LLVM-PDBUTIL(1)

📦
version 22.1.8 · 6 versions
, in fedora 44

💖 NAME 💖

okay bestie, meet llvm-pdbutil — literally PDB File forensics and diagnostics. It's the tool for digging into PDB files, and this manual is about to give you the whole tour. 💅

Here's the lil table of contents, no cap:

  • Synopsis
  • Description
  • Subcommands
    • pretty
      • Summary
      • Options
        • Filtering and Sorting Options
        • Symbol Type Options
        • Other Options
    • dump
      • Summary
      • Options
        • MSF Container Options
        • Module & File Options
        • Symbol Options
        • Type Record Options
    • bytes
      • Summary
      • Options
        • MSF File Options
        • PDB Stream Options
        • DBI Stream Options
        • Module Options
        • Type Record Options
    • pdb2yaml
      • Summary
      • Options
    • yaml2pdb
      • Summary
      • Options
    • merge
      • Summary
      • Options

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

llvm-pdbutil [subcommand] [options]

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

llvm-pdbutil is here to display types, symbols, CodeView records, and other information from a PDB file, plus manipulate and create PDB files. It's normally used by FileCheck-based tests to test LLVM's PDB reading and writing functionality, but it can also be used for general PDB file investigation and forensics, or as a replacement for cvdump. Periodt. 💖

🎀 SUBCOMMANDS 🎀

llvm-pdbutil is split into several subcommands, each one tailored to a different purpose. Here's the quick summary, and the deets come in the sections after:

  • pretty — Dump symbol and type information in a format that tries to look as much like the original source code as possible.
  • dump — Dump low level types and structures from the PDB file, including CodeView records, hash tables, PDB streams, etc.
  • bytes — Dump data from the PDB file's streams, records, types, symbols, etc as raw bytes.
  • yaml2pdb — Given a yaml description of a PDB file, produce a valid PDB file that matches that description.
  • pdb2yaml — For a given PDB file, produce a YAML description of some or all of the file in a way that the PDB can be reconstructed.
  • merge — Given two PDBs, produce a third PDB that is the result of merging the two input PDBs.

💅 pretty 💅

Important: The pretty subcommand is built on the Windows DIA SDK, and as such is not supported on non-Windows platforms. So if you're not on Windows, this one is a no-go, bestie. 😭

USAGE:

llvm-pdbutil pretty [options] <input PDB file>

Summary

The pretty subcommand shows a very high level representation of your program's debug info. Since it's built on the Windows DIA SDK — which is the standard API that Windows tools and debuggers use to query debug information — it gives you a more authoritative view of how a debugger is going to interpret your debug info than a mode that displays low-level CodeView records. It's giving main character energy for debug info. 👑

Options

Filtering and Sorting Options

Note: exclude filters take priority over include filters. So if a filter matches both an include and an exclude rule, then it is excluded. Exclude stays winning. 💅
  • -exclude-compilands=<string> — When dumping compilands, compiland source-file contributions, or per-compiland symbols, this tells llvm-pdbutil to omit any compilands that match the specified regular expression.
  • -exclude-symbols=<string> — When dumping global, public, or per-compiland symbols, this tells llvm-pdbutil to omit any symbols that match the specified regular expression.
  • -exclude-types=<string> — When dumping types, this tells llvm-pdbutil to omit any types that match the specified regular expression.
  • -include-compilands=<string> — When dumping compilands, compiland source-file contributions, or per-compiland symbols, limit the initial search to only those compilands that match the specified regular expression.
  • -include-symbols=<string> — When dumping global, public, or per-compiland symbols, limit the initial search to only those symbols that match the specified regular expression.
  • -include-types=<string> — When dumping types, limit the initial search to only those types that match the specified regular expression.
  • -min-class-padding=<uint> — Only display types that have at least the specified amount of alignment padding, accounting for padding in base classes and aggregate field members.
  • -min-class-padding-imm=<uint> — Only display types that have at least the specified amount of alignment padding, ignoring padding in base classes and aggregate field members.
  • -min-type-size=<uint> — Only display types T where sizeof(T) is greater than or equal to the specified amount.
  • -no-compiler-generated — Don't show compiler generated types and symbols.
  • -no-enum-definitions — When dumping an enum, don't show the full enum (e.g. the individual enumerator values).
  • -no-system-libs — Don't show symbols from system libraries.

