DH_AUTO_INSTALL(1)

💖 DH_AUTO_INSTALL(1) 💖

okay bestie, buckle up — this is dh_auto_install, one of the lil legends from the debhelper manual. it's giving "I do your installs so you don't have to" energy, and honestly? slay. 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

dh_auto_install — automatically runs make install or similar 🫶

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

dh_auto_install [build system options] [debhelper options] [-- params]

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so basically, dh_auto_install is a debhelper program whose whole personality is trying to automatically install built files for you. it does this by running the correct command for whatever build system it sniffs out that your package is using. no cap. 👑

like, if there's a Makefile and it has an install target, then it does the thing by running make (or MAKE if that environment variable is set — respect the env var, fr fr). if there's a setup.py or a Build.PL, that's what it uses instead. 💅

⚠️ heads up: the Ant build system does not support installation, so dh_auto_install will not install files built using Ant. it literally can't, don't ask her to. 💀

in compat 14 or later, dh_auto_install uses debian/tmp as the default --destdir, and you should move the files from there to the appropriate package build directory using dh_install(1) or similar tools. however — and this is the fun part — if the single-binary addon for dh(1) is activated, then it will pass an explicit --destdir=debian/package/ to dh_auto_install. cute, right? ✨

for earlier compat levels (the vintage eras 🍓), unless the --destdir option is specified, the files get installed into debian/package/ if there's only one binary package. but in the multiple binary package case, the files are instead installed into debian/tmp/, and you should move them from there to the appropriate package build directory using dh_install(1) or similar tools. same ritual, different folder. 🧚

DESTDIR is used to tell make where to install the files. and if the Makefile was generated by MakeMaker from a Makefile.PL, it will automatically set PREFIX=/usr too, since such Makefiles need that. it's just being a good friend. 💜

this is intended to work for about 90% of packages. if it doesn't work, or it tries to use the wrong install target — bestie, you're encouraged to skip using dh_auto_install entirely and just run make install manually. no shame in doing it by hand. 🙈

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🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

see "BUILD SYSTEM OPTIONS" in debhelper(7) for a list of common build system selection and control options. that's where the rest of the lore lives. 📖

• --destdir=directory — install files into the specified directory. if this option isn't specified, the destination directory is determined automatically, as described in the "DESCRIPTION" section. she'll figure it out herself. 😌
• -- params — pass params to the program that is run, after the parameters that dh_auto_install usually passes. extra args, delivered directly, no middleman. ✨

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• debhelper(7)

this program is a part of debhelper. it's in the family. 🫶

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👑 AUTHOR 👑

Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>

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and that's the whole vibe check! this page is from version 14.5ubuntu1, dated 2026-09-21 — periodt, that's the source and the date, no further questions. go install something, bestie 💅🌈💖