dpkg-checkbuilddeps(1)

💅 dpkg-checkbuilddeps — bestie checks ur build deps

So you're trying to build a Debian package and the build deps are giving nothing? This is the little dpkg suite icon that does the vibe check for you. 🎀

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

dpkg-checkbuilddeps [option...] [control-file]

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🔍 DESCRIPTION 🔍

Okay so here's the tea: this program checks the packages installed on your system against the build dependencies and build conflicts listed in the control file. That's it. That's the whole job. 💅

If anything isn't met, it displays them and exits with a nonzero return code — so you know immediately something's off. No cap, it's giving "your build is not ready."

By default it reads debian/control, but bestie you can absolutely hand it an alternate control filename on the command line. Your call. 🦋

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⚙️ OPTIONS ⚙️

• --admindir=dir — changes where the dpkg database lives. The default location is /var/lib/dpkg. Supported since dpkg 1.14.0.
• -A — ignore the Build-Depends-Arch and Build-Conflicts-Arch lines. Use this when only arch-indep packages will be built, or combine it with -B when only a source package is to be built. Supported since dpkg 1.16.4.
• -B — ignore the Build-Depends-Indep and Build-Conflicts-Indep lines. Use this when only arch-dep packages will be built, or combine it with -A when only a source package is to be built.
• -I — ignore the built-in build depends and conflicts. These are the implicit dependencies that are usually required on a specific distribution — the so called Build-Essential package set. Supported since dpkg 1.18.2.
• -d build-depends-string
• -c build-conflicts-string — use the given build dependencies/conflicts instead of the ones sitting in the debian/control file. Supported since dpkg 1.14.17.
• -a arch — check build dependencies/conflicts assuming the package described in the control file is to be built for the given host architecture, instead of the architecture of the current system. Supported since dpkg 1.16.2.
• -P profile[,...] — check build dependencies/conflicts assuming the package described in the control file is to be built for the given build profile(s). The argument is a comma-separated list of profile names, without any exclamation marks. Supported since dpkg 1.17.2.
• -?, --help — show the usage message and exit. Classic. 🙈
• --version — show the version and exit. ✨

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🌸 ENVIRONMENT 🌸

• DEB_HOST_ARCH — sets the host architecture. Heads up though: this affects the dependency resolution logic, which might then not match what the system dpkg considers satisfiable. So like... be aware. 😭
• DEB_BUILD_PROFILES — if set, it will be used as the active build profile(s) for the package being built. It's a space separated list of profile names, without any exclamation marks. Overridden by the -P option. 💜
• DPKG_COLORS — sets the color mode. The currently accepted values are: auto (default), always and never. Supported since dpkg 1.18.5.
• DPKG_NLS — if set, it will be used to decide whether to activate Native Language Support, also known as internationalization (or i18n) support. The accepted values are: 0 and 1 (default). Supported since dpkg 1.19.0.

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fr fr, remember: nothing met = list printed + nonzero exit. That's the whole warning, bestie. 🫶

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That's the whole page! This lil' beauty is from the dpkg suite, version 1.23.11-dirty, dated 2026-09-09. Slay, go build something iconic 💖✨👑