GPSPIPE(1) GPSD Documentation GPSPIPE(1)

# [NAME](#NAME)

gpspipe - tool to connect to gpsd and retrieve sentences

# [SYNOPSIS](#SYNOPSIS)

**gpspipe** \[OPTIONS] \[server\[:port\[:device]]]

**gpspipe** -h

**gpspipe** -V

# [DESCRIPTION](#DESCRIPTION)

**gpspipe** is a tool to connect to **gpsd** and output the received sentences to stdout. This makes the program useful as a pipe from **gpsd** to another program or file.

**gpspipe** does not require root privileges, and can be run concurrently with other tools connecting to the local **gpsd** without causing problems.

The output will consist of one or both of the raw NMEA or native **gpsd** sentences. Each line can be optionally time stamped. There is also an option to exit gracefully after a given count of packets.

**gpspipe** may be run as a daemon, but requires the **-o, --output** flag for writing the output to a file.

# [OPTIONS](#OPTIONS)

**-?**, **-h**, **--help**

Print a usage message and exit.

**-2**, **--split24**

**-2** sets the split24 flag on AIS reports.

**-B**, **--nobuffer**

Do not buffer the output.

**-d**, **--daemonize**

Run as a daemon.

**-D LVL**, **--debug LVL**

Set debug level to LVL.

**-l**, **--sleep**

Sleep for ten seconds before attempting to connect to **gpsd**. This is very useful when running as a daemon, giving **gpsd** time to start before attempting a connection.

**-n COUNT**, **--count COUNT**

Exit after COUNT messages are output.

**-o FILE**, **--output FILE**

Cause the collected data to be written to the specified file. Use of this option is mandatory if **gpspipe** is run as a daemon.

**-p**, **--profile**

Dump profiling information in JSON.

**-P**, **--pps**

Enables dumping of PPS drift JSON in NMEA and raw modes.

**-r**, **--nmea**

Cause NMEA sentences to be output. This may be NMEA, pseudo NMEA built from binary data, or some combination of both.

**-R**, **--raw**

Causes super-raw (gps binary) data to be output. This will forward exactly what the device sent.

**-s DEV**, **--serial DEV**

Cause the collected data to be written to the specified serial device (DEV) with settings 4800 8N1. Thus **gpspipe** can be used with **-s, --serial** and **-r, --nmea** options to emulate a serial port hardwired to a GPS that **gpsd** is managing.

**-S**, **--scaled**

Set the scaled flag. This is for AIS and SUBFRAME data only. Scaled data will be output in the JSON, instead of raw data in the JSON.

**-t**, **--timestamp**

Add a UTC timestamp to each sentence output.

**-T FMT**, **--timefmt FMT**

Set the format of the timestamp. See [**strftime**(3)](/man/os/gpsd/strftime.3) for the available placeholders. Setting this option implies **-t** (**--timestamp**). Default setting is "%F %T"

**-u**, **--usec**

Use usec resolution time stamp, implies **-t** (**--timestamp**). Use twice (**-uu**) to output sec.usec.

**-v**, **--spinner**

Show a spinning activity indicator on stderr. This is useful if stdout is redirected into a file or a pipe. By default the spinner is advanced with every messages written; specifying **-v**, or **--spinner**, more than once will double the number of messages required to rotate the spinner.

**-V**, **--version**

Print the program version and exit.

**-w**, **--json**

Cause native **gpsd** JSON sentences to be output.

**-x SEC**, **--seconds SEC**

Exit after delay of SEC seconds.

**-Z**, **--zulu**

Set the timestamp format iso8601: implies **-t**.

At least one of **-R**, **-r** or **-w** must be specified.

You must use **-o** if you use **-d**.

# [ARGUMENTS](#ARGUMENTS)

By default, clients collect data from the local **gpsd** daemon running on localhost, using the default GPSD port 2947. The optional argument to any client may override this behavior: **\[server\[:port\[:device]]]**

For further explanation, and examples, see the **ARGUMENTS** section in the [**gps**(1)](/man/os/gpsd/gps.1) man page

# [EXAMPLES](#EXAMPLES)

When **gpsd** is running, this example will send one hundred raw NMEA sentences to standard output, then exit:

```
$ gpspipe -r -n 100
```

When **gpsd** is running, this example will wait at most 5 seconds for a TPV message, print it to stdout, then exit:

```
$ gpspipe -x 5 -w|sed -n '/TPV/{p;q}'
```

Use **gpspipe** and **socat** to serve NMEA from the local **gpsd** on tcp port 2948:

```
$ socat EXEC:'gpspipe -r' TCP-LISTEN:2948,reuseaddr,fork
```

The paranoid may wish to have **socat** run as user 'nobody' and only accept connections from the local network. Using the **-B** option to **gpspipe** will reduce latency and jitter The "su=nobody" means this must be run as root:

```
# socat EXEC:'gpspipe -rB' \


   TCP-LISTEN:2948,reuseaddr,fork,su=nobody,range=192.168.0.0/24
```

# [RETURN VALUES](#RETURN_VALUES)

**0**

on success.

**1**

on failure

# [SEE ALSO](#SEE_ALSO)

[**gpsd**(8)](/man/os/gpsd/gpsd.8), [**gps**(1)](/man/os/gpsd/gps.1), [**gpsfake**(1)](/man/os/gpsd/gpsfake.1), [**socat**(1)](/man/os/gpsd/socat.1).

# [RESOURCES](#RESOURCES)

**Project web site:** <https://gpsd.io/>

# [COPYING](#COPYING)

This file is Copyright 2013 by the GPSD project  
SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-clause

# [AUTHOR](#AUTHOR)

Gary E. Miller

2026-08-30 GPSD, Version 3.27.5

---

Document: gpspipe(1) from gpsd 3.27.5-r4 (Chainguard OS)
Source: https://gitlab.com/gpsd/gpsd