LIBTOOLIZE(1)

📦
version 2.6.2 · 13 versions
, in arch rolling

💖 LIBTOOLIZE — the manual, bestie edition 💖

okay so you found yourself in section 1 of the manual pages (User Commands, the iconic one) and the star of the show is libtoolize. pull up a chair, grab a strawberry 🍓, and let's get you libtool-pilled.

✨ NAME ✨

libtoolize — get your package ready to use libtool 💅

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

libtoolize [OPTION]...

yeah that's it. that's the whole vibe. options only, no positional args, we keep it clean.

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

Prepare a package to use libtool. that's the whole assignment, and it ate. 🎀

👑 OPTIONS 👑

one bullet per flag, no skips, we respect every single one:

  • -c, --copy — copy the files instead of symlinking them. sometimes you just want the real thing, not a lil pointer, and honestly? valid.
  • --debug — turn on verbose shell tracing. everything gets narrated. main character energy for your shell. 🔥
  • -n, --dry-run — print the commands instead of actually running them. a dress rehearsal, no commitment, no regrets.
  • -f, --force — replace existing files. bold. fearless. it will absolutely overwrite stuff. 💀
  • -i, --install — copy over the auxiliary files that are missing.
  • --ltdl[=DIR] — install libltdl sources, into DIR if you say so. default is libltdl, no cap.
  • --no-warnings — same thing as -Wnone, just a shorter way to say "shhh".
  • --nonrecursive — prep ltdl for a non-recursive make. (iykyk)
  • -q, --quiet — work silently. no notes, no noise, just vibes. 🤫
  • --recursive — prep ltdl for a recursive make.
  • --subproject — prep ltdl so it can configure and build independently, like the little self-sufficient icon it is.
  • -v, --verbose — verbosely report processing. it will tell you EVERYTHING. 🗣️
  • --version — print version info and dip.
  • -W, --warnings=CATEGORY — report the warnings that fall into CATEGORY. default is all.
  • -h, --help — print the short or the long help message. pick your era.

🌈 Warning categories include: 🌈

  • 'all' — show all warnings. the full tea. ☕
  • 'none' — turn off all the warnings. peace and quiet era.
  • 'error' — warnings are treated as fatal errors. not a drill. 🚨
  • 'environment' — show warnings about what's inside LIBTOOLIZE_OPTIONS.
  • 'file' — show warnings about file copying and linking.

🎀 Env-var options 🎀

the following space- or comma-delimited options can be passed to libtoolize through the environment variable LIBTOOLIZE_OPTIONS. unknown environment options are ignored, so don't stress:

  • --debug — enable verbose shell tracing.
  • --no-warnings — don't display warning messages.
  • --quiet — work silently.
  • --verbose — verbosely report processing.
🫶 ok important logistics: you must cd to the top directory of your package before you run libtoolize. like, the top top. don't be in some random subfolder, bestie, it will not go how you want.

🧚 When reporting a bug 🧚

please describe a test case that reproduces it, and include the following info — this is the receipts, and receipts are everything:

  • 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. legend behaviour, honestly. 👑

🙈 REPORTING BUGS 🙈

Report bugs to <bug-libtool@gnu.org>.

GNU libtool home page: <https://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/>.

General help using GNU software: <https://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>.

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. (fr fr, zero warranty, none, nada — read that one twice 😭)

🔥 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, the command

info libtoolize

should give you access to the complete manual. go get your full lore, bestie 📚✨

and that's the whole page!! this beauty is from GNU libtool 2.6.2, dated August 2026, and it's iconic. mwah. 💅🎀

📦 where this page comes from