---
name: "debtags"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "debtags"
version: "2.1.5"
release: "Debian 12 (Bookworm)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/debtags"
---

# debtags(1)

Debian Package Tags support tools

## NAME

debtags - Debian Package Tags support tools

## DESCRIPTION

usage: debtags \[-h\] \[--version\] \[--verbose\] \[--debug\]

-

  {tag,cat,grep,check,diff,mkpatch,search,dumpavail,show,submit,tagcat,tagshow,tagsearch,update,vocfilter} ...

Command line interface to access and manipulate Debian Package Tags

### optional arguments:

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

  show this help message and exit

- **--version**

  show program's version number and exit

- **--verbose**, **-v**

  enable verbose output

- **--debug**

  enable debugging output (including verbose output)

### subcommands:

-

  valid subcommands

- {tag,cat,grep,check,diff,mkpatch,search,dumpavail,show,submit,tagcat,tagshow,tagsearch,update,vocfilter}

  additional help

- tag

  (not implemented anymore)

- cat (grep)

  output the lines of the full package tag database that match the given tag expression. A tag expression (given as a single argument) is an arbitrarily complex binary expression of tag names. For example: role::program && ((use::editing \|\| use::viewing) && !works-with::text)

- check

  Check that all the tags in the given tagged collection are present in the tag vocabulary. Checks the main database if no file is specified

- diff (mkpatch)

  Create a tag patch between the current tag database and the tag collection \[filename\]. Standard input is used if filename is not specified

- search (dumpavail)

  Output the packages matching the given tag expression

- show

  (deprecated) mostly the same as apt-cache show \<pkgnames\>

- submit

  (no longer supported) see https://debtags.debian.org/api/patch for patch submit.

- tagcat

  Output the tag vocabulary

- tagshow

  Show the vocabulary information about a tag

- tagsearch

  Show a summary of all tags whose data contains the given strings

- update

  Updates the package tag database (requires root) Collect package tag data from apt cache, regenerate the debtags tag database and main index. It needs to be run as root

- vocfilter

  Filter out the tags that are not found in the given vocabulary file **debtags** manages package tag data in a debian system and performs basic queries on it.

**debtags** can be used to perform basic queries on the Debtags system: the vocabulary can be queried with the **tagshow** and **tagsearch** commands; a package tag database can be checked against the vocabulary with the **check** command; the whole collection can be copied to standard output to be processed with **tagcoll** or other tools by the **cat** command; packages can be searched by tags using the **grep** command. Finally, tags can be listed with **tag ls**, edited with the **tag add** and **tag** **rm**, and submitted to the Debtags database with **submit**.

The **update** command can be used to download extra tags as listed in */etc/debtags/sources.list*: see the contents of that file for more information.

## FILES

- **/var/lib/debtags/vocabulary**

  The normative tag vocabulary

- **/var/lib/debtags/package-tags**

  The system package tags database, only kept as an easily parsable reference. In the same directory there is a the binary index with the same content, used by applications for fast access.

- **/etc/debtags/sources.list**

  The list of sources to build the package tags database from

## EXAMPLES

Here are some example invocations of **debtags**:

```
  # Update the package tag database
  debtags update
  # Show apt-cache information about the mutt package,
  # adding tag information
  debtags show mutt
  # Search the tag vocabulary for mail-related tags
  debtags tagsearch mail
  # Output a list of all packages which can edit raster images, excluding
  # shared libraries and dummy packages
  debtags search "use::editing && works-with::image:raster && \
                ! (role::shared-lib || role::dummy)"
  # Show all mail clients
  debtags search 'works-with::mail && network::client'
  # Output the collection of all mail clients, ready to be reprocessed via
  # tagcoll
  debtags grep 'works-with::mail && network::client'
  # Produce an easily navigable hierarchy with the collection data
  debtags cat | tagcoll hierarchy
  # Produce a local tag patch
  debtags cat > work-tags
  ...edit work-tags...
  debtags diff work-tags > my-tagpatch
  # Submit the patch
  debtags submit my-tagpatch
  # Edit the tags of a package (the patch will be stored in ~/.debtags/patch)
  # then send your changes
  debtags tag add debtags implemented-in::c++ interface::commandline
  debtags tag rm debtags devel::buildtools
  debtags submit
```

## SEE ALSO

[**tagcoll**(1)](/tagcoll/1.md), [**axi-cache**(1)](/axi-cache/1.md),\
 **http://wiki.debian.org/Debtags**\
 **http://debtags.debian.net**