--- name: "patchelf" section: "1" platform: "linux" package: "patchelf" version: "0.19.3-1" release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/patchelf" --- # patchelf(1) Modify ELF files ## NAME patchelf - Modify ELF files ## SYNOPSIS **patchelf** *OPTION* *FILE* ... ## DESCRIPTION PatchELF is a simple utility for modifying existing ELF executables and libraries. It can change the dynamic loader ("ELF interpreter") of executables and change the RPATH of executables and libraries. ## OPTIONS The single option given operates on each FILE, editing in place. Any option taking a string argument can also take a file by prefixing the argument with the @ symbol. See EXAMPLES - \--page-size SIZE Uses the given page size instead of the default. - \--set-interpreter INTERPRETER Change the dynamic loader ("ELF interpreter") of executable given to INTERPRETER. - \--print-interpreter Prints the ELF interpreter of the executable. - \--print-os-abi Prints the OS ABI of the executable (EI\_OSABI field of an ELF file). - \--set-os-abi ABI Changes the OS ABI of the executable (EI\_OSABI field of an ELF file). The ABI parameter is pretty flexible. For example, you can specify it as a "Linux", "linux", or even "lInUx" - all those names will set EI\_OSABI field of the ELF header to the value "3", which corresponds to Linux OS ABI. The same applies to other ABI names - System V, FreeBSD, Solaris, etc. - \--print-soname Prints DT\_SONAME entry of .dynamic section. Raises an error if DT\_SONAME doesn't exist. - \--set-soname SONAME Sets DT\_SONAME entry of a library to SONAME. - \--set-rpath RUNPATH Change the DT\_RUNPATH of the executable or library to RUNPATH. - \--add-rpath RUNPATH Add RUNPATH to the existing DT\_RUNPATH of the executable or library. - \--remove-rpath Removes the DT\_RPATH or DT\_RUNPATH entry of the executable or library. - \--shrink-rpath Remove from the DT\_RUNPATH or DT\_RPATH all directories that do not contain a library referenced by DT\_NEEDED fields of the executable or library. For instance, if an executable references one library libfoo.so, has an RPATH "/lib:/usr/lib:/foo/lib", and libfoo.so can only be found in /foo/lib, then the new RPATH will be "/foo/lib". - \--allowed-rpath-prefixes PREFIXES Combined with the "--shrink-rpath" option, this can be used for further rpath tuning. For instance, if an executable has an RPATH "/tmp/build-foo/.libs:/foo/lib", it is probably desirable to keep the "/foo/lib" reference instead of the "/tmp" entry. - \--print-rpath Prints the DT\_RUNPATH or DT\_RPATH for an executable or library. - \--force-rpath Forces the use of the obsolete DT\_RPATH in the file instead of DT\_RUNPATH. By default DT\_RPATH is converted to DT\_RUNPATH. - \--add-needed LIBRARY Adds a declared dependency on a dynamic library (DT\_NEEDED). This option can be given multiple times. - \--replace-needed LIB\_ORIG LIB\_NEW Replaces a declared dependency on a dynamic library with another one (DT\_NEEDED). This option can be given multiple times. - \--remove-needed LIBRARY Removes a declared dependency on LIBRARY (DT\_NEEDED entry). This option can be given multiple times. - \--print-needed Prints all DT\_NEEDED entries of the executable. - \--no-default-lib Marks the object so that the search for dependencies of this object will ignore any default library search paths. - \--build-resolution-cache Resolves each DT\_NEEDED dependency against the object's run path at patch time and records the result in a **.note.nixos.ldcache** note, so that a loader which understands the note can skip the run-path search at startup. Directories that cannot be resolved ahead of time (empty or relative components, those containing dynamic-string tokens such as **$ORIGIN** or a **glibc-hwcaps** subdirectory, and paths that cannot be searched at patch time because they are missing, not a directory, or not accessible) are stored as a search hint instead of an exact path. The cache is built once from an unpatched binary; this option cannot be combined with **--force-rpath**. - \--no-sort Do not sort program headers or section headers. This is useful when debugging patchelf, because it makes it easier to read diffs of the output of "readelf -a". - \--add-debug-tag Adds DT\_DEBUG tag to the .dynamic section if not yet present in an ELF object. A shared library (-shared) by default does not receive DT\_DEBUG tag. This means that when a shared library has an entry point (so that it can be run as an executable), the debugger does not connect to it correctly and symbols are not resolved. - \--print-execstack Prints the state of the executable flag of the GNU\_STACK program header, if present. - \--clear-execstack Clears the executable flag of the GNU\_STACK program header, or adds a new header. - \--set-execstack Sets the executable flag of the GNU\_STACK program header, or adds a new header. - \--rename-dynamic-symbols NAME\_MAP\_FILE Renames dynamic symbols. The name map file should contain lines with the old and the new name separated by spaces like this: old\_name new\_name Symbol names do not contain version specifier that are also shown in the output of the nm -D command from binutils. So instead of the name write@GLIBC\_2.2.5 it is just write. - \--no-clobber-old-sections Do not clobber old section values. patchelf defaults to overwriting replaced header sections with garbage to ensure they are not used accidentally. This option allows to opt out of that behavior, so that binaries that attempt to read their own headers from a fixed offset (e.g. Firefox) continue working. Use sparingly and with caution. - \--output FILE Set the output file name. If not specified, the input will be modified in place. - \--debug Prints details of the changes made to the input file. - \--version Shows the version of patchelf. ## EXAMPLES To use the contents on an external file as a parameter: $ patchelf a.out --add-rpath @/tmp/generated-rpath.bin To change the RPATH of a binary. Note that **$ORIGIN** is a special symbol used by the loader, so must be quoted. patchelf --set-rpath '$ORIGIN/../lib64' a.out ## AUTHOR Eelco Dolstra \ ## SEE ALSO [**elf**(5)](/elf/5.md), [**ld.so**(8)](/ld.so/8.md)