LLI(1)

💖 LLI(1) — direct execution of LLVM bitcode, bestie edition 💖

okay so like. this is the manual page for lli, from the LLVM crew. yes that LLVM. the one everyone's lowkey scared of. don't be scared. sit down. we're doing this together. 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

lli — directly execute programs from LLVM bitcode

like, no compile step, no waiting, no drama. we just run the thing. 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

lli [options] [filename] [program args]

that's it. that's the whole vibe. options, then maybe a filename, then maybe some args for your program. iconic. 👑

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so lli directly executes programs in LLVM bitcode format. it takes your program in LLVM bitcode format and it executes it — either with a just-in-time compiler or with an interpreter. your choice, kind of. ✨

and like, important, bestie: lli is not an emulator. it will not execute IR of different architectures, and it can only interpret (or JIT-compile) for the host architecture. so if you were hoping to run some little ARM situation on your x86 laptop… no. no she will not. 💀

the JIT compiler takes the same arguments as other tools, like llc, but — and this is the tea — they don't necessarily work for the interpreter. so don't just assume. 🙈

if filename is not specified, then lli reads the LLVM bitcode for the program from standard input. very cozy of her honestly.

the optional args you put on the command line get passed to the program as arguments. simple as. 💜

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💅 GENERAL OPTIONS 💅

the basics. the foundation. the bare minimum. slay.

• -fake-argv0=executable — override the argv[0] value passed into the executing program. lying about your name? in this economy? valid.
• -force-interpreter={false,true} — if you set this to true, use the interpreter even if a just-in-time compiler is available for this architecture. defaults to false. so like, interpreter mode even when you don't have to. respect. 🎀
• -help — print a summary of command line options. the classic. the beloved. when in doubt.
• -load=pluginfilename — causes lli to load the plugin (shared object) named pluginfilename and use it for optimization. plug her in, plug her in. 🔥
• -stats — print statistics from the code-generation passes. this is only meaningful for the just-in-time compiler, at present. so at present, bestie. at present. ⭐
• -time-passes — record the amount of time needed for each code-generation pass and print it to standard error. performance girlies rise.
• -version — print out the version of lli and exit without doing anything else. she said bye and meant it. 👋

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🌈 TARGET OPTIONS 🌈

where you tell her what to build for. choose wisely. or don't. your funeral (affectionate).

• -mtriple=target triple — override the target triple specified in the input bitcode file with the specified string. > ⚠️ this may result in a crash if you pick an architecture which is not compatible with the current system. so like. maybe don't. 😭
• -march=arch — specify the architecture for which to generate assembly, overriding the target encoded in the bitcode file. see the output of llc -help for a list of valid architectures. by default this is inferred from the target triple or autodetected to the current architecture. ✨
• -mcpu=cpuname — specify a specific chip in the current architecture to generate code for. by default this is inferred from the target triple and autodetected to the current architecture. for a list of available CPUs, use:

llvm-as < /dev/null | llc -march=xyz -mcpu=help

• -mattr=a1,+a2,-a3,... — override or control specific attributes of the target, such as whether SIMD operations are enabled or not. the default set of attributes is set by the current CPU. for a list of available attributes, use:

llvm-as < /dev/null | llc -march=xyz -mattr=help

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🍓 FLOATING POINT OPTIONS 🍓

math girlies, this one's for you. precision is a choice and she's letting you make it. 🧚

• -disable-excess-fp-precision — disable optimizations that may increase floating point precision. yeah. increase. we're turning that off. 💀
• -enable-no-infs-fp-math — enable optimizations that assume no Inf values. assuming. that's the whole thing. it's an assumption. 🙈
• -enable-no-nans-fp-math — enable optimizations that assume no NAN values. same energy, different special number.
• -enable-unsafe-fp-math — causes lli to enable optimizations that may decrease floating point precision. unsafe is right there in the name bestie, she's telling you. 😭
• -soft-float — causes lli to generate software floating point library calls instead of equivalent hardware instructions. soft launch of your floating point. 💅

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👑 CODE GENERATION OPTIONS 👑

the main character section, honestly. so many little knobs. so much power. 🎀

• -code-model=model — choose the code model from:

   default: Target default code model
   tiny: Tiny code model
   small: Small code model
   kernel: Kernel code model
   medium: Medium code model
   large: Large code model

• -disable-post-RA-scheduler — disable scheduling after register allocation. scheduling? after RA? not today. ✋
• -disable-spill-fusing — disable fusing of spill code into instructions. the fusing is OFF. 😤
• -jit-enable-eh — exception handling should be enabled in the just-in-time compiler. jit girlies get feelings too. 💖
• -join-liveintervals — coalesce copies (default=true). she said join. she said coalesce. default is true, noted and remembered. ⭐
• -nozero-initialized-in-bss — don't place zero-initialized symbols into the BSS section. bss said not today. 🦋
• -pre-RA-sched=scheduler — instruction schedulers available (before register allocation):

   =default: Best scheduler for the target
   =none: No scheduling: breadth first sequencing
   =simple: Simple two pass scheduling: minimize critical path and maximize processor utilization
   =simple-noitin: Simple two pass scheduling: Same as simple except using generic latency
   =list-burr: Bottom-up register reduction list scheduling
   =list-tdrr: Top-down register reduction list scheduling
   =list-td: Top-down list scheduler

• -regalloc=allocator — register allocator to use (default=linearscan)

   =bigblock: Big-block register allocator
   =linearscan: linear scan register allocator
   =local: local register allocator
   =simple: simple register allocator

• -relocation-model=model — choose relocation model from:

   =default: Target default relocation model
   =static: Non-relocatable code
   =pic: Fully relocatable, position independent code
   =dynamic-no-pic: Relocatable external references, non-relocatable code

• -spiller — spiller to use (default=local)

   =simple: simple spiller
   =local: local spiller

• -x86-asm-syntax=syntax — choose style of code to emit from X86 backend:

   =att: Emit AT&T-style assembly
   =intel: Emit Intel-style assembly

ngl the att vs intel thing is the oldest beef in this whole fandom. pick your side. 🥊

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💀 EXIT STATUS 💀

if lli fails to load the program, it will exit with an exit code of 1.

otherwise, it will return the exit code of the program it executes. so she's not even taking credit. she's just the messenger. so real of her. 🫶

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

• llc(1)

her sister. her other half. go say hi.

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🌟 AUTHOR 🌟

maintained by the LLVM Team (https://llvm.org/).

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🌈 COPYRIGHT 🌈

2003-2025, LLVM Project

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and that's the whole page bestie, no cap, fr fr 💖 this was LLI(1) from the LLVM manual, dated 2025-09-03, and the copyright situation is 2003-2025, LLVM Project — go forth, run your bitcode, and remember: she is not an emulator. periodt. 💅✨