CLI Usage Guide

The intel-undervolt tool is a command-line utility with several operating modes. This guide provides an overview of each mode.

Synopsis

intel-undervolt MODE [OPTION]...

All commands require root privileges to access the necessary MSRs and system files.

Modes

The tool's behavior is determined by the first argument, which specifies the mode. Below is a summary of the available modes. Click on a mode for more detailed documentation.

read / apply

The most fundamental modes for interacting with CPU settings.

• read: Reads the current undervolt offsets, power limits, and temperature settings from the CPU and displays them.
• apply: Applies the settings defined in /etc/intel-undervolt.conf to the CPU.

measure

Launches a real-time monitoring interface.

• Displays current RAPL power consumption for various domains, core temperatures, and CPU frequencies.
• Useful for observing the effects of your settings under load and for identifying power domains for hwphint configuration.

daemon

Runs the tool as a persistent background process.

• Periodically re-applies configured settings to counteract resets from BIOS or the Embedded Controller (EC).
• Enables dynamic features like the hwphint performance preference switching.
• This mode is typically managed by a system service (systemd or OpenRC).