tldr-pages/tldr

Let's document: bcftools

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#21937 opened on Apr 8, 2026

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help wantedlet's documentnew command

Description

Command description

bcftools - utilities for variant calling and manipulating VCFs and BCFs.

Documentation

https://samtools.github.io/bcftools/bcftools.html

Platform

Common

VCS repository link (e.g. GitHub, GitLab)

https://github.com/samtools/bcftools

Additional information

No response

Commands

  • bcftools #21186
    • bcftools annotate
    • bcftools call
    • bcftools cnv
    • bcftools concat
    • bcftools consensus
    • bcftools convert
    • bcftools csq
    • bcftools filter
    • bcftools gtcheck
    • bcftools head
    • bcftools index
    • bcftools isec
    • bcftools merge
    • bcftools mpileup
    • bcftools norm
    • bcftools plugin
    • bcftools polysomy
    • bcftools query
    • bcftools reheader
    • bcftools roh
    • bcftools sort
    • bcftools stats
    • bcftools view

Contributor guide

Tech stack
shell
Domain
clidocumentation
Issue type
documentation
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
3-5 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
basic knowledge of bcftoolsfamiliarity with tldr pages format
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
80
Research direction
First, examine the existing bcftools page at #21186 to understand the format. Then, for each unchecked subcommand, consult the official bcftools documentation (https://samtools.github.io/bcftools/bcftools.html) to extract common use cases and examples. Create a separate tldr page for each subcommand following the standard tldr pages structure, with a short description and 2-3 practical examples. Ensure consistency with other command pages in the repository.