---
name: "gfsec-split"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "gfsecret"
version: "0.5.1-1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/gfsec-split"
---

# gfsec-split(1)

Split a file into shares and dispatch them

## NAME

gfsec-split - Split a file into shares and dispatch them

## SYNOPSIS

**gfsec-split** \[**-h**\|**--help**\] \[**-v**\|**--version**\] \[**-n**\|**--threshold** *N*\] \[**-c**\|**--config** *file*\] \[**-i**\|**--interactive**\] \[**-k**\|**--keep**\] \[**-o**\|**--output** *file*\] \[**-r**\|**--restore-cmd** *command*\] \[**-d**\|**--destroy-cmd** *command*\] \[**-l**\|**--list-supports**\] **file** **URI...**

## DESCRIPTION

**gfsec-split** splits a file into a number of shares and dispatches the resulting shares onto external storage supports.

The split file can then be temporarily reconstructed using the accompanying program [**gfsec-use**(1)](/gfsec-use/1.md).

## OPTIONS

- **-h**, **--help**

  Display the help message.

- **-v**, **--version**

  Display the version message.

- **-n**, **--threshold** ***N***

  Specify the minimal number of shares required to re-assemble the split file. Default is 2.

- **-c**, **--config** ***file***

  Write the configuration file (allowing to reconstruct the secret with [**gfsec-use**(1)](/gfsec-use/1.md) ) to the specified file. Default is the basename of the split file in $XDG\_CONFIG\_HOME/gfsecret. If *FILE* is a single filename without extension and without a directory part, the file will be placed under the $XDG\_CONFIG\_HOME/gfsecret directory with a .conf extension.

- **-i**, **--interactive**

  Present the user with an interactive menu to specify the shares to create.

- **-k**, **--keep**

  By default, **gfsec-split** will delete the original file once it has been successfully split. Use this option to prevent the file to be deleted. **-o**, **--output** ***file*** Specify the location where gfsec-use will write the reconstructed secret. The default is to use the original location. If set to an empty string, no location will be written in the configuration file. **-r**, **--restore-cmd** ***command*** Specify the command that gfsec-use will call to restore the secret. **-d**, **--destroy-cmd** ***command*** Specify the command that gfsec-use will call to destroy the secret when it is no longer needed. The same command will also be called by gfsec-split to destroy the secret once it has been split, unless the -k option has been used.

- **-l**, **--list-supports**

  List all the currently available supports which can be used to store shares, then quit.

## SHARE URIs

Shares are described using a URI-like syntax. For each share, the URI indicates a storage device and a pathname on that device.

Supported URI schemes are:

- file:///

  Indicates a file on the local filesystem.

- uuid://*uuid*/

  Indicates a file on the external volume identified by the specified UUID.

- label://*label*/

  Indicates a file on the external volume identified by the specified label.

- mtp://*serial*/

  Indicates a file on the MTP device identified by the specified serial number.

- http://*host*/

  Indicates a file on a web server identified by its hostname.

- https://*host*/

  Same as the previous one, but the web server is to be accessed through a secure connection.

## EXAMPLE INVOCATION

```
gfsec-split \
  /home/alice/mysecret \
  file:///home/alice/.local/share/gfsecret/mysecret \
  label://USBSTICK/mysecret \
  mtp://RF2GB6X704P/Documents/mysecret \
```

The above example will split the file */home/alice/mysecret* into three shares: one on the local filesystem, one on the USB mass storage device with the label *USBSTICK*, and one on the MTP-compliant device with the serial *RF2GB6X704P*. A configuration file will be written in *$XDG\_CONFIG\_HOME/gfsecret/mysecret* allowing to automatically reconstruct the file with [**gfsec-use**(1)](/gfsec-use/1.md) provided at least one of the two removable supports are present.

## REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to Damien Goutte-Gattat ⟨devel@incenp.org⟩.

## SEE ALSO

[**gfsec-use**(1)](/gfsec-use/1.md), [**gfsplit**(1)](/gfsplit/1.md), [**gfcombine**(1)](/gfcombine/1.md), **libgfshare**(3), [**gfshare**(7)](/gfshare/7.md)

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2017,2021 Damien Goutte-Gattat

This program is released under the GNU General Public License. See the COPYING file in the source distribution or ⟨http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html⟩.