---
name: "cli.lua"
section: "8"
platform: "freebsd"
package: "base"
version: "16.0-CURRENT-20261027-61c70dc16a79"
release: "FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT (2026-10-27)"
platforms: ["freebsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/cli.lua"
---

# cli.lua(8)

bootloader command line interpreter module

## NAME

**cli.lua** – bootloader command line interpreter module

## DESCRIPTION

**cli.lua** contains the main functionality required to add new CLI commands, which can be executed at the loader prompt.

Before hooking into the functionality provided by **cli.lua**, it must be included with a statement such as the following:

```
local cli = require("cli")
```

### Adding new commands

New loader commands may be created by adding functions to the object returned by requiring the **cli.lua** module.

For instance:

```
local cli = require("cli")
cli.foo = function(...)
	-- Expand args to command name and the rest of argv.
	-- These arguments are pushed directly to the stack by
	-- loader, then handed off to cli_execute.  cli_execute
	-- then passes them on to the invoked function, where
	-- they appear as varargs that must be peeled apart into
	-- their respective components.
	local _, argv = cli.arguments(...)
	print("This is the foo command!")
	for k, v in ipairs(argv) do
		print("arg #" .. tostring(k) .. ": '" .. v .. "'")
	end
	-- Perform a loader command directly.  This will not get
	-- dispatched back to Lua, so it is acceptable to have a
	-- function of the exact same name in loader.  Lua will
	-- have the first chance to handle any commands executed
	-- at the loader prompt.
	loader.perform("foo")
end
```

This function may be invoked by a user at the loader prompt by simply typing **foo**. Arguments may be passed to it as usual, space-delimited.

### Default Commands

The **cli.lua** module provides the following default commands:

- **autoboot**

- **boot**

- **boot-conf**

- **reload-conf**

- **disable-device**

- **disable-module**

- **enable-module**

- **toggle-module**

- **show-module-options**

For **autoboot**, **boot**, and **boot-conf**, the [core.lua(8)](/core.lua/8.md) module will load all ELF modules as-needed before executing the equivalent built-in loader commands. All non-kernel arguments to these commands are passed in the same order to the loader command.

The **reload-conf** command will reload the configuration from disk. This is useful if you have manually changed currdev and would like to easily reload the configuration from the new device.

The **enable-module**, **disable-module**, and **toggle-module** commands manipulate the list of modules to be loaded along with the kernel. Modules blacklisted are considered disabled by **toggle-module**. These commands will override any such restriction as needed. The **show-module-options** command will dump the list of modules that loader has been made aware of and any applicable options using paged output.

The **disable-device** command sets the environment variable that disables the device argument.

### Exported Functions

The following functions are exported from **cli.lua**:

- **cli.arguments**(*...*)

  Takes varargs passed on the stack from [loader(8)](/loader/8.md) to **cli\_execute**, splits them out into two return values: the command name, traditionally argv\[0\], and the rest of argv.

## SEE ALSO

[loader.conf(5)](/loader.conf/5.md), [core.lua(8)](/core.lua/8.md), [loader(8)](/loader/8.md)

## AUTHORS

The **cli.lua** file was originally written by Kyle Evans ⟨*kevans@FreeBSD.org*⟩.