clinfo

OpenCL platform and device information tool

TLDR

Display all OpenCL information

$ clinfo

Display only platform and device list

$ clinfo -l

Display in raw format

$ clinfo --raw

Display offline devices

$ clinfo --offline

Display output in JSON format

$ clinfo --json

clinfo displays detailed information about OpenCL platforms and devices available on the system. It queries the OpenCL runtime to report capabilities, memory sizes, supported features, and extensions.The output includes information for each OpenCL platform (vendor implementation) and its devices (GPUs, CPUs, accelerators). Details include device type, compute units, memory sizes, supported OpenCL versions, and available extensions.This information is essential for developing and debugging OpenCL applications, verifying driver installations, and understanding hardware capabilities for GPU computing tasks.

PARAMETERS

-l, --list

List platforms and devices only.

--raw

Raw output format.

-a, --all-props

Try to retrieve all properties, even those not officially supported.

-A, --always-all-props

Like -a, but also shows errors for unsupported properties.

--offline

Show offline devices.

--json

Output raw data in JSON format (experimental).

-h, --human

Human-readable format (default).

-v, --version

Show program version.

OUTPUT INCLUDES

Platform: Vendor, version, profile, extensionsDevice: Type, vendor, compute units, frequenciesMemory: Global, local, constant memory sizesWorkgroup: Maximum sizes and dimensionsImage: Supported image formats and sizesExtensions: Available OpenCL extensions

CAVEATS

Requires OpenCL runtime and ICD (Installable Client Driver) loader installed. Output varies based on installed drivers; missing or outdated drivers may show incomplete information. clinfo only shows OpenCL devices, not CUDA or other compute APIs.

HISTORY

clinfo was developed as a diagnostic tool for the OpenCL ecosystem. OpenCL (Open Computing Language) was released by Apple and standardized by Khronos Group in 2009 as a framework for parallel programming across heterogeneous platforms. clinfo became an essential utility for developers and users to verify OpenCL setup and understand available compute capabilities.