If you want to run a CLI command in a shell script, use the x option

asterisk -rx “logger reload”

For help in the CLI mode, use the core show help command (formerly help). To get
help on various applications you can use in the extensions.conf config file, use
the core show applications command (formerly show applications).

General commands:
----------------
!<command>: Executes a given shell command
abort halt: Cancel a running halt
add extension: Add new extension into context
add ignorepat: Add new ignore pattern
add indication: Add the given indication to the country
agent show: Show status of Asterisk Agents
debug channel: Enable debugging on a channel
dont include: Remove a specified include from context
help: Display help list, or specific help on a command
include context: Include context in another context
load: Load a dynamic module by name
logger reload: Reopen log files. Use after rotating the log files.
mixmonitor {start|stop|list}: Execute a MixMonitor command.
no debug channel: Disable debugging on a channel
originate: originate a call.
remove extension: Remove a specified extension
remove ignorepat: Remove ignore pattern from context
remove indication: Remove the given indication from the country
save dialplan: Overwrites your current extensions.conf file with an exported
version based on the current state of the dialplan. A backup copy of your old
extensions.conf is not saved. The initial values of global variables defined in the
[globals] category retain their previous initial values; the current values of
global variables are not written into the new extensions.conf. Using “save
dialplan” will result in losing any comments in your current extensions.conf.
dialplan save (1.4): BROKEN, doesn’t parse correctly. Overwrites your current
extensions.conf file with an exported version based on the current state of the
dialplan. A backup copy of your old extensions.conf is not saved. The initial
values of global variables defined in the [globals] category retain their previous
initial values; the current values of global variables are not written into the new
extensions.conf. Using “save dialplan” will result in losing any comments in your
current extensions.conf.
set verbose: Set level of verboseness
show applications: Shows registered applications
show application: Describe a specific application
show channel: Display information on a specific channel
show channels: Display information on channels
show codecs: Display information on codecs
show conferences: Show status of conferences
show dialplan: Show dialplan
show hints: Show registered hints
show image formats: Displays image formats
show indications: Show a list of all country/indications
show locals: Show status of local channels
show manager command: Show manager commands
show manager connect: Show connected manager users
show parkedcalls: Lists parked calls
show queues: Show status of queues, see details here
show switches: Show alternative switches
show translation: Display translation matrix
soft hangup: Request a hangup on a given channel – in Asterisk 1.6.2: “channel
request hangup <name>”
show voicemail users: List defined voicemail boxes
show voicemail zones: List zone message formats
devstate change: Change state of a custom device (new in Asterisk 1.6.0)

Server management
-----------------
restart gracefully: Restart Asterisk gracefully, i.e. stop receiving new calls and
restart at empty call volume
restart now: Restart Asterisk immediately
restart when convenient: Restart Asterisk at empty call volume
reload: Reload configuration
stop gracefully: Gracefully shut down Asterisk, i.e. stop receiving new calls and
shut down at empty call volume
stop now: Shut down Asterisk immediately
stop when convenient: Shut down Asterisk at empty call volume
dialplan reload: Reload extensions and only extensions (formerly extensions reload)
unload: Unload a dynamic module by name
show modules: List modules and info about them
show uptime: Show uptime information
show version: Display Asterisk version info

AGI commands
------------
show agi: Show AGI commands or specific help
dump agihtml: Dumps a list of agi command in html format
Database handling commands
database del: Removes database key/value
database deltree: Removes database keytree/values
database get: Gets database value
database put: Adds/updates database value
database show: Shows database contents
database showkey: Shows database contents: An alternative to showing keys by family
with database show, this command shows all the families with a particular key

IAX Channel commands

---------------------
iax2 debug: Enable IAX debugging
iax2 no debug: Disable IAX debugging
iax2 set jitter: Sets IAX jitter buffer
iax2 show cache: Display IAX cached dialplan
iax2 show channels: Show active IAX channels
iax2 show netstats: Show network and jitter buffer statistics for active IAX calls
iax2 show peers: Show defined IAX peers
iax2 show registry: Show IAX registration status
iax2 show stats: Display IAX statistics
iax2 show users: Show defined IAX users
iax2 trunk debug: Request IAX trunk debug
iax debug: Enable IAX debugging
iax no debug: Disable IAX debugging
iax set jitter: Sets IAX jitter buffer
iax show cache: Display IAX cached dialplan
iax show channels: Show active IAX channels
iax show peers: Show defined IAX peers
iax show registry: Show IAX registration status
iax show stats: Display IAX statistics
iax show users: Show defined IAX users
init keys: Initialize RSA key passcodes
show keys: Displays RSA key information

