---
title: " "
sidebarTitle: prefect shell
---

# `prefect shell`



```command
prefect shell [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...
```



<Info>
Serve and watch shell commands as Prefect flows.
</Info>








## `prefect shell watch`



```command
prefect shell watch [OPTIONS] COMMAND
```



<Info>
Executes a shell command and observes it as Prefect flow.
</Info>






<AccordionGroup>


<Accordion title="Arguments" defaultOpen>
<ResponseField name="COMMAND" type="string" required>
    \[required]
</ResponseField>
</Accordion>



<Accordion title="Options" defaultOpen>

<ResponseField name="--log-output">
    Log the output of the command to Prefect logs.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="--flow-run-name">
    Name of the flow run.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="--flow-name">
    Name of the flow.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="--stream-stdout">
    Stream the output of the command.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="--tag">
    Optional tags for the flow run.
</ResponseField>

</Accordion>

</AccordionGroup>



## `prefect shell serve`



```command
prefect shell serve [OPTIONS] COMMAND
```



<Info>
Creates and serves a Prefect deployment that runs a specified shell command according to a cron schedule or ad hoc.

This function allows users to integrate shell command execution into Prefect workflows seamlessly. It provides options for
scheduled execution via cron expressions, flow and deployment naming for better management, and the application of tags for
easier categorization and filtering within the Prefect UI. Additionally, it supports streaming command output to Prefect logs,
setting concurrency limits to control flow execution, and optionally running the deployment once for ad-hoc tasks.
</Info>






<AccordionGroup>


<Accordion title="Arguments" defaultOpen>
<ResponseField name="COMMAND" type="string" required>
    \[required]
</ResponseField>
</Accordion>



<Accordion title="Options" defaultOpen>

<ResponseField name="--flow-name">
    Name of the flow
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="--deployment-name">
    Name of the deployment
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="--tag">
    Tag for the deployment (can be provided multiple times)
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="--stream-stdout">
    Stream the output of the command
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="--cron-schedule">
    Cron schedule for the flow
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="--timezone">
    Timezone for the schedule
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="--concurrency-limit">
    The maximum number of flow runs that can execute at the same time
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="--run-once">
    Run the agent loop once, instead of forever.
</ResponseField>

</Accordion>

</AccordionGroup>
