reportbug(1) General Commands Manual reportbug(1)
NAME
reportbug - reports a bug to a debbugs server
SYNOPSIS
reportbug [options] <package | pseudo-package | absolute-pathname>
DESCRIPTION
reportbug is primarily designed to report bugs in the Debian distribu-
tion; by default, it creates an email to the Debian bug tracking system
at submit@bugs.debian.org with information about the bug you've found,
and makes a carbon copy of the report for you as well.
Using the --bts option, you can also report bugs to other servers that
use the Debian bug tracking system, debbugs.
You may specify either a package name or a filename; if you use a file-
name, it must either be an absolute filename (so beginning with a /) or
if you want reportbug to search the system for a filename, see the
--filename and --path options below. If installed, also dlocate is used
to identify the filename location and thus the package containing it.
You can also specify a pseudo-package; these are used in the Debian bug
tracking system to track issues that are not related to one specific
package. Run reportbug without any arguments, then enter other at the
package prompt, to see a list of the most commonly-used pseudo-packages.
OPTIONS
The program follows the usual GNU command line syntax, with long options
starting with two dashes (`--'). A summary of options are included be-
low.
-h, --help
Show summary of options.
--version
Show the version of reportbug and exit.
-A FILENAME, --attach=FILENAME
Attach a file to the bug report; both text and binary files are
acceptable; this option can be specified multiple times to attach
several files. This routine will create a MIME attachment with
the file included; in some cases (usually text files), it is
probably better to use -i/--include option. (Please note that
Debian's bug tracking system has limited support for MIME attach-
ments.)
This option supports also globbing (i.e. names with wildcards,
like file.*) but remember to include them between single quotes
(the previous example becomes: 'file.*') else the shell would ex-
pand it before calling reportbug leading to an error.
Be aware that when using an external MUA to send the message
(such as mutt), the attachment feature is not reliable and no
file might be attached at all: the MUA feature to attach files
should be used instead (so from within the MUA).
--archive
Also show archived bugs when browsing bugs.
-b, --no-query-bts
Don't check the Debian bug tracking system to see if this problem
has already been reported; useful for offline use or if you're
really sure it's a bug.
--query-bts
Check the Debian bug tracking system to see if this problem has
already been reported (default).
-B SYSTEM, --bts=SYSTEM
Instead of the Debian bug server (or the bug server specified in
/etc/reportbug.conf), use the server specified by SYSTEM. Use
--bts=help to obtain the list of valid values. Note that if your
$HOME/.reportbugrc or /etc/reportbug.conf include an smtphost
setting that is specific to your default bug server and not a
generic smarthost, you may need to override this using --smt-
phost=<host> to be able to report a bug directly to SYSTEM.
--body=BODY
Use the specified BODY string as the body of the message. The
body text will be wrapped at 70 columns, and the normal reportbug
headers and footers will be added as appropriate. The editor
prompt and any "special" prompting will be bypassed.
--body-file=BODYFILE, --bodyfile=BODYFILE
The contents of the (assumed to be) text file BODYFILE will be
used as the message body. This file is assumed to be properly
formatted (i.e. reasonable line lengths, etc.). The usual head-
ers and footers will be added, and the editor step and "special"
prompts will be skipped. (BODYFILE may also be a named pipe; us-
ing a device special file may lead to unusual results.)
-c, --no-config-files
Omit configuration files from the bug report without asking. By
default, you are asked if you want to include them; in some
cases, doing so may cause sensitive information to be sent via
email.
-C CLASS, --class=CLASS
Specify report class for GNATS BTSes.
--configure
Rerun the reportbug first time configuration routine, and write a
new $HOME/.reportbugrc file. This will erase any pre-existing
settings in the file; however, a backup will be written as
$HOME/.reportbugrc~. Reportbug will exit after rewriting its
configuration file, hence this option cannot usefully be combined
with many other options.
--check-available
Check for newer releases of the package in Debian package lists
(default). In advanced and expert mode, check https://ftp-mas-
ter.debian.org/new.html too.
--no-check-available
Do not check for newer releases of the package at packages.de-
bian.org.
--debconf
Include debconf settings in your report.
--no-debconf
Do not include debconf settings from your report.
-d, --debug
Don't send a real bug report to Debian; send it to yourself in-
stead. This is primarily used for testing by the maintainer.
--test Operate in test mode (maintainer use only).
--draftpath=DRAFTPATH
Save the draft (for example, when exiting and saving the report
without reporting it) into DRAFTPATH directory (default /tmp).
-e EDITOR, --editor=EDITOR
Specify the editor to use, overriding any EDITOR or VISUAL envi-
ronment variable setting.
--email=ADDRESS
Set the email address your report should appear to be sent from
(i.e. the address that appears in the From header). This should
be the actual Internet email address on its own (i.e. without a
real name or comment part, like foo@example.com). This setting
will override the EMAIL and DEBEMAIL environment variables, but
not REPORTBUGEMAIL.
--envelope-from
Specify the Envelope From mail header (also known as Return-
path); by default it's the From address but it can be selected a
different one in case the MTA doesn't canonicalize local users to
public addresses. This can be set to the empty string if the MTA
does not allow setting the Envelope From.
--mbox-reader-cmd=MBOX_READER_CMD
Specify a command to open the bug reports mbox file. You can use
%s to substitute the mbox file to be used, and %% to insert a
literal percent sign. If no %s is specified, the mbox file name
is supplied at the end of the argument list.
-f FILENAME, --filename=FILENAME
Report a bug in the package containing FILENAME so you don't have
to figure out what package the file belongs to. The path will be
searched for an exact path for FILENAME before attempting to
broaden the search to all files. If dlocate is installed, FILE-
NAME is actually a regular expression.
--from-buildd=BUILDD_FORMAT
This options is a shortcut for buildd admins to report bugs from
buildd log; the option expects a value in the format of
$source_$version where $source is the source package the bug will
be reported against and $version is its version.
--path If the -f/--filename option is also specified, only search the
path for the specified FILENAME. Specifying an absolute path
with the -f/--filename option (i.e. one beginning with a /) over-
rides this behavior.
-g, --gnupg, --gpg
Attach a digital signature to the bug report using GnuPG (the GNU
Privacy Guard). (This argument will be ignored if you are using
an MUA to edit and send your report.)
-G, --gnus
Use the Gnus mail and news reader to send your report, rather
than using the editor.
-H HEADER, --header=HEADER
Add a custom RFC2822 header to your email. Do not use this option
if you want to submit the report using your MUA, because custom
headers cannot be passed from reportbug to the MUA reliably. To
send a carbon copy of the report to another recipient using
X-Debbugs-CC, please see the --list-cc option.
-i FILE, --include=FILE
Include the specified FILE as part of the body of the message to
be edited. Can be used multiple times to add multiple files;
text-only please! From a suggestion by Michael Alan Dorman in
the bug mailing list. (See also the -A/--attach option.)
-I, --no-check-installed
Do not check whether the package is installed before filing a re-
port. This is generally only useful when filing a report on a
package you know is not installed on your system.
--check-installed
Check if the specified package is installed when filing reports.
(This is the default behavior of reportbug.)
-j JUSTIFICATION, --justification=JUSTIFICATION
Bugs in Debian that have serious, grave, or critical severities
must meet certain criteria to be classified as such. This option
allows you to specify the justification for a release-critical
bug, instead of being prompted for it.
-k, --kudos
Send appreciative email to the recorded maintainer address,
rather than filing a bug report. (You can also send kudos to
packagename@packages.debian.org, for packages in the Debian
archive; however, this option uses the Maintainer address from
the control file, so it works with other package sources too.)
-K KEYID, --keyid=KEYID
Private key to use for PGP/GnuPG signatures. If not specified,
the first key in the secret keyring that matches your email ad-
dress will be used.
