Target Tree

The target tree renders build artifacts as a dependency forest, showing what was built from what.

Built-in script: script::target-tree

Usage

catter script::target-tree [options] -- <build-command>

Options

Option	Description
-d, --depth <n>	Limit render depth.

Output

The target tree inverts the perspective of the command tree. Instead of showing process parent-child relationships, it shows output artifacts (executables, libraries, object files) as parents, with their input files as children.

For example, where the command tree shows gcc main.o util.o -o app, the target tree shows:

app
├── main.o
│   └── main.c
├── util.o
│   └── util.c

This makes it clear which source files contribute to which final artifacts.

Use Cases

• Understanding target dependencies -- See the full dependency chain from final binaries down to source files.
• Analyzing build graphs for C++20 modules -- Trace module interface units and their consumers.
• Identifying source contributions -- Determine which sources contribute to which targets, useful for splitting or restructuring builds.