Command-line interface

Use JetBrains Rider features from the command line: open files and projects, view diffs, merge files, apply code style formatting, and inspect the source code.

Launcher for a standalone instance

The installation directory contains batch scripts and executables for launching JetBrains Rider, formatting the source code, and running inspections. To use them from the Command Prompt cmd.exe, add the location of the JetBrains Rider bin folder to the PATH environment variable. For example, if you installed JetBrains Rider to C:\Program Files\JetBrains\JetBrains Rider, you can use the following command:

set PATH=%PATH%;C:\Program Files\JetBrains\JetBrains Rider\bin

This command changes the PATH environment variable for the current shell only (the current instance of cmd.exe). If you want to update it permanently for the current user, run setx. To update it system-wide for all users, run setx /M.

After you configure the PATH variable, you can run the corresponding executable from any working directory in the Command Prompt: %winexe64% for 64-bit versions or %winexe32% for 32-bit versions. Alternatively, you can use the batch script: rider.bat.

To run JetBrains Rider from the shell, use the open command with the following options:

-a: specify the application.
--args: specify additional arguments when passing more than just the file or directory to open.
-n: open a new instance of the application even if one is already running.

For example, you can run JetBrains Rider.app with the following command:

open -na "JetBrains Rider.app"

You can create a shell script with this command in a directory from your PATH environment variable. For example, create the file /usr/local/bin/rider with the following contents:

            #!/bin/sh

            open -na "JetBrains Rider.app" --args "$@"

Make sure you have permissions to execute the script and since /usr/local/bin should be in the PATH environment variable by default, you should be able to run rider from anywhere in the shell.

On Linux, the installation directory contains the launcher shell script rider.sh under bin. For example, if you installed JetBrains Rider to /opt/rider, you can run the script using the following command:

/opt/rider/bin/rider.sh

You can create a symbolic link to the launcher script in a directory from the PATH environment variable. For example, if you installed JetBrains Rider to /opt/rider and want to create a link named rider in /usr/local/bin, run the following command:

ln -s /opt/rider/bin/rider.sh /usr/local/bin/rider

Since /usr/local/bin should be in the PATH environment variable by default, you should be able to run the rider command from anywhere in the shell.

Shell scripts generated by the Toolbox App

If you are using the Toolbox App to install and manage JetBrains products, it can create shell scripts for launching your IDEs from the command line.

Generate shell scripts

Open the Toolbox App and click in the top right corner.
In the Toolbox App Settings, enable Generate shell scripts.
If necessary, change the shell scripts location.

If you have several versions of the same IDE, the Toolbox App generates a shell script for each version with a unique name. You can change the name of the shell script for an IDE instance in the settings for this specific instance.

Change the name of the shell script

Open the Toolbox App.
Click next to the relevant IDE instance and select Settings.
At the bottom, change the Shell script name field.

By default, the Toolbox App puts shell scripts in a directory from the system PATH environment variable, so you can run the name of the script as a command to launch JetBrains Rider from any working directory.

Command-line arguments

The launcher script accepts commands, options, and other arguments to modify its behavior:

Argument	Description
No argument	Launch JetBrains Rider.
Path to file or directory	Open the file or directory specified as the argument. For more information, see Open files from the command line.
Commands
`diff`	Open the diff viewer to see differences between two specified files. For more information, see Compare files from the command line.
`merge`	Open the Merge dialog to merge the specified files. For more information, see Merge files from the command line.
`attach-to-process`	Start JetBrains Rider, open the specified solution, and create a new debugger session that will attach to the specified PID. Syntax: rider attach-to-process <pid> [<path-to-solution>] Where: `pid` — process id to attach to `path-to-solution` — non-mandatory path to the solution that should be opened. You can specify either the path to the .sln file or just a directory. If not defined, then a new empty solution will be generated automatically. This may be helpful for projects without sources, when you just need to attach to some external process.
Options
`nosplash`	Do not show the splash screen when loading JetBrains Rider.
`dontReopenProjects`	Do not reopen projects and show the welcome screen. This can help if a project that was open crashes JetBrains Rider for some reason.
`disableNonBundledPlugins`	Do not load manually installed plugins. This can help if a plugin that you installed crashes JetBrains Rider for some reason. You will be able to start the IDE and either disable or uninstall the problematic plugin.
`--wait`	Wait for the files to be closed before returning to the command prompt.

Last modified: 08 March 2021