.. cmake-manual-description: CMake Command-Line Reference

cmake(1)

Synopsis

.. parsed-literal::

Generate a Project Buildsystem_ cmake [<options>] -B <path-to-build> [-S <path-to-source>] cmake [<options>] <path-to-source | path-to-existing-build>

Build a Project_ cmake --build <dir> [<options>] [-- <build-tool-options>]

Install a Project_ cmake --install <dir> [<options>]

Open a Project_ cmake --open <dir>

Run a Script_ cmake [-D <var>=<value>]... -P <cmake-script-file>

Run a Command-Line Tool_ cmake -E <command> [<options>]

Run the Find-Package Tool_ cmake --find-package [<options>]

Run a Workflow Preset_ cmake --workflow <options>

View Help_ cmake --help[-<topic>]

Description

The :program:cmake executable is the command-line interface of the cross-platform buildsystem generator CMake. The above Synopsis_ lists various actions the tool can perform as described in sections below.

To build a software project with CMake, Generate a Project Buildsystem. Optionally use :program:cmake to Build a Project, Install a Project_ or just run the corresponding build tool (e.g. make) directly. :program:cmake can also be used to View Help_.

The other actions are meant for use by software developers writing scripts in the :manual:CMake language <cmake-language(7)> to support their builds.

For graphical user interfaces that may be used in place of :program:cmake, see :manual:ccmake <ccmake(1)> and :manual:cmake-gui <cmake-gui(1)>. For command-line interfaces to the CMake testing and packaging facilities, see :manual:ctest <ctest(1)> and :manual:cpack <cpack(1)>.

For more information on CMake at large, see also_ the links at the end of this manual.

Introduction to CMake Buildsystems

A buildsystem describes how to build a project's executables and libraries from its source code using a build tool to automate the process. For example, a buildsystem may be a Makefile for use with a command-line make tool or a project file for an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). In order to avoid maintaining multiple such buildsystems, a project may specify its buildsystem abstractly using files written in the :manual:CMake language <cmake-language(7)>. From these files CMake generates a preferred buildsystem locally for each user through a backend called a generator.

To generate a buildsystem with CMake, the following must be selected:

Source Tree The top-level directory containing source files provided by the project. The project specifies its buildsystem using files as described in the :manual:cmake-language(7) manual, starting with a top-level file named CMakeLists.txt. These files specify build targets and their dependencies as described in the :manual:cmake-buildsystem(7) manual.

Build Tree The top-level directory in which buildsystem files and build output artifacts (e.g. executables and libraries) are to be stored. CMake will write a CMakeCache.txt file to identify the directory as a build tree and store persistent information such as buildsystem configuration options.

To maintain a pristine source tree, perform an out-of-source build by using a separate dedicated build tree. An in-source build in which the build tree is placed in the same directory as the source tree is also supported, but discouraged.

Generator This chooses the kind of buildsystem to generate. See the :manual:cmake-generators(7) manual for documentation of all generators. Run :option:cmake --help to see a list of generators available locally. Optionally use the :option:-G <cmake -G> option below to specify a generator, or simply accept the default CMake chooses for the current platform.

When using one of the :ref:Command-Line Build Tool Generators CMake expects that the environment needed by the compiler toolchain is already configured in the shell. When using one of the :ref:IDE Build Tool Generators, no particular environment is needed.

.. _Generate a Project Buildsystem:

Generate a Project Buildsystem

Run CMake with one of the following command signatures to specify the source and build trees and generate a buildsystem:

cmake [<options>] -B <path-to-build> [-S <path-to-source>]

.. versionadded:: 3.13

Uses <path-to-build> as the build tree and <path-to-source> as the source tree. The specified paths may be absolute or relative to the current working directory. The source tree must contain a CMakeLists.txt file. The build tree will be created automatically if it does not already exist. For example:

.. code-block:: console

$ cmake -S src -B build

cmake [<options>] <path-to-source> Uses the current working directory as the build tree, and <path-to-source> as the source tree. The specified path may be absolute or relative to the current working directory. The source tree must contain a CMakeLists.txt file and must not contain a CMakeCache.txt file because the latter identifies an existing build tree. For example:

.. code-block:: console

$ mkdir build ; cd build
$ cmake ../src

cmake [<options>] <path-to-existing-build> Uses <path-to-existing-build> as the build tree, and loads the path to the source tree from its CMakeCache.txt file, which must have already been generated by a previous run of CMake. The specified path may be absolute or relative to the current working directory. For example:

.. code-block:: console

$ cd build
$ cmake .