Symbol Type Options

  • -all — Implies all other options in this category. It's the "yes queen, give me everything" button. ✨
  • -class-definitions=<format> — Displays class definitions in the specified format.
    • =all — Display all class members including data, constants, typedefs, functions, etc (default)
    • =layout — Only display members that contribute to class size.
    • =none — Don't display class definitions (e.g. only display the name and base list)
  • -class-order — Displays classes in the specified order.
    • =none — Undefined / no particular sort order (default)
    • =name — Sort classes by name
    • =size — Sort classes by size
    • =padding — Sort classes by amount of padding
    • =padding-pct — Sort classes by percentage of space consumed by padding
    • =padding-imm — Sort classes by amount of immediate padding
    • =padding-pct-imm — Sort classes by percentage of space consumed by immediate padding
  • -class-recurse-depth=<uint> — When dumping class definitions, stop after recursing the specified number of times. The default is 0, which is no limit.
  • -classes — Display classes.
  • -compilands — Display compilands (e.g. object files).
  • -enums — Display enums.
  • -externals — Dump external (e.g. exported) symbols.
  • -globals — Dump global symbols.
  • -lines — Dump the mappings between source lines and code addresses.
  • -module-syms — Display symbols (variables, functions, etc) for each compiland.
  • -sym-types=<types> — Type of symbols to dump when -globals, -externals, or -module-syms is specified. (default all)
    • =thunks — Display thunk symbols
    • =data — Display data symbols
    • =funcs — Display function symbols
    • =all — Display all symbols (default)
  • -symbol-order=<order> — For symbols dumped via the -module-syms, -globals, or -externals options, sort the results in specified order.
    • =none — Undefined / no particular sort order
    • =name — Sort symbols by name
    • =size — Sort symbols by size
  • -typedefs — Display typedef types.
  • -types — Display all types (implies -classes, -enums, -typedefs).

Other Options

  • -color-output — Force color output on or off. By default, color is used if outputting to a terminal.
  • -load-address=<uint> — When displaying relative virtual addresses, assume the process is loaded at the given address and display what would be the absolute address.

💅 dump 💅

USAGE:

llvm-pdbutil dump [options] <input PDB file>

Summary

The dump subcommand displays low level information about the structure of a PDB file. It's used heavily by LLVM's testing infrastructure, but it can also be used for PDB forensics. It serves a role similar to that of Microsoft's cvdump tool. It's giving detective vibes. 🕵️‍♀️

Note: The dump subcommand exposes internal details of the file format. As such, the reader should be familiar with The PDB File Format <> before using this command. Consider this your required reading, bestie. 📚

Options

MSF Container Options

  • -streams — dump a summary of all of the streams in the PDB file.
  • -stream-blocks — In conjunction with -streams, add information to the output about what blocks the specified stream occupies.
  • -summary — Dump MSF and PDB header information.

Module & File Options

  • -modi=<uint> — For all options that dump information from each module/compiland, limit to the specified module.
  • -files — Dump the source files that contribute to each displayed module.
  • -il — Dump inlinee line information (DEBUG_S_INLINEELINES CodeView subsection).
  • -l — Dump line information (DEBUG_S_LINES CodeView subsection).
  • -modules — Dump compiland information.
  • -xme — Dump cross module exports (DEBUG_S_CROSSSCOPEEXPORTS CodeView subsection).
  • -xmi — Dump cross module imports (DEBUG_S_CROSSSCOPEIMPORTS CodeView subsection).

Symbol Options

  • -globals — dump global symbol records.
  • -global-extras — dump additional information about the globals, such as hash buckets and hash values.
  • -publics — dump public symbol records.
  • -public-extras — dump additional information about the publics, such as hash buckets and hash values.
  • -symbols — dump symbols (functions, variables, etc) for each module dumped.
  • -sym-data — For each symbol record dumped as a result of the -symbols option, display the full bytes of the record in binary as well.

Type Record Options

  • -types — Dump CodeView type records from TPI stream.
  • -type-extras — Dump additional information from the TPI stream, such as hashes and the type index offsets array.
  • -type-data — For each type record dumped, display the full bytes of the record in binary as well.
  • -type-index=<uint> — Only dump types with the specified type index.
  • -ids — Dump CodeView type records from IPI stream.
  • -id-extras — Dump additional information from the IPI stream, such as hashes and the type index offsets array.
  • -id-data — For each ID record dumped, display the full bytes of the record in binary as well.
  • -id-index=<uint> — only dump ID records with the specified hexadecimal type index.
  • -dependents — when you use this alongside -type-index or -id-index, it dumps the entire dependency graph for that index instead of just the one single record sitting at that index. 🫶 Like, example: if type index 0x4000 is a function whose return type has index 0x3000, and you say -dependents=0x4000, then this dumps both records (and literally any other dependents hanging out in that tree too). It's giving "invite the whole group chat, not just one bestie."

