CLI Reference¶

Complete reference for every pymobiledevice3 command, generated from the CLI itself at build time. For task-oriented examples see the CLI recipes.

Command groups¶

Group	Description
`activation`	Perform iCloud activation/deactivation or query the current state
`afc`	Browse, push, and pull files via the AFC service (/var/mobile/Media).
`amfi`	Enable developer-mode or query its state
`apps`	List, query, install, uninstall, and inspect apps on the device.
`backup2`	Create, inspect, and restore MobileBackup2 backups.
`btlogger`	Capture Bluetooth HCI traffic to a file. Use '-' to stream to stdout.
`bonjour`	Browse devices over bonjour
`companion`	List paired "companion" devices
`crash`	Manage crash reports
`cryptex`	Manage cryptexes via cryptexd (iOS 17+, requires an RSD tunnel).
`developer`	Developer tooling for iOS devices (requires Developer Mode + mounted DeveloperDiskImage).
`diagnostics`	Reboot/Shutdown device or access other diagnostics services
`lockdown`	Pair/Unpair device or access other lockdown services
`mounter`	Mount/Umount DeveloperDiskImage or query related info
`notification`	Post or observe Darwin notifications via notification_proxy.
`pcap`	Sniff device traffic.
`power-assertion`	Create a power assertion
`processes`	View process list using diagnosticsd API
`profile`	Manage installed profiles or install SSL certificates
`provision`	Manage installed provision profiles
`remote`	Create and browse RemoteXPC tunnels (RSD/tunneld) for developer services.
`restore`	Restore/erase IPSWs, fetch blobs, and manage devices in Recovery/DFU.
`springboard`	Interact with SpringBoard UI (icons, wallpapers, orientation, shell).
`syslog`	Watch syslog messages
`usbmux`	Inspect usbmuxd-connected devices and forward TCP ports to them.
`webinspector`	Control Safari/WebViews (tabs, automation, JS shells, CDP). Requires Web Inspector and Remote Automation enabled on the device.
`idam`	Access IDAM (Inter-Device Audio and MIDI) configuration
`version`	Query pymobiledevice3 version

Connection options¶

Device-facing commands accept a shared set of options selecting the target device and transport. Each command's page lists which of them it accepts.

Option	Description
`--rsd HOST PORT`	Hostname and port of a RemoteServiceDiscovery (from any of the `start-tunnel` subcommands). Mutually exclusive with --tunnel.
`--tunnel <str>`	Use a device discovered via tunneld. Provide a UDID (optionally with :PORT) or leave empty to pick interactively. Mutually exclusive with --rsd. [env var: PYMOBILEDEVICE3_TUNNEL]
`--userspace`	Establish the iOS 17+ tunnel in-process with a pure-Python userspace network stack, so NO root/admin is required. Downloads (device->host, e.g. fetch-symbols) run at roughly the kernel tunnel's throughput; host->device transfers (DDI mounts, file pushes) are slower, as their send segments are kept small for reliable delivery through the pure-Python path. Use when you cannot run a privileged tunnel. [env var: PYMOBILEDEVICE3_USERSPACE]
`--mobdev2 / --no-mobdev2`	Discover devices over bonjour/mobdev2 instead of usbmux. [default: no-mobdev2]
`--usbmux <str>`	Address of the usbmuxd daemon (unix socket path or HOST:PORT). Defaults to the platform usbmuxd if omitted. [env var: PYMOBILEDEVICE3_USBMUX, USBMUXD_SOCKET_ADDRESS]
`--udid <str>`	Target device UDID (defaults to the first USB device). [env var: PYMOBILEDEVICE3_UDID]

See iOS 17+ tunnels for when a tunnel (--rsd/--tunnel/ --userspace) is required and how the no-root userspace default works.