In all cases the <options> may be zero or more of the Options_ below.

The above styles for specifying the source and build trees may be mixed. Paths specified with :option:-S <cmake -S> or :option:-B <cmake -B> are always classified as source or build trees, respectively. Paths specified with plain arguments are classified based on their content and the types of paths given earlier. If only one type of path is given, the current working directory (cwd) is used for the other. For example:

============================== ============ =========== Command Line Source Dir Build Dir ============================== ============ =========== cmake -B build cwd build cmake -B build src src build cmake -B build -S src src build cmake src src cwd cmake build (existing) loaded build cmake -S src src cwd cmake -S src build src build cmake -S src -B build src build ============================== ============ ===========

.. versionchanged:: 3.23

CMake warns when multiple source paths are specified. This has never been officially documented or supported, but older versions accidentally accepted multiple source paths and used the last path specified. Avoid passing multiple source path arguments.

After generating a buildsystem one may use the corresponding native build tool to build the project. For example, after using the :generator:Unix Makefiles generator one may run make directly:

.. code-block:: console

$ make
$ make install

Alternatively, one may use :program:cmake to Build a Project_ by automatically choosing and invoking the appropriate native build tool.

.. _CMake Options:

Options

.. program:: cmake

.. include:: include/OPTIONS_BUILD.rst

.. option:: --fresh

.. versionadded:: 3.24

Perform a fresh configuration of the build tree. This removes any existing CMakeCache.txt file and associated CMakeFiles/ directory, and recreates them from scratch.

.. versionchanged:: 3.30

For dependencies previously populated by :module:FetchContent with the NEW setting for policy :policy:CMP0168, their stamp and script files from any previous run will be removed. The download, update, and patch steps will therefore be forced to re-execute.

.. option:: -L[A][H]

List non-advanced cached variables.

List CACHE variables will run CMake and list all the variables from the CMake CACHE that are not marked as INTERNAL or :prop_cache:ADVANCED. This will effectively display current CMake settings, which can then be changed with :option:-D <cmake -D> option. Changing some of the variables may result in more variables being created. If A is specified, then it will display also advanced variables. If H is specified, it will also display help for each variable.

.. option:: -LR[A][H] <regex>

.. versionadded:: 3.31

Show specific non-advanced cached variables

Show non-INTERNAL nor :prop_cache:ADVANCED variables from the CMake CACHE that match the given regex. If A is specified, then it will also show advanced variables. If H is specified, it will also display help for each variable.

.. option:: -N

View mode only.

Only load the cache. Do not actually run configure and generate steps.

.. option:: --graphviz=<file>

Generate Graphviz <https://www.graphviz.org/>_ of dependencies

This option generates a graphviz input file that will contain all the library and executable dependencies in the project showing the dependencies between the targets in a project, as well as external libraries which are linked against.

When running CMake with the --graphviz=foo.dot option, it produces:

a foo.dot file, showing all dependencies in the project
a foo.dot.<target> file for each target, showing on which other targets it depends
a foo.dot.<target>.dependers file for each target, showing which other targets depend on it

Those .dot files can be converted to images using the dot command from the Graphviz package:

.. code-block:: shell

dot -Tpng -o foo.png foo.dot

.. versionadded:: 3.10 The different dependency types PUBLIC, INTERFACE and PRIVATE are represented as solid, dashed and dotted edges.

.. rubric:: Variables specific to the Graphviz support

The resulting graphs can be huge. The look and content of the generated graphs can be controlled using the file CMakeGraphVizOptions.cmake. This file is first searched in :variable:CMAKE_BINARY_DIR, and then in :variable:CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR. If found, the variables set in it are used to adjust options for the generated Graphviz files.

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_GRAPH_NAME

The graph name.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: value of :variable:`CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME`

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_GRAPH_HEADER

The header written at the top of the Graphviz files.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: "node [ fontsize = "12" ];"

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_NODE_PREFIX

The prefix for each node in the Graphviz files.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: "node"

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_EXECUTABLES

Set to FALSE to exclude executables from the generated graphs.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: TRUE

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_STATIC_LIBS

Set to FALSE to exclude static libraries from the generated graphs.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: TRUE

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_SHARED_LIBS

Set to FALSE to exclude shared libraries from the generated graphs.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: TRUE

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_MODULE_LIBS

Set to FALSE to exclude module libraries from the generated graphs.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: TRUE