🎀 Miscellaneous Options 🎀

  • -all — implies most of the other options. Yeah bestie, it's the select-all button of this man page. ✨
  • -section-contribs — dumps section contributions.
  • -section-headers — dumps image section headers.
  • -section-map — dumps the section map.
  • -string-table — dumps the PDB string table.

🦋 bytes 🦋

USAGE

llvm-pdbutil bytes [options] <input PDB file>

Summary

Okay so bytes is lowkey the same vibe as the dump subcommand — it also shows you low level info about the structure of a PDB file — but this one is for even deeper forensics. 🔍

The bytes subcommand goes and finds various structures inside a PDB file based on whatever command line options you specified, and then dumps them in hex. If someone is working on support for emitting PDBs, they would use this heavily — for example, to compare one PDB against another PDB and make sure they're byte-for-byte compatible. And no, it is not enough to just compare the bytes of an entire file, or an entire stream, because it is perfectly fine for the same structure to exist at different locations in two different PDBs. And "finding" the structure is literally half the battle, periodt. 💅

Options

MSF File Options

  • -block-range=<start[-end]> — dumps binary data from the specified range of MSF file blocks.
  • -byte-range=<start[-end]> — dumps binary data from the specified range of bytes in the file.
  • -fpm — dumps the MSF free page map.
  • -stream-data=<string> — dumps binary data from the specified streams. The format is SN[:Start][@Size]. For example, -stream-data=7:3@12 dumps 12 bytes from stream 7, starting at offset 3 in that stream. Obsessed with the precision honestly. 🎀

PDB Stream Options

  • -name-map — dumps the bytes of the PDB Name Map.

DBI Stream Options

  • -ec — dumps the edit and continue map substream of the DBI stream.
  • -files — dumps the file info substream of the DBI stream.
  • -modi — dumps the modi substream of the DBI stream.
  • -sc — dumps the section contributions substream of the DBI stream.
  • -sm — dumps the section map from the DBI stream.
  • -type-server — dumps the type server map from the DBI stream.

Module Options

  • -mod=<uint> — limits all the options in this category to the specified module index. By default, the options in this category dump bytes from every single module. 🌈
  • -chunks — dumps the bytes of each module's C13 debug subsection.
  • -split-chunks — when you specify this with -chunks, it splits the C13 debug subsection into a separate chunk for each subsection type, and dumps them separately.
  • -syms — dumps the symbol record substream from each module.

Type Record Options

  • -id=<uint> — dumps the record from the IPI stream with the given type index.
  • -type=<uint> — dumps the record from the TPI stream with the given type index.

🌸 pdb2yaml 🌸

USAGE

llvm-pdbutil pdb2yaml [options] <input PDB file>

Summary

Nothing here, bestie. 🙈 The page just names the section and moves on — no summary text for this one. We respect the silence.

Options

Also nothing here. 😭 Just an empty Options heading, no options listed. Iconic minimalism, honestly.

💜 yaml2pdb 💜

USAGE

llvm-pdbutil yaml2pdb [options] <input YAML file>

Summary

Generates a PDB file from a YAML description. ✨ Now — the YAML syntax is not described here. Instead, use llvm-pdbutil pdb2yaml and examine the output for an example starting point. That's your blueprint, bestie. 🫶

Options

  • -pdb=<file-name> — writes the resulting PDB to the specified file.

🔥 merge 🔥

USAGE

llvm-pdbutil merge [options] <input PDB file 1> <input PDB file 2>

Summary

Merges two PDB files into a single file. Two become one. 💖

Options

  • -pdb=<file-name> — writes the resulting PDB to the specified file.

👑 Author 👑

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

2003-2026, LLVM Project

And that's the whole page, bestie — this was LLVM-PDBUTIL(1), dated 2026-07-16, and that little 22 down at the bottom is just the page number, no cap. Go dump some bytes. 🦋💅✨

📦 where this page comes from