# emacs-marginalia

> adds helpful annotations to completion prompts on Emacs

**Wikidata**: [Q117881550](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q117881550)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/emacs-marginalia

## Summary
Emacs-marginalia is a free software package that adds helpful annotations to completion prompts on GNU Emacs, improving the user experience by providing context about available options.

## Key Facts
- Created by Omar Antolín Camarena
- Part of the GNU Project
- Available as a GNU ELPA package since May 30, 2021
- Written in Emacs Lisp
- Maintained by Omar Antolín Camarena and Daniel Mendler
- Available versions include 0.6 (2021-05-30), 0.7 (2021-06-20), 0.8 (2021-08-11), 0.9 (2021-10-11), 0.10 (2021-11-14), 0.11 (2021-12-31), 0.12 (2022-01-31), 0.13 (2022-03-08), 0.14 (2022-09-09), and 0.15 (2022-10-16)
- Distributed by GNU ELPA and MELPA repositories
- Available as Debian package (since 2022-09-25) and Ubuntu package (elpa-marginalia)

## FAQs
### Q: What is emacs-marginalia?
A: It's a free software package that adds helpful annotations to completion prompts on GNU Emacs.

### Q: Who created it?
A: It was created by Omar Antolín Camarena and is maintained by him and Daniel Mendler.

### Q: What does it do?
A: It provides helpful annotations to completion prompts in Emacs, showing additional information about available options.

### Q: How is it distributed?
A: It's distributed through GNU ELPA and MELPA repositories, and is also available as packages for Debian, Ubuntu, and Gentoo.

## Why It Matters
Emacs-marginalia addresses a common usability challenge in text editors by enhancing the completion system in GNU Emacs. When users interact with the editor's completion mechanisms, the package provides helpful annotations alongside completion options, making it easier to understand and select the appropriate choice. This improvement enhances the overall user experience by reducing ambiguity and providing context about available options. The package represents a practical application of the free software philosophy, offering a solution that improves productivity for Emacs users while remaining open-source and community-maintained.

## Notable For
- First package to add helpful annotations to completion prompts in GNU Emacs
- Maintained by Omar Antolín Camarena and Daniel Mendler
- Available through multiple package repositories including GNU ELPA, MELPA, Debian, Ubuntu, and Gentoo
- Written entirely in Emacs Lisp, the native language of GNU Emacs

## Body
### Technical Implementation
Emacs-marginalia is implemented as a GNU ELPA package written in Emacs Lisp. The package integrates with Emacs's completion system to provide annotations that appear alongside completion prompts. It uses the standard Emacs Lisp development environment and follows the conventions established by the GNU Project.

### Development History
The package was first released as version 0.6 on May 30, 2021, and has since undergone regular updates with new stable versions released approximately every month. The development has been documented through the GNU Emacs sources mailing list, with each version announcement including release notes and technical details.

### Distribution Channels
The package is distributed through multiple channels to reach different user communities:
- **GNU ELPA**: The official Emacs Lisp Package Archive, where it's maintained since May 30, 2021
- **MELPA**: Another popular Emacs package repository
- **Debian**: As the marginalia package in the Debian ecosystem
- **Ubuntu**: As the elpa-marginalia package
- **Gentoo**: As app-emacs/marginalia

### Maintenance and Community
The package is maintained by Omar Antolín Camarena, with contributions from Daniel Mendler. The development is documented through the official release notes and the GNU Emacs sources mailing list. The project follows the free software movement principles, with the source code available on GitHub and GNU Savannah repositories.

### Technical Specifications
- **Programming Language**: Emacs Lisp
- **License**: Free software license (specifically the GNU General Public License or similar as indicated by the license identifier Q27016754)
- **Operating System**: Cross-platform, compatible with BSD-based systems and other Unix-like operating systems
- **Repository**: Available on GitHub and GNU Savannah
- **Documentation**: User manual available at https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/doc/marginalia.html

### Version History
The package has maintained a consistent release schedule with stable versions:
- Version 0.6 (2021-05-30)
- Version 0.7 (2021-06-20)
- Version 0.8 (2021-08-11)
- Version 0.9 (2021-10-11)
- Version 0.10 (2021-11-14)
- Version 0.11 (2021-12-31)
- Version 0.12 (2022-01-31)
- Version 0.13 (2022-03-08)
- Version 0.14 (2022-09-09)
- Version 0.15 (2022-10-16)

Each version includes improvements to the annotation system and compatibility with newer Emacs versions.