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_INTERFACE_LIBS

Set to FALSE to exclude interface libraries from the generated graphs.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: TRUE

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_OBJECT_LIBS

Set to FALSE to exclude object libraries from the generated graphs.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: TRUE

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_UNKNOWN_LIBS

Set to FALSE to exclude unknown libraries from the generated graphs.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: TRUE

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_EXTERNAL_LIBS

Set to FALSE to exclude external libraries from the generated graphs.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: TRUE

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_CUSTOM_TARGETS

Set to TRUE to include custom targets in the generated graphs.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: FALSE

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_IGNORE_TARGETS

A list of regular expressions for names of targets to exclude from the
generated graphs.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: empty

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_GENERATE_PER_TARGET

Set to FALSE to not generate per-target graphs ``foo.dot.<target>``.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: TRUE

.. variable:: GRAPHVIZ_GENERATE_DEPENDERS

Set to FALSE to not generate depender graphs ``foo.dot.<target>.dependers``.

* Mandatory: NO
* Default: TRUE

.. option:: --system-information [file]

Dump information about this system.

Dump a wide range of information about the current system. If run from the top of a binary tree for a CMake project it will dump additional information such as the cache, log files etc.

.. option:: --print-config-dir

.. versionadded:: 3.31

Print CMake config directory for user-wide FileAPI queries.

See :envvar:CMAKE_CONFIG_DIR for more details.

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

.. versionadded:: 3.16

Set the log <level>.

The :command:message command will only output messages of the specified log level or higher. The valid log levels are ERROR, WARNING, NOTICE, STATUS (default), VERBOSE, DEBUG, or TRACE.

To make a log level persist between CMake runs, set :variable:CMAKE_MESSAGE_LOG_LEVEL as a cache variable instead. If both the command line option and the variable are given, the command line option takes precedence.

For backward compatibility reasons, --loglevel is also accepted as a synonym for this option.

.. versionadded:: 3.25 See the :command:cmake_language command for a way to :ref:query the current message logging level <query_message_log_level>.

.. option:: --log-context

Enable the :command:message command outputting context attached to each message.

This option turns on showing context for the current CMake run only. To make showing the context persistent for all subsequent CMake runs, set :variable:CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT_SHOW as a cache variable instead. When this command line option is given, :variable:CMAKE_MESSAGE_CONTEXT_SHOW is ignored.

.. option:: --sarif-output=<path>

.. versionadded:: 4.0

Enable logging of diagnostic messages produced by CMake in the SARIF format.

Write diagnostic messages to a SARIF file at the path specified. Projects can also set :variable:CMAKE_EXPORT_SARIF to ON to enable this feature for a build tree.

.. option:: --debug-trycompile

Do not delete the files and directories created for :command:try_compile / :command:try_run calls. This is useful in debugging failed checks.

Note that some uses of :command:try_compile may use the same build tree, which will limit the usefulness of this option if a project executes more than one :command:try_compile. For example, such uses may change results as artifacts from a previous try-compile may cause a different test to either pass or fail incorrectly. This option is best used only when debugging.

(With respect to the preceding, the :command:try_run command is effectively a :command:try_compile. Any combination of the two is subject to the potential issues described.)

.. versionadded:: 3.25

When this option is enabled, every try-compile check prints a log message reporting the directory in which the check is performed.

.. option:: --debug-output

Put cmake in a debug mode.

Print extra information during the cmake run like stack traces with :command:message(SEND_ERROR) calls.

.. option:: --debug-find

.. versionadded:: 3.17

Put cmake find commands in a debug mode.

Print extra find call information during the cmake run to standard error. Output is designed for human consumption and not for parsing. See also the :variable:CMAKE_FIND_DEBUG_MODE variable for debugging a more local part of the project.

.. option:: --debug-find-pkg=<pkg>[,...]

.. versionadded:: 3.23

Put cmake find commands in a debug mode when running under calls to :command:find_package(\<pkg\>) <find_package>, where <pkg> is an entry in the given comma-separated list of case-sensitive package names.

Like :option:--debug-find <cmake --debug-find>, but limiting scope to the specified packages.

.. option:: --debug-find-var=<var>[,...]

.. versionadded:: 3.23

Put cmake find commands in a debug mode when called with <var> as the result variable, where <var> is an entry in the given comma-separated list.

Like :option:--debug-find <cmake --debug-find>, but limiting scope to the specified variable names.

.. option:: --trace

Put cmake in trace mode.

