apport-cli

TLDR

Process pending crash reports interactively

$ apport-cli

Report a bug against a specific package

$ apport-cli --file-bug --package [package-name]

Report a bug against a running process

$ apport-cli --file-bug --pid [1234]

Report a problem using a symptom script

$ apport-cli --file-bug --symptom [audio]

Upload an existing crash report file

$ apport-cli --crash-file [/path/to/report.crash]

Update an existing bug report with more information

$ apport-cli --update-report [bug-number]

Save report to file instead of submitting

$ apport-cli --file-bug --package [package-name] --save [report.apport]

SYNOPSIS

apport-cli [options] [symptom|package|pid|crash-file]

apport-cli is a command-line interface for Ubuntu's Apport crash reporting system. It processes crash reports collected in /var/crash/ and allows users to submit them to the bug tracking system with relevant debugging information.
When invoked without arguments, it processes pending crash reports interactively. It can also file new bug reports against packages, running processes, or using symptom scripts that guide users through diagnosing specific problem types.
Apport automatically collects system information, package versions, stack traces, and other debugging data. This comprehensive information helps developers diagnose and fix issues more effectively than manual bug reports.
The tool is primarily intended for server environments where graphical interfaces like apport-gtk are unavailable.

PARAMETERS

-f, --file-bug

Report a non-crash problem; prompts for symptom if package/pid not specified

-p package, --package=package

Specify the package to report the problem against

-P pid, --pid=pid

Report a problem against a running process by its PID

-s symptom, --symptom=symptom

Use a symptom script to guide problem reporting (audio, video, network, etc.)

-c report, --crash-file=report

Upload a stored crash report from a file

-u number, --update-report=number

Collect additional information for an existing bug report

--save filename

Save the report to a file instead of submitting it

-w, --window

Click on an application window to report a bug against it

CAVEATS

Apport refuses to create reports if the package or dependencies are outdated; set APPORT_IGNORE_OBSOLETE_PACKAGES to override. Submitting reports requires network connectivity and authentication with Ubuntu's bug tracker (Launchpad). Core dumps and logs may contain sensitive information.

HISTORY

Apport was developed by Martin Pitt at Canonical and introduced in Ubuntu 6.10 (Edgy Eft) in 2006. It was designed to improve bug report quality by automatically collecting relevant debugging information. The system has become a standard component of Ubuntu's quality assurance infrastructure and has been adopted by other Debian-based distributions.