--latest-first
Display the bug reports list sorted and with the latest reports
at the top.
--license
Show reportbug's copyright and license information on standard
output.
--list-cc=ADDRESS
Send a carbon copy of the report to the specified list after a
report number is assigned; this is the equivalent to the option
-P 'X-Debbugs-CC: ADDRESS'. This option will only work as in-
tended with debbugs systems.
--list-cc-me
Send a carbon copy of the report to your automatically detected
email address after a report number is assigned. This sets an
X-Debbugs-CC pseudo-header specifying that address. This option
will only work as intended with debbugs systems. See the documen-
tation for the --email option and the ENVIRONMENT section for in-
formation on how reportbug detects your email address.
-m, --maintonly
Only send the bug to the package maintainer; the bug tracking
system will not send a copy to the bug report distribution lists.
--max-attachment-size=MAX_ATTACHMENT_SIZE
Specify the maximum size any attachment file can have (this also
include the file for --body-file option). If an attachment file
is too big, there could be problems in delivering the email (and
also to compose it), so we set a limit to attachment size. By de-
fault this is 10 megabytes.
--mirror=MIRRORS
Add a BTS mirror.
--mode=MODE
Set the operating mode for reportbug. reportbug currently has
four operating modes: novice (the default), standard, advanced,
and expert.
novice mode is designed to minimize prompting about things that
"ordinary users" would be unlikely to know or care about, shift-
ing the triage burden onto the maintainer. Checking for new ver-
sions is only done for the stable distribution in this mode. It
is currently the default mode.
standard mode includes a relatively large number of prompts and
tries to encourage users to not file frivolous or duplicate bug
reports.
advanced mode is like standard mode, but may include shortcuts
suitable for more advanced users of Debian, without being as
close to the metal (and potential flamage) as expert mode. (Cur-
rently, the only differences from standard mode are that it as-
sumes familiarity with the "new" queue; it allows the reporting
of bugs on "dependency" packages; and it does not prompt where to
insert the report text in the editor.)
expert mode is designed to minimize prompts that are designed to
discourage frivolous or unnecessary bug reports, "severity infla-
tion," and the like. In expert mode, reportbug assumes the user
is thoroughly familiar with Debian policies. In practice, this
means that reporters are no longer required to justify setting a
high severity on a bug report, and certain automated cleanups of
the message are bypassed. Individuals who do not regularly con-
tribute to the Debian project are highly discouraged from using
expert mode, as it can lead to flamage from maintainers when used
improperly.
-M, --mutt
Instead of spawning an editor to revise the bug report, use the
mutt mail reader to edit and send it.
--mta=MTA
Specify an alternate MTA, instead of /usr/sbin/sendmail (the de-
fault). Any smtphost setting will override this one.
--mua=MUA
Instead of spawning an editor to revise the bug report, use the
specified MUA (mail user agent) to edit and send it. --mutt and
--nmh options are processed.
-n, --mh, --nmh
Instead of spawning an editor to revise the bug report, use the
comp command (part of the nmh and mh mail systems) to edit and
send it.
-N BUGNUMBER, --bugnumber BUGNUMBER
Run reportbug against the specified bug report, useful when fol-
lowing-up a bug and its number is already known.
--no-bug-script
Do not execute the bug script (if present); this option can be
useful together with --template to suppress every interactive ac-
tion, since some bug scripts can ask questions.
--no-cc-menu
Don't display the menu to enter additional addresses (CC).
--no-tags-menu
Don't display the menu to enter additional tags.
-o FILE, --output=FILE
Instead of sending an email, redirect it to the specified file-
name.
The output file is a full dump of the email message, so it con-
tains both headers and mail body. If you want to use it as a tem-
plate to create a new bug report, see the --resume-saved option.
-O, --offline
Disable all external queries. Currently has the same effect as
--no-check-available --no-query-bts.
-p, --print
Instead of sending an email, print the bug report to standard
output, so you can redirect it to a file or pipe it to another
program.
