+@kindex --push-state
+@cindex push state governing input file handling
+@item --push-state
+The @option{--push-state} allows to preserve the current state of the
+flags which govern the input file handling so that they can all be
+restored with one corresponding @option{--pop-state} option.
+
+The option which are covered are: @option{-Bdynamic}, @option{-Bstatic},
+@option{-dn}, @option{-dy}, @option{-call_shared}, @option{-non_shared},
+@option{-static}, @option{-N}, @option{-n}, @option{--whole-archive},
+@option{--no-whole-archive}, @option{-r}, @option{-Ur},
+@option{--copy-dt-needed-entries}, @option{--no-copy-dt-needed-entries},
+@option{--as-needed}, @option{--no-as-needed}, and @option{-a}.
+
+One target for this option are specifications for @file{pkg-config}. When
+used with the @option{--libs} option all possibly needed libraries are
+listed and then possibly linked with all the time. It is better to return
+something as follows:
+
+@smallexample
+-Wl,--push-state,--as-needed -libone -libtwo -Wl,--pop-state
+@end smallexample
+
+@kindex --pop-state
+@cindex pop state governing input file handling
+Undoes the effect of --push-state, restores the previous values of the
+flags governing input file handling.
+