cygcheck

cygcheck [-a | -c | -d | -f | -i | -k | -l | -p | -s | -v]... [PATH | PROGRAM]

-a, --all
    Dump all information known about the system

-c, --check
    List installed packages with status and version

-d, --dlls
    List directories searched for DLLs

-f, --find <file>
    Find the package containing a specific file

-h, --help
    Display usage information

-i, --info <package>
    Display package metadata and description

-k, --keycheck
    Check license key (deprecated)

-l, --list <package>
    List all files installed by a package

-p, --package <regex>
    Search packages matching a regular expression

-s, --sysinfo
    Dump system information (CPU, memory, etc.)

-v, --verbose
    Enable verbose output

-V, --version
    Print cygcheck version

-R, --report
    Generate full diagnostic report

cygcheck is a versatile diagnostic utility in the Cygwin environment, which provides a Unix-like interface on Windows. It helps troubleshoot installation issues, inspect package statuses, verify dependencies, and gather system information.

Primarily used for querying the Cygwin package database, it can list all installed packages with versions and statuses, display detailed package contents, or search for packages containing specific files. For binaries and DLLs, cygcheck analyzes dependencies similar to ldd on Linux, identifying required Cygwin libraries and potential conflicts.

It also checks the integrity of the Cygwin setup, reports on mount points, environment variables, and PATH configurations. Verbose modes provide deeper insights into DLL search paths and system paths. This makes it invaluable for developers and administrators maintaining Cygwin-based applications, diagnosing 'DLL not found' errors, or preparing bug reports for the Cygwin mailing list.

Output is plain text, often redirected to files for analysis. While powerful, it requires a functional Cygwin installation and is not available on native Linux systems without emulation.

Exclusive to Cygwin on Windows; not native Linux. Verbose output can be voluminous. Requires administrative privileges for some checks. DLL analysis may miss non-Cygwin dependencies.

cygcheck -c <br> cygcheck /bin/bash.exe <br> cygcheck -f /usr/bin/python

Often used as cygcheck -R > report.txt for bug reports to cygwin@lists.nongnu.org.

Developed as part of Cygwin project starting in 1997 by Red Hat. Evolved with Cygwin releases; major enhancements in dependency checking around 2003 for better Windows integration. Maintained by Cygwin developers, with updates in each release (e.g., Cygwin 3.x improved JSON output support).

ldd(1), rpm(8), dpkg-query(1), cygpath(1)