This option only outputs a template for a bug report (but, dif-
ferently from --template it's more interactive); you will need to
fill in the long description.
--paranoid
Show the contents of the message before it is sent, including all
headers. Automatically disabled if in template mode.
--no-paranoid
Don't show the full contents of the message before it is sent
(default).
--pgp Attach a digital signature to the bug report using PGP (Pretty
Good Privacy). Please note, however, that the Debian project is
phasing out the use of PGP in favor of GnuPG. (This argument
will be ignored if using an MUA to edit and send your report.)
--proxy=PROXY, --http_proxy=PROXY
Specify the WWW proxy server to use to handle the query of the
bug tracking system. You should only need this parameter if you
are behind a firewall. The PROXY argument should be formatted as
a valid HTTP URL, including (if necessary) a port number; for ex-
ample, http://192.168.1.1:3128/.
-P PSEUDO-HEADER, --pseudo-header=PSEUDO-HEADER
Add a custom pseudo-header to your report; for example, to add
the mytag usertag for the user humberto@example.com to the bug,
you could use -P 'User: humberto@example.com' -P 'Usertags: my-
tag'.
-q, --quiet
Suppress diagnostic messages to standard error.
-Q, --query-only
Do not submit a bug report; just query the BTS. Option ignored
if you specify --no-bts-query.
--query-source
Query on all binary packages built by the same source, not just
the binary package specified.
--no-query-source
Only query on the binary package specified on the command line.
--realname=NAME
Set the real name (human-readable name) to use for your report.
--report-quiet
Register the bug in the bug tracking system, but don't send a re-
port to the package maintainer or anyone else. Don't do this un-
less you're the maintainer of the package in question, or you re-
ally know what you are doing.
--reply-to=ADDRESS, --replyto=ADDRESS
Set the Reply-To address header in your report.
-r TEMPFILE, --resume-saved=TEMPFILE
Use this to resume an unsent report previously saved by report-
bug. Note that attachments stored in TEMPFILE are ignored; if you
want to attach any files you need to do that again.
-s SUBJECT, --subject=SUBJECT
Set the subject of the bug report (i.e. a brief explanation of
the problem, less than 60 characters). If you do not specify
this switch, you will be prompted for a subject.
--security-team
If the 'security' tag is set, this option will explicitly specify
to send the report only to the Debian Security Team, as this is
an undisclosed vulnerability.
--no-security-team
If the 'security' tag is set, this option will explicitly specify
to not send the report only to the Debian Security Team, as this
is not an undisclosed vulnerability.
-S SEVERITY, --severity=SEVERITY
Specify a severity level, from critical, grave, serious, impor-
tant, normal, minor, and wishlist.
--smtphost=HOST[:PORT]
Use the mail transport agent (MTA) at HOST to send your report,
instead of your local /usr/sbin/sendmail program. This should
generally be your ISP's outgoing mail server; you can also use
'localhost' if you have a working mail server running on your ma-
chine. If the PORT is omitted, the standard port for SMTP, port
25, is used.
--timeout=SECONDS
Specify the network timeout, the number of seconds to wait for a
resource to respond. If nothing is specified, a default timeout
of 1 minute is selected.
In case of a network error, there are chances it's due to a too
low timeout: try passing the --timeout option with a higher value
than default.
--tls If using SMTP, use Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption to
secure the connection to the mail server. Some SMTP servers may
require this option. Note that this option is ignored if you con-
nect to your SMTP server via port 465, which already implies us-
ing SSL/TLS.
--smtpuser=USERNAME
If using SMTP, use the specified USERNAME for authentication.
--smtppasswd=PASSWORD
If using SMTP, use the specified PASSWORD for authentication. If
the password isn't specified on the command line or in the con-
figuration file, a prompt will be displayed asking for it.
Use of this option is insecure on multiuser systems. Instead,
you should set this option in $HOME/.reportbugrc and ensure it is
only readable by your user (e.g. with chmod 600 $HOME/.reportbu-
grc).
