Common Options

The following options can be run with all Knife sub-commands and plug-ins:

--chef-zero-port PORT

The port on which chef-zero will listen.

-c CONFIG_FILE, --config CONFIG_FILE

The configuration file to use. For example, when Knife is run from a node that is configured to be managed by the server, this option is used to allow Knife to use the same credentials as the chef-client when communicating with the server.

-d, --disable-editing

Indicates that $EDITOR will not be opened; data will be accepted as-is.

--defaults

Indicates that Knife will use the default value, instead of asking a user to provide one.

-e EDITOR, --editor EDITOR

The $EDITOR that is used for all interactive commands.

-E ENVIRONMENT, --environment ENVIRONMENT

The name of the environment. When this option is added to a command, the command will run only against the named environment.

-F FORMAT, --format FORMAT

The output format: summary (default), text, json, yaml, and pp.

-h, --help

Shows help for the command.

-k KEY, --key KEY

The private key that Knife will use to sign requests made by the API client to the server.

--[no-]color

Indicates whether colored output will be used.

--print-after

Indicates that data will be shown after a destructive operation.

-s URL, --server-url URL

The URL for the server.

-u USER, --user USER

The user name used by Knife to sign requests made by the API client to the server. Authentication will fail if the user name does not match the private key.

-V, --verbose

Set for more verbose outputs. Use -VV for maximum verbosity.

-v, --version

The version of the chef-client.

-y, --yes

Indicates that the response to all confirmation prompts will be “Yes” (and that Knife will not ask for confirmation).

-z, --local-mode

Indicates that the chef-client will be run in local mode, which allows all commands that work against the server to also work against the local chef-repo.