---
title: Specifying command options in a CodeQL configuration file
intro: 'You can save default command options in a {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} configuration file.'
product: '{% data reusables.gated-features.codeql %}'
versions:
  fpt: '*'
  ghes: '*'
  ghec: '*'
topics:
  - Code Security
  - Code scanning
  - CodeQL
redirect_from:
  - /code-security/codeql-cli/specifying-command-options-in-a-codeql-configuration-file
  - /code-security/codeql-cli/using-the-codeql-cli/specifying-command-options-in-a-codeql-configuration-file
---

## About specifying command options in a {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} configuration file

You can save default or frequently used options for your commands in a per-user configuration file.

You can specify {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql_cli %} command options in two ways:

* Directly in the command line, using the appropriate flag.
* In a configuration (or `config`) file that {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} scans for relevant options each time a command is executed.

For options that are likely to change each time you execute a command, specifying the value on the command line is the most convenient way of passing the information to {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %}. Saving options in a `config` file is a good way to specify options you use frequently. It’s also a good way to add custom {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packs that you use regularly to your search path.

## Using a {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} configuration file

You need to save the `config` file under your home (Linux and macOS) or user profile (Windows) directory in the `.config/codeql/` subdirectory. For example, `$HOME/.config/codeql/config`.

The syntax for specifying options is as follows:

```shell
<command> <subcommand> <option> <value>
```

To apply the same options to more than one command you can:

* Omit the `<subcommand>`, which will specify the option for every `<subcommand>` to which it’s relevant.
* Omit both `<command>` and `<subcommand>`, which will globally specify the option for every `<command>` and `<subcommand>` to which it’s relevant.

> [!NOTE]
> * `config` files only accept spaces between option flags and values—{% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} will throw an error if you use `=` to specify an option value.
> * If you specify an option in the command line, this overrides the `config` value defined for that option.
> * If you want to specify more than one option for a `<command>`, `<subcommand>` or globally, use one line per option.

### Examples

* To output all analysis results generated by `codeql database analyze` as CSV format, you would specify:

  ```shell
  database analyze --format csv
  ```

  Here, you have to specify the command and subcommand to prevent any of the low-level commands that are executed during `database analyze` being passed the same `--format` option.

* To define the RAM (4096 MB) and number of threads (4) to use when running {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} commands, specify the following, on separate lines:

  ```shell
  --ram 4096
  --threads 4
  ```

* To globally specify a directory for {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} to scan for {% data variables.product.prodname_codeql %} packs (which is not a sibling of the installation directory), use:

  ```shell
  --search-path <path-to-directory>
  ```