The Meshtastic Command Line Interface (CLI) is a comprehensive way to configure a Meshtastic node. Here are all of the CLI commands:

Help & Version Flags

• -h / –help Shows the full help/usage message (what you’re looking at now).
• –version Displays the version number of the Meshtastic Python CLI tool and exits.
• –support Outputs detailed diagnostic/support information (useful when asking for help on Discord/GitHub).

Connection Options (choose one; serial is default)

• –port [PORT] (also –serial, -s) Specifies the serial port (e.g., COM12, /dev/ttyUSB0) to connect to the device.
• –host [HOST] (also –tcp, -t) Connects to a Meshtastic device over TCP/IP (e.g., hostname or IP like 192.168.1.100).
• –ble [BLE] (also -b) Connects to a device via Bluetooth Low Energy using name or MAC address.
• –ble-scan Scans for nearby discoverable Meshtastic BLE devices and lists their names & addresses.

Targeting / Destination

• –dest !xxxxxxxx Specifies the target node ID (e.g., !fe1932db) for remote administration commands (traceroute, sendtext to a specific node, etc.).
• –ch-index INDEX Selects which channel (0 = primary) to operate on for channel-related commands (–ch-set, –ch-add, etc.).

Configuration Management

• –configure CONFIGURE Applies a complete configuration from a YAML file (usually one exported with –export-config).
• –export-config Exports the current full device configuration as YAML (pipe to file: > config.yaml).
• –get FIELD Retrieves the value of a specific configuration field (e.g., –get lora.region). Use an invalid field like all to list everything.
• –set FIELD VALUE Sets a configuration value (e.g., –set lora.region US, –set power.wait_bluetooth_secs 28800). Chain multiple for batch changes.
• –begin-edit / –commit-edit Starts/commits a multi-step configuration edit session (rarely used directly; mostly for advanced scripting).

Canned Messages & Ringtone (plugins)

• –get-canned-message Shows the current list of canned (quick-reply) messages.
• –set-canned-message SET_CANNED_MESSAGE Sets the canned messages (pipe-separated, e.g., “Ack|On my way|ETA 30min”).
• –get-ringtone Displays the current custom ringtone string.
• –set-ringtone RINGTONE Sets a custom notification ringtone melody (specific encoded format, max ~230 chars).

Quick LoRa Modem Preset Shortcuts (for primary channel)

These instantly apply common LoRa presets (spreading factor + bandwidth + coding rate):

• –ch-vlongslow → Very Long Slow (max range, very slow data rate)
• –ch-longslow → Long Slow
• –ch-longfast → Long Fast (good balance)
• –ch-medslow → Medium Slow
• –ch-medfast → Medium Fast
• –ch-shortslow → Short Slow
• –ch-shortfast → Short Fast (fastest, shortest range)

Owner / Position / Channel Quick Settings

• –set-owner SET_OWNER Sets the long name/owner name of the device (shown in mesh).
• –set-owner-short SET_OWNER_SHORT Sets the short name (max 4 chars, used for compact display).
• –set-ham SET_HAM Configures for licensed amateur radio use: sets callsign as name, disables encryption on primary channel, marks as licensed.
• –seturl SETURL Imports an entire channel + LoRa config from a Meshtastic share URL.
• –setalt SETALT / –setlat SETLAT / –setlon SETLON Sets a fixed (static) position: altitude (m), latitude, longitude. Disables GPS.
• –remove-position Clears any fixed position and re-enables GPS if available.
• –pos-fields [POS_FIELDS …] Chooses which position fields to broadcast (ALTITUDE, HEADING, SPEED, etc.). No args lists current.

Channel Management

• –ch-add CH_ADD Adds a new secondary channel with the given name.
• –ch-del Deletes the channel at the current –ch-index.
• –ch-set FIELD VALUE Sets a channel-specific setting (e.g., –ch-set name “Field Ops”, –ch-set psk random, –ch-set psk none).
• –ch-enable / –ch-disable Deprecated — old commands to enable/disable channels (use –ch-add / –ch-del now).
• –channel-fetch-attempts ATTEMPTS Sets how many times the CLI retries fetching channel info (useful on flaky connections).

QR Code Sharing

• –qr Shows a QR code + URL for the primary channel.
• –qr-all Shows QR codes + URLs for all channels.

Information & Network

• –info Prints detailed device info (firmware version, channels, LoRa config, owner, etc.).
• –nodes Lists all known nodes in the mesh with signal stats, last heard, etc.

Messaging & Diagnostics

• –sendtext TEXT Sends a text message to the mesh (or to –dest if specified).
• –traceroute !xxxxxxxx Performs a traceroute to the specified node (shows hop-by-hop path).
• –request-telemetry Requests current telemetry (battery, temp, air utilization, etc.) from –dest.
• –request-position Requests current position from –dest.
• –reply Listens for messages and automatically replies with device info.

Device Control / Reset

• –reboot Reboots the device.
• –reboot-ota Reboots into OTA (over-the-air) update mode.
• –enter-dfu Enters DFU (Device Firmware Upgrade) mode (for some platforms).
• –shutdown Shuts down/sleeps the device (if supported).
• –device-metadata Shows low-level device hardware/firmware metadata.
• –factory-reset / –factory-reset-device Performs a full factory reset (wipes all settings).
• –remove-node !xxxxxxxx Removes a specific node from this device’s NodeDB.
• –reset-nodedb Clears the entire known-nodes database.
• –set-time [TIMESTAMP] Manually sets the device time (Unix timestamp; usually auto-handled).

Logging & Behavior Modifiers

• –seriallog [LOG_DESTINATION] Controls serial debug logging: stdout, none, or filename.
• –ack Waits for acknowledgment when sending to a single destination.
• –timeout SECONDS Sets max wait time for responses (default usually 30–60s).
• –no-nodes Prevents sending node info at startup (for low-traffic setups).
• –debug Enables verbose debug output from the CLI.
• –test Runs a basic stress/integration test against the device.
• –wait-to-disconnect [SECONDS] Pauses before closing connection (helps avoid reboot glitches).
• –noproto Disables Meshtastic protocol → acts as dumb serial terminal (debug only, serial only).
• –listen Keeps connection open and listens/prints all incoming protocol messages.
• –no-time Prevents sending current time to mesh at startup.

Power / Hardware (Advanced / Remote)

• –power-riden POWER_RIDEN | –power-ppk2-meter | –power-ppk2-supply | –power-sim Selects power monitoring/sourcing mode (Riden supply, Nordic PPK2, simulation).
• –power-voltage POWER_VOLTAGE Sets target voltage for power stress testing.
• –power-stress Runs power stress test.
• –power-wait Waits for stable power before proceeding.
• –slog [SLOG] (Likely serial log variant; rarely documented).
• –gpio-wrb GPIO_WRB GPIO_WRB Writes value to GPIO pin(s) (remote hardware control via –dest).
• –gpio-rd GPIO_RD Reads GPIO pin state(s).
• –gpio-watch GPIO_WATCH Monitors GPIO pin(s) for changes.

Most users only need a small subset (connection + –info, –set, –nodes, –sendtext). For tower/router nodes like your Heltec V3 setup, common useful ones include –set device.role ROUTER, –info, –nodes, –ble, and channel/position tweaks.