Betaflight CLI Explained: Everything You Need to Know As Beginner

The Betaflight CLI (Command Line Interface) is a powerful tool that gives FPV drone builders direct access to all flight controller settings. While most pilots rely on the graphical interface, the CLI provides deeper control, faster workflows, and access to all advanced settings. In this guide, you’ll learn what the CLI is, why it matters, the essential commands every pilot should know, and how to configure and troubleshoot using the CLI.

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What is Betaflight CLI?

Betaflight CLI is a text-based interface where users can send commands and configure settings on the flight controller.

Why use the CLI when you already have a graphical user interface (GUI)? While most settings are accessible through the GUI, some advanced options are only available via the command line. These settings are typically not needed by most pilots, so they are kept out of the GUI to reduce clutter.

Additionally, the CLI is an efficient way for advanced users to check, copy, and restore settings.

Why Use Betaflight CLI?

1. Access to Advanced Settings: CLI provides access to all settings, including those not available in the GUI.
2. Easy Backup and Restore: You can save and restore configurations by copying and pasting commands.
3. Efficient Troubleshooting: Quickly identify and adjust parameters that might be causing issues with your drone.

How to Access CLI?

1. Connect your flight controller to your computer via USB
2. Open Betaflight Configurator and click Connect
3. Go to the CLI tab on the left-hand panel

You’ll see a command prompt where you can start typing commands.

If you’re new to Betaflight Configurator, check out this tutorial: https://oscarliang.com/betaflight-firmware-setup/

How to Use Betaflight CLI

You can type commands in the text input field at the bottom of the screen and press Enter to execute them.

Typically, a command follows this structure:

[command] [setting] = [value]

For example, to disable RC smoothing:

set rc_smoothing = OFF

save

After changing a setting, you must type save to apply it. The flight controller will reboot immediately after saving.

If you exit the CLI without saving, your changes will be lost.

To exit the CLI without saving settings, you can

• Enter the command exit
• Or, click on another tab
• Or, click the top-right “disconnect” button
• Or, unplug USB cable
• Or, just close the configurator

CLI Syntax Basics

The syntax in Betaflight CLI is simple and beginner-friendly.

Not Case Sensitive

Commands are case insensitive in CLI, you can type commands in any case you want, big letters, small letters, don’t matter, all of the following work the same:

set serialrx_inverted = on
SET SERIALRX_INVERTED = ON
seT serialRX_inverTED = oN

Spaces Don’t Matter

Extra spaces around the equal sign (=) don’t matter. The CLI will still interpret the command correctly, all these command work the same:

set serialrx_inverted = on
set serialrx_inverted=on
set serialrx_inverted =on
set serialrx_inverted =         on

Basic CLI Commands You Must Know

help – List All Commands

help

This shows every available CLI command.

Use this when:

• You don’t know what commands exist
• You’re exploring new features

status – Check FC System Info

status

This is one of the most important commands.

It shows:

• CPU type (F4, F7, H7, etc.) and clock speed
• Available sensors (gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer, magnetometer, GPS, etc.)
• Flash memory
• Firmware build key (useful for checking build options)
• System info such as CPU load, voltage, gyro rate, etc.

Use this for quick diagnostics, especially if something isn’t working (e.g., gyro missing).

get – View Settings

get

You can use this to search for specific settings, which is especially useful if you don’t have them memorized:

get gps

For instance, this returns all settings that begin with “gps” (basically all GPS-related settings), you can then pick the settings you want, and check its current value.

And if I want to check Turtle mode related settings (Flip Over After Crash), I type

get crashflip

set – Change Settings

set yaw_expo = 0

This modifies a parameter.

save – Apply Changes

save

Changes are NOT saved until you run the save command. This will reboot the flight controller.

exit – Leave Without Saving

exit

Use this if you don’t want to save changes.

Tip: You can also unplug the FC to discard unsaved changes.

Saving and Copying Configurations

To output your entire configuration, use:

dump

This prints all Betaflight settings.

This can be used for backing up your drone configuration, or for sharing with other pilots when troubleshooting a problem. You run this command, and copy the output to a text file. When you want to restore Betaflight settings (or copy the exact same settings to another drone), you simply copy these lines, paste them in the CLI, and enter save.

One problem with dump is the huge output – typically over 1000 lines. That’s why the diff command might be preferred.

diff

Unlike dump, this only shows settings that differ from defaults, making it much shorter and easier to work with.

Tip: For backup and restore, there’s no need to use CLI nowadays, the process is now simplified by using the Preset tab as explained here: https://oscarliang.com/backup-restore-betaflight-config/

Tips and Tricks

Press TAB to Auto-Complete

Start typing a command and press TAB to auto-complete or see suggestions.

Start typing a command and press TAB to auto complete. If there are multiple options, the CLI will suggest all possibilities. This is convenient, especially for long commands.

Don’t Forget to SAVE!

Always type save before exiting CLI if you want to keep the changes.

Bootloader Mode (DFU)

Instead of pressing the boot button on the FC, you can put the FC into bootloader mode (DFU mode) by entering this command:

bl

To exit DFU mode, unplug (power off FC) and reconnect the USB cable.

System Monitoring

The task command shows the CPU load of all processes running on the flight controller. This is great for troubleshooting if your FC is experiencing CPU load issues.

Commands Might Have Changed – Get Help!

Some command name might change from version to version. When in doubt, you can always check the available commands using help.

Other Useful Betaflight CLI Commands

Here are some frequently used commands you should know about:

Full CLI command list: https://www.betaflight.com/docs/wiki/guides/current/Betaflight-2025.12-CLI-commands

Conclusion

The Betaflight CLI may look intimidating at first, but once you learn a few key commands, it becomes an incredibly powerful but simple to use tool. Betaflight CLI is essential for any FPV drone pilot looking to dive deeper into their setup, explore advanced features, troubleshoot issues, and backup and restore configurations easily. Happy flying!

Edit History

• May 2018 – Guide created
• Feb 2019 – Updated, added “Syntax”
• May 2021 – Added “Tips and Tricks”
• Aug 2024 – Updated
• Mar 2026 – Updated