Manual: script

SCRIPT(1)					User Commands					   SCRIPT(1)

NAME
       script - make typescript of terminal session

SYNOPSIS
       script [options] [file]

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.

       -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.

HISTORY
       The script command appeared in 3.0BSD.

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.

SEE ALSO
       csh(1) (for the history mechanism), scriptreplay(1), scriptlive(1)

REPORTING BUGS
       For bug reports, use the issue tracker .

AVAILABILITY
       The script command is part of the util-linux package which can be downloaded from Linux Kernel
       Archive .

util-linux 2.41.3				 2025-12-15					   SCRIPT(1)