LIBTOOLIZE(1)

📦
version 2.6.2 · 2 versions
, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 LIBTOOLIZE(1) — like, the User Commands manual, bestie

okay so picture this: you've got a package, and it wants to use libtool. libtoolize is the little gremlin that goes in and sets all that up for you. she's giving setup-wizard main character energy and honestly? she ate. 🧚✨

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

libtoolize [OPTION]...

that's it. that's the whole vibe check. options only, no positional args, no drama. 🎀

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

libtoolize prepares a package to use libtool. literally her whole job. she clocks in, she preps your package, she clocks out. 💅

🔥 OPTIONS 🔥

  • -c, --copy — copy the files instead of symlinking them. no shortcuts, no "we're pointing at the same inode", just real actual copies. 🫶
  • --debug — turns on verbose shell tracing. she will narrate everything. 😭
  • -n, --dry-run — prints the commands instead of running them. rehearsal mode, nothing gets touched, zero consequences. 🙈
  • -f, --force — replaces files that already exist. she's not asking, she's telling. 💀
  • -i, --install — copies any missing auxiliary files. the ones you forgot? yeah, she's got you. ✨
  • --ltdl[=DIR] — installs libltdl sources, and DIR defaults to libltdl. (note the optional-argument brackets, iykyk 👀)
  • --no-warnings — same thing as -Wnone. exact same. don't @ me.
  • --nonrecursive — preps ltdl for non-recursive make.
  • -q, --quiet — works silently. no commentary, she's just built different. 🤫
  • --recursive — preps ltdl for recursive make.
  • --subproject — preps ltdl to configure and build independently. she's got her own apartment now. 🦋
  • -v, --verbose — verbosely reports processing. yes bestie, tell me everything. 🗣️
  • --version — prints version info and exits. short and sweet.
  • -W, --warnings=CATEGORY — reports the warnings falling in CATEGORY, and the default is all.
  • -h, --help — prints the short help, or the long one. depends on how much you ask.

🎀 Warning categories include: 🎀

  • 'all' — shows all the warnings. every single one. buckle up. 💖
  • 'none' — turns off all the warnings. blissful silence.
  • 'error' — warnings get treated as fatal errors. so, uh, they're not warnings anymore, they're the whole crisis. 😭
  • 'environment' — shows warnings about what's inside LIBTOOLIZE_OPTIONS.
  • 'file' — shows warnings about file copying and linking.

🌈 the environment variable era 🌈

the following space or comma delimited options can be passed to libtoolize through the environment variable LIBTOOLIZE_OPTIONS. and like — unknown environment options are just ignored. she's not gonna fight you about it. 🫶

  • --debug — enables verbose shell tracing.
  • --no-warnings — doesn't display warning messages.
  • --quiet — works silently.
  • --verbose — verbosely reports processing.

🚨 the rules, bestie 🚨

you must cd to the top directory of your package before you run libtoolize. like, top-level. not nested. not vibing in src/. the top. i don't make the rules (i do, actually, well — libtool does). 💀

🐛 when you report a bug 🐛

please describe a test case that reproduces it, and include the following info, okay? this is the part where you help her help you:

  • host-triplet: x86_64-pc-linux-gnu
  • version: libtoolize (GNU libtool) 2.6.2
  • automake: automake (GNU automake) 1.18.1
  • autoconf: autoconf (GNU Autoconf) 2.73

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Written by Gary V. Vaughan <gary@gnu.org>, 2003. an absolute icon, we stan. 🌟

💜 REPORTING BUGS 💜

Copyright © 2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv2+: GNU GPL version 2 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>

This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. and yes the caps on NO WARRANTY are load-bearing, that's the legal equivalent of her screaming it. 😤

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

the full documentation for libtoolize is maintained as a Texinfo manual. if the info and libtoolize programs are properly installed at your site, this command:

info libtoolize

should give you access to the complete manual. go forth and read, bestie. 📖✨

that's the whole page!! 🎉 this little gem is from GNU libtool 2.6.2, dated July 2026 — mwah, sending you off with a kiss and a working configure.ac 💋💖

📦 where this page comes from