# Install i386-elf-gdb with Homebrew GNU debugger for i386-elf cross development. Version 17.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-10. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:i386-elf-gdb ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install i386-elf-gdb ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:i386-elf-gdb - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 17.2 - **Source summary:** GNU debugger for i386-elf cross development - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-05-10T20:39:27Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - i386-elf-gdb (cli) - i386-elf-gdb-add-index (cli) - i386-elf-gstack (cli) - i386-elf-gdb (alias) - i386-elf-gdb-add-index (alias) - i386-elf-gstack (alias) ## Dependencies - gmp - mpfr - ncurses - python@3.14 - readline - xz - zstd ## Build dependencies - pkgconf - texinfo ## Uses from macOS - expat ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 17.2 - Package-manager updated: 2026-05-10 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage i386-elf-gdb is Homebrew's target-prefixed build of the GNU Debugger for i386-elf cross development. The package matters because it gives bare-metal and operating-system developers a debugger whose executable name matches the target triple used by their cross compiler and binutils. ### Project history GDB came from the early GNU system effort. GNU's January 1987 bulletin described GDB as a source-level C debugger written for GNU in 1986, and Richard Stallman's 1986 KTH lecture described it as a symbolic C debugger influenced by DBX. The Sourceware documentation describes GDB as a debugger for seeing what happens inside a running program or at the moment it crashes, with support for stopping execution, examining state, and changing program behavior. The GDB news archive shows the long public release line, including GDB 4.18 in 1999, the 5.0 release cycle in 2000, and later 6.x releases. ### Adoption history GDB became one of the standard GNU development tools alongside GCC and Binutils. Its adoption spread through Unix-like systems because it could debug native programs, remote targets, and simulator targets, and because GNU toolchains made source-level debugging part of the normal compile-link-debug loop. The i386-elf-gdb formula is a narrower package-manager artifact: Homebrew labels it as the GNU debugger for i386-elf cross development and ships executables such as i386-elf-gdb. That target prefix is valuable for cross projects because it avoids mixing host debuggers with bare-metal toolchains. ### How it is used Typical use is debugging i386-elf binaries produced by a matching cross compiler, often through a simulator, emulator, remote stub, or kernel-development workflow. The upstream GDB manual's core workflow is unchanged: load a program or symbols, run or connect to a target, set breakpoints, inspect registers and variables, and step through execution. For package users, the significant detail is the executable prefix. Scripts, Makefiles, and OS-development tutorials can call i386-elf-gdb explicitly and stay separate from /usr/bin/gdb or an unprefixed Homebrew GDB. ### Why package nerds care This is a classic cross-toolchain package: upstream GDB is broad and old, while the package name encodes the target ABI. Package nerds care because target-prefixed GNU tools make reproducible cross environments possible without replacing the host compiler or debugger. ### Timeline - 1986: GDB entered distribution as a GNU source-level C debugger. - 1987: GNU's bulletin listed GDB among GNU software available from the Free Software Foundation. - 1999: GDB 4.18 release announced in the Sourceware news archive. - 2000: GDB 5.0 released after a public branch and release cycle. - 2026: Homebrew packaged i386-elf-gdb as a GDB build for i386-elf cross development. ### Related projects - GDB shares the Sourceware binutils-gdb repository with GNU Binutils. - It is commonly paired with GCC, GNU Binutils, QEMU, simulators, and remote debugging stubs in cross-development workflows. ### Sources - - - - - - ## Security Notes escape, surveillance, or offensive capability signal. - **Geiger risk:** red / medium - escape, surveillance, or offensive capability signal ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** i386-elf-gdb - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Related links - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [ncurses](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ncurses/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [python@3.14](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/python-3-14/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [xz](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/xz/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [zstd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/zstd/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [texinfo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/texinfo/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [aarch64-elf-gdb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aarch64-elf-gdb/) - Shares the same upstream homepage. - [arm-none-eabi-gdb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/arm-none-eabi-gdb/) - Shares the same upstream homepage. - [gdb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gdb/) - Shares the same upstream homepage. - [riscv64-elf-gdb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/riscv64-elf-gdb/) - Shares the same upstream homepage. - [x86_64-elf-gdb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/x86-64-elf-gdb/) - Shares the same upstream homepage. - [cgdb](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cgdb/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, debugger, debuggers, developer-tools, gdb. - [ddd](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ddd/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, debugger, developer-tools, gdb, gnu. - [i686-elf-gcc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/i686-elf-gcc/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cross-compilation, developer-tools, gnu. - [cc65](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cc65/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cross-compilation, developer-tools. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/i386-elf-gdb.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/i386-elf-gdb.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - cross-ecosystem install command graph