{
"schema_version": "1.0",
"command": "cat",
"variant": "gnu",
"match": {
"probe": {
"args": ["--version"],
"expect": "success",
"output_contains": "GNU coreutils"
}
},
"mode": "authoritative",
"confidence": "verified",
"provenance": {
"platform": "linux",
"tool_version": "9.7",
"package": "coreutils",
"source": "help",
"checked_on": "2026-07-27",
"command": "docker run --rm debian@sha256:328d16499860ae6cb9b345e2e4cebca08c2a36e4f7278482c7bd1f39d71e5bfd cat --help",
"environment": "debian@sha256:328d16499860ae6cb9b345e2e4cebca08c2a36e4f7278482c7bd1f39d71e5bfd",
"notes": "Debian slim images ship no man pages, so the flag list was read from GNU --help, which is complete by GNU convention. Every flag below is transcribed from that output; no flag was added from knowledge of the tool."
},
"description": "Concatenate FILE(s) to standard output. With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.",
"flags": [
{ "short": "-A", "long": "--show-all", "type": "boolean", "description": "Equivalent to -vET." },
{ "short": "-b", "long": "--number-nonblank", "type": "boolean", "conflicts_with": ["-n"], "description": "Number nonempty output lines, overrides -n." },
{ "short": "-e", "type": "boolean", "description": "Equivalent to -vE." },
{ "short": "-E", "long": "--show-ends", "type": "boolean", "description": "Display $ at end of each line." },
{ "short": "-n", "long": "--number", "type": "boolean", "conflicts_with": ["-b"], "description": "Number all output lines." },
{ "short": "-s", "long": "--squeeze-blank", "type": "boolean", "description": "Suppress repeated empty output lines." },
{ "short": "-t", "type": "boolean", "description": "Equivalent to -vT." },
{ "short": "-T", "long": "--show-tabs", "type": "boolean", "description": "Display TAB characters as ^I." },
{ "short": "-u", "type": "boolean", "description": "Ignored." },
{ "short": "-v", "long": "--show-nonprinting", "type": "boolean", "description": "Use ^ and M- notation, except for LFD and TAB." },
{ "long": "--help", "type": "boolean", "description": "Display this help and exit." },
{ "long": "--version", "type": "boolean", "description": "Output version information and exit." }
],
"positional_args": [
{ "name": "file", "type": "path", "variadic": true, "required": false, "description": "Files to concatenate. With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input." }
],
"annotations": {
"readonly": true,
"destructive": false,
"idempotent": true,
"requires_approval": false
}
}