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Install gi-docgen with Homebrew
Documentation tool for GObject-based libraries. Version 2026.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-13.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Documentation tool for GObject-based libraries
Project links
Commands and aliases
- gi-docgen
history
Project history and usage
GI-DocGen is GNOME's documentation generator for GObject-based libraries. It uses GObject Introspection data to produce API references and ancillary documentation, especially for GTK and nearby platform libraries.
Project history
The GNOME-hosted GitLab project was created in November 2020 and carries GNOME Foundation copyright terms from 2021. Its documentation frames the project as a focused generator for libraries that expose GObject Introspection data, with GTK and its immediate dependencies as the primary target rather than all C libraries.
GI-DocGen sits in the lineage of GNOME API documentation tooling alongside GTK-Doc, but it reflects a later approach built around introspection metadata, Sphinx-style documentation pages, Meson integration, and generated reference sites for the GObject ecosystem.
Adoption history
The project's adoption is tied to GNOME library publishing rather than broad language-wide documentation. It matters because many GNOME platform libraries share the same GObject Introspection machinery, so a generator that understands that metadata can produce consistent API references for libraries that bindings and application developers depend on.
Distribution packaging across Linux distributions, Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix, and Python packaging made GI-DocGen available to maintainers building GNOME-related source releases and documentation sites.
How it is used
Practitioners use GI-DocGen from a source tree or a package installation to generate reference documentation from introspection data and a project configuration file. The documented workflow points users to a tutorial, project configuration, linking rules, introspection attributes, templates, content pages, and command documentation.
The README emphasizes that GI-DocGen is not a general C documentation tool. Its practical use is strongest in GObject projects that already produce introspection data and want API pages aligned with GTK and GNOME documentation conventions.
Why package nerds care
For package maintainers, GI-DocGen is a build-time documentation dependency with GNOME-specific semantics. It is useful in distro and Homebrew contexts because it can be installed as a normal tool while preserving the GNOME project's preferred documentation pipeline.
Timeline
- 2020: GNOME GitLab project created.
- 2021: GNOME Foundation copyright appears in the project README and documentation.
- 2025: Tagged releases included 2025.4 and 2025.5.
- 2026: The 2026.1 tag documented parser, template, and styling fixes.
Related projects
- GI-DocGen is related to GObject Introspection, GTK, Meson, GTK-Doc, HotDoc, Doxygen, and Devhelp documentation indexes.
Sources
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 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.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
gi-docgen | 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 version2026.1
manager updated2026-06-13
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:gi-docgen |
|---|---|
| Version | 2026.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://gnome.pages.gitlab.gnome.org/gi-docgen/ |
| Last updated | 2026-06-13T23:34:55+02:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
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
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation