GDBINIT(5)

💅 NAME 💅

okay so welcome to gdbinit(5), bestie — the GNU Development Tools page about GDB initialization scripts. Think of these files as the pre-game playlist GDB runs when it starts up. 🎀

gdbinit — GDB initialization scripts. That’s the whole name, and honestly? iconic. ✨

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

~/.config/gdb/gdbinit

~/.gdbinit

./.gdbinit

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

These files contain GDB commands to automatically execute during GDB startup. Lowkey magical: you put commands in the file, and GDB runs them on startup. The lines of contents are canned sequences of commands, described in the GDB manual in node "Sequences" — shell command info -f gdb -n Sequences.

Please read more in the GDB manual in node "Startup" — shell command info -f gdb -n Startup.

• System-wide initialization file. (not enabled with --with-system-gdbinit during compilation) It is executed unless user specified GDB option -nx or -n. See more in the GDB manual in node "System-wide configuration" — shell command info -f gdb -n 'System-wide configuration'.
• System-wide initialization directory. (not enabled with --with-system-gdbinit-dir during compilation) All files in this directory are executed on startup unless user specified GDB option -nx or -n, as long as they have a recognized file extension. See more in the GDB manual in node "System-wide configuration" — shell command info -f gdb -n 'System-wide configuration'.
• ~/.config/gdb/gdbinit or ~/.gdbinit — User initialization file. It is executed unless user specified GDB options -nx, -n or -nh.
• .gdbinit — Initialization file for current directory. It may need to be enabled with GDB security command set auto-load local-gdbinit. See more in the GDB manual in node "Init File in the Current Directory" — shell command info -f gdb -n 'Init File in the Current Directory'.

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

This section is empty on this page. Zero options listed. Not a single flag. I am not out here inventing flags — that would be unserious behavior, bestie. 💀

🫶 ENVIRONMENT 🫶

Also empty. No environment variables listed here. Clean. Serene. A blank little section. 🌸

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

• gdb(1) and the manual pointer info -f gdb -n Startup — yes, that exact command, iykyk.

The full documentation for GDB is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and gdb programs and GDB's Texinfo documentation are properly installed at your site, the command

info gdb

should give you access to the complete manual.

Using GDB: A Guide to the GNU Source-Level Debugger, Richard M. Stallman and Roland H. Pesch, July 1991.

👑 COPYRIGHT 👑

Copyright (c) 1988-2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the Invariant Sections being "Free Software" and "Free Software Needs Free Documentation", with the Front-Cover Texts being "A GNU Manual," and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below.

(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: "You are free to copy and modify this GNU Manual. Buying copies from GNU Press supports the FSF in developing GNU and promoting software freedom." @sp 1 Copyright (c) 2026, Intel Corporation. Intel's modifications are provided pursuant to the GNU Free Documentation license.

and that’s the page, bestie. The footer vibes are source/version gdb-17.1.2026.be1840694+, date 2026-04-07, and manual GDBINIT(5). Slay. 💖