---
name: "gpspipe"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "gpsd"
version: "3.27.5-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/gpspipe"
---

# gpspipe(1)

tool to connect to gpsd and retrieve sentences

## NAME

gpspipe - tool to connect to gpsd and retrieve sentences

## SYNOPSIS

**gpspipe** \[OPTIONS\] \[server\[:port\[:device\]\]\]

**gpspipe** -h

**gpspipe** -V

## DESCRIPTION

**gpspipe** is a tool to connect to **gpsd** and output the received sentences to stdout. This makes the program useful as a pipe from **gpsd** to another program or file.

**gpspipe** does not require root privileges, and can be run concurrently with other tools connecting to the local **gpsd** without causing problems.

The output will consist of one or both of the raw NMEA or native **gpsd** sentences. Each line can be optionally time stamped. There is also an option to exit gracefully after a given count of packets.

**gpspipe** may be run as a daemon, but requires the **-o, --output** flag for writing the output to a file.

## OPTIONS

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

  Print a usage message and exit.

- **-2**, **--split24**

  **-2** sets the split24 flag on AIS reports.

- **-B**, **--nobuffer**

  Do not buffer the output.

- **-d**, **--daemonize**

  Run as a daemon.

- **-D LVL**, **--debug LVL**

  Set debug level to LVL.

- **-l**, **--sleep**

  Sleep for ten seconds before attempting to connect to **gpsd**. This is very useful when running as a daemon, giving **gpsd** time to start before attempting a connection.

- **-n COUNT**, **--count COUNT**

  Exit after COUNT messages are output.

- **-o FILE**, **--output FILE**

  Cause the collected data to be written to the specified file. Use of this option is mandatory if **gpspipe** is run as a daemon.

- **-p**, **--profile**

  Dump profiling information in JSON.

- **-P**, **--pps**

  Enables dumping of PPS drift JSON in NMEA and raw modes.

- **-r**, **--nmea**

  Cause NMEA sentences to be output. This may be NMEA, pseudo NMEA built from binary data, or some combination of both.

- **-R**, **--raw**

  Causes super-raw (gps binary) data to be output. This will forward exactly what the device sent.

- **-s DEV**, **--serial DEV**

  Cause the collected data to be written to the specified serial device (DEV) with settings 4800 8N1. Thus **gpspipe** can be used with **-s, --serial** and **-r, --nmea** options to emulate a serial port hardwired to a GPS that **gpsd** is managing.

- **-S**, **--scaled**

  Set the scaled flag. This is for AIS and SUBFRAME data only. Scaled data will be output in the JSON, instead of raw data in the JSON.

- **-t**, **--timestamp**

  Add a UTC timestamp to each sentence output.

- **-T FMT**, **--timefmt FMT**

  Set the format of the timestamp. See [**strftime**(3)](/strftime/3.md) for the available placeholders. Setting this option implies **-t** (**--timestamp**). Default setting is "%F %T"

- **-u**, **--usec**

  Use usec resolution time stamp, implies **-t** (**--timestamp**). Use twice (**-uu**) to output sec.usec.

- **-v**, **--spinner**

  Show a spinning activity indicator on stderr. This is useful if stdout is redirected into a file or a pipe. By default the spinner is advanced with every messages written; specifying **-v**, or **--spinner**, more than once will double the number of messages required to rotate the spinner.

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

  Print the program version and exit.

- **-w**, **--json**

  Cause native **gpsd** JSON sentences to be output.

- **-x SEC**, **--seconds SEC**

  Exit after delay of SEC seconds.

- **-Z**, **--zulu**

  Set the timestamp format iso8601: implies **-t**.

At least one of **-R**, **-r** or **-w** must be specified.

You must use **-o** if you use **-d**.

## ARGUMENTS

By default, clients collect data from the local **gpsd** daemon running on localhost, using the default GPSD port 2947. The optional argument to any client may override this behavior: **\[server\[:port\[:device\]\]\]**

For further explanation, and examples, see the **ARGUMENTS** section in the [**gps**(1)](/gps/1.md) man page

## EXAMPLES

When **gpsd** is running, this example will send one hundred raw NMEA sentences to standard output, then exit:

```
$ gpspipe -r -n 100
```

When **gpsd** is running, this example will wait at most 5 seconds for a TPV message, print it to stdout, then exit:

```
$ gpspipe -x 5 -w|sed -n '/TPV/{p;q}'
```

Use **gpspipe** and **socat** to serve NMEA from the local **gpsd** on tcp port 2948:

```
$ socat EXEC:'gpspipe -r' TCP-LISTEN:2948,reuseaddr,fork
```

The paranoid may wish to have **socat** run as user 'nobody' and only accept connections from the local network.  Using the **-B** option to **gpspipe** will reduce latency and jitter  The "su=nobody" means this must be run as root:

```
# socat EXEC:'gpspipe -rB' \
   TCP-LISTEN:2948,reuseaddr,fork,su=nobody,range=192.168.0.0/24
```

## RETURN VALUES

**0**

on success.

**1**

on failure

## SEE ALSO

[**gpsd**(8)](/gpsd/8.md), [**gps**(1)](/gps/1.md), [**gpsfake**(1)](/gpsfake/1.md), [**socat**(1)](/socat/1.md).

## RESOURCES

**Project web site:**  \<https://gpsd.io/\>

## COPYING

This file is Copyright 2013 by the GPSD project\
 SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-clause

## AUTHOR

Gary E. Miller