cat

Print the target contents of files, scripts, or symlinks

The cat command prints the target contents of one or more files, scripts, or symlinks. For templates, it shows the evaluated output.

Usage

chezmoi cat target...

Description

The cat command displays what chezmoi would write to your destination directory for the specified targets. This is useful for:

• Templates: See the evaluated output without applying
• Encrypted files: View decrypted contents without saving to disk
• Scripts: Preview script contents
• Symlinks: Show symlink targets

Unlike chezmoi apply, this command doesn’t modify any files.

Examples

View a template’s output

chezmoi cat ~/.gitconfig

If ~/.gitconfig is a template, this shows the evaluated version with all template variables replaced.

View an encrypted file

chezmoi cat ~/.ssh/config

If the file is encrypted, chezmoi decrypts it and prints the plaintext.

View multiple files

chezmoi cat ~/.bashrc ~/.zshrc

Prints the contents of both files concatenated.

View a symlink target

chezmoi cat ~/.config/nvim

For symlinks, prints the link target followed by a newline.

Pipe to other commands

chezmoi cat ~/.bashrc | grep alias

Search through the target contents.

Compare template output with destination

diff <(chezmoi cat ~/.bashrc) ~/.bashrc

See differences between the target state and current file.

Terminal Output

$ chezmoi cat ~/.gitconfig
[user]
    name = John Doe
    email = [e-mail]
[core]
    editor = nvim

Use Cases

Debug templates

When a template isn’t evaluating correctly:

chezmoi cat ~/.bashrc

See the actual output and identify template errors.

Verify encryption

Check that a file is properly encrypted in the source:

# This should show plaintext
chezmoi cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa

# This should show encrypted data
cat ~/.local/share/chezmoi/private_dot_ssh/encrypted_private_id_rsa.age

Preview before applying

# See what will be written
chezmoi cat ~/.bashrc

# Compare with current file  
diff <(chezmoi cat ~/.bashrc) ~/.bashrc

# Apply if satisfied
chezmoi apply ~/.bashrc

Extract specific content

# Get all aliases from bashrc
chezmoi cat ~/.bashrc | grep "^alias"

# Count lines in the target
chezmoi cat ~/.vimrc | wc -l

Template Debugging Example

Source template (dot_bashrc.tmpl):

export EDITOR={{ .editor }}
export PATH=$HOME/bin:$PATH
{{ if eq .chezmoi.os "darwin" }}
alias ls="ls -G"
{{ else }}
alias ls="ls --color=auto"
{{ end }}

View the evaluated output:

$ chezmoi cat ~/.bashrc
export EDITOR=nvim
export PATH=$HOME/bin:$PATH
alias ls="ls --color=auto"

Error Messages

If a target is not a file, script, or symlink:

$ chezmoi cat ~/.config
error: .config: not a file, script, or symlink

If a template has errors:

$ chezmoi cat ~/.bashrc  
error: .bashrc: template: dot_bashrc.tmpl:5: undefined variable "editr"

Related Commands

• apply - Apply the files shown by cat
• execute-template - Execute arbitrary templates
• diff - Show differences between target and destination