Open via CLI

Install the desktop app to open local, live, and cloud data sources via the command line.

Local files

Once you've installed the desktop app, Foxglove will be the default handler for .mcap files. Depending on your operating system, you can open a local file using:

Linux

foxglove-studio /path/to/your/file.mcap

Windows

start /path/to/your/file.mcap

macOS

open /path/to/your/file.mcap

Live and cloud data sources

To open live and cloud data souces from CLI, call foxglove://open with any shareable link. For example:

Linux

foxglove-studio "foxglove://open?ds=foxglove-websocket&ds.url=ws://myrobot:8765/"

Windows

start "foxglove://open?ds=foxglove-websocket&ds.url=ws://myrobot:8765/"

macOS

open "foxglove://open?ds=foxglove-websocket&ds.url=ws://myrobot:8765/"

This will open the desktop app and connect to ws://myrobot:8765/ over the Foxglove websocket protocol.

tip

Make sure to wrap the URL in double quotes (") to prevent the shell from interpreting special characters.