RUNCON(1)

📦
version 9.10 · 5 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💖 RUNCON 💖 — the runcon(1) page, bestie edition

okay so picture this: you're on a Linux box, SELinux is running the show, and you need a command to run inside a specific security context. that's runcon. it lives in User Commands, section 1 of the manual. let's get into it 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

runcon — run command with specified security context

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

runcon [CONTEXT COMMAND [ARG]...]
runcon [-c] [-u USER] [-r ROLE] [-t TYPE] [-l RANGE] COMMAND [ARG]...

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Run COMMAND with a completely-specified CONTEXT, or with the current security context — or a transitioned one — that's been tweaked by one or more of LEVEL, ROLE, TYPE, and USER. it's giving "I know exactly where I belong" ✨

If none of -c, -t, -u, -r, or -l is specified, the first argument is used as the complete context. Any additional arguments after COMMAND are interpreted as arguments to the command. so like, order matters, bestie 👑

⚠️ real talk: only carefully-chosen contexts are likely to run successfully. you can't just throw vibes at SELinux and hope. it WILL humble you.

Run a program in a different SELinux security context. With neither CONTEXT nor COMMAND, print the current security context. cute lil "who am I rn" moment 💅

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too. (say it with me now 📣)

CONTEXT : Complete security context. the whole thing, full fit, no skips 🎀

👑 OPTIONS 👑

  • -c, --compute — compute process transition context before modifying. do the math first, then change the outfit 🧮
  • -t, --type=TYPE — type (for same role as parent). staying in the family role, just switching up the type ✨
  • -u, --user=USER — user identity. who you're being, basically 🪪
  • -r, --role=ROLE — role. main character energy, but like, a specified main character 🌟
  • -l, --range=RANGE — levelrange. the range, the whole range, nothing but the range 🌈
  • --help — display this help and exit. always peek before you leap, bestie 🙈
  • --version — output version information and exit. for the girlies who need to know which version ate 📌

🚦 Exit status: 🚦

  • 125 — if the runcon command itself fails 😭
  • 126 — if COMMAND is found but cannot be invoked 💀
  • 127 — if COMMAND cannot be found 🕵️
  • - — the exit status of COMMAND otherwise. otherwise you just inherit whatever energy the command brought 💜

🌟 AUTHOR 🌟

Written by Russell Coker. thank you king 🫶

🙋 REPORTING BUGS 🙋

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

and that's the whole page, no cap ✨

packaged by Ubuntu (9.10-1ubuntu2) — shoutout to the packagers, iconic behavior 💅

Copyright © 2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html. This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. (read it again, bestie — no warranty fr fr 🫣)

GNU coreutils 9.10 · August 2026 · RUNCON(1) — okay bye ily, go run something in a context that slays 🦋💖

📦 where this page comes from