---
description: Compose CLI reference
keywords: fig, composition, compose, docker, orchestration, cli, reference
title: Command-line completion
---

Compose comes with [command completion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command-line_completion)
for the bash and zsh shell.

## Install command completion

### Bash

Make sure bash completion is installed.

#### Linux

1. On a current Linux OS (in a non-minimal installation), bash completion should be
available.

2. Place the completion script in `/etc/bash_completion.d/`.

    ```shell
    sudo curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/docker/compose/{{site.compose_version}}/contrib/completion/bash/docker-compose -o /etc/bash_completion.d/docker-compose
    ```

### Mac

##### Install via Homebrew

1. Install with `brew install bash-completion`.
2. After the installation, Brew displays the installation path. Make sure to place the completion script in the path.

    For example, when running this command on Mac 10.13.2, place the completion script in `/usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d/`.

    ```shell
    sudo curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/docker/compose/{{site.compose_version}}/contrib/completion/bash/docker-compose -o /usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d/docker-compose
    ```

3. Add the following to your `~/.bash_profile`:

    ```shell
    if [ -f $(brew --prefix)/etc/bash_completion ]; then
    . $(brew --prefix)/etc/bash_completion
    fi
    ```

4. You can source your `~/.bash_profile` or launch a new terminal to utilize
completion.

##### Install via MacPorts

1. Run `sudo port install bash-completion` to install bash completion.

2. Add the following lines to `~/.bash_profile`:

    ```shell
    if [ -f /opt/local/etc/profile.d/bash_completion.sh ]; then
    . /opt/local/etc/profile.d/bash_completion.sh
    fi
    ```

3. You can source your `~/.bash_profile` or launch a new terminal to utilize
completion.

### Zsh

Make sure you have [installed `oh-my-zsh`](https://ohmyz.sh/) on your computer. 

#### With oh-my-zsh shell

Add `docker` and `docker-compose` to the plugins list in `~/.zshrc` to run autocompletion within the oh-my-zsh shell. In the following example, `...` represent other Zsh plugins you may have installed.

```shell
plugins=(... docker docker-compose
)
 ```

#### Without oh-my-zsh shell

1. Place the completion script in your `/path/to/zsh/completion` (typically `~/.zsh/completion/`):

    ```shell
    $ mkdir -p ~/.zsh/completion
    $ curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/docker/compose/{{site.compose_version}}/contrib/completion/zsh/_docker-compose > ~/.zsh/completion/_docker-compose
    ```

2. Include the directory in your `$fpath` by adding in `~/.zshrc`:

    ```shell
    fpath=(~/.zsh/completion $fpath)
    ```

3. Make sure `compinit` is loaded or do it by adding in `~/.zshrc`:

    ```shell
    autoload -Uz compinit && compinit -i
    ```

4. Then reload your shell:

    ```shell
    exec $SHELL -l
    ```

## Available completions

Depending on what you typed on the command line so far, it completes:

 - available docker-compose commands
 - options that are available for a particular command
 - service names that make sense in a given context, such as services with running or stopped instances or services based on images vs. services based on Dockerfiles. For `docker-compose scale`, completed service names automatically have "=" appended.
 - arguments for selected options. For example, `docker-compose kill -s` completes some signals like SIGHUP and SIGUSR1.

Enjoy working with Compose faster and with fewer typos!

## Compose documentation

- [User guide](index.md)
- [Installing Compose](install.md)
- [Command line reference](reference/index.md)
- [Compose file reference](compose-file/index.md)
- [Sample apps with Compose](samples-for-compose.md)