Command reference

cde <command> [arguments] [options]

The command (also called a verb) must come first. Options come after it.

cde find afilename --template "{fullpath}"

Command names and option names are not case-sensitive. cde --help lists all commands, cde <command> --help shows the options of one command, and cde --version shows the version.

Commands

Command	Purpose
scan	Scan a folder or drive and write a catalog.
find	Search by a piece of the file name.
findpath	Search by a piece of the full path.
grep	Search the file name with a regular expression.
greppath	Search the full path with a regular expression.
everything	Search with an Everything-style query.
hash	Hash files so duplicates can be found.
dupes	List duplicate files.
migrate	Convert old .cde catalogs to .cdex.
update	Change the description of a catalog.
repl, replfind, replgrep, replgreppath	Interactive modes.
treedump1	Print the full tree of every catalog.

Options at a glance

Option	Applies to	Description
--desc <text>	scan, update	Description stored in the catalog.
--follow-junctions	scan	Go into directory junctions and symbolic links.
--exclude <path>	scan	Skip a folder for this scan. Repeatable.
-v, --verbose	scan	List folders that could not be read.
--template <format>	find, findpath, grep, greppath, everything	Format of each match line.
--filter <test>	find, findpath, grep, greppath, everything	Keep only matches that pass. Repeatable.

Catalogs and the current directory

Every command except scan and migrate <file> works on the catalogs it finds in the current directory and one directory below it. Run cde from the folder that holds your .cdex files. See Catalog files.

Exit codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success.
1	An error, such as a query that cannot be read.
130	You pressed Ctrl-C and the command was cancelled.

See Size units for size units, and Configuration for appsettings.json.