---
name: "find-filter"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "pcp"
version: "7.2.2-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/find-filter"
---

# find-filter(1)

fine-grained file selection based on time attributes

## NAME

**find-filter** - fine-grained file selection based on time attributes

## SYNOPSIS

**$PCP\_BINADM\_DIR/find-filter** \[**-v?**\] *predicate*

## DESCRIPTION

**find-filter** is a filter for a list of file names read on standard input, and if the files match the *predicate* their names are written on standard output.

The supported *predicate* forms are based on the file's creation time or modification time, and take the form **ctime** or **mtime** followed by a time specification. A time specification takes the form of a **+** or **-** followed by days (a non-negative integer), optionally followed by a colon (**:**) and hours (an integer in the range 0 to 23), optionally followed by another colon (**:**) and minutes (an integer in the range 0 to 59).

The semantics of the time specification are that a file matches the predicate if the chosen time attribute for the file is *less than* (**+**) the current time minus the time specification, else *more than or equal to* (**-**) the current time minus the time specification. Alternatively, **+** means *before* the current time minus the time specification, and **-** means *at* or *after* the current time minus the time specification.

**find-filter** is intended to be used to provide finer-grain and platform independent selection compared to the **-mtime** or **-ctime** options of [**find**(1)](/find/1.md). **find-filter** is expected to be used as a post-filter for the output from [**find**(1)](/find/1.md), and this is how it is used in the [**pmlogger\_daily**(1)](/pmlogger_daily/1.md) scripts to select files to be compressed or culled.

## EXAMPLES

The following *predicate* examples illustrate some typical uses.

- **mtime +3**

  Matches files modified more than 3 days ago.

- **ctime -0:2**

  Matches files created in the last 2 hours.

- **ctime +0:0:15**

  Matches files created more than 15 minutes ago.

## DIAGNOSTICS

There are none, unless the **-v** option is used, in which case some diagnostics are written to standard error.

Exit status is always zero, unless there are errors found when parsing the command line arguments.

## SEE ALSO

[**find**(1)](/find/1.md) and [**pmlogger\_daily**(1)](/pmlogger_daily/1.md).