--src, --source
Specify to report the bug against the source package, and not the
binary package (default behaviour). In order for this option to
work, you have to populate the relevant 'deb-src' lines in
/etc/apt/sources.list so that apt cache will know about source
packages too.
You can also specify the package name with a 'src:' prefix in-
stead of using this option if you already know the name of the
source package.
-t TYPE, --type=TYPE
Specify the type of report to be submitted; currently accepts ei-
ther gnats or debbugs.
-T TAG, --tag=TAG
Specify a tag to be filed on this report, for example
--tag=patch. Multiple tags can be specified using multiple
-T/--tag arguments.
Alternatively, you can specify the 'tag' none to bypass the tags
prompt without specifying any tags; this will also ignore any
tags specified on the command line.
--template
Output a template report to standard output. Differently from
-p/--print, it tries to be not interactive, and presents a tem-
plate without user's input. You may need to combine it with
--no-bug-script if you want to avoid all user interaction.
-u INTERFACE, --interface=INTERFACE, --ui=INTERFACE
Specify the user interface to use. Valid options are text, ur-
wid, and gtk; default is taken from the reportbug configuration
files.
-v, --verify
Verify the integrity of the package (if installed) using debsums
before reporting.
--no-verify
Do not verify the integrity of the package with debsums.
-V VERSION, --package-version=VERSION
Specify the version of the package the problem was found in.
This is probably most useful if you are reporting a bug in a
package that is not installable or installed on a different sys-
tem.
-x, --no-cc
Don't send a blind carbon copy (BCC) of the bug report to the
submitter (i.e. yourself).
-z, --no-compress
Don't compress configuration files by removing comments and blank
lines.
EXAMPLES
reportbug lynx-ssl
Report a bug in the lynx-ssl package.
reportbug --path --filename=ls
Report a bug in the installed package that includes a program in
your path called ls.
CONFIGURATION FILES
From version 0.22 on, reportbug has supported a simple run control file
syntax. Commands are read from /etc/reportbug.conf and $HOME/.reportbu-
grc with commands in the latter overriding those in the former.
Commands are not case sensitive, and currently take 0 or 1 argument; ar-
guments containing whitespace must be enclosed in quotes.
Any line starting with # is taken to be a comment and will be ignored.
Generally, options corresponding to the long options for reportbug are
supported, without leading -- sequences. See reportbug.conf(5) for all
acceptable options and detailed information.
ENVIRONMENT
VISUAL Editor to use for editing your bug report.
EDITOR Editor to use for editing the bug report (overridden by VISUAL).
REPORTBUGEMAIL, DEBEMAIL, EMAIL
Email address to use as your from address (in this order). If no
environment variable exists, the default is taken from your user
name and /etc/mailname.
DEBFULLNAME, DEBNAME, NAME
Real name to use; default is taken from /etc/passwd.
REPLYTO
Address for Reply-To header in outgoing mail.
MAILCC Use the specified CC address on your email. Note you can also
use the -H option for this (and for Bcc's too).
MAILBCC
Use the specified BCC address, instead of your email address.
(CC and BCC based on suggestions from Herbert Thielen in the bug
wishlist).
http_proxy
Provides the address of a proxy server to handle the BTS query.
This should be a valid http URL for a proxy server, including any
required port number (simply specifying a hostname, or omitting a
port other than 80, WILL NOT WORK).
NOTES
reportbug should probably be compatible with other bug tracking systems,
like bugzilla (used by the GNOME and Mozilla projects) and jitterbug
(used by Samba, AbiSource and FreeCiv) but it isn't.
SEE ALSO
reportbug.conf(5), https://www.debian.org/Bugs/Developer#tags for avail-
able tags, querybts(1)
AUTHOR
Chris Lawrence <lawrencc@debian.org>, Sandro Tosi <morph@debian.org>.
reportbug(1)
Generated by dwww version 1.16 on Tue Dec 16 04:50:09 CET 2025.