Read Device Logs

Read retained logs with GetLogs:

synapsectl -u $DEVICE logs
synapsectl -u $DEVICE logs --log-level WARNING --since 60000
synapsectl -u $DEVICE logs \
  --start-time 2026-07-28T12:00:00 \
  --end-time 2026-07-28T13:00:00

Follow new entries with TailLogs:

synapsectl -u $DEVICE logs --follow

Option	Purpose
`-l LEVEL`, `--log-level LEVEL`	Minimum severity: `DEBUG`, `INFO`, `WARNING`, `ERROR`, or `CRITICAL`. Default: `INFO`.
`-S N`, `--since N`	Return entries from the last `N` milliseconds.
`--start-time`, `--end-time`	Select an ISO-formatted time range.
`-f`, `--follow`	Follow new log entries. Time-range options do not apply in follow mode.
`-o FILE`, `--output FILE`	Write formatted log lines to a local file.
`-q`, `--quiet`	Suppress stdout while retaining file output.

Manage Files

Call file to list, download, or remove files from a device filesystem using SFTP.

# List a directory
synapsectl -u $DEVICE file ls /data

# Download a file
synapsectl -u $DEVICE file get /data/recording.h5 --output_path ./recordings

# Download a directory
synapsectl -u $DEVICE file get /data/session --recursive --output_path .

# Remove a file or directory
synapsectl -u $DEVICE file rm /data/recording.h5
synapsectl -u $DEVICE file rm /data/session --recursive

Subcommand	Syntax and behavior
`ls [PATH]`	List a directory. `PATH` defaults to `/`.
`get REMOTE_PATH`	Download a file. Add `-r` or `--recursive` for a directory and `-o PATH` or `--output_path PATH` to select the local destination.
`rm PATH`	Delete a file. Add `-r` or `--recursive` to delete a directory tree. There is no confirmation prompt.

All three subcommands accept:

--username USERNAME: SFTP user; default scifi-sftp.
-e FILE, --env-file FILE: password file; default .scienv.
-f, --forget-password: do not store a newly entered password for future use.

The file-command -u shorthand means --username, so put the global device selector before file:

synapsectl -u $DEVICE file ls /data --username scifi-sftp

If the password is not already stored in .scienv, synapsectl prompts for it. On SciFi devices, you can find it under Settings > Device Info > DiskWriter Pass.

Manage Settings

Settings are device-defined schemas. Use settings get to inspect current values before updating them.

synapsectl -u $DEVICE settings get
synapsectl -u $DEVICE settings set name recording-room-a
synapsectl -u $DEVICE settings set fpga_clock_freq_hz 80000000
synapsectl -u $DEVICE settings set per_network_mac_address true

settings get runs a kGetSettings Query. settings set KEY VALUE validates the value against the advertised schema and calls UpdateDeviceSettings. The device must be stopped before an update.

Values are converted according to the schema:

Strings and enum values are passed as text.
Integer and double settings are parsed as numbers.
Boolean values are case-insensitive. true, 1, yes, and on are true; use false for false.
Arrays and objects are not supported by this command.

Manage a Device

Read Device Logs

Manage Files

Manage Settings