{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "FSTAB-DECODE",
    "section": "8",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/FSTAB-DECODE/8/json",
    "generated": "2026-10-04T15:30:43Z",
    "synopsis": "fstab-decode COMMAND [ARGUMENT ...]",
    "sections": {
        "NAME": {
            "content": "fstab-decode - run a command with fstab-encoded arguments\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SYNOPSIS": {
            "content": "fstab-decode COMMAND [ARGUMENT ...]\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DESCRIPTION": {
            "content": "fstab-decode  decodes escapes (such as newline characters and other whitespace) in the speci‐\nfied ARGUMENTs and uses them to run COMMAND.  The argument escaping uses the  same  rules  as\npath escaping in /etc/fstab, /etc/mtab and /proc/mtab.\n\nIn  essence fstab-decode can be used anytime we want to pass multiple parameters to a command\nas a list of command line arguments. It turns output like this:\n\n/root\n/mnt/remote-disk\n/home\n\nInto one long list of parameters, \"/root /mnt/remote-disk /home\". This\ncan be useful when trying to work with multiple filesystems at once. For\ninstance, we can use it to unmount multiple NFS shares. This program also\nremoves whitespace and other characters which might cause programs such\nas mount(8) or umount(8) to fail.\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "EXIT STATUS": {
            "content": "fstab-decode exits with status 127 if COMMAND can't be run.  Otherwise it exits with the sta‐\ntus returned by COMMAND.\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "EXAMPLES": {
            "content": "The following example reads fstab, finds all instances of VFAT filesystems and  prints  their\nmount  points  (argument 2 in the fstab file).  fstab-decode then runs the specified program,\numount(8), and passes it the list of VFAT mountpoints. This unmounts all VFAT partitions.\n",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "fstab-decode umount $(awk '$3 == \"vfat\" { print $2 }' /etc/fstab)",
                    "content": ""
                }
            ]
        },
        "SEE ALSO": {
            "content": "fstab(5)\n\nsysvinit                                      May 2006                               FSTAB-DECODE(8)",
            "subsections": []
        }
    },
    "summary": "fstab-decode - run a command with fstab-encoded arguments",
    "flags": [],
    "examples": [
        "The following example reads fstab, finds all instances of VFAT filesystems and  prints  their",
        "mount  points  (argument 2 in the fstab file).  fstab-decode then runs the specified program,",
        "umount(8), and passes it the list of VFAT mountpoints. This unmounts all VFAT partitions."
    ],
    "see_also": [
        {
            "name": "fstab",
            "section": "5",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/fstab/5/json"
        }
    ]
}