## References

1. [Source](https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/marginalia.html)
2. [Source](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/0.2)
3. [Marginalia version 0.6. 2021](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2021-05/msg00029.html)
4. [Marginalia version 0.7. 2021](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2021-06/msg00018.html)
5. [Marginalia version 0.8. 2021](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2021-08/msg00048.html)
6. [Marginalia version 0.9. 2021](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2021-10/msg00032.html)
7. [Marginalia version 0.10. 2021](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2021-11/msg00023.html)
8. [Marginalia version 0.11. 2021](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2021-12/msg00076.html)
9. [Marginalia version 0.12. 2022](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2022-01/msg00113.html)
10. [Marginalia version 0.13. 2022](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2022-03/msg00011.html)
11. [Marginalia version 0.14. 2022](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2022-09/msg00027.html)
12. [Marginalia version 0.15. 2022](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2022-10/msg00036.html)
13. [Marginalia version 1.0. 2022](https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/marginalia-1.0.tar.lz)
14. [Marginalia version 1.1. 2023](https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/marginalia-1.1.tar.lz)
15. [Marginalia version 1.2. 2023](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2023-04/msg00044.html)
16. [Release 0.2. 2021](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/0.2)
17. [Release 0.3. 2021](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/0.3)
18. [Release 0.4. 2021](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/0.4)
19. [Release 0.5. 2021](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/0.5)
20. [Release 1.3. 2023](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/1.3)
21. [Marginalia version 1.3. 2023](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2023-07/msg00006.html)
22. [Release 1.4. 2023](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/1.4)
23. [Marginalia version 1.4. 2023](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2023-12/msg00005.html)
24. [Release 1.5. 2023](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/1.5)
25. [Marginalia version 1.5. 2023](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2023-12/msg00095.html)
26. [Release 1.6. 2024](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/1.6)
27. [[GNU ELPA] Marginalia version 1.6. 2024](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-04/msg00005.html)
28. [Release 1.7. 2024](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/1.7)
29. [[GNU ELPA] Marginalia version 1.7. 2024](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-07/msg00065.html)
30. [Release 1.8. 2024](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/1.8)
31. [[GNU ELPA] Marginalia version 1.8. 2024](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-12/msg00054.html)
32. [Release 2.0. 2025](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/2.0)
33. [[GNU ELPA] Marginalia version 2.0. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-03/msg00072.html)
34. [[GNU ELPA] Marginalia version 2.1. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-06/msg00018.html)
35. [[GNU ELPA] Marginalia version 2.2. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-07/msg00048.html)
36. [Release 2.3. 2025](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/2.3)
37. [[GNU ELPA] Marginalia version 2.3. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-09/msg00026.html)
38. [Release 2.4. 2025](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/2.4)
39. [[GNU ELPA] Marginalia version 2.4. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-10/msg00026.html)
40. [Release 2.5. 2025](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/2.5)
41. [https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-11/msg00050.html. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-11/msg00050.html)
42. [Release 2.6. 2025](https://github.com/minad/marginalia/releases/tag/2.6)
43. [[GNU ELPA] Marginalia version 2.6. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-12/msg00031.html)
44. [[GNU ELPA] Marginalia version 2.7. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-12/msg00069.html)
45. [[GNU ELPA] Marginalia version 2.8. 2026](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2026-01/msg00057.html)
46. [[GNU ELPA] Marginalia version 2.9. 2026](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2026-01/msg00082.html)
47. [[GNU ELPA] Marginalia version 2.10. 2026](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2026-03/msg00030.html)
48. [Source](https://packages.debian.org/source/bookworm/marginalia)