systemctl-cat
Display systemd unit file contents
TLDR
SYNOPSIS
systemctl cat PATTERN...
DESCRIPTION
systemctl cat displays the full contents of unit files as systemd sees them, including the main unit file and any drop-in override files. It shows the absolute path of each file before its contents.This is useful for debugging unit configuration, especially when drop-in files in `.d/` directories modify the base unit.
PARAMETERS
--user
Query the calling user's systemd --user manager instead of the system manager.--system
Query the system manager (default).--no-pager
Do not pipe output through a pager.--root=PATH
Read unit files from an alternate filesystem root (useful for inspecting a chroot or mounted image).--image=PATH
Read unit files from a disk image file at PATH.-M, --machine=NAME
Operate on the systemd manager inside the named container or VM.-l, --full
Do not ellipsize displayed paths.
CAVEATS
Shows the raw file contents, not the effective configuration after parsing. Use `systemctl show` to see the actual runtime values. Template units should be specified with the trailing @ symbol.
HISTORY
The cat subcommand is part of systemctl in the systemd project. It provides a convenient way to inspect unit configuration without manually locating files across multiple directories.
SEE ALSO
systemctl(1), systemctl-edit(1), systemctl-show(1)
