macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install splintlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install splintMacPorts ports tree · devel/splint/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install splint with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper
Secure Programming Lint. Version 3.1.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-22. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install splint.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install splintDebian stable package indexes · splint · source: deb.debian.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#splintnixpkgs package indexes · splint · source: raw.githubusercontent.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S splintArch Linux sync databases · splint · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install splintopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · splint · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Secure Programming Lint
Project links
Commands and aliases
- splint
history
Project history and usage
Splint, short for Secure Programming Lint, is an annotation-assisted static checker for C programs that extends the traditional Unix lint idea into security and stronger interface checking.
Project history
Splint came from the University of Virginia Inexpensive Program Analysis Group and the earlier LCLint research line. The official publications page traces LCLint work back through a 1994 FSE paper and a 1996-2000 LCLint user's guide, while the Splint release notes describe Splint 3.0.1 in January 2002 as the successor to LCLint 2.5q.
The project framed itself as lightweight rather than heavyweight formal verification: with little setup it could act as a better lint, and with source annotations it could check stronger assumptions about nullness, memory ownership, buffer sizes, and interfaces. Version 3.1.2 was released in July 2007, and the official homepage now points to a GitHub source repository plus historical source distributions.
Adoption history
Splint's package-manager presence in the supplied input spans Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, and openSUSE-family packaging. Its adoption is mostly historical and educational now, but it remains packaged because it is a recognizable classic in C static analysis and secure-programming coursework.
How it is used
Users run `splint` against C source files and adjust checking with command-line flags, annotations in stylized comments, and `.splintrc` files. The manual documents loading `~/.splintrc` and then a working-directory `.splintrc`, with command-line flags overriding both.
Why package nerds care
Splint matters to package nerds because it is a fossil record of the path from Unix `lint` to annotation-assisted security checking. It is small, old, GPL-licensed, and still installable, which makes it useful for archaeology, examples, and comparing modern static analyzers against earlier C tooling.
Timeline
- 1994: LCLint is presented at FSE as a tool for using specifications to check code.
- 1996-2000: The LCLint user's guide covers the predecessor tool later superseded by the Splint manual.
- 2002: Splint 3.0.1 is released as the successor to LCLint 2.5q.
- 2003: Splint manual version 3.1.1-1 is published.
- 2007: Splint 3.1.2 is released.
Related projects
- LCLint is the direct predecessor documented by the official Splint publications and release pages.
- Traditional Unix lint is the cultural baseline: Splint's homepage explicitly presents it as usable as a better lint with minimal effort.
Sources
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for splint. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.
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
.splintrc~/.splintrc
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
splint | 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 generated2026-07-25
manager version3.1.2
manager updated2026-06-22
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://splint.org/none confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:splint |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.1.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/splint |
| Homepage | https://splint.org/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/splintchecker/splint |
| Upstream docs | https://splint.org/downloads/manual.pdf |
| License | GPL-2.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://splint.org/downloads/splint-3.1.2.src.tgz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-22T14:06:21-07:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Uses from macOS | flex |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, 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 | splint |
| 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%
splint 1:3.1.2+dfsg-5
tool for statically checking C programs for bugs
sudo apt install splint- Section: devel
- Architecture: amd64
- 3 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Splint
Debian apt95%
splint-data 1:3.1.2+dfsg-5
tool for statically checking C programs for bugs - data files
sudo apt install splint-data- Section: devel
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: splint
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Splint
Debian apt95%
splint-doc-html 1:3.1.2+dfsg-5
tool for statically checking C programs for bugs - HTML documentation
sudo apt install splint-doc-html- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: splint
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Splint
Nix95%
splint
nix profile install nixpkgs#splint- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Splint
Ubuntu apt95%
splint 1:3.1.2+dfsg-5
tool for statically checking C programs for bugs
sudo apt install splint- Section: universe/devel
- Architecture: amd64
- 3 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Splint
Ubuntu apt95%
splint-data 1:3.1.2+dfsg-5
tool for statically checking C programs for bugs - data files
sudo apt install splint-data- Section: universe/devel
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: splint
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Splint
Ubuntu apt95%
splint-doc-html 1:3.1.2+dfsg-5
tool for statically checking C programs for bugs - HTML documentation
sudo apt install splint-doc-html- Section: universe/doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: splint
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Splint
pacman95%
splint 3.1.2.git20180129-3
A tool for statically checking C programs for security vulnerabilities and coding mistakes
https://repo.or.cz/splint-patched.git
sudo pacman -S splint- License: GPL
- Architecture: x86_64
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Splint
zypper95%
splint 3.1.2-104.2
A tool for statically checking C programs
sudo zypper install splint- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Category: Development/Languages/C and C++
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: splint
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Splint
MacPorts95%
splint
sudo port install splint- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Splint
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
- 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