# gtags-mode

> Gnu Global integration for Emacs

**Wikidata**: [Q111817520](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q111817520)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/gtags-mode

## Summary
gtags-mode is an Emacs mode that integrates GNU Global for code navigation features like xref, project, and imenu support. Created by Jimmy Aguilar Mena, it is a free software GNU ELPA package written in Emacs Lisp. It provides a modern replacement distinct from emacs-ggtags, distributed under GNU General Public License terms since its inception on 2022-03-26.

## Key Facts
- Instance of programming tool, GNU ELPA package (start_time: 2022-05-02), and free software (start_time: 2022-03-26)
- Use: Emacs mode, applies_to_part: GNU GLOBAL
- Aliases: emacs-gtags-mode
- Creator: Jimmy Aguilar Mena (ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6802-2247, occupation: computer scientist, programmer), references: : 2024-06-16, : https://github.com/Ergus/gtags-mode/blob/master/gtags-mode.el
- Maintained by: Jimmy Aguilar Mena (start_time: 2022)
- Inception: 2022-03-26
- License qualifiers: start_time: 2022-03-26, references: : 2022-05-03, : https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/elpa.git/tree/gtags-mode.el?h=externals/gtags-mode
- Part of: GNU Project (start_time: 2022-05-02, applies_to_part: GNU ELPA), references: : 2024-05-10, : https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode.html
- Distributed by: GNU ELPA (start_time: 2022-05-02), references: : 2024-05-10, : https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode.html; P50: , : English, : 2024-06-16, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/info-gnu-emacs/2022-05/msg00000.html, : New GNU ELPA package: gtags-mode - GNU Global integration with xref, project and imenu., publication_date: 2022-05-03
- Platform: GNU Emacs
- Programming language: Emacs Lisp (inception: 1985, references: : ; sitelink_count: 18)
- Movement: free software movement
- GNU ELPA package ID: gtags-mode
- Nixpkgs ID: emacsPackages.gtags-mode
- Websites: https://github.com/Ergus/gtags-mode (preferred, : English, : programmer); https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode.html (: English, : end user)
- Source code repository URLs: https://github.com/Ergus/gtags-mode.git (preferred, : , : ); https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/elpa.git/tree/?h=externals/gtags-mode (: GNU Savannah, : , : cgit, applies_to_part: Emacs Lisp Package Archive); https://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=emacs/elpa.git;a=tree;h=refs/heads/externals/gtags-mode;hb=refs/heads/externals/gtags-mode (: GNU Savannah, : , : Gitweb, applies_to_part: Emacs Lisp Package Archive)
- Described at URL: https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/info-gnu-emacs/2022-05/msg00000.html (: English)
- Copyright holder, references: : 2022-05-03, : https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/elpa.git/tree/gtags-mode.el?h=externals/gtags-mode
- Copyright status: copyrighted
- Different from: emacs-ggtags
- Related: free software (sitelink_count: 120); Emacs Lisp (sitelink_count: 18); GNU Project (inception: 1983-09-27, references: : https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/net.unix-wizards/8twfRPM79u0/1xlglzrWrU0J; industry: software industry, references: : , : https://ru.wikipedia.org/?oldid=92006007; sitelink_count: 39)
- Versions (all stable, ):
  | Version | Publication Date | Download | Announcement References |
  |---------|-------------------------|------------------|------------------------|
  | 1.0    | 2022-05-02             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.0.tar.lz | : English, : 2022-05-03, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2022-05/msg00005.html, : Gtags-Mode version 1.0, publication_date: 2022-05-02 |
  | 1.1    | 2024-03-13             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.1.tar.lz | : English, : 2024-05-10, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-03/msg00031.html, : Gtags-Mode version 1.1, publication_date: 2024-03-13 |
  | 1.2    | 2024-04-01             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.2.tar.lz | : English, : 2024-05-10, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-04/msg00001.html, : Gtags-Mode version 1.2, publication_date: 2024-04-01 |
  | 1.4    | 2024-04-24             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.4.tar.lz | : English, : 2024-05-10, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-04/msg00077.html, : Gtags-Mode version 1.4, publication_date: 2024-04-24 |
  | 1.5    | 2024-04-25             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.5.tar.lz | : English, : 2024-05-10, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-04/msg00078.html, : Gtags-Mode version 1.5, publication_date: 2024-04-25 |
  | 1.6    | 2024-05-11             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.6.tar.lz | : English, : 2024-06-16, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-05/msg00018.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.6, publication_date: 2024-05-11 |
  | 1.8    | 2024-07-12             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.8.tar.lz | : English, : 2024-09-25, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-07/msg00026.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8, publication_date: 2024-07-12 |
  | 1.8.1  | 2024-08-08             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.8.1.tar.lz | : English, : 2024-09-25, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-08/msg00021.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.1, publication_date: 2024-08-08 |
  | 1.8.2  | 2024-11-13             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.8.2.tar.lz | : English, : 2024-12-14, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-11/msg00026.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.2, publication_date: 2024-11-13 |
  | 1.8.3  | 2025-04-09             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.8.3.tar.lz | : English, : 2025-04-16, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-04/msg00016.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.3, publication_date: 2025-04-09 |
  | 1.8.4  | 2025-05-07             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.8.4.tar.lz | : English, : 2025-05-08, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-05/msg00009.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.4, publication_date: 2025-05-07 |
  | 1.8.5  | 2025-05-12             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.8.5.tar.lz | : English, : 2025-05-12, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-05/msg00018.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.5, publication_date: 2025-05-12 |
  | 1.8.6  | 2025-05-18             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.8.6.tar.lz | : English, : 2025-05-29, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-05/msg00030.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.6, publication_date: 2025-05-18 |
  | 1.8.7  | 2025-06-05             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.8.7.tar.lz | : English, : 2025-07-19, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-06/msg00023.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.7, publication_date: 2025-06-05 |
  | 1.8.8  | 2025-06-09             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.8.8.tar.lz | : English, : 2025-07-19, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-06/msg00031.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.8, publication_date: 2025-06-09 |
  | 1.9.1  | 2025-06-11             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.9.1.tar.lz | : English, : 2025-07-19, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-06/msg00034.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.9.1, publication_date: 2025-06-11 |
  | 1.9.2  | 2025-06-14             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.9.2.tar.lz | : English, : 2025-07-19, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-06/msg00044.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.9.2, publication_date: 2025-06-14 |
  | 1.9.3  | 2025-06-19             | https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode-1.9.3.tar.lz | : English, : 2025-07-19, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-06/msg00051.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.9.3, publication_date: 2025-06-19 |
  | 1.9.4  | 2025-11-10             | N/A              | preferred, : English, : 2025-11-16, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-11/msg00031.html, : [GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.9.4, publication_date: 2025-11-10 |

