---
name: "transmission-daemon"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "transmission-cli"
version: "4.1.4-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/transmission-daemon"
---

# transmission-daemon(1)

a bittorrent client

## NAME

**transmission-daemon** – a bittorrent client

## SYNOPSIS

**transmission-daemon** **-h**

**transmission-daemon** \[**-a** *x.x.x.x,...*\] \[**-b** \| **-B**\] \[**-c** *directory*\] \[**-C**\] \[**-d**\] \[**-f**\] \[**-g** *directory*\] \[**-h**\] \[**-p** *port*\] \[**-t** \| **-T**\] \[**-u** *username*\] \[**-v** *password*\] \[**-P** *port*\] \[**-m** \| **-M**\] \[**-l** *limit*\] \[**-L** *limit*\] \[**-er** \| **-ep** \| **-et**\] \[**-utp** \| **-no-utp**\] \[**-V**\] \[**-w** *download-dir*\] \[**-e** *logfile*\] \[**-x** *pid-file*\] \[**-log-error** \| **-log-info** \| **-log-debug**\]

## DESCRIPTION

**transmission-daemon** is a daemon-based Transmission session that can be controlled via RPC commands from transmission's web interface or [transmission-remote(1)](/transmission-remote/1.md).

## OPTIONS

- **-a** **--allowed** *x.x.x.x,...*

  Allow RPC access to a comma-delimited whitelist of IP addresses. Wildcards can be specified in an address by using '\*'. Default: "127.0.0.1,::1" Example: "127.0.0.\*,192.168.1.\*"

- **-b** **--blocklist**

  Enable peer blocklists. Transmission understands the bluetack blocklist file format. New blocklists can be added by copying them into the config-dir's "blocklists" subdirectory.

- **-c** **--watch-dir** *directory*

  Directory to watch for new .torrent files to be added. As they are added to this directory, the daemon will load them into Transmission.

- **-C**

  Do not watch for new .torrent files.

- **-B** **--no-blocklist**

  Disable blocklists.

- **-d** **--dump-settings**

  Dump transmission-daemon's settings to stderr.

- **-f** **--foreground**

  Run in the foreground and print errors to stderr.

- **-g** **--config-dir** *directory*

  Where to look for configuration files. This can be used to swap between using the cli, daemon, gtk, and qt clients. See https://github.com/transmission/transmission/blob/main/docs/Configuration-Files.md for more information.

- **-er** **--encryption-required**

  Encrypt all peer connections.

- **-ep** **--encryption-preferred**

  Prefer encrypted peer connections.

- **-et** **--encryption-tolerated**

  Prefer unencrypted peer connections.

- **-gsr** **--global-seedratio** *ratio*

  All torrents, unless overridden by a per-torrent setting, should seed until a specific *ratio*

- **-GSR** **--no-global-seedratio**

  All torrents, unless overridden by a per-torrent setting, should seed regardless of ratio

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

  Print command-line option descriptions.

- **--incomplete-dir** *dir*

  When adding new torrents, store their contents in *directory* until the torrent is done.

- **--no-incomplete-dir**

  Don't store incomplete torrents in a different directory.

- **-i** **--bind-address-ipv4**

  Listen for IPv4 BitTorrent connections on a specific address. Only one IPv4 listening address is allowed. Default: 0.0.0.0 (All addresses)

- **-I** **--bind-address-ipv6**

  Listen for IPv6 BitTorrent connections on a specific address. Only one IPv6 listening address is allowed. Default: :: (All addresses)

- **-r** **--rpc-bind-address**

  Listen for RPC connections on a specific address. This must be an IPv4 or IPv6 address. Only one RPC listening address is allowed. Default: 0.0.0.0 (All IPv4 addresses)

- **--paused**

  Pause all torrents on startup

- **-L** **--peerlimit-global** *limit*

  Overall peer limit. Useful on embedded systems where the default might be unsuitable. Default: 240

- **-l** **--peerlimit-torrent** *limit*

  Peer limit per torrent. Useful on embedded systems where the default might be unsuitable. Default: 60

- **-m** **--portmap**

  Enable portmapping via NAT-PMP or UPnP

- **-M** **--no-portmap**

  Disable portmapping

- **-o** **--dht**

  Enable distributed hash table (DHT).

- **-O** **--no-dht**

  Disable distributed hash table (DHT).

- **-p** **--port** *port*

  Port to open and listen for RPC requests on. Default: 9091

- **-P** **--peerport** *port*

  Port to listen for incoming peers on. Default: 51413

- **-t** **--auth**

  Require clients to authenticate themselves. This doesn't do much good unless *username* and *password* are also set.

- **-T** **--no-auth**

  Don't require authentication from clients.

- **-u** **--username** *username*

  Used for client authentication.

- **-v** **--password** *password*

  Used for client authentication.

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

  Show version number and exit

- **--utp**

  Enable uTP for peer connections.

- **--no-utp**

  Disable uTP for peer connections.

- **-w** **--download-dir**

  Where to store downloaded data.

- **-e** **--logfile**

  Where to store transmission's log messages.

- **--log-level** *level*

  Log level. Must be 'critical', 'error', 'warn', 'info', 'debug', or 'trace'.

- **--log-error**

  Deprecated. Use --log-level=error

- **--log-info**

  Deprecated. Use --log-level=info

- **--log-debug**

  Deprecated. Use --log-level=debug

- **-x** **--pid-file**

  Name of PID file

## ENVIRONMENT

- http\_proxy

  libcurl uses this environment variable when performing tracker announces.

- TRANSMISSION\_HOME

  Sets the default config-dir.

## FILES

- \~/.config/transmission-daemon

  The config-dir used when neither \[TRANSMISSION\_HOME\] nor \[**-g**\] is specified. See https://github.com/transmission/transmission/blob/main/docs/Configuration-Files.md for more information.

## AUTHORS

Charles Kerr, Josh Elsasser, Eric Petit, Mitchell Livingston, and Mike Gelfand.

## SEE ALSO

[transmission-create(1)](/transmission-create/1.md), [transmission-daemon(1)](/transmission-daemon/1.md), [transmission-edit(1)](/transmission-edit/1.md), [transmission-gtk(1)](/transmission-gtk/1.md), [transmission-qt(1)](/transmission-qt/1.md), [transmission-remote(1)](/transmission-remote/1.md), [transmission-show(1)](/transmission-show/1.md)

https://transmissionbt.com/