sbt dependencyTree

Synopsis

sbt dependencyTree [subcommand] [options]
sbt dependencyTree list [options]
sbt dependencyTree graph [options]
sbt dependencyTree html [options]
sbt dependencyTree html-graph [options]
sbt dependencyTree json [options]
sbt dependencyTree xml [options]
sbt dependencyTree stats [options]

Description

The dependencyTree task displays the dependency graph of your project in various formats, helping you visualize and analyze transitive dependencies. It is provided by the DependencyTreePlugin, which was in-sourced from Johannes Rudolph's sbt-dependency-graph in sbt 1.4.0. The task resolves dependencies before generating output, so it may trigger downloads if needed.

Usage

Run this in the sbt shell. The default subcommand is tree, which prints an ASCII tree.

Subcommands

tree (default): Prints an ASCII tree of dependencies, showing hierarchical relationships. Useful for quick overviews.
list: Prints a flat list of all dependencies, one per line. Ideal for scripting or grepping.
graph / dot: Prints a GraphViz DOT file for visualization. The dot alias is provided for compatibility.
html: Creates a standalone HTML page with the dependency graph rendered as text.
html-graph: Creates an HTML page with an embedded GraphViz diagram (requires GraphViz on the system).
json: Prints dependencies in JSON format, structured for programmatic use.
xml: Prints dependencies in GraphML format, suitable for graph analysis tools.
stats: Prints summary statistics, such as total dependencies and versions.
help: Displays the usage help (same as running dependencyTree without arguments).

Options

--quiet: Suppresses console output and returns the result as a task value (e.g., for use in other tasks).
--out <file>: Writes output to the specified file instead of stdout. The file extension determines the default subcommand:
- .txt: tree
- .dot: graph
- .html: html
- .json: json
- .xml: xml
--browse: Automatically opens the output file in your default browser (only works with graph or html subcommands).

Examples

ASCII Tree (Default)

Displays a hierarchical view of dependencies, with [S] indicating Scala library dependencies.

> Compile/dependencyTree
[info] default:example_3:0.1.0-SNAPSHOT
[info]   +-org.scala-lang:scala3-library_3:3.3.1 [S]
[info]   +-com.example:library_3:1.0.0
[info]     +-org.typelevel:cats-core_3:2.9.0
[info]     | +-org.typelevel:cats-kernel_3:2.9.0
[info]     |   +-org.scala-lang:scala3-library_3:3.1.3 (evicted by: 3.3.1)
[info]     +-org.typelevel:cats-effect_3:3.4.0

Evicted dependencies (older versions replaced by newer ones) are shown in parentheses.

List of Dependencies

> Compile/dependencyTree list
org.scala-lang:scala3-library_3:3.3.1
com.example:library_3:1.0.0
org.typelevel:cats-core_3:2.9.0
org.typelevel:cats-kernel_3:2.9.0
org.typelevel:cats-effect_3:3.4.0

GraphViz DOT File

Generates a DOT file for rendering graphs (e.g., with dot command).

> Compile/dependencyTree graph --out dependencies.dot

Contents of dependencies.dot:

digraph "dependency-graph" {
    graph[rankdir="LR"; splines=polyline]
    edge [arrowtail="none"]
    "default:example_3:0.1.0-SNAPSHOT" -> "org.scala-lang:scala3-library_3:3.3.1"
    "default:example_3:0.1.0-SNAPSHOT" -> "com.example:library_3:1.0.0"
    "com.example:library_3:1.0.0" -> "org.typelevel:cats-core_3:2.9.0"
    // ... more edges
}

Render to PNG: dot -Tpng dependencies.dot -o dependencies.png

HTML Output

> Compile/dependencyTree html --out deps.html --browse

Creates deps.html with a text-based graph and opens it in the browser.

HTML with Embedded Graph

> Compile/dependencyTree html-graph --browse

Requires GraphViz installed. Embeds a visual graph in the HTML.

JSON Output

> Compile/dependencyTree json --out deps.json

Sample output:

{
  "organization": "default",
  "name": "example_3",
  "version": "0.1.0-SNAPSHOT",
  "dependencies": [
    {
      "organization": "org.scala-lang",
      "name": "scala3-library_3",
      "version": "3.3.1",
      "configurations": ["compile"],
      "evicted": false
    },
    // ... more
  ]
}

XML (GraphML) Output

> Compile/dependencyTree xml --out deps.graphml

Suitable for import into graph visualization tools like yEd.

Statistics

> Compile/dependencyTree stats
Total dependencies: 15
Unique organizations: 5
Versions: 10 distinct
Evictions: 2

Configuration Keys

Customize behavior with these settings in build.sbt:

dependencyTreeIncludeScalaLibrary := true: Include Scala library dependencies in output (default: false).
dependencyDotNodeColors := false: Disable colors in DOT node labels (default: true).
dependencyDotNodeLabel := (org: String, name: String, version: String) => s"$org:$name:$version": Customize DOT node labels.
dependencyDotHeader := """digraph "custom" { rankdir="TB"; }""": Set a custom DOT header.

whatDependsOn <module>: Shows what depends on a specific module (e.g., whatDependsOn org.example:lib:1.0).
dependencyLicenseInfo: Displays license information for dependencies.

Scopes

Available in Compile and Test configurations. Use Global/ for cross-configuration views if needed.

The Book of sbt