H323 channel commands

---------------------
h.323 debug: Enable chan_h323 debug
h.323 gk cycle: Manually re-register with the Gatekeper
h.323 hangup: Manually try to hang up a call
h.323 no debug: Disable chan_h323 debug
h.323 no trace: Disable H.323 Stack Tracing
h.323 show codecs: Show enabled codecs
h.323 show tokens: Manually try to hang up a call
h.323 trace: Enable H.323 Stack Tracing

SIP channel commands

--------------------
Debugging
Enable
sip debug
sip set debug on (valid on 1.6.2.7)
Disable
sip no debug
sip set debug off (valid on 1.6.2.7)
sip reload: Reload sip.conf (added after 0.7.1 on 2004-01-23)
sip show channels: Show active SIP channels
sip show channel: Show detailed SIP channel info
sip show inuse: List all inuse/limit
sip show peers: Show defined SIP peers (clients that register to your Asterisk
server), see details here
sip show registry: Show SIP registration status (when Asterisk registers as a
client to a SIP Proxy)
sip show subscriptions: Lists all sip presence (busy lamp indication) subscriptions
sip show users: Show defined SIP users
voicemail show users
core show channels
sip notify Usage: sip notify <type> <peer> [<peer>...]
yalink reboot: sip notify restart-yealink 208
Aastra reboot: sip notify aastra-check-cfg 42561 % where 42561 is the sip phone.
Polycom Reboot: sip notify polycom-reboot 255 % where 255 is the name/username

Zap channel commands

--------------------
zap destroy channel: Destroy a channel
zap show channels: Show active zapata channels
zap show channel: Show information on a channel
zap show status: lists all the Zaptel spans. A span will apear here whether or not
its channels are configured with chan_zap.
zap show cadences: Show the configured ring cadences (available e.g with Zap/1r2).
zap set swgain(<= 1.6): set the (software) gain for a channel. Temporary
equivalents of rxgain and txgain in zapata.conf.
zap set hwgain(<=1.6): set the hardware gain for channels that support it.
zap set dnd(<=1.6) set a channel’s do-not-disturb mode on or off.

The following commands are available if the channel is built with support for
libpri:

pri debug span: Enables PRI debugging on a span

pri intense debug span: Enables REALLY INTENSE PRI debugging
pri no debug span: Disables PRI debugging on a span
pri show spans: List spans and their status.
pri show span: Information about a span.
pri show debug: show where debug is enabled.
See section 3 of AT&T tr41459_99 to better understand what the output generated by
the pri debug command means.

Bristuff adds bri debug which is an alias for pri debug.

TODO: SS7 support

Console channel commands

------------------------
dial: Dials the given extension, if specified, from the console. Can be used to
initiate a call, or to dial digits during an existing call.
answer: Answer a call if one is currently ringing on the console.
hangup: Hangup the call if there is currently one on the console.
MGCP channel commands
mgcp audit endpoint: Audit specified MGCP endpoint
mgcp debug: Enable MGCP debugging
mgcp no debug: Disable MGCP debugging
mgcp show endpoints: Show defined MGCP endpoints

skinny channel commands

-----------------------
skinny debug: Enable Skinny debugging
skinny no debug: Disable Skinny debugging
skinny show lines: Show defined Skinny lines per device

CAPI channel commands

---------------------
capi debug: Enable CAPI debugging
capi no debug: Disable CAPI debugging
capi info: Show CAPI info

Sirrix ISDN channel commands

----------------------------
srx reload: Reload channel driver configuration; active calls are not being
terminated!
srx show ccmsgs: Disable / enable output of incoming callcontrol messages.
srx show chans: Show info about B-Channels
srx show globals: Show info about global settings
srx show groups: Show info about configured groups
srx show layers: Show info about ISDN stack (Layer 1, 2, 3)
srx show sxpvts: Show private info about active channels
srx show timers: Show info about running timers

Batch files with CLI

--------------------
If you meant “can Asterisk read a series of commands from a file” the
answer is no, but something like the following may do:

cat batch-file\
| awk ‘{printf “/usr/sbin/asterisk -r -x \”%s\”\n”, $0}’\
| sh

The above is very slow, though. A faster option is to use socat and write the
commands directly to the Asterisk socket.
#!/bin/sh
while read line
do
echo -n "$line"
sleep 0.001
done \
| socat STDIN UNIX-CONNECT:/var/run/asterisk/asterisk.ctl
Another version without socat :

#!/bin/sh
while read line; do
echo "$line" | tr '\n' '\0'
sleep 0.001
done | nc -U /var/run/asterisk/asterisk.ctl

The short sleep is only needed to guarantee that every line is written in a
separate write() call.
It will not print any output from any command, though, or even report an error. And
you’ll have to end your “programs” with a “quit” line.