SALT-CALL(1)

📦
version 3007.13 · 9 versions
, in alpine 3.24, nixos 26.05

💅 SALT-CALL(1): the salt-call bestie page 💅

🌸 NAME 🌸

salt-call — the salt-call Documentation icon, here to run module functions locally and serve looks. ✨

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

salt-call [options]

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

The salt-call command is used to run module functions locally on a minion instead of executing them from the master. Salt-call is used to run a Standalone Minion, and was originally created for troubleshooting. No cap, it’s the “do the thing right here” girlie. 💅

The Salt Master is contacted to retrieve state files and other resources during execution unless the --local option is specified. So yes, it still talks to master unless you tell it not to, bestie.

NOTE: salt-call commands execute from the current user’s shell context, while salt commands execute from the system’s default context. That distinction is highkey important, iykyk. 🫶

✨ OPTIONS ✨

Okay so here’s the whole menu, every flag and default included, no skipped items:

  • --version — Print the version of Salt that is running. 👑
  • --versions-report — Show program’s dependencies and version number, and then exit. 💫
  • -h, --help — Show the help message and exit. The classic.
  • -c CONFIG_DIR, --config-dir=CONFIG_dir — The location of the Salt configuration directory. This directory contains the configuration files for Salt master and minions. The default location on most systems is /etc/salt. 🗂️
  • --hard-crash — Raise any original exception rather than exiting gracefully. Default: False. Dramatic in the best way. 💀
  • -g, --grains — Return the information generated by the Salt grains. 🌾
  • -m MODULE_DIRS, --module-dirs=MODULE_DIRS — Specify an additional directory to pull modules from. Multiple directories can be provided by passing -m /--module-dirs multiple times. Stack ’em, bestie. 🧚
  • -d, --doc, --documentation — Return the documentation for the specified module or for all modules if none are specified. Study era fr fr. 📚
  • --master=MASTER — Specify the master to use. The minion must be authenticated with the master. If this option is omitted, the master options from the minion config will be used. If multi masters are set up the first listed master that responds will be used. 👑
  • --return RETURNER — Set salt-call to pass the return data to one or many returner interfaces. To use many returner interfaces specify a comma delimited list of returners. 💌
  • --local — Run salt-call locally, as if there was no master running. Main character energy, no master needed. 🦋
  • --file-root=FILE_ROOT — Set this directory as the base file root. 🌸
  • --pillar-root=PILLAR_ROOT — Set this directory as the base pillar root. 🌈
  • --retcode-passthrough — Exit with the salt call retcode and not the salt binary retcode. The receipts matter. 🧾
  • --no-return-event — Do not send the return event back to master. 🙈
  • --metadata — Print out the execution metadata as well as the return. This will print out the outputter data, the return code, etc. Extra info, extra slay. ✨
  • --id=ID — Specify the minion id to use. If this option is omitted, the id option from the minion config will be used. 🪪
  • --skip-grains — Do not load grains. Bye grains, love you though. 🌾
  • --refresh-grains-cache — Force a refresh of the grains cache. Glow-up for the cache. 🔥

🎀 Logging Options 🎀

Logging options which override any settings defined on the configuration files.

  • -l LOG_LEVEL, --log-level=LOG_LEVEL — Console logging log level. One of all, garbage, trace, debug, info, warning, error, quiet. Default: warning. 👀
  • --log-file=LOG_FILE — Log file path. Default: /var/log/salt/minion. 🗂️
  • --log-file-level=LOG_LEVEL_LOGFILE — Logfile logging log level. One of all, garbage, trace, debug, info, warning, error, quiet. Default: warning. 💅

🌟 Output Options 🌟

  • --out — Pass in an alternative outputter to display the return of data. This outputter can be any of the available outputters: highstate, json, key, overstatestage, pprint, raw, txt, yaml, and many others. Some outputters are formatted only for data returned from specific functions. If an outputter is used that does not support the data passed into it, then Salt will fall back on the pprint outputter and display the return data using the Python pprint standard library module. 💖
  • --out-indent OUTPUT_INDENT, --output-indent OUTPUT_INDENT — Print the output indented by the provided value in spaces. Negative values disable indentation. Only applicable in outputters that support indentation. 🎀
  • --out-file=OUTPUT_FILE, --output-file=OUTPUT_FILE — Write the output to the specified file. 🗂️
  • --out-file-append, --output-file-append — Append the output to the specified file. 🫶
  • --no-color — Disable all colored output. 🚫🌈
  • --force-color — Force colored output. 🌈✨
NOTE: When using colored output the color codes are as follows: - green denotes success - red denotes failure - blue denotes changes and success - yellow denotes an expected future change in configuration
  • --state-output=STATE_OUTPUT, --state_output=STATE_OUTPUT — Override the configured state_output value for minion output. One of 'full', 'terse', 'mixed', 'changes' or 'filter'. Default: 'none'. 💫
  • --state-verbose=STATE_VERBOSE, --state_verbose=STATE_VERBOSE — Override the configured state_verbose value for minion output. Set to True or False. Default: none. 👑

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

Go read these too, bestie: salt(1), salt-master(1), salt-minion(1). 💖

🌸 AUTHOR 🌸

Thomas S. Hatch <thatch45@gmail.com> and many others, please see the Authors file.

2026

Stay hydrated and may your retcodes be true 💖 — Salt 3007.13, generated on February 11, 2026 at 19:51:30 UTC. SALT-CALL(1) out. 🫶

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