---
name: "bug"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "bug"
version: "3.3.10.1"
release: "Debian 3.0 (Woody)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/bug"
---

# bug(1)

Report a bug to the Debian Bug Tracking System.

## NAME

bug - Report a bug to the Debian Bug Tracking System.

## SYNOPSIS

**bug** \[ **options** \] packagename \[**text**\] ...\

## DESCRIPTION

**bug** will figure out what the current version of the package with the bug is on your system. If the package is not installed then a generic bug report will be generated.

If the description of the problem is given on the command line and a subject is provided with the *-s* option then **bug** will run in batch mode and send a correctly formatted bug report to **submit@bugs.debian.org**.

If no description is given on the command line then **bug** will invoke the editor ( **$VISUAL** or **$EDITOR** environment variables or per default [**joe**(1)](/joe/1.md) ) for you to edit the text to be send. If you do not change the text no bug report will be sent!

**bug** will include system information to assist the maintainer in troubleshooting.

Since bug could include sensitive system information in a bug report when run as a system user it will not allow being run as one of them (including root). If running from root bug will prompt for a username and re-execute itself with [**su**(1)](/su/1.md). Also the return address for e-mail should be a regular username on a system and not root.

Bug information is handled by the Debian Bug Tracking System. You can browse its database in **http://www.debian.org/Bugs/**. You will receive a notification when the bug is solved.

## OPTIONS

- **-c**

  Do not include configuration files in the bug report.

- **-s** *text*

  Set the Subject of the bug report. Otherwise bug will ask for a short description of the problem.

- **-S** *severity*

  Set the severity level of the bug report.

- **-f** *filename*

  If *filename* is a file belonging to the package, **bug** will search for it. If *filename* is a coredump, bug will include the stack-trace in the bug report.

- **-g**

  General bug. The bug isn't specific to this system. System information won't be included in the report.

- **-L**

  When used with *-f* prevents **bug** from following symlinks.

- **-q**

  Submit a quiet bug report (Just register. No e-mail forwarding to anyone)

- **-m**

  Submit a "maintonly" bug report. Only sent to the maintainer not to the mailing list.

- **-d**

  Debug.  Don't send the mail to the bug tracking system, send it to the current user instead.

- **-p**

  print. Do not send the bug report instead output it on stdout so that it can be redirected into a file.

- **-z**

  Do not compress the configfiles by removing empty lines and comments.

- **-x**

  Do not send a CC to the submitter of the bugreport

- **-H** *\<special\_header\>*

  Adds a custom header to generated mail. Can be repeated to add multiple custom headers.

- **-h**, **--help**

  Shows usage info.

## ENVIRONMENT

The **$EMAIL** environment variable can be used to set the *From:* line in the bugreport. The Bug tracking system will use this address to send notifications about changes in the state of the bug being reported.

## AUTHOR

Christoph Lameter \<clameter@debian.org\>. Modified by Nicolás Lichtmaier \<nick@debian.org\>

## SEE ALSO

[**bugview**(1)](/bugview/1.md)