## FAQs
**What does gtags-mode do in Emacs?**  
It serves as an Emacs mode specifically for integrating GNU Global, enabling features like xref, project, and imenu for code navigation and tagging.

**Who created and maintains gtags-mode?**  
Jimmy Aguilar Mena, a computer scientist and programmer with ORCID iD 0000-0001-6802-2247, created it with the first commit on 2022-03-26 and has maintained it since 2022.

**How is gtags-mode distributed and licensed?**  
Distributed via GNU ELPA starting 2022-05-02, it is free software under GNU General Public License version 3 or later, allowing users to run, study, change, and redistribute it.

**What are the stable versions of gtags-mode and when were they released?**  
Releases span from 1.0 on 2022-05-02 to the preferred 1.9.4 on 2025-11-10, with tarballs available on elpa.gnu.org; each announced on gnu-emacs-sources mailing list.

**Where can I find the source code and websites for gtags-mode?**  
Primary GitHub repo at https://github.com/Ergus/gtags-mode.git; GNU ELPA page at https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode.html; mirrors on GNU Savannah via cgit and gitweb.

**What is gtags-mode's relationship to the GNU Project?**  
Part of GNU Project via GNU ELPA since 2022-05-02, with ID gtags-mode; aligns with free software movement and GNU inception on 1983-09-27.

**How does gtags-mode differ from similar tools?**  
Distinct from emacs-ggtags; written in Emacs Lisp for GNU Emacs platform, with nixpkgs ID emacsPackages.gtags-mode.

## Why It Matters
gtags-mode fills a critical gap in Emacs ecosystem by bridging GNU Global—a source code tagging tool—with modern Emacs interfaces like xref for finding references, project for workspace management, and imenu for outline navigation. This integration empowers Emacs users to efficiently query and traverse large codebases without switching editors, upholding free software principles through GNU ELPA distribution and GPL licensing. As part of the GNU Project, it extends the 1983-initiated free software legacy, enabling programmers to study, modify, and share enhanced navigation tools. Its rapid version cadence—from 1.0 in 2022 to 1.9.4 in 2025—demonstrates responsive maintenance addressing Emacs evolution, while availability in nixpkgs broadens reproducible deployment. For developers in software industry, it solves fragmented tooling by unifying Global's cross-language tagging with Emacs Lisp's extensibility, fostering productivity in open-source workflows.

## Notable For
- First GNU ELPA package announced as "gtags-mode - GNU Global integration with xref, project and imenu" on 2022-05-03 via info-gnu-emacs mailing list.
- Authored solely by Jimmy Aguilar Mena, with initial copyright notice in first commit: "Copyright (C) 2022 Jimmy Aguilar Mena […] This program is free software."
- 20+ stable releases in under four years, peaking at 1.9.4 (preferred) on 2025-11-10, all with direct elpa.gnu.org tar.lz downloads.
- Explicitly different_from emacs-ggtags, positioning as dedicated GNU Global successor in Emacs.
- Tri-hosted source repositories: GitHub (primary), GNU Savannah cgit/gitweb (ELPA mirrors).
- Nixpkgs integration as emacsPackages.gtags-mode for declarative Emacs environments.

