1 usage: valgrind [options] prog-and-args
3 tool-selection option, with default in [ ]:
4 --tool=<name> use the Valgrind tool named <name> [memcheck]
6 basic user options for all Valgrind tools, with defaults in [ ]:
7 -h --help show this message
8 --help-debug show this message, plus debugging options
10 -q --quiet run silently; only print error msgs
11 -v --verbose be more verbose -- show misc extra info
12 --trace-children=no|yes Valgrind-ise child processes (follow execve)? [no]
13 --trace-children-skip=patt1,patt2,... specifies a list of executables
14 that --trace-children=yes should not trace into
15 --trace-children-skip-by-arg=patt1,patt2,... same as --trace-children-skip=
16 but check the argv[] entries for children, rather
17 than the exe name, to make a follow/no-follow decision
18 --child-silent-after-fork=no|yes omit child output between fork & exec? [no]
19 --vgdb=no|yes|full activate gdbserver? [yes]
20 full is slower but provides precise watchpoint/step
21 --vgdb-error=<number> invoke gdbserver after <number> errors [999999999]
22 --track-fds=no|yes track open file descriptors? [no]
23 --time-stamp=no|yes add timestamps to log messages? [no]
24 --log-fd=<number> log messages to file descriptor [2=stderr]
25 --log-file=<file> log messages to <file>
26 --log-socket=ipaddr:port log messages to socket ipaddr:port
28 user options for Valgrind tools that report errors:
29 --xml=yes emit error output in XML (some tools only)
30 --xml-fd=<number> XML output to file descriptor
31 --xml-file=<file> XML output to <file>
32 --xml-socket=ipaddr:port XML output to socket ipaddr:port
33 --xml-user-comment=STR copy STR verbatim into XML output
34 --demangle=no|yes automatically demangle C++ names? [yes]
35 --num-callers=<number> show <number> callers in stack traces [12]
36 --error-limit=no|yes stop showing new errors if too many? [yes]
37 --error-exitcode=<number> exit code to return if errors found [0=disable]
38 --show-below-main=no|yes continue stack traces below main() [no]
39 --suppressions=<filename> suppress errors described in <filename>
40 --gen-suppressions=no|yes|all print suppressions for errors? [no]
41 --db-attach=no|yes start debugger when errors detected? [no]
42 --db-command=<command> command to start debugger [... -nw %f %p]
43 --input-fd=<number> file descriptor for input [0=stdin]
44 --dsymutil=no|yes run dsymutil on Mac OS X when helpful? [no]
45 --max-stackframe=<number> assume stack switch for SP changes larger
46 than <number> bytes [2000000]
47 --main-stacksize=<number> set size of main thread's stack (in bytes)
48 [use current 'ulimit' value]
50 user options for Valgrind tools that replace malloc:
51 --alignment=<number> set minimum alignment of heap allocations [...]
53 uncommon user options for all Valgrind tools:
54 --fullpath-after= (with nothing after the '=')
55 show full source paths in call stacks
56 --fullpath-after=string like --fullpath-after=, but only show the
57 part of the path after 'string'. Allows removal
58 of path prefixes. Use this flag multiple times
59 to specify a set of prefixes to remove.
60 --smc-check=none|stack|all checks for self-modifying code: none,
61 only for code found in stacks, or all [stack]
62 --read-var-info=yes|no read debug info on stack and global variables
63 and use it to print better error messages in
64 tools that make use of it (Memcheck, Helgrind,
66 --vgdb-poll=<number> gdbserver poll max every <number> basic blocks [5000]
67 --vgdb-shadow-registers=no|yes let gdb see the shadow registers [no]
68 --vgdb-prefix=<prefix> prefix for vgdb FIFOs [/tmp/vgdb-pipe]
69 --run-libc-freeres=no|yes free up glibc memory at exit on Linux? [yes]
70 --sim-hints=hint1,hint2,... known hints:
71 lax-ioctls, enable-outer [none]
72 --kernel-variant=variant1,variant2,... known variants: bproc [none]
73 handle non-standard kernel variants
74 --show-emwarns=no|yes show warnings about emulation limits? [no]
75 --require-text-symbol=:sonamepattern:symbolpattern abort run if the
76 stated shared object doesn't have the stated
77 text symbol. Patterns can contain ? and *.
79 user options for Nulgrind:
82 debugging options for all Valgrind tools:
83 -d show verbose debugging output
84 --stats=no|yes show tool and core statistics [no]
85 --sanity-level=<number> level of sanity checking to do [1]
86 --trace-flags=<XXXXXXXX> show generated code? (X = 0|1) [00000000]
87 --profile-flags=<XXXXXXXX> ditto, but for profiling (X = 0|1) [00000000]
88 --trace-notbelow=<number> only show BBs above <number> [999999999]
89 --trace-syscalls=no|yes show all system calls? [no]
90 --trace-signals=no|yes show signal handling details? [no]
91 --trace-symtab=no|yes show symbol table details? [no]
92 --trace-symtab-patt=<patt> limit debuginfo tracing to obj name <patt>
93 --trace-cfi=no|yes show call-frame-info details? [no]
94 --debug-dump=syms mimic /usr/bin/readelf --syms
95 --debug-dump=line mimic /usr/bin/readelf --debug-dump=line
96 --debug-dump=frames mimic /usr/bin/readelf --debug-dump=frames
97 --trace-redir=no|yes show redirection details? [no]
98 --trace-sched=no|yes show thread scheduler details? [no]
99 --profile-heap=no|yes profile Valgrind's own space use
100 --wait-for-gdb=yes|no pause on startup to wait for gdb attach
101 --sym-offsets=yes|no show syms in form 'name+offset' ? [no]
102 --command-line-only=no|yes only use command line options [no]
104 Vex options for all Valgrind tools:
105 --vex-iropt-verbosity=<0..9> [0]
106 --vex-iropt-level=<0..2> [2]
107 --vex-iropt-precise-memory-exns=no|yes [no]
108 --vex-iropt-unroll-thresh=<0..400> [120]
109 --vex-guest-max-insns=<1..100> [50]
110 --vex-guest-chase-thresh=<0..99> [10]
111 --vex-guest-chase-cond=no|yes [no]
112 --trace-flags and --profile-flags values (omit the middle space):
113 1000 0000 show conversion into IR
114 0100 0000 show after initial opt
115 0010 0000 show after instrumentation
116 0001 0000 show after second opt
117 0000 1000 show after tree building
118 0000 0100 show selecting insns
119 0000 0010 show after reg-alloc
120 0000 0001 show final assembly
121 (Nb: you need --trace-notbelow with --trace-flags for full details)
123 debugging options for Valgrind tools that report errors
124 --dump-error=<number> show translation for basic block associated
125 with <number>'th error context [0=show none]
127 debugging options for Valgrind tools that replace malloc:
128 --trace-malloc=no|yes show client malloc details? [no]
130 debugging options for Nulgrind:
133 Extra options read from ~/.valgrindrc, $VALGRIND_OPTS, ./.valgrindrc
135 Nulgrind is Copyright (C) 2002-2010, and GNU GPL'd, by Nicholas Nethercote.
136 Valgrind is Copyright (C) 2000-2010, and GNU GPL'd, by Julian Seward et al.
137 LibVEX is Copyright (C) 2004-2010, and GNU GPL'd, by OpenWorks LLP et al.
139 Bug reports, feedback, admiration, abuse, etc, to: www.valgrind.org.