---
name: "python-mkdebian"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "python3-distutils-extra"
version: "3.1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/python-mkdebian"
---

# python-mkdebian(1)

Generate a suitable Debian source package for a standard distutils application

## NAME

python-mkdebian - Generate a suitable Debian source package for a standard distutils application

## SYNOPSIS

**python-mkdebian** \[*options*\]

## DESCRIPTION

This script generates a reasonably Debian Policy compliant Debian source package for a Python application that uses distutils properly. It assumes that there are no public Python modules, and generates just a single application binary package.

Information is taken from setup.py's generated .egg-info file: author, project name, description, version, upstream source, license, and required and provided Python modules (which are translated to Debian python library package names, and automatically added as package dependencies).

It generates a simple cdbs/python-support rules file.

**python-mkdebian** was designed to be used with the **DistUtilsExtra.auto** module, which calculates required Python dependencies automatically. However, it makes no explicit assumptions about **DistUtilsExtra,** so if **setup.py** has complete information it will work with any distutils setup.

## OPTIONS

- **--force-control**=*FORCE\_CONTROL*

  Force control file behaviour. Can be one of "none" (keep unchanged), "deps" (only update dependencies), or "full" (recreate whole file). By default only dependencies will be updated ("deps").

- **--force-copyright**

  Force whole copyright file to be recreated. By default it will not touch an already existing copyright file, so that you can customize them.

- **--force-rules**

  Force whole rules file to be recreated. By default it will not touch an already existing rules file, so that you can customize them.

- **--changelog**=*CHANGELOG*

  Add changelog entry to debian/changelog (can be specified multiple times)

- **--dependency**=*PACKAGENAME*

  Add additional debian package dependency (can be specified multiple times)

- **--prefix**=*PREFIX*

  Ask for installing all your modules in the dedicated PREFIX (default is /usr)

- **--version**

  Show program's version number and exit

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

  Show this help message and exit

## SEE ALSO

Python help for the distutils module

## AUTHOR

**python-mkdebian** is developed by Martin Pitt \<martin.pitt@ubuntu.com\>.