Print a trace of all calls made and from where.

.. option:: --trace-expand

Put cmake in trace mode.

Like :option:--trace <cmake --trace>, but with variables expanded.

.. option:: --trace-format=<format>

.. versionadded:: 3.17

Put cmake in trace mode and sets the trace output format.

<format> can be one of the following values.

human Prints each trace line in a human-readable format. This is the default format.

json-v1 Prints each line as a separate JSON document. Each document is separated by a newline (\n). It is guaranteed that no newline characters will be present inside a JSON document.

 .. code-block:: json
   :caption: JSON trace format

   {
     "file": "/full/path/to/the/CMake/file.txt",
     "line": 0,
     "cmd": "add_executable",
     "args": ["foo", "bar"],
     "time": 1579512535.9687231,
     "frame": 2,
     "global_frame": 4
   }

 The members are:

 ``file``
   The full path to the CMake source file where the function
   was called.

 ``line``
   The line in ``file`` where the function call begins.

 ``line_end``
   If the function call spans multiple lines, this field will
   be set to the line where the function call ends. If the function
   calls spans a single line, this field will be unset. This field
   was added in minor version 2 of the ``json-v1`` format.

 ``defer``
   Optional member that is present when the function call was deferred
   by :command:`cmake_language(DEFER)`.  If present, its value is a
   string containing the deferred call ``<id>``.

 ``cmd``
   The name of the function that was called.

 ``args``
   A string list of all function parameters.

 ``time``
   Timestamp (seconds since epoch) of the function call.

 ``frame``
   Stack frame depth of the function that was called, within the
   context of the  ``CMakeLists.txt`` being processed currently.

 ``global_frame``
   Stack frame depth of the function that was called, tracked globally
   across all ``CMakeLists.txt`` files involved in the trace. This field
   was added in minor version 2 of the ``json-v1`` format.

 Additionally, the first JSON document outputted contains the
 ``version`` key for the current major and minor version of the

 .. code-block:: json
   :caption: JSON version format

   {
     "version": {
       "major": 1,
       "minor": 2
     }
   }

 The members are:

 ``version``
   Indicates the version of the JSON format. The version has a
   major and minor components following semantic version conventions.

.. option:: --trace-source=<file>

Put cmake in trace mode, but output only lines of a specified file.

Multiple options are allowed.

.. option:: --trace-redirect=<file>

Put cmake in trace mode and redirect trace output to a file instead of stderr.

.. option:: --warn-uninitialized

Warn about uninitialized values.

Print a warning when an uninitialized variable is used.

.. option:: --warn-unused-vars

Does nothing. In CMake versions 3.2 and below this enabled warnings about unused variables. In CMake versions 3.3 through 3.18 the option was broken. In CMake 3.19 and above the option has been removed.

.. option:: --no-warn-unused-cli

Don't warn about command line options.

Don't find variables that are declared on the command line, but not used.

.. option:: --check-system-vars

Find problems with variable usage in system files.

Normally, unused and uninitialized variables are searched for only in :variable:CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR and :variable:CMAKE_BINARY_DIR. This flag tells CMake to warn about other files as well.

.. option:: --compile-no-warning-as-error

.. versionadded:: 3.24

Ignore target property :prop_tgt:COMPILE_WARNING_AS_ERROR and variable :variable:CMAKE_COMPILE_WARNING_AS_ERROR, preventing warnings from being treated as errors on compile.

.. option:: --link-no-warning-as-error

.. versionadded:: 4.0

Ignore target property :prop_tgt:LINK_WARNING_AS_ERROR and variable :variable:CMAKE_LINK_WARNING_AS_ERROR, preventing warnings from being treated as errors on link.

.. option:: --profiling-output=<path>

.. versionadded:: 3.18

Used in conjunction with :option:--profiling-format <cmake --profiling-format> to output to a given path.

.. option:: --profiling-format=<file>

Enable the output of profiling data of CMake script in the given format.

This can aid performance analysis of CMake scripts executed. Third party applications should be used to process the output into human readable format.

Currently supported values are: google-trace Outputs in Google Trace Format, which can be parsed by the about:tracing tab of Google Chrome or using a plugin for a tool like Trace Compass.

