macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install coccinellelocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install coccinelleMacPorts ports tree · devel/coccinelle/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install coccinelle with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, zypper
Program matching and transformation engine for C code. Version 1.3.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add coccinelleAlpine Linux edge package indexes · coccinelle · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install coccinelleDebian stable package indexes · coccinelle · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install coccinelleFedora Rawhide package metadata · coccinelle · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#coccinellenixpkgs package indexes · coccinelle · source: raw.githubusercontent.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install coccinelleopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · coccinelle · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Program matching and transformation engine for C code
Project links
Commands and aliases
- spatch
- spgen
history
Project history and usage
Coccinelle is a program matching and transformation engine for C code, centered on SmPL, the Semantic Patch Language. In package-manager culture it is best known as the `spatch` tool used for large C tree transformations, especially in Linux kernel development.
Project history
The official INRIA site describes Coccinelle as a tool originally targeted at collateral evolutions in Linux: source-code updates required when library APIs change. It broadened from that origin into finding and fixing bugs in systems code.
The project has long had a research and systems-programming identity. The official site links papers, workshops, Linux impact pages, and SmPL grammar documentation, while the current GitLab project is hosted under INRIA.
Adoption history
Coccinelle's strongest adoption signal is Linux itself. The upstream Linux documentation has a dedicated Coccinelle page, describes the `make coccicheck` target, and says the semantic patches in the kernel require Coccinelle 1.0.0-rc11 or newer.
The Linux documentation also lists distribution availability through Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Arch Linux, Gentoo, NetBSD, and FreeBSD, while the input adds Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, apk, dnf, and zypper.
How it is used
The main executable is `spatch`. Users write semantic patches in SmPL and run them over a file, directory, or source tree to report matches or propose transformations.
In the Linux kernel workflow, `make coccicheck MODE=report` reports matches and `MODE=patch` proposes fixes. The kernel script wires Coccinelle into the build tree through `scripts/coccicheck` and `scripts/coccinelle`.
Coccinelle supports `.cocciconfig` files in the user's home directory, the current directory, and the directory passed with `--dir`, letting users set preferred `spatch` options.
Why package nerds care
Coccinelle is one of the more historically interesting developer-tool packages because it turns program transformation research into a packaged Unix CLI used by real infrastructure projects.
For package maintainers, it is a cross-distribution systems-code tool with an OCaml heritage, a Linux-kernel integration point, and a command (`spatch`) whose usefulness depends on both the executable and a corpus of semantic patches.
Timeline
- 2005: Official site HTML carries an early creation marker.
- 2009: Official site lists the first Coccinelle Users Day.
- 2010: Linux kernel Coccinelle documentation and coccicheck script carry 2010 copyright notices.
- 2010: Official site links Coccinelle at the 2010 kernel summit.
- 2020: Current INRIA GitLab project created.
- 2021: SmPL grammar documentation lists version 1.1.0 and date June 21, 2021.
Related projects
- Linux kernel `coccicheck` is the most visible related integration.
- SmPL is the project-specific semantic patch language.
- The Rust-for-Linux Coccinelle-for-Rust work is linked from the official site as a related direction.
Sources
- https://coccinelle.gitlabpages.inria.fr/website/
- https://coccinelle.gitlabpages.inria.fr/website/docs/index.html
- https://coccinelle.gitlabpages.inria.fr/website/docs/main_grammar015.html
- https://coccinelle.gitlabpages.inria.fr/website/impact_linux.html
- https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/plain/Documentation/dev-tools/coccinelle.rst
- https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/plain/scripts/coccicheck
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Build metadata lists 5 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
~/.cocciconfig./.cocciconfig<dir passed with --dir>/.cocciconfig
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
spatch | cli | global executable | |
spgen | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.3.1
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://coccinelle.gitlabpages.inria.fr/website/
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://coccinelle.gitlabpages.inria.fr/website/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:coccinelle |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.3.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/coccinelle |
| Homepage | https://coccinelle.gitlabpages.inria.fr/website/ |
| Repository | https://gitlab.inria.fr/coccinelle/coccinelle |
| Upstream docs | https://coccinelle.gitlabpages.inria.fr/website |
| License | GPL-2.0-only |
| Source archive | https://coccinelle.gitlabpages.inria.fr/website/distrib/coccinelle-1.3.1.tar.gz |
| Build dependencies | autoconf, automake, menhir, ocaml, ocaml-findlib |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | coccinelle |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
coccinelle 1.3.0.deb-1+b2
semantic patching tool for C
sudo apt install coccinelle- Section: devel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: coccinelle
- 7 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Coccinelle
Nix95%
coccinelle
nix profile install nixpkgs#coccinelle- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Coccinelle
Ubuntu apt95%
coccinelle 1.1.1.deb-5build1
semantic patching tool for C
sudo apt install coccinelle- Section: universe/devel
- Architecture: amd64
- 6 dependencies
- 2 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Coccinelle
Ubuntu apt95%
coccinelle-doc 1.1.1.deb-5build1
documentation for coccinelle
sudo apt install coccinelle-doc- Section: universe/doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: coccinelle
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Coccinelle
apk95%
coccinelle 1.1.1-r2
provides the spatch matching and transformation engine implementing semantic patch language
https://coccinelle.gitlabpages.inria.fr/website/
sudo apk add coccinelle- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: coccinelle
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Coccinelle
apk95%
coccinelle-bash-completion 1.1.1-r2
Bash completions for coccinelle
https://coccinelle.gitlabpages.inria.fr/website/
sudo apk add coccinelle-bash-completion- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: coccinelle
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Coccinelle
apk95%
coccinelle-doc 1.1.1-r2
provides the spatch matching and transformation engine implementing semantic patch language (documentation)
https://coccinelle.gitlabpages.inria.fr/website/
sudo apk add coccinelle-doc- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: coccinelle
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Coccinelle
dnf95%
coccinelle 1.3.1-7.fc45
Semantic patching for Linux (spatch)
sudo dnf install coccinelle- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: coccinelle
- 12 dependencies
- 4 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Coccinelle
dnf95%
coccinelle-bash-completion 1.3.1-7.fc45
Bash tab-completion for coccinelle
sudo dnf install coccinelle-bash-completion- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: coccinelle
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Coccinelle
dnf95%
coccinelle-doc 1.3.1-7.fc45
Documentation for coccinelle
sudo dnf install coccinelle-doc- License: GFDL-1.3-no-invariants-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: coccinelle
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Coccinelle
dnf95%
coccinelle-examples 1.3.1-7.fc45
Examples for coccinelle
sudo dnf install coccinelle-examples- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: coccinelle
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Coccinelle
zypper95%
coccinelle 1.3.1-2.3
Semantic patch utility
sudo zypper install coccinelle- License: GPL-2.0-only
- Category: Productivity/Text/Utilities
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: coccinelle
- 10 dependencies
- 3 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Coccinelle
MacPorts95%
coccinelle
sudo port install coccinelle- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Coccinelle
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment