rtags ☆

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Description:
Source code cross-referencer like ctags with a clang frontend

Type: Formula | Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: c++ c code-navigation refactoring clang developer-tools

Install: brew install rtags

About:
Rtags is a source code cross-referencing system that leverages the Clang compiler frontend to index C, C++, Objective-C, and Objective-C++ code. It provides fast, accurate code navigation features like 'go to definition' and 'find references' directly within editors like Emacs and Vim. This tool helps developers navigate and understand large, complex codebases efficiently by maintaining a real-time database of symbol information.

Key Features:

Clang-based indexing for accurate C/C++ parsing
Integration with Emacs and Vim for in-editor navigation
Client-server architecture for fast queries
Supports refactoring and symbol renaming

Use Cases:

Navigating large legacy C++ codebases
Performing automated refactoring across multiple files
Integrating code intelligence into custom development workflows

Alternatives:

cscope – cscope is older and faster on simple searches but less accurate for C++ templates and modern language features.
Universal Ctags – ctags generates tag files for text editors but lacks the semantic understanding and accurate reference finding of a compiler-backed tool.
clangd – clangd is the modern Language Server Protocol implementation from the LLVM project, often preferred for new setups, while Rtags is a more established, standalone system.

Version History

Detected	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 15, 2025 11:40pm	0	VERSION_BUMP	3d1cf39d
Sep 29, 2024 1:46pm	3	VERSION_BUMP	56a1ddc9
Sep 14, 2024 12:45am	2	VERSION_BUMP	90f5f7c6