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calmh merged 2 commits into from
Sep 9, 2025
Merged

chore(syncthing): update command line flags, add env vars #962

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chore(syncthing): update command line flags, add env vars
calmh Sep 8, 2025
0e8f969
Merge branch 'main' into cmdvars
tomasz1986 Sep 9, 2025
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99 changes: 58 additions & 41 deletions users/syncthing.rst
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
.. _syncthing:
.. role:: strike

Syncthing
=========
Command Line Operation
======================

Synopsis
--------
Expand All @@ -17,10 +17,12 @@ Synopsis
[--gui-address=<address>] [--gui-apikey=<key>]
[--log-level=<level>] [--log-file=<filename>]
[--log-max-old-files=<num>] [--log-max-size=<num>]
[--log-format-timestamp=<format>] [--no-log-format-level-string]
[--log-format-level-syslog]
[--no-browser] [--no-console]
[--no-port-probing] [--no-restart] [--no-upgrade]
[--paused] [--unpaused]
[--verbose] [--version] [--help] [--debug-*]
[--version] [--help] [--debug-*]

syncthing cli
[--home=<dir> | --config=<dir> --data=<dir>]
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -86,20 +88,20 @@ few log messages.
Common options
--------------

.. cmdoption:: --home=<dir>, -H <dir>
.. cmdoption:: --home=<dir>, -H <dir> ($STHOMEDIR)

Set common configuration and data directory. The default configuration
directory is ``$XDG_STATE_HOME/syncthing`` or
``$HOME/.local/state/syncthing`` (Unix-like),
``$HOME/Library/Application Support/Syncthing`` (Mac) and
``%LOCALAPPDATA%\Syncthing`` (Windows).

.. cmdoption:: --config=<dir>, -C <dir>
.. cmdoption:: --config=<dir>, -C <dir> ($STCONFDIR)

Set configuration directory. Alternative to ``--home`` and must be used
together with ``--data``.

.. cmdoption:: --data=<dir>, -D <dir>
.. cmdoption:: --data=<dir>, -D <dir> ($STDATADIR)

Set data (e.g. database) directory. Alternative to ``--home`` and must be used
together with ``--config``.
Expand All @@ -112,31 +114,33 @@ Common options
Serve options
-------------

.. cmdoption:: --allow-newer-config
.. cmdoption:: --allow-newer-config ($STALLOWNEWERCONFIG)

Try loading a config file written by a newer program version, instead of
failing immediately.

.. cmdoption:: --audit
.. cmdoption:: --audit ($STAUDIT)

Write events to timestamped file ``audit-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.log``.

.. cmdoption:: --auditfile=<file|-|-->
.. cmdoption:: --auditfile=<file|-|--> ($STAUDITFILE)

Use specified file or stream (``"-"`` for stdout, ``"--"`` for stderr) for
audit events, rather than the timestamped default file name.

.. cmdoption:: --db-maintenance-interval=<interval>
.. cmdoption:: --db-maintenance-interval=<interval> ($STDBMAINTENANCEINTERVAL)

Database maintenance interval -- internal database maintenance routines
run this often.
run this often. The format is that of a Go duration string (see
https://pkg.go.dev/time#ParseDuration).

.. cmdoption:: --db-delete-retention-interval=<interval>
.. cmdoption:: --db-delete-retention-interval=<interval> ($STDBDELETERETENTIONINTERVAL)

Database deleted item retention interval -- deleted items are forgotten
from the database after this interval.
from the database after this interval. The format is that of a Go duration
string (see https://pkg.go.dev/time#ParseDuration).

.. cmdoption:: --gui-address=<address>
.. cmdoption:: --gui-address=<address> ($STGUIADDRESS)

Override GUI listen address. Set this to an address (``0.0.0.0:8384``)
or a URL (``http://0.0.0.0:8384``). Supported schemes are ``http`` for
Expand All @@ -145,67 +149,80 @@ Serve options
``unix:///run/syncthing/syncthing.socket`` (notice the three slashes: two
as part of the URL structure, one to specify an absolute path).

