---
name: "check-lib-depends"
section: "1"
platform: "openbsd"
package: "man"
version: "8.0-current-20261101"
release: "OpenBSD 8.0-current (2026-11-01)"
platforms: ["openbsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/check-lib-depends"
---

# check-lib-depends(1)

scan port for shared libraries

## NAME

**check-lib-depends** – scan port for shared libraries

## SYNOPSIS

**check-lib-depends** \[**-fimqx**\] \[**-B** *destdir*\] \[**-d** *pkgrepo*\] \[**-D** *directory*\] \[**-F** *missing*\] \[**-O** *dest*\] \[**-S** *VAR*=*value*\] \[**-s** *source*\] \[*package* *...*\]

## DESCRIPTION

**check-lib-depends** scans a port or package for shared libraries, and verify that all of them are properly recorded.

**check-lib-depends** can either scan files from a built port after the *fake* *stage* from the WRKINST directory, or look directly inside a *package*.

Likewise, it can also verify dependencies of installed packages, or figure them out directly from the port directory.

**check-lib-depends** actually consists of two distinct stages:

- scan all binaries inside a package to extract libraries and rpaths, using [objdump(1)](/objdump/1.md).

- compare those libraries against the port's registered dependencies and report problems.

The options are as follows:

- **-B** *destdir*

  Scan files under *destdir*.

- **-d** *pkgrepo*

  Look for all needed packages under directory *pkgrepo*.

- **-D** *directory*

  Create debug log files under *directory* that show in more details the run of [objdump(1)](/objdump/1.md).

- **-f**

  Give full reports of every file that requires a missing library.

- **-F** *missing*

  Works in tandem with **-S**. Allow backsubstituting even if the *missing* library is actually not part of the actual WANTLIB of the package. Mostly used to waive the presence of *pthread*, a mandatory dependency of C++ libraries on some architectures.

- **-i**

  Read packing-list from standard input.

- **-m**

  Always show progress-meter, even if not run from terminal.

- **-O** *dest*

  Save result of first stage in file *dest*.

- **-q**

  Be quiet, do not emit ‘Extra:’ wantlibs unless there's also an actual problem.

- **-S** *var*=*value*

  Recognize list of libraries listed in a variable, and replace said list with variable value. For instance, **-S** *COMPILER\_LIBCXX*=*stdc++* will replace ‘stdc++’ with ‘${COMPILER\_LIBCXX}’ in WANTLIB lists for compatibility with both clang and gcc. Order matters. The first **-S** option will be handled first.

- **-s** *src*

  Don't scan, directly read result of first stage from file *src*.

- **-x**

  Don't show progress-meter, even if run from terminal.

If no *package* is given, and the **-i** option is used, **check-lib-depends** will retrieve the packing-list from stdin, and scan the package according to other options.

## SEE ALSO

[ldd(1)](/ldd/1.md), [objdump(1)](/objdump/1.md), [bsd.port.mk(5)](/bsd.port.mk/5.md), [elf(5)](/elf/5.md)

## BUGS

Currently, **check-lib-depends** doesn't handle libraries living in subdirectories of ‘${LOCALBASE}’ correctly.