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Dot commands are special instructions that start with a . and control the shell itself rather than querying the database. They do not require a trailing semicolon.

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Quick reference

CommandDescription
.helpShow the help message listing all available commands.
.quitExit the shell.
.exit [CODE]Exit the shell with an optional return code.
.open FILENAME [VFS]Open (or create) a database file.
.schema [TABLE]Display the CREATE statement for a table or for all objects.
.dumpDump the entire database as SQL statements.
.tables [PATTERN]List tables, optionally filtered by a glob pattern.
.databasesList attached databases.
.mode MODESet the output mode (pretty, list, or line).
.output [FILE]Redirect output to a file, or back to stdout if no argument.
.headers on|offShow or hide column headers in list mode.
.nullvalue VALUEString to display in place of NULL in list mode.
.echo on|offPrint each command before executing it.
.showPrint the current values of all shell settings.
.import [--csv] FILE TABLEImport data from a CSV file into a table.
.load PATHLoad a compiled extension library (.so / .dylib / .dll).
.indexes [TABLE]List indexes, optionally for a specific table.
.stats [on|off] [-r]Display or toggle execution statistics. -r resets after display.
.timer on|offToggle query execution timing.
.vfslistList available VFS modules.
.cd DIRECTORYChange the shell working directory.
.opcodes [NAME]Show VDBE opcode descriptions, optionally filtered by name.
.clone OUTPUT_FILEClone the open database to another file.
.read FILEExecute SQL statements from a file.
.parameter set|list|clearManage named SQL parameter bindings.
.manual [PAGE]Display built-in manual pages. .man with no argument lists all pages.
.dbtotxt [--page N]Print raw database page contents as text.

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Database and file management

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.open FILENAME [VFS]

Open or create a database file. If the file does not exist it is created. 
turso> .open employees.db
turso> .open employees.db memory
Use .open :memory: to switch to an in-memory database within the same session.

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.clone OUTPUT_FILE

Clone the currently open database to a new file without closing it. 
turso> .clone backup.db

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.read FILE

Execute all SQL statements from a file. 
turso> .read migrations/001_create_tables.sql

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Schema inspection

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.schema [TABLE]

Display the CREATE statement for a table. Without an argument, shows all objects. 
turso> .schema users
CREATE TABLE users (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT, email TEXT);
turso> .schema
CREATE TABLE users (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT, email TEXT);
CREATE TABLE posts (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, user_id INT, body TEXT);

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.tables [PATTERN]

List all tables. An optional glob pattern filters the results. 
turso> .tables
users   posts   comments
turso> .tables us%
users

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.indexes [TABLE]

List all indexes in the database. With a table name, shows only indexes for that table. 
turso> .indexes
turso> .indexes users

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.databases

List all attached databases. 
turso> .databases
main: employees.db

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Data export

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.dump

Dump the entire database as a sequence of SQL statements. Useful for backups or migrating data. 
turso> .dump
BEGIN TRANSACTION;
CREATE TABLE users (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT, email TEXT);
INSERT INTO users VALUES(1,'Alice','alice@example.com');
INSERT INTO users VALUES(2,'Bob','bob@example.com');
COMMIT;

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Data import

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.import [--csv] FILE TABLE

Import data from a file into a table. Use --csv for CSV files. 
turso> .import --csv data/users.csv users

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Output mode

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.mode MODE

Change how query results are displayed. Available modes:
ModeDescription
prettyBordered table with aligned columns (default).
listPipe-separated values, matching SQLite’s default format.
lineOne column per line in name = value format.
turso> .mode list
turso> SELECT * FROM users;
1|Alice|alice@example.com
2|Bob|bob@example.com
turso> .mode pretty
turso> SELECT * FROM users;
┌────┬───────┬───────────────────┐
│ id │ name  │ email             │
├────┼───────┼───────────────────┤
│ 1  │ Alice │ alice@example.com │
├────┼───────┼───────────────────┤
│ 2  │ Bob   │ bob@example.com   │
└────┴───────┴───────────────────┘

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.headers on|off

Toggle column headers in list mode. 
turso> .mode list
turso> .headers on
turso> SELECT * FROM users;
id|name|email
1|Alice|alice@example.com

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.nullvalue VALUE

Set the string printed in place of NULL in list mode. 
turso> .nullvalue NULL
turso> SELECT NULL;
NULL

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.output [FILE]

Redirect query output to a file. Call .output with no argument to restore stdout. 
turso> .output results.txt
turso> SELECT * FROM users;
turso> .output

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Shell settings

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.show

Print the current values of all shell settings. 
turso> .show
Settings:
Output mode: pretty
DB: employees.db
Output: STDOUT
Null value:
CWD: /home/user/project
Echo: off
Headers: off

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.echo on|off

Print each command to stdout before executing it. 
turso> .echo on
turso> SELECT 1;
SELECT 1;
1

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.timer on|off

Toggle timing output after each statement. 
turso> .timer on
turso> SELECT count(*) FROM users;
42
Run Time: 0.001s

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.stats [on|off] [-r]

Display execution statistics. Pass on or off to enable automatic stats after every query. The -r flag resets counters after displaying them.

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.cd DIRECTORY

Change the shell’s current working directory. 
turso> .cd /tmp

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Extensions and VFS

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.load PATH

Load a compiled extension shared library. 
turso> .load /target/debug/liblimbo_regexp

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.vfslist

List all available VFS (Virtual File System) modules. 
turso> .vfslist
syscall
memory

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Parameter bindings

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.parameter set|list|clear

Manage named SQL parameter bindings for use in subsequent queries. 
turso> .parameter set :name alice
turso> SELECT * FROM users WHERE name = :name;
┌────┬───────┬───────────────────┐
│ id │ name  │ email             │
├────┼───────┼───────────────────┤
│ 1  │ Alice │ alice@example.com │
└────┴───────┴───────────────────┘
turso> .parameter list
:name = alice
turso> .parameter clear :name
turso> .parameter clear
Accepted parameter name styles: :name, @name, $name, ?1.

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Diagnostics

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.opcodes [NAME]

Show VDBE bytecode opcode descriptions. With no argument, lists all opcodes. 
turso> .opcodes Goto
Goto: Jump to instruction P2.

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.dbtotxt [--page N]

Print raw database page contents as text. Use --page N to inspect a specific page number. 
turso> .dbtotxt --page 1

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Built-in manual

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.manual [PAGE]

Display built-in manual pages for specific features. Without an argument (or with .man), lists all available pages. 
turso> .manual mcp
turso> .man

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Exiting the shell

Use .quit or .exit to leave the shell. .exit CODE exits with a specific return code. 
turso> .quit
turso> .exit 1
You can also press Ctrl-D (EOF) to exit, or press Ctrl-C twice to force quit.

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