inkscape

Open an SVG file in the Inkscape GUI

$ inkscape [path/to/file.svg]

$ inkscape [path/to/file.svg] [[-o|--export-filename]] [path/to/file.png]

$ inkscape [path/to/file.svg] [[-o|--export-filename]] [path/to/file.png] [[-w|--export-width]] 600 [[-h|--export-height]] 400

$ inkscape [path/to/file.svg] [[-o|--export-filename]] [path/to/file.png] [[-D|--export-area-drawing]]

$ inkscape [path/to/file.svg] [[-i|--export-id]] [id] [[-o|--export-filename]] [object.png]

$ inkscape [path/to/file.svg] [[-o|--export-filename]] [path/to/file.pdf] [[-T|--export-text-to-path]]

$ inkscape [path/to/file.svg] --select=path123 --verb="[EditDuplicate;ObjectRotate90;FileSave;FileQuit]"

inkscape [options] [file]

-f, --file=<filename>
    Load specified document(s)

--select=<object-id>
    Select object(s) by ID (comma-separated)

--verb=<verb-name>
    Execute verbs (GUI actions)

--query-id=<id>[,<id>]
    Query object data (x,y,w,h,etc)

--query-all
    Query data for all objects

--shell
    Enter interactive command shell

--actions=<list>
    Execute semicolon-separated actions

--export-filename=<name>
    Set output filename (used with export-do)

--export-png=<file>
    Export to PNG format

--export-pdf=<file>
    Export to PDF format

--export-plain-svg=<file>
    Export to plain SVG (no Inkscape extensions)

--export-svg=<file>
    Export to SVG format

--export-eps=<file>
    Export to EPS

--export-ps=<file>
    Export to PS

--export-emf=<file>
    Export to EMF

--export-wmf=<file>
    Export to WMF

--export-area=<area>
    Export area: drawing|page|selection|content|x,y,w,h

--export-area-drawing
    Export drawing bounds

--export-area-page
    Export page bounds

--export-area-selection
    Export selection bounds

--export-id=<id>
    Export specific object

--export-id-only
    Crop to exported object

--export-dpi=<dpi>
    Set export DPI

--export-width=<w>
    Set export width (px/in)

--export-height=<h>
    Set export height (px/in)

--export-background=<color>
    Background RGBA color

--export-background-opacity=<0-1>
    Background opacity

--export-text-to-path
    Convert text to paths

--export-ignore-filters
    Skip filter effects

--pdf-page=<n>
    Select PDF page

--without-gui
    Run headless (no GUI)

-V, --version
    Print version info

-?, --help
    Show help

--help-actions
    List available actions

--help-verbs
    List available verbs

Inkscape is a professional, free, and open-source vector graphics editor with native SVG support. Its command-line interface enables powerful headless automation for batch processing, file conversions, object manipulation, and querying. Users can export to PNG, PDF, EPS, plain SVG, and more; query bounding boxes, IDs, and attributes; select and transform objects; execute GUI verbs or custom actions; and process multiple files without the graphical interface.

Ideal for scripts, CI/CD pipelines, servers, and integration with tools like ImageMagick. The --actions system provides a scripting language for complex workflows (e.g., open; select; rotate; export; close). Export options offer precise control over area (drawing/page/selection/object), DPI, dimensions, backgrounds, and rendering (text-to-path, ignore filters). Supports PDF input via Poppler. Verbose logging and shell mode aid debugging and interactivity.

CLI replicates most GUI features, making it suitable for production environments while minimizing dependencies.

CLI requires full Inkscape install; some filters/extensions need GUI libs even headless. High memory use for complex/large SVGs. No real-time preview.

inkscape --shell
file-open:doc.svg
select:MyRect
export-filename:out.png
export-do

inkscape *.svg --export-type=png --export-filename=%f.png

inkscape file.svg --query-id=MyPath --query-x --query-y --query-width --query-height

Forked from Sodipodi in 2003; CLI introduced in 0.48 (2010), actions system in 0.92 (2017), major enhancements in 1.0+ (2020) for batch/export stability.

rsvg-convert(1), convert(1), gimp(1)