---
name: "auditctl"
section: "2"
platform: "freebsd"
package: "base"
version: "16.0-CURRENT-20261027-61c70dc16a79"
release: "FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT (2026-10-27)"
platforms: ["freebsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/auditctl/2"
---

# auditctl(2)

configure system audit parameters

## NAME

**auditctl** – configure system audit parameters

## SYNOPSIS

**#include \<bsm/audit.h\>**

*int*\

**auditctl**(*const char \*path*);

## DESCRIPTION

The **auditctl**() system call directs the kernel to open a new audit trail log file. It requires an appropriate privilege. The **auditctl**() system call opens new files, but [auditon(2)](/auditon/2.md) is used to disable the audit log.

## RETURN VALUES

The **auditctl()** function returns the value 0 if successful; otherwise the value -1 is returned and the global variable errno is set to indicate the error.

## ERRORS

The **auditctl**() system call will fail if:

- \[EINVAL\]

  The path is invalid.

- \[EPERM\]

  The process does not have sufficient permission to complete the operation.

## SEE ALSO

[auditon(2)](/auditon/2.md), [libbsm(3)](/libbsm/3.md), [auditd(8)](/auditd/8.md)

## HISTORY

The OpenBSM implementation was created by McAfee Research, the security division of McAfee Inc., under contract to Apple Computer Inc. in 2004. It was subsequently adopted by the TrustedBSD Project as the foundation for the OpenBSM distribution.

## AUTHORS

This software was created by McAfee Research, the security research division of McAfee, Inc., under contract to Apple Computer Inc. Additional authors include Wayne Salamon, Robert Watson, and SPARTA Inc.

The Basic Security Module (BSM) interface to audit records and audit event stream format were defined by Sun Microsystems.

This manual page was written by Robert Watson ⟨rwatson@FreeBSD.org⟩.