CRYPTSETUP-CONFIG(8)

✨ CRYPTSETUP-CONFIG ✨ (that's the cryptsetup-config page from section 8, maintenance commands bestie)

🌸 NAME 🌸

cryptsetup-config — set permanent configuration options (store to LUKS header) 💾

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

cryptsetup config <options> <device>

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so. this command sets permanent configuration options, and by permanent we mean it writes them straight into the LUKS header. like, they live there now. no take-backs without rewriting the header. 💅

heads up bestie: the config command is supported only for LUKS2. LUKS1 girlies, this is not for you.

the permanent options you can set are:

• --priority — sets the priority (normal, prefer, ignore) for a keyslot, and you pick which keyslot with --key-slot 🔑
• --label — set a label
• --subsystem — set a subsystem

and <options> can be [--priority, --label, --subsystem, --key-slot, --header, --disable-locks]. that's the whole roster, no more no less. 📋

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✨ OPTIONS ✨

• --batch-mode, -q — suppresses all confirmation questions. use with care! 😭 and if --verify-passphrase is not specified, this option also switches off the passphrase verification. so like, no double-checking your typing. scary but iconic.
• --debug or --debug-json — run in debug mode with full diagnostic logs. debug output lines are always prefixed by #. and if you use --debug-json, you also get additional LUKS2 JSON data structures printed out. 🐛✨
• --disable-locks — disable lock protection for metadata on disk. this option is valid only for LUKS2 and is ignored for other formats.

WARNING: do not use this option unless you run cryptsetup in a restricted environment where locking is impossible to perform (where the /run directory cannot be used). fr fr, don't just vibe your way into this one. 💀

• --header <device or file storing the LUKS header> — use a detached (separated) metadata device or file where the LUKS header is stored. this option allows one to store the ciphertext and the LUKS header on different devices. 🫶

for commands that change the LUKS header (e.g., luksAddKey), specify the device or file with the LUKS header directly as the LUKS device.

• --help, -? — show help text and default parameters. the classic. 🎀
• --key-slot, -S <0-N> — for LUKS operations that add key material, this option lets you specify which keyslot is selected for the new key. 🔑

the maximum number of keyslots depends on the LUKS version. LUKS1 can have up to 8 keyslots. LUKS2 can have up to 32 keyslots based on keyslot area size and key size, but a valid keyslot ID can always be between 0 and 31 for LUKS2.

• --label <label>, --subsystem <subsystem> — set label and subsystem description for a LUKS2 device. these are similar to filesystem labels. the label and subsystem are optional fields and can be later used in udev scripts to trigger user actions once the device marked by these labels is detected. 🏷️
• --priority <normal|prefer|ignore> — set a priority for a LUKS2 keyslot. the prefer priority marked slots are tried before the normal priority ones. the ignored priority means that the slot is never used, if not explicitly requested by the --key-slot option. 👑
• --usage — show short option help. the little snack version. 🍓
• --version, -V — show the program version. ⭐

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💀 REPORTING BUGS 💀

found a bug? bestie, report it at the cryptsetup mailing list <cryptsetup@lists.linux.dev> or in the Issues project section <https://gitlab.com/cryptsetup/cryptsetup/-/issues/new>.

please attach the output of the failed command with --debug option added. that's the receipt, we need the receipt. 🙈

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• Cryptsetup FAQ <https://gitlab.com/cryptsetup/cryptsetup/wikis/FrequentlyAskedQuestions>
• cryptsetup(8), integritysetup(8) and veritysetup(8)

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👑 CRYPTSETUP 👑

part of the cryptsetup project <https://gitlab.com/cryptsetup/cryptsetup/>. main character energy, no cap. 💜

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and that's the whole page, babe ✨ this was cryptsetup 2.8.8, dated 2026-09-07, from the cryptsetup project — go forth and configure your LUKS headers responsibly 🧚💖