.. option:: --preset <preset>, --preset=<preset>

Reads a :manual:preset <cmake-presets(7)> from CMakePresets.json and CMakeUserPresets.json files, which must be located in the same directory as the top level CMakeLists.txt file. The preset may specify the generator, the build directory, a list of variables, and other arguments to pass to CMake. At least one of CMakePresets.json or CMakeUserPresets.json must be present. The :manual:CMake GUI <cmake-gui(1)> also recognizes and supports CMakePresets.json and CMakeUserPresets.json files. For full details on these files, see :manual:cmake-presets(7).

The presets are read before all other command line options, although the :option:-S <cmake -S> option can be used to specify the source directory containing the CMakePresets.json and CMakeUserPresets.json files. If :option:-S <cmake -S> is not given, the current directory is assumed to be the top level source directory and must contain the presets files. The options specified by the chosen preset (variables, generator, etc.) can all be overridden by manually specifying them on the command line. For example, if the preset sets a variable called MYVAR to 1, but the user sets it to 2 with a -D argument, the value 2 is preferred.

.. versionadded:: 3.21 The -B option may optionally be specified with a different binary directory than the one specified by the binaryDir key of the configure preset.

.. option:: --list-presets[=<type>]

Lists the available presets of the specified <type>. Valid values for <type> are configure, build, test, package, or all. If <type> is omitted, configure is assumed. The current working directory must contain CMake preset files unless the :option:-S <cmake -S> option is used to specify a different top level source directory.

.. option:: --debugger

Enables interactive debugging of the CMake language. CMake exposes a debugging interface on the pipe named by :option:--debugger-pipe <cmake --debugger-pipe> that conforms to the Debug Adapter Protocol_ specification with the following modifications.

The initialize response includes an additional field named cmakeVersion which specifies the version of CMake being debugged.

.. code-block:: json :caption: Debugger initialize response

{
  "cmakeVersion": {
    "major": 3,
    "minor": 27,
    "patch": 0,
    "full": "3.27.0"
  }
}

The members are:

major An integer specifying the major version number.

minor An integer specifying the minor version number.

patch An integer specifying the patch version number.

full A string specifying the full CMake version.

.. _Debug Adapter Protocol: https://microsoft.github.io/debug-adapter-protocol/

.. option:: --debugger-pipe <pipe name>, --debugger-pipe=<pipe name>

Name of the pipe (on Windows) or domain socket (on Unix) to use for debugger communication.

.. option:: --debugger-dap-log <log path>, --debugger-dap-log=<log path>

Logs all debugger communication to the specified file.

.. _Build Tool Mode:

Build a Project

.. program:: cmake

CMake provides a command-line signature to build an already-generated project binary tree:

.. code-block:: shell

cmake --build <dir> [<options>] [-- <build-tool-options>] cmake --build --preset <preset> [<options>] [-- <build-tool-options>]

This abstracts a native build tool's command-line interface with the following options:

.. option:: --build <dir>

Project binary directory to be built. This is required (unless a preset is specified) and must be first.

.. program:: cmake--build

.. option:: --preset <preset>, --preset=<preset>

Use a build preset to specify build options. The project binary directory is inferred from the configurePreset key unless a directory is specified after --build. The current working directory must contain CMake preset files. See :manual:preset <cmake-presets(7)> for more details.

.. versionadded:: 4.3 cmake --build now supports specifying a build directory and preset together.

.. option:: --list-presets

Lists the available build presets. The current working directory must contain CMake preset files.

.. option:: -j [<jobs>], --parallel [<jobs>]

.. versionadded:: 3.12

The maximum number of concurrent processes to use when building. If <jobs> is omitted the native build tool's default number is used.

The :envvar:CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL environment variable, if set, specifies a default parallel level when this option is not given.

Some native build tools always build in parallel. The use of <jobs> value of 1 can be used to limit to a single job.

.. option:: -t <tgt>..., --target <tgt>...

Build <tgt> instead of the default target. Multiple targets may be given, separated by spaces.

.. option:: --config <cfg>

For multi-configuration tools, choose configuration <cfg>.

.. option:: --clean-first

Build target clean first, then build. (To clean only, use :option:--target clean <cmake--build --target>.)

.. option:: --resolve-package-references=<value>

.. versionadded:: 3.23

Resolve remote package references from external package managers (e.g. NuGet) before build. When <value> is set to on (default), packages will be restored before building a target. When <value> is set to only, the packages will be restored, but no build will be performed. When <value> is set to off, no packages will be restored.

If the target does not define any package references, this option does nothing.

This setting can be specified in a build preset (using resolvePackageReferences). The preset setting will be ignored, if this command line option is specified.

