Command-Line Interface

Use Kudu from the terminal for automation and scripting. Run scans, cleaning, and maintenance tasks headlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Kudu includes a full command-line interface for running operations without the graphical UI. This is useful for automation, scripting, and managing headless servers.

Usage

kudu [command] [options]

Available Commands

Cleaning

Command	Description
`scan`	Run a scan — specify `system`, `browser`, `app`, `gaming`, or `all`
`clean`	Scan and clean in one step

Registry

Command	Description
`registry scan`	Scan the registry for issues
`registry fix`	Fix all detected registry issues

Startup

Command	Description
`startup list`	List all startup items
`startup disable <name>`	Disable a startup item
`startup enable <name>`	Enable a startup item
`startup boot-trace`	Analyze boot time impact of startup items

Security

Command	Description
`malware scan`	Run malware detection
`privacy scan`	Check current privacy settings
`privacy apply`	Apply privacy-friendly settings

Services

Command	Description
`services scan`	List services with safety classification
`services optimize`	Disable all services marked as safe

Updates

Command	Description
`updates check`	Check for available software updates
`updates run`	Install available updates
`drivers scan`	Check for stale drivers
`drivers update`	Install driver updates

Other

Command	Description
`network clean`	Clean network caches (DNS, ARP, Wi-Fi, history)
`debloat scan`	Scan for bloatware
`debloat remove`	Remove detected bloatware
`perf info`	Show system information
`history`	View scan history
`help`	Show help for all commands

Output Formats

By default, Kudu prints human-readable text output. Add the --json flag to any command to get structured JSON output, which is useful for scripting and piping into other tools.

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	Error occurred

Automation Examples

Kudu's CLI integrates well with system schedulers:

Windows Task Scheduler — Create a task that runs kudu clean on a schedule
cron (macOS/Linux) — Add a cron job for automated maintenance
CI/CD pipelines — Include system checks in your build or deployment workflows
Custom scripts — Chain Kudu commands with other tools using --json output