-compilable. it's giving unfinished business 😭
• -DCE_LATE_EXTERNALIZE — enable late externalization (declare externalized variables later than the original). may reduce code output when -DCE_KEEP_INCLUDES is enabled. fashionably late but it slays 💅
• -DCE_IGNORE_CLANG_ERRORS — Ignore clang compilation errors in a hope that code is generated even if it won't compile. literally hoping for the best 🙏 no cap, that's the description.

🚫 THE IGNORED LIST 🚫

The following arguments are ignored by clang-extract. not ignored by us though, we see them, we list them, we love them 💖

• -mpreferred-stack-boundary=
• -mindirect-branch=thunk-extern
• -mindirect-branch-register
• -mrecord-mcount
• -falign-jumps=
• -fasan-shadow-offset=
• -fconserve-stack
• -fdump-ipa-clones
• -flive-patching=inline-clone
• -fmin-function-alignment=16
• -fno-allow-store-data-races
• -fno-var-tracking-assignments
• -Wno-alloc-size-larger-than
• -Wno-dangling-pointer
• -Wno-format-truncation
• -Wno-format-overflow
• -Wmaybe-uninitialized
• -Wno-maybe-uninitialized
• -Wpacked-not-aligned
• -Wno-packed-not-aligned
• -Wno-restrict
• -Wno-stringop-overflow
• -Wstringop-truncation
• -Wno-stringop-truncation
• -Werror=designated-init
• -Wimplicit-fallthrough=
• -Wendif-labels
• -Wmissing-selector-name
• -Wfree-labels
• -Wmissing-parameter-name

🔍 SEE MORE 🔍

for a list of switches accepted by clang, run:

$ clang --help

this manpage was developed by Aryan Karamtoth for the Debian GNU/Linux System but can be used by other distributions. bestie really said "works on my distro, works on yours" 🫶

and that's a wrap bestie! 🌈 this is clang-extract 1.0, dated May 2026. go extract something gorgeous 💅✨🎀