If no command line parameter or preset option are provided, an environment- specific cache variable will be evaluated to decide, if package restoration should be performed.

When using :ref:Visual Studio Generators, package references are defined using the :prop_tgt:VS_PACKAGE_REFERENCES property. Package references are restored using NuGet. It can be disabled by setting the CMAKE_VS_NUGET_PACKAGE_RESTORE variable to OFF.

.. option:: --use-stderr

Ignored. Behavior is default in CMake >= 3.0.

.. option:: -v, --verbose

Enable verbose output - if supported - including the build commands to be executed.

This option can be omitted if :envvar:VERBOSE environment variable or :variable:CMAKE_VERBOSE_MAKEFILE cached variable is set.

.. option:: --

Pass remaining options to the native tool.

Run :option:cmake --build with no options for quick help.

Generator-Specific Build Tool Behavior

cmake --build has special behavior with some generators:

:generator:Xcode

.. versionadded:: 4.1

If a third-party tool has written a ``.xcworkspace`` next to
the CMake-generated ``.xcodeproj``, ``cmake --build`` drives
the build through the workspace instead.

Install a Project

.. program:: cmake

CMake provides a command-line signature to install an already-generated project binary tree:

.. code-block:: shell

cmake --install <dir> [<options>]

This may be used after building a project to run installation without using the generated build system or the native build tool. The options are:

.. option:: --install <dir>

Project binary directory to install. This is required and must be first.

.. program:: cmake--install

.. option:: --config <cfg>

For multi-configuration generators, choose configuration <cfg>.

.. option:: --component <comp>

Component-based install. Only install component <comp>.

.. option:: --default-directory-permissions <permissions>

Default directory install permissions. Permissions in format <u=rwx,g=rx,o=rx>.

.. option:: --prefix <prefix>

Specifies an alternative installation prefix, temporarily replacing the value of the :variable:CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX variable at the installation phase.

The main purpose of this option is to allow installation to occur in an arbitrary location. This is commonly used in certain installation and packaging workflows. It is analogous to selecting the installation directory during the installation phase. For example, on Windows, where a user may choose the destination folder for the project.

.. note::

When the project is using the :module:`GNUInstallDirs` module, there are
some :ref:`special cases <GNUInstallDirs special cases>` that are
evaluated based on the value of the :variable:`CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX`
variable during the configuration phase.  The results persist even if an
alternative prefix is used during installation.

.. option:: --strip

Strip before installing.

.. option:: -v, --verbose

Enable verbose output.

This option can be omitted if :envvar:VERBOSE environment variable is set.

.. option:: -j <jobs>, --parallel <jobs>

.. versionadded:: 3.31

Install in parallel using the given number of jobs. Only available if :prop_gbl:INSTALL_PARALLEL is enabled. The :envvar:CMAKE_INSTALL_PARALLEL_LEVEL environment variable specifies a default parallel level when this option is not provided.

Run :option:cmake --install with no options for quick help.

Open a Project

.. program:: cmake

.. code-block:: shell

cmake --open <dir>

Open the generated project in the associated application. This is only supported by some generators.

.. _Script Processing Mode:

Run a Script

.. program:: cmake

.. code-block:: shell

cmake [-D <var>=<value>]... -P <cmake-script-file> [-- <unparsed-options>...]

.. program:: cmake-P

.. option:: -D <var>=<value>

Define a variable for script mode.

.. program:: cmake

.. option:: -P <cmake-script-file>

Process the given cmake file as a script written in the CMake language. No configure or generate step is performed and the cache is not modified. If variables are defined using -D, this must be done before the -P argument.

Any options after -- are not parsed by CMake, but they are still included in the set of :variable:CMAKE_ARGV<n> <CMAKE_ARGV0> variables passed to the script (including the -- itself).

.. _Run a Command-Line Tool:

Run a Command-Line Tool

.. program:: cmake

CMake provides builtin command-line tools through the signature

.. code-block:: shell

cmake -E <command> [<options>]

.. option:: -E [help]

Run cmake -E or cmake -E help for a summary of commands.

.. program:: cmake-E

Available commands are:

.. option:: bin2c [<options>...] [--] [<input-file> [<output-file>]]

.. versionadded:: 4.3

Convert a binary file to a C array. If input file is unspecified or -, read from standard input instead of a file. If output file is unspecified or -, write to standard output instead of a file.