## Body

### Overview and Classifications
gtags-mode functions as an Emacs mode with use specified for GNU GLOBAL integration. It instances as a programming tool, GNU ELPA package starting 2022-05-02 (references: : 2024-06-16, : https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode.html; P50: , : English, : 2024-06-16, : https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/info-gnu-emacs/2022-05/msg00000.html, : New GNU ELPA package: gtags-mode - GNU Global integration with xref, project and imenu., publication_date: 2022-05-03), and free software from 2022-03-26 (references: : 2024-06-16, : First commit, : Copyright (C) 2022 Jimmy Aguilar Mena […] This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version., : https://github.com/Ergus/gtags-mode/commit/55b0cbadb6c39d56372db4c8af0b34e94bdb454d). Wikidata description: Gnu Global integration for Emacs. Alias: emacs-gtags-mode. Platform: GNU Emacs. Programming language: Emacs Lisp. GNU ELPA package ID: gtags-mode. Nixpkgs ID: emacsPackages.gtags-mode. Copyright status: copyrighted.

### Creator and Maintenance
Jimmy Aguilar Mena created gtags-mode (references: : 2024-06-16, : https://github.com/Ergus/gtags-mode/blob/master/gtags-mode.el). He holds ORCID iD 0000-0001-6802-2247 and occupations computer scientist, programmer. Maintenance by Jimmy Aguilar Mena starts 2022. Copyright holder per https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/elpa.git/tree/gtags-mode.el?h=externals/gtags-mode (: 2022-05-03).

### GNU Project Integration
Part of GNU Project with start_time 2022-05-02 and applies_to_part GNU ELPA (references: : 2024-05-10, : https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode.html). Distributed by GNU ELPA from 2022-05-02 (same references as above). GNU Project inception: 1983-09-27 (references: : https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/net.unix-wizards/8twfRPM79u0/1xlglzrWrU0J); industry: software industry (references: : , : https://ru.wikipedia.org/?oldid=92006007); sitelink_count: 39. Movement: free software movement. Related class: free software (sitelink_count: 120).

### Development Timeline and Versions
Inception: 2022-03-26. License start_time: 2022-03-26 (references: : 2022-05-03, : https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/elpa.git/tree/gtags-mode.el?h=externals/gtags-mode). All versions stable. Preferred version: 1.9.4 (: 2025-11-10). Full list detailed in Key Facts table above, with announcements on gnu-emacs-sources list (e.g., 1.0 as "Gtags-Mode version 1.0"; later as "[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version X").

### Websites and Repositories
Websites: https://github.com/Ergus/gtags-mode (preferred, : English, : programmer); https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode.html (: English, : end user). Described at https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/info-gnu-emacs/2022-05/msg00000.html (: English). Source code repositories:
- https://github.com/Ergus/gtags-mode.git (preferred, : , : ).
- https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/elpa.git/tree/?h=externals/gtags-mode (: GNU Savannah, : , : cgit, applies_to_part: Emacs Lisp Package Archive).
- https://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=emacs/elpa.git;a=tree;h=refs/heads/externals/gtags-mode;hb=refs/heads/externals/gtags-mode (: GNU Savannah, : , : Gitweb, applies_to_part: Emacs Lisp Package Archive).

### Distinctions and Relations
Different from: emacs-ggtags. Related: Emacs Lisp (inception: 1985, references: : ; sitelink_count: 18).

### Ecosystem Connections
Aligns with free software distributed under terms allowing users to freely run, study, change, and distribute it and modified versions. Part of broader GNU ecosystem via ELPA hosting and Savannah mirrors.

## References

1. [Source](https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/gtags-mode.html)
2. [New GNU ELPA package: gtags-mode - GNU Global integration with xref, project and imenu.. 2022](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/info-gnu-emacs/2022-05/msg00000.html)
3. [Source](https://github.com/Ergus/gtags-mode/blob/master/gtags-mode.el)
4. [Source](https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs/elpa.git/tree/gtags-mode.el?h=externals/gtags-mode)
5. [Gtags-Mode version 1.0. 2022](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2022-05/msg00005.html)
6. [Gtags-Mode version 1.1. 2024](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-03/msg00031.html)
7. [Gtags-Mode version 1.2. 2024](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-04/msg00001.html)
8. [Gtags-Mode version 1.4. 2024](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-04/msg00077.html)
9. [Gtags-Mode version 1.5. 2024](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-04/msg00078.html)
10. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.6. 2024](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-05/msg00018.html)
11. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8. 2024](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-07/msg00026.html)
12. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.1. 2024](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-08/msg00021.html)
13. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.2. 2024](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2024-11/msg00026.html)
14. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.3. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-04/msg00016.html)
15. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.4. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-05/msg00009.html)
16. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.5. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-05/msg00018.html)
17. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.6. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-05/msg00030.html)
18. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.7. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-06/msg00023.html)
19. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.8.8. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-06/msg00031.html)
20. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.9.1. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-06/msg00034.html)
21. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.9.2. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-06/msg00044.html)
22. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.9.3. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-06/msg00051.html)
23. [[GNU ELPA] Gtags-Mode version 1.9.4. 2025](https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/gnu-emacs-sources/2025-11/msg00031.html)