---
name: "conspy"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "conspy"
version: "1.16-1+b1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/conspy"
---

# conspy(1)

virtual console spy tool

## NAME

conspy - virtual console spy tool

## SYNOPSIS

**conspy** \[ options \] \[ *console* \]

## DESCRIPTION

*Conspy* allows the user to take control of a Linux virtual console. The user can see what is displayed on the console and their keystrokes are sent to it.

To exit from *conspy* press the escape key three times in quick succession.

## COMMAND LINE

- **-g** *COLSxROWS***, --geometry** *COLSxROWS*

  Specify the console size. *Conspy* can almost always correctly guess the size so this is only useful when it complains it can't.

- **-V**, **--version**

  Print the program's version and exit.

- **-v**, **--viewonly**

  Don't send keystrokes to the virtual console.

- *console*

  If supplied, *console* must be a number in the range 1 .. 63, corresponding to the virtual console device /dev/tty1 .. /dev/tty63. If not supplied the currently active virtual console is opened and tracked.

## LIMITATIONS

*Conspy* will not pass keystrokes to a virtual console whose keyboard is configured to send scan codes.  X configures its keyboard like this. If the terminal does not have at least 64 colours no colour will be displayed. *Conspy* ignores the mouse. *Conspy* may display some non-ASCII characters incorrectly.

The kernel reports the console geometry and cursor position using bytes which limits both to 255 maximum. *Conspy* can usually guess the correct display size from the truncated version, but if the cursor position is beyond line 255 or column 255 *conspy* will put it in the wrong place.

*Conspy* depends on terminfo and curses working correctly for your terminal, and sometimes they don't.  Konsole is/was one example of where they don't.  Typing control-L will redraw the screen, which usually fixes the mess created.  It also sends a control-L to the virtual console, of course.

## FILES

- **/dev/ttyX**, **/dev/vc/X**

  The characters typed are sent to this device. The latter is for devfs. It is only used if the former does not exist.

- **/dev/vcsaX**, **/dev/vcc/aX**

  The display of the virtual console is read from here. The latter is for devfs. It is only used if the former does not exist.

## AUTHOR

Russell Stuart, \<russell-conspy@stuart.id.au\>.