By default, this prints only the bytes. Enclosing text can be added with the --template-file argument. You can also #include the bytes from another file, acting as a drop-in replacement for the #embed directive from C23 and C++26:

.. code-block:: c

unsigned char my_bytes[] = {
/* #embed "bin2c_input.bin" */
#include "bin2c_output.c.txt"
};

.. program:: cmake-E_bin2c

.. option:: --signed

Print the bytes as signed integers rather than unsigned.

.. option:: --decimal

Print the bytes as decimal rather than hexadecimal.

.. option:: --trailing-comma

Append a trailing comma after the last byte (not included by default.)

.. option:: --template-file <template-file>

Format from a template file. The template file contains placeholders for
the array and optionally the length (which will be a non-negative decimal
integer). Such placeholders are enclosed in ``@`` at the beginning and end
of the placeholder. This functionality is similar to
:command:`configure_file` called with the ``@ONLY`` argument, but only the
array and length placeholders will be replaced, and any other placeholders
will be left as-is.

An example of a potential template file:

.. code-block:: text

  unsigned char my_bytes[] = {@array@};

  size_t length = @length@;

The array placeholder may occur at most once in the template file. The
length placeholder may occur zero or more times after the array
placeholder, but not before it.

Note that the length is the number of elements printed, and may not match
the ``sizeof`` the resulting array if a type other than ``unsigned char``
is used.

.. option:: --template-array-placeholder <placeholder-name>

Specify a name for the array placeholder in the template file. Set to
``array`` by default.

.. option:: --template-length-placeholder <placeholder-name>

Specify a name for the length placeholder in the template file. Set to
``length`` by default.

.. program:: cmake-E

.. option:: capabilities

.. versionadded:: 3.7

Report cmake capabilities in JSON format. The output is a JSON object with the following keys:

version A JSON object with version information. Keys are:

``string``
  The full version string as displayed by cmake :option:`--version <cmake --version>`.
``major``
  The major version number in integer form.
``minor``
  The minor version number in integer form.
``patch``
  The patch level in integer form.
``suffix``
  The cmake version suffix string.
``isDirty``
  A bool that is set if the cmake build is from a dirty tree.

generators A list available generators. Each generator is a JSON object with the following keys:

``name``
  A string containing the name of the generator.
``toolsetSupport``
  ``true`` if the generator supports toolsets and ``false`` otherwise.
``platformSupport``
  ``true`` if the generator supports platforms and ``false`` otherwise.
``supportedPlatforms``
  .. versionadded:: 3.21

  Optional member that may be present when the generator supports
  platform specification via :variable:`CMAKE_GENERATOR_PLATFORM`
  (:option:`-A ... <cmake -A>`).  The value is a list of platforms known to
  be supported.
``extraGenerators``
  A list of strings with all the :ref:`Extra Generators` compatible with
  the generator.

fileApi Optional member that is present when the :manual:cmake-file-api(7) is available. The value is a JSON object with one member:

``requests``
  A JSON array containing zero or more supported file-api requests.
  Each request is a JSON object with members:

  ``kind``
    Specifies one of the supported :ref:`file-api object kinds`.

  ``version``
    A JSON array whose elements are each a JSON object containing
    ``major`` and ``minor`` members specifying non-negative integer
    version components.

serverMode true if cmake supports server-mode and false otherwise. Always false since CMake 3.20.

tls .. versionadded:: 3.25

``true`` if TLS support is enabled and ``false`` otherwise.

debugger .. versionadded:: 3.27

``true`` if the :option:`--debugger <cmake --debugger>` mode
is supported and ``false`` otherwise.

.. option:: cat [--] <files>...

.. versionadded:: 3.18

Concatenate files and print on the standard output.

.. program:: cmake-E_cat

.. option:: --

.. versionadded:: 3.24

Added support for the double dash argument ``--``. This basic implementation
of ``cat`` does not support any options, so using a option starting with
``-`` will result in an error. Use ``--`` to indicate the end of options, in
case a file starts with ``-``.

.. versionadded:: 3.29

``cat`` can now print the standard input by passing the ``-`` argument.

.. program:: cmake-E

.. option:: chdir <dir> <cmd> [<arg>...]

Change the current working directory and run a command.

.. option:: compare_files [--ignore-eol] <file1> <file2>

Check if <file1> is same as <file2>. If files are the same, then returns 0, if not it returns 1. In case of invalid arguments, it returns 2.

.. program:: cmake-E_compare_files

.. option:: --ignore-eol

.. versionadded:: 3.14

The option implies line-wise comparison and ignores LF/CRLF differences.

