sdm Command Hints and Tricks

June 20, 2025 ยท View on GitHub

I'll expand this with useful commands and what they do, often leaning more toward the intermediate to advanced user. Please feel free to open an issue with additional tips/suggestions!

  • Do the most minimal sdm command to quickly test out a new plugin, or some other setting that depends only on the base system

    Test a new plugin doing as little as possible so that plugin test run is quick

sudo sdm --customize --nouser --poptions noupdate,noupgrade,noautoremove --plugin myplugin 2023-02-21-raspios-bullseye-arm64.img
  • Consider using the --plugin switch with a plugin name of @file if you have more than one or two plugins. This enables you to put your plugin details in a text file. This enables you to:
    • Rearrange the plugin ordering more easily
    • Worry a lot less about a missing double quote or breaking bash syntax when updating (double quotes not required in pluglist file)
    • See Plugins for details
  • The sdm history file (/etc/sdm/history) coding is easily-missed, but provides additional information. Each message line (except for message continuations) starts with an indicator about the line content.
    • * Start of a new 'section' (e.g., * Start Phase 1 image customization)
    • > Inform you of something that sdm is doing
    • % Warning you that something isn't quite right, but forging ahead
    • ? An error was identified. sdm will stop operation

Easily get access to the logs within a customized IMG or burned disk

The --extract-log /path/to/dir switch will extract the logs from a customized IMG or a burned disk. The switch can be used in a few different ways:

  • By itself, as in sudo sdm --extract-log /path/to/dir /dev/sdX or sudo sdm --extract-log /path/to/dir 2025-05-13-raspios-arm64-lite.img
  • In conjunction with the --customize switch. The logs are extracted as the last step after the customize has completed.
  • In conjunction with the --burn switch. The logs are extracted as the last step after the burn has completed. NOTE: The switch is processed before any burn plugins are run, so their output will not be included in the extracted logs.