install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install cgdb

provider-native install command

overview

Package summary

Curses-based interface to the GNU Debugger

Project links

Commands and aliases

cgdb

history

Project history and usage

CGDB is a lightweight curses-based front end to GDB with a split source/GDB terminal interface modeled after vi.

Project history

CGDB grew as a terminal debugger interface focused on keeping the familiar GDB prompt while adding a source window, syntax highlighting, breakpoints, and vi-like navigation. The manual identifies CGDB 0.8.0 as the GNU ncurses based front end to GDB.

Adoption history

The project ships official source releases and is packaged broadly in Unix package managers. Its NEWS file shows long-running portability work across Unix variants, macOS, Cygwin, and newer GDB releases.

How it is used

Users launch cgdb as a GDB front end, pass commands through the GDB window, navigate source in CGDB mode, and configure behavior through cgdbrc files under CGDB_DIR or ~/.cgdb.

Why package nerds care

CGDB is a classic terminal-packaging example: small, curses-based, tied to readline/ncurses/GDB behavior, and useful for developers who want source-level debugging without a graphical IDE.

Timeline

2003: NEWS records cgdb-0.4.0.
2006: cgdb-0.6.0 added a new manual and tab completion support.
2017: cgdb-0.7.0 added vertical/horizontal splitting, assembly support, and Rust syntax highlighting.
2022: cgdb-0.8.0 moved to GDB/MI and implemented a virtual terminal in the GDB window.

Related projects

CGDB is built around GNU GDB and includes gdbwire for communicating with GDB.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: red

escape, surveillance, or offensive capability signal.

Risk classifier

red risk · medium confidence · escape-surveillance-offensive

Why

escape, surveillance, or offensive capability signal

Signals

text:debugger

Install behavior

No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.

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: $CGDB_DIR/cgdbrc~/.cgdb/cgdbrc

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`cgdb`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.

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 generated2026-08-03

manager version0.8.0

manager updated2026-06-22

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:cgdb
Version	0.8.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://cgdb.github.io/
Repository	https://github.com/cgdb/cgdb
Last updated	2026-06-22T14:03:00-07:00
Pulse	updated
Bottle	not recorded
Service	none declared

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

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.

combined/cgdb.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
pkgdb category and tag curation

Install cgdb with Homebrew