Documentation
CLI Reference
status - Show Configuration Status

status - Show Configuration Status

The status command displays the current Update-Watcher configuration in a human-readable table or machine-readable JSON format. It shows all configured watchers, notifiers, global settings, and cron status at a glance.

Usage

Terminal
update-watcher status [--format table|json]

Flags

FlagTypeDefaultDescription
--formattable|jsontableOutput format. Use json for machine-readable output suitable for scripting.

Output

The default table output provides a quick overview of the configuration:

Output
=== Update-Watcher Status ===

Hostname:    web-prod-01
Config File: /etc/update-watcher/config.yaml

Watchers:
  TYPE        ENABLED   OPTIONS
  apt         yes       security_only=false, use_sudo=true, hide_phased=true
  docker      yes       (defaults)
  wordpress   yes       name="Blog", path=/var/www/blog

Notifiers:
  TYPE        ENABLED   DESTINATION
  slack       yes       #ops-alerts
  email       yes       admin@example.com

Settings:
  Send Policy:  only-on-updates
  Log File:     /var/log/update-watcher.log

Cron:
  Status:     active
  Schedule:   0 7 * * * (daily at 07:00)

What Is Shown

  • Hostname – The server name used in notifications. Shows “(auto-detect)” if not explicitly set.
  • Config File – The resolved path to the configuration file in use.
  • Watchers – Each configured checker with its type, enabled/disabled state, and non-default options.
  • Notifiers – Each configured notification channel with its type, enabled/disabled state, and target destination.
  • Settings – Global settings including send policy and log file path.
  • Cron – Whether a cron job is installed, and if so, its schedule expression.

Disabled watchers and notifiers are still listed, marked with “no” in the ENABLED column.

For scripting and automation, request JSON output:

Terminal
update-watcher status --format json

The JSON output includes the same information in a structured format suitable for parsing with tools like jq:

Terminal
update-watcher status --format json | jq '.watchers[] | .type'

For detailed examples of working with JSON output, see JSON Output.

Examples

Quick Status Check

Terminal
update-watcher status

Check Which Watchers Are Enabled

Terminal
update-watcher status --format json | jq '.watchers[] | select(.enabled == true) | .type'

Verify Config File Location

Terminal
update-watcher status --format json | jq '.config_file'

Use a Specific Config File

Terminal
update-watcher status --config /path/to/config.yaml

Use Cases

  • Verify setup – After running the setup wizard or editing the YAML config, check that all watchers and notifiers are configured as expected.
  • Debug issues – Confirm which config file is being loaded and what settings are active.
  • Audit – Review the configuration on a server during maintenance or handoff.
  • Scripting – Use JSON output to programmatically check configuration state across multiple servers.

Related

  • validate – Validate the configuration for errors.
  • setup – Interactive wizard for modifying the configuration.
  • Configuration – Full YAML configuration reference.
  • JSON Output – Working with machine-readable output.
unwatch - Remove a Watchervalidate - Validate Configuration