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---
title: "bash auto-completion on macOS"
description: "Some optional configuration for bash auto-completion on macOS."
headless: true
---
### Introduction
The kubectl completion script for Bash can be generated with `kubectl completion bash`. Sourcing this script in your shell enables kubectl completion.
However, the kubectl completion script depends on [**bash-completion**](https://github.com/scop/bash-completion) which you thus have to previously install.
{{< warning>}}
There are two versions of bash-completion, v1 and v2. V1 is for Bash 3.2 (which is the default on macOS), and v2 is for Bash 4.1+. The kubectl completion script **doesn't work** correctly with bash-completion v1 and Bash 3.2. It requires **bash-completion v2** and **Bash 4.1+**. Thus, to be able to correctly use kubectl completion on macOS, you have to install and use Bash 4.1+ ([*instructions*](https://itnext.io/upgrading-bash-on-macos-7138bd1066ba)). The following instructions assume that you use Bash 4.1+ (that is, any Bash version of 4.1 or newer).
{{< /warning >}}
### Upgrade Bash
The instructions here assume you use Bash 4.1+. You can check your Bash's version by running:
```bash
echo $BASH_VERSION
```
If it is too old, you can install/upgrade it using Homebrew:
```bash
brew install bash
```
Reload your shell and verify that the desired version is being used:
```bash
echo $BASH_VERSION $SHELL
```
Homebrew usually installs it at `/usr/local/bin/bash`.
### Install bash-completion
{{< note >}}
As mentioned, these instructions assume you use Bash 4.1+, which means you will install bash-completion v2 (in contrast to Bash 3.2 and bash-completion v1, in which case kubectl completion won't work).
{{< /note >}}
You can test if you have bash-completion v2 already installed with `type _init_completion`. If not, you can install it with Homebrew:
```bash
brew install bash-completion@2
```
As stated in the output of this command, add the following to your `~/.bash_profile` file:
```bash
export BASH_COMPLETION_COMPAT_DIR="/usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d"
[[ -r "/usr/local/etc/profile.d/bash_completion.sh" ]] && . "/usr/local/etc/profile.d/bash_completion.sh"
```
Reload your shell and verify that bash-completion v2 is correctly installed with `type _init_completion`.
### Enable kubectl autocompletion
You now have to ensure that the kubectl completion script gets sourced in all your shell sessions. There are multiple ways to achieve this:
- Source the completion script in your `~/.bash_profile` file:
```bash
echo 'source <(kubectl completion bash)' >>~/.bash_profile
```
- Add the completion script to the `/usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d` directory:