.. cmdoption:: --gui-apikey=<string>
.. cmdoption:: --gui-apikey=<string> ($STGUIAPIKEY)

Override the API key needed to access the GUI / REST API.

.. cmdoption:: --log-level=<level>

Set the log level for all packages. Valid levels are DEBUG, INFO, WARN,
and ERROR.

.. cmdoption:: --log-file=<filename>
.. cmdoption:: --log-file=<filename> ($STLOGFILE)

Set destination filename for logging (use ``"-"`` for stdout, which is the
default option).

.. cmdoption:: --log-max-old-files=<num>
.. cmdoption:: --log-level=<level> ($STLOGLEVEL)

Set the log level for all packages. Valid levels are DEBUG, INFO, WARN,
and ERROR.

.. cmdoption:: --log-max-old-files=<num> ($STLOGMAXOLDFILES)

Number of old files to keep (zero to keep only current). Applies only when
log rotation is enabled through ``--log-max-size``.

.. cmdoption:: --log-max-size=<num>
.. cmdoption:: --log-max-size=<num> ($STLOGMAXSIZE)

Maximum size in bytes of any log file (zero to disable log rotation).

.. cmdoption:: --log-format-timestamp=<format> ($STLOGFORMATTIMESTAMP)

Format for timestamp, set to empty to disable timestamps. The format is that
of the Go time formatter (see https://pkg.go.dev/time#Layout).

.. cmdoption:: --[no-]log-format-level-string ($STLOGFORMATLEVELSTRING)

Whether to include level string (e.g. "INF") in log line.

.. cmdoption:: --[no-]log-format-level-syslog ($STLOGFORMATLEVELSYSLOG)

Maximum size of any log file (zero to disable log rotation).
Whether to include level as syslog prefix (e.g. "<6>") in log line.

.. cmdoption:: --no-browser
.. cmdoption:: --no-browser ($STNOBROWSER)

Do not start a browser.

.. cmdoption:: --no-console
.. cmdoption:: --no-console ($STNOCONSOLE)

Hide the console window. (On Windows only)

.. cmdoption:: --no-port-probing
.. cmdoption:: --no-port-probing ($STNOPORTPROBING)

Don't try to find unused random ports for the GUI and listen address when
generating an initial configuration / starting for the first time.

.. cmdoption:: --no-restart
.. cmdoption:: --no-restart ($STNORESTART)

Do not restart Syncthing when it exits. The monitor process will still run
to handle crashes and writing to logfiles (if configured to).

.. cmdoption:: --no-upgrade
.. cmdoption:: --no-upgrade ($STNOUPGRADE)

Disable automatic upgrades. Equivalent to the ``STNOUPGRADE`` environment
variable, see below.
Disable automatic upgrades.

.. cmdoption:: --paused
.. cmdoption:: --paused ($STPAUSED)

Start with all devices and folders paused.

.. cmdoption:: --unpaused
.. cmdoption:: --unpaused ($STUNPAUSED)

Start with all devices and folders unpaused.

.. cmdoption:: --upgrade
.. cmdoption:: --version

Perform upgrade.
Show the current version information, then exit.

.. cmdoption:: --verbose
.. cmdoption:: --debug-*

Print verbose log output.
Several debug options exist. See ``syncthing serve --help`` for the flags
that apply to your version.

Decrypt options
---------------
Expand All @@ -218,7 +235,7 @@ Decrypt options

Don't write decrypted files to disk (but verify plaintext hashes).

.. cmdoption:: --password=<pw>
.. cmdoption:: --password=<pw> ($FOLDER_PASSWORD)

Folder password for decryption / verification. Can be passed through the
``FOLDER_PASSWORD`` environment variable instead to avoid recording in a
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -284,9 +301,9 @@ caused the process to exit. For example, ``128 + 9 (SIGKILL) = 137``.
Subcommands
-----------

The command line syntax actually supports different modes of operation through
several subcommands, specified as the first argument. If omitted, the default
``serve`` is assumed.
The command line syntax supports different modes of operation through
several subcommands, specified as the first argument. If omitted, the
default ``serve`` is assumed.

The initial setup of a device ID and default configuration can be called
explicitly with the ``generate`` subcommand. It can also update the configured
Expand Down