CLI reference

conda completion has six subcommands.

Global options

conda completion accepts conda’s global --json and --quiet flags silently for compatibility with global conda invocation patterns. They are hidden from the help output because the subcommand output is intended for humans and shell integration.

--cache-dir PATH

Store completion cache files in PATH for this invocation. This follows conda-style precedence: command-line option first, then CONDA_COMPLETION_CACHE_DIR, then the platform user cache directory.

conda completion generate

Introspect conda’s argparse tree and write the completion manifest.

conda completion [--cache-dir PATH] generate [--no-repodata]

Writes to the platform’s cache directory (e.g., ~/.cache/conda/completion/completion.msgpack on Linux). See Manifest format for paths on all platforms.

--no-repodata

Generate command, flag, and plugin completion data without package names or package versions. Runtime contextual completions from project files still work.

Runs via conda_post_commands after conda install, conda remove, or conda update when registered conda entry point names changed. Run it manually after installing a plugin outside conda’s package manager, or after updating a plugin whose command metadata changed without an entry point name change.

conda completion refresh

Force conda-completion to rebuild package names and versions from conda repodata.

conda completion [--cache-dir PATH] refresh

Use this when a newly published package or version is missing from completion results. It bypasses conda-completion’s 24-hour package metadata reuse and rewrites completion.msgpack, versions.index, and versions.store.

conda completion install

Generate the manifest and add the completion hook to your shell’s RC file.

conda completion [--cache-dir PATH] install [shell] [--yes] [--dry-run] [--no-repodata]

shell

Shell to install for. Auto-detected if omitted. Detection checks CONDA_COMPLETION_SHELL, the parent process tree, SHELL, and then the platform default.

--yes

Skip the confirmation prompt.

--dry-run

Show what would be written without modifying files. Does not generate completion data and does not fetch repodata.

--no-repodata

Generate command completions without package metadata during the delegated generation step. Runtime contextual completions from project files still work.

Idempotent: running it twice does not duplicate the hook.

When --cache-dir is passed to install, the installed startup hook keeps using that cache directory by passing the same option to conda completion init <shell>.

conda completion uninstall

Remove the completion hook from your shell’s RC file.

conda completion uninstall [shell] [--yes] [--dry-run]

shell

Shell to uninstall for. Auto-detected if omitted.

--yes

Skip the confirmation prompt.

--dry-run

Show what would be removed without modifying files.

conda completion init

Print the shell completion script to stdout, for use in eval statements.

conda completion [--cache-dir PATH] init <shell>

shell (required)

One of bash, zsh, powershell, fish.

Examples

# bash / zsh
eval "$(conda completion init bash)"

# PowerShell
conda completion init powershell | Invoke-Expression

# fish
conda completion init fish | source

conda completion status

Show diagnostics: manifest location, age, size, command/package counts, plugin hash, package-version cache files, and completer binary path.

conda completion [--cache-dir PATH] status

Example output:

Cache directory: /home/user/.cache/conda/completion
Manifest: /home/user/.cache/conda/completion/completion.msgpack
  Last generated: 3 minutes ago (245760 bytes)
  Commands: 42
  Packages: 28540
  Plugin hash: a1b2c3d4e5f67890
Package versions index: /home/user/.cache/conda/completion/versions.index
  Size: 1048576 bytes
Package versions store: /home/user/.cache/conda/completion/versions.store
  Size: 2621440 bytes
Current plugin hash: a1b2c3d4e5f67890
Completer binary: /home/user/.conda/envs/base/bin/_conda_completer

If Current plugin hash differs from the manifest’s Plugin hash, the manifest is stale. Run conda completion generate, or let the post-command hook regenerate it after the next conda install, conda remove, or conda update.