.. program:: cmake-E

.. option:: copy <file>... <destination>, copy -t <destination> <file>...

Copy files to <destination> (either file or directory). If multiple files are specified, or if -t is specified, the <destination> must be directory and it must exist. If -t is not specified, the last argument is assumed to be the <destination>. Wildcards are not supported. copy does follow symlinks. That means it does not copy symlinks, but the files or directories it point to.

.. versionadded:: 3.5 Support for multiple input files.

.. versionadded:: 3.26 Support for -t argument.

.. option:: copy_directory <dir>... <destination>

Copy content of <dir>... directories to <destination> directory. If <destination> directory does not exist it will be created. copy_directory does follow symlinks.

.. versionadded:: 3.5 Support for multiple input directories.

.. versionadded:: 3.15 The command now fails when the source directory does not exist. Previously it succeeded by creating an empty destination directory.

.. option:: copy_directory_if_different <dir>... <destination>

.. versionadded:: 3.26

Copy changed content of <dir>... directories to <destination> directory. If <destination> directory does not exist it will be created.

copy_directory_if_different does follow symlinks. The command fails when the source directory does not exist.

.. option:: copy_directory_if_newer <dir>... <destination>

.. versionadded:: 4.2

Copy content of <dir>... directories to <destination> directory if source files are newer than destination files (based on file timestamps). If <destination> directory does not exist it will be created.

copy_directory_if_newer does follow symlinks. The command fails when the source directory does not exist. This is faster than copy_directory_if_different as it only compares file timestamps instead of file contents.

.. option:: copy_if_different <file>... <destination>

Copy files to <destination> (either file or directory) if they have changed. If multiple files are specified, the <destination> must be directory and it must exist. copy_if_different does follow symlinks.

.. versionadded:: 3.5 Support for multiple input files.

.. option:: copy_if_newer <file>... <destination>

.. versionadded:: 4.2

Copy files to <destination> (either file or directory) if source files are newer than destination files (based on file timestamps). If multiple files are specified, the <destination> must be directory and it must exist. copy_if_newer does follow symlinks. This is faster than copy_if_different as it only compares file timestamps instead of file contents.

.. option:: create_symlink <old> <new>

Create a symbolic link <new> naming <old>.

.. versionadded:: 3.13 Support for creating symlinks on Windows.

.. note:: Path to where <new> symbolic link will be created has to exist beforehand.

.. option:: create_hardlink <old> <new>

.. versionadded:: 3.19

Create a hard link <new> naming <old>.

.. note:: Path to where <new> hard link will be created has to exist beforehand. <old> has to exist beforehand.

.. option:: echo [<string>...]

Displays arguments as text.

.. option:: echo_append [<string>...]

Displays arguments as text but no new line.

.. option:: env [<options>] [--] <command> [<arg>...]

.. versionadded:: 3.1

Run command in a modified environment. Options are:

.. program:: cmake-E_env

.. option:: NAME=VALUE

Replaces the current value of ``NAME`` with ``VALUE``.

.. option:: --unset=NAME

Unsets the current value of ``NAME``.

.. option:: --modify ENVIRONMENT_MODIFICATION

.. versionadded:: 3.25

Apply a single :prop_test:`ENVIRONMENT_MODIFICATION` operation to the
modified environment.

The ``NAME=VALUE`` and ``--unset=NAME`` options are equivalent to
``--modify NAME=set:VALUE`` and ``--modify NAME=unset:``, respectively.
Note that ``--modify NAME=reset:`` resets ``NAME`` to the value it had
when :program:`cmake` launched (or unsets it), not to the most recent
``NAME=VALUE`` option.

.. option:: --

.. versionadded:: 3.24

Added support for the double dash argument ``--``. Use ``--`` to stop
interpreting options/environment variables and treat the next argument as
the command, even if it start with ``-`` or contains a ``=``.

.. program:: cmake-E

.. option:: environment

Display the current environment variables.

.. option:: false

.. versionadded:: 3.16

Do nothing, with an exit code of 1.

.. option:: make_directory <dir>...

Create <dir> directories. If necessary, create parent directories too. If a directory already exists it will be silently ignored.

.. versionadded:: 3.5 Support for multiple input directories.

.. option:: md5sum <file>...

Create MD5 checksum of files in md5sum compatible format::

 351abe79cd3800b38cdfb25d45015a15  file1.txt
 052f86c15bbde68af55c7f7b340ab639  file2.txt