# script

## NAME



           script - make typescript of terminal session
    


## SYNOPSIS



           **script**[options] [_file_] [**--**_command_ [_argument_...]]
    


## DESCRIPTION



           **script** makes a typescript of everything on your terminal session.
           The terminal data are stored in raw form to the log file and
           information about timing to another (optional) structured log
           file. The timing log file is necessary to replay the session later
           by scriptreplay(1) and to store additional information about the
           session.
    
           Since version 2.35, **script** supports multiple streams and allows
           the logging of input and output to separate files or all the one
           file. This version also supports a new timing file which records
           additional information. The command **scriptreplay --summary** then
           provides all the information.
    
           If the argument _file_ or option **--log-out** _file_ is given, **script**
           saves the dialogue in this _file_. If no filename is given, the
           dialogue is saved in the file _typescript_.
    
           Note that logging input using **--log-in** or **--log-io** may record
           security-sensitive information as the log file contains all
           terminal session input (e.g., passwords) independently of the
           terminal echo flag setting.
    


## OPTIONS



           Below, the _size_ argument may be followed by the multiplicative
           suffixes KiB (=1024), MiB (=1024*1024), and so on for GiB, TiB,
           PiB, EiB, ZiB and YiB (the "iB" is optional, e.g., "K" has the
           same meaning as "KiB"), or the suffixes KB (=1000), MB
           (=1000*1000), and so on for GB, TB, PB, EB, ZB and YB.
    
           **-a** , **--append**
               Append the output to _file_ or to _typescript_ , retaining the
               prior contents.
    
           **-c** , **--command** _command_
               Run the _command_ rather than an interactive shell. This makes
               it easy for a script to capture the output of a program that
               behaves differently when its stdout is not a tty. Instead of
               using option **-c** , the _command_ may also be specified after a
               double dash (**--**).
    
           **-E** , **--echo** _when_
               This option controls the **ECHO** flag for the slave end of the
               session’s pseudoterminal. The supported modes are _always_ ,
               _never_ , or _auto_.
    
               The default is _auto_ — in this case, **ECHO** enabled for the
               pseudoterminal slave; if the current standard input is a
               terminal, **ECHO** is disabled for it to prevent double echo; if
               the current standard input is not a terminal (for example
               pipe: **echo date | script**) then keeping **ECHO** enabled for the
               pseudoterminal slave enables the standard input data to be
               viewed on screen while being recorded to session log
               simultaneously.
    
               Note that 'never' mode affects content of the session output
               log, because users input is not repeated on output.
    
           **-e** , **--return**
               Return the exit status of the child process. Uses the same
               format as bash termination on signal termination (i.e., exit
               status is 128 + the signal number). The exit status of the
               child process is always stored in the type script file too.
    
           **-f** , **--flush**
               Flush output after each write. This is nice for
               telecooperation: one person does **mkfifo** _foo_ ; **script -f** _foo_ ,
               and another can supervise in real-time what is being done
               using **cat** _foo_. Note that flush has an impact on performance;
               it’s possible to use **SIGUSR1** to flush logs on demand.
    
           **--force**
               Allow the default output file _typescript_ to be a hard or
               symbolic link. The command will follow a symbolic link.
    
           **-B** , **--log-io** _file_
               Log input and output to the same _file_. Note, this option makes
               sense only if **--log-timing** is also specified, otherwise it’s
               impossible to separate output and input streams from the log
               _file_.
    
           **-I** , **--log-in** _file_
               Log input to the _file_. The log output is disabled if only
               **--log-in** specified.
    
               Use this logging functionality carefully as it logs all input,
               including input when terminal has disabled echo flag (for
               example, password inputs).
    
           **-O** , **--log-out** _file_
               Log output to the _file_. The default is to log output to the
               file with name _typescript_ if the option **--log-out** or **--log-in**
               is not given. The log output is disabled if only **--log-in**
               specified.
    
           **-T** , **--log-timing** _file_
               Log timing information to the _file_. Two timing file formats
               are supported now. The classic format is used when only one
               stream (input or output) logging is enabled. The multi-stream
               format is used on **--log-io** or when **--log-in** and **--log-out** are
               used together. See also **--logging-format**.
    
           **-m** , **--logging-format** _format_
               Force use of _advanced_ or _classic_ timing log format. The
               default is the classic format to log only output and the
               advanced format when input as well as output logging is
               requested.
    
               **Classic format**
                   The timing log contains two fields, separated by a space.
                   The first field indicates how much time elapsed since the
                   previous output. The second field indicates how many
                   characters were output this time.
    
               **Advanced (multi-stream) format**
                   The first field is an entry type identifier ('I’nput,
                   'O’utput, 'H’eader, 'S’ignal). The second field is how
                   much time elapsed since the previous entry, and the rest
                   of the entry is type-specific data.
    
           **-o** , **--output-limit** _size_
               Limit the size of the typescript and timing files to _size_ and
               stop the child process after this size is exceeded. The
               calculated file size does not include the start and done
               messages that the **script** command prepends and appends to the
               child process output. Due to buffering, the resulting output
               file might be larger than the specified value.
    
           **-q** , **--quiet**
               Be quiet (do not write start and done messages to standard
               output).
    
           **-t**[_file_], **--timing**[**=**_file_]
               Output timing data to standard error, or to _file_ when given.
               This option is deprecated in favour of **--log-timing** where the
               _file_ argument is not optional.
    
           **-h** , **--help**
               Display help text and exit.
    
           **-V** , **--version**
               Display version and exit.
    


## SIGNALS



           Upon receiving **SIGUSR1** , **script** immediately flushes the output
           files.
    


## ENVIRONMENT



           The following environment variable is utilized by **script** :
    
           **SHELL**
               If the variable **SHELL** exists, the shell forked by **script** will
               be that shell. If **SHELL** is not set, the Bourne shell is
               assumed. (Most shells set this variable automatically).
    


## NOTES



           The script ends when the forked shell exits (a _control-D_ for the
           Bourne shell (sh(1p)), and _exit_ , _logout_ or _control-d_ (if _ignoreeof_
           is not set) for the C-shell, **csh**(1)).
    
           Certain interactive commands, such as **vi**(1), create garbage in the
           typescript file. **script** works best with commands that do not
           manipulate the screen, the results are meant to emulate a hardcopy
           terminal.
    
           It is not recommended to run **script** in non-interactive shells. The
           inner shell of **script** is always interactive, and this could lead
           to unexpected results. If you use **script** in the shell
           initialization file, you have to avoid entering an infinite loop.
           You can use for example the **.profile** file, which is read by login
           shells only:
    
               if test -t 0 ; then
                   script
                   exit
               fi
    
           You should also avoid use of **script** in command pipes, as **script**
           can read more input than you would expect.
    


## BUGS



           **script** places _everything_ in the log file, including linefeeds and
           backspaces. This is not what the naive user expects.
    
           **script** is primarily designed for interactive terminal sessions.
           When stdin is not a terminal (for example: **echo foo | script**),
           then the session can hang, because the interactive shell within
           the script session misses EOF and **script** has no clue when to close
           the session. See the **NOTES** section for more information.
    


## AVAILABILITY



           The **script** command is part of the util-linux package which can be
           downloaded from Linux Kernel Archive
           <https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/util-linux/>. This page is
           part of the _util-linux_ (a random collection of Linux utilities)
           project. Information about the project can be found at 
           ⟨https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/util-linux/⟩. If you have a
           bug report for this manual page, send it to
           util-linux@vger.kernel.org. This page was obtained from the
           project's upstream Git repository
           ⟨git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/utils/util-linux/util-linux.git⟩ on
           2025-08-11. (At that time, the date of the most recent commit that
           was found in the repository was 2025-08-05.) If you discover any
           rendering problems in this HTML version of the page, or you
           believe there is a better or more up-to-date source for the page,
           or you have corrections or improvements to the information in this
           COLOPHON (which is _not_ part of the original manual page), send a
           mail to man-pages@man7.org
    
    util-linux 2.42-start-521-ec46  2025-08-09                      _SCRIPT_(1)
    


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