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REUSE Tool

REUSE Tool helps software projects make Free Software licensing information clear and machine-readable.

Place
#19 of 28
Score
6.0
REUSE Tool's website

What REUSE Tool is

REUSE Tool helps software projects make Free Software licensing information clear and machine-readable. Its command-line utilities download license texts, add copyright and license information to file headers, and lint projects to identify problems. A simple command can generate a software bill of materials. The REUSE API continuously checks and displays compliance status, with badge and JSON output available. Teams can run checks in CI/CD workflows, including Drone, Woodpecker CI, Forgejo Actions, GitHub Actions, and Docker-based processes. A pre-commit hook can run linting at each Git commit and prevent a commit from proceeding when it finds an error. Installation options include Debian and Fedora packages, pipx, pip, and source installation; Python 3.10 or newer is required. The free tool needs no registration and can be used offline. Its scope has a specific limit: it does not check whether a project follows the licenses of its dependencies, which requires other tools and processes. The source code is GPL-3.0-or-later, documentation CC-BY-SA-4.0, and some configuration and data files CC0-1.0.

Good

  • Free, offline use with no registration.
  • Downloads licenses and adds file attribution details.
  • Can generate a software bill of materials.
  • Integrates with several CI/CD workflows.
  • Offers Debian, Fedora, pipx, pip, and source installation.

Watch out

  • Requires Python 3.10 or newer.
  • Does not check dependency-license compliance.

Who it suits

REUSE Tool suits software developers and teams that need to organize and check licensing information in their own projects. It may be especially useful for projects that want licensing checks in CI/CD or pre-commit workflows.

Verdict

REUSE Tool provides practical ways to document and lint a project's own licensing information, including checks in development workflows. It does not assess dependency-license compliance, so that work requires separate tools and processes.

Plans and prices

From REUSE Tool's own pricing page, checked 1 Oct 2026.

All about pricing
PlanPriceWhat it gives you
REUSE ToolFreeno registration required · can be used offline

The facts

Each one read from REUSE Tool's own pages, with the date it was checked.

What it does

API
The REUSE API continuously checks and displays compliance status and can provide a badge and generated JSON output.checked 1 Oct 2026
CI/CD
REUSE can be integrated into CI/CD processes, including Drone, Woodpecker CI, Forgejo Actions, GitHub Actions, and Docker-based workflows.checked 1 Oct 2026
Commands
The CLI includes annotate, download, lint, lint-file, spdx, supported-licenses, and convert-dep5 commands.checked 1 Oct 2026
Compliance assistance
The REUSE tool downloads full license texts, adds copyright and license information to file headers, and contains a linter to identify problems.checked 1 Oct 2026
Docker
An fsfe/reuse Docker image is available for running compliance checks in CI/CD.checked 1 Oct 2026
Installation
The documentation lists Debian and Fedora packages, pipx, pip, and source installation methods.checked 1 Oct 2026
Licensing
The original source code of the tool is licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later, documentation under CC-BY-SA-4.0, and some configuration and data files under CC0-1.0.checked 1 Oct 2026
Pre-commit
A pre-commit hook can run reuse lint on every Git commit and prevent the commit from proceeding when there is an error.checked 1 Oct 2026
Privacy
FSFE says it strictly limits personal-data processing and will not sell user data to third parties.checked 1 Oct 2026
Purpose
REUSE provides recommendations and tools to make Free Software licensing easy, comprehensive, unambiguous, and machine-readable.checked 1 Oct 2026
Runtime requirement
The tool requires Python 3.10 or newer; Git, Mercurial, Pijul, and Jujutsu are optional version-control dependencies.checked 1 Oct 2026
SBOM generation
The tool can generate a software bill of materials with a simple command.checked 1 Oct 2026
Scope limit
REUSE does not check whether a project respects the licenses of its dependencies; that requires different tools and processes.checked 1 Oct 2026
Support
Users can report issues and feature requests on GitHub, and the [email protected] mailing list is available for discussion and support.checked 1 Oct 2026

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