diff --git a/MANIFEST.SKIP b/MANIFEST.SKIP
index 501650ac8..46115f899 100644
--- a/MANIFEST.SKIP
+++ b/MANIFEST.SKIP
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ^CVS/
 /CVS/
+\.gdbinit$
 \.git/
 \.svn/
 \.(bak|old)/
diff --git a/internals.pod b/internals.pod
index 7e02d2571..b94b05903 100644
--- a/internals.pod
+++ b/internals.pod
@@ -249,9 +249,9 @@ what made a <e####> line in the tree dumps):
 
 To print a node:
 
-   p nodep->dumpCout()
-   p nodep->dumpTreeCout()
-   p nodep->dumpPtrsCout()
+   call nodep->dumpCout()           # aliased to "pn" in .gdbinit
+   call nodep->dumpTreeCout()       # aliased to "pnt" in .gdbinit
+   call nodep->dumpPtrsCout()       # aliased to "pnp" in .gdbinit
 
 =head1 DISTRIBUTION
 
diff --git a/src/.gdbinit b/src/.gdbinit
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..79efc5b01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/.gdbinit
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# DESCRIPTION: Verilator: GDB startup file with useful defines
+#
+# Copyright 2012-2012 by Wilson Snyder. This program is free software; you can
+# redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either the GNU
+# Lesser General Public License Version 3 or the Perl Artistic License
+# Version 2.0.
+
+define pn
+  call $arg0->dumpCout()
+end
+document pn
+  Verilator: Print single AstNode NODEP
+end
+
+define pnt
+  call $arg0->dumpTreeCout()
+end
+document pnt
+  Verilator: Print AstNode NODEP's tree
+end
+
+define pnp
+  call $arg0->dumpPtrsCout()
+end
+document pnp
+  Verilator: Print AstNode NODEP internal pointers
+end
diff --git a/test_regress/.gdbinit b/test_regress/.gdbinit
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8b63c91ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_regress/.gdbinit
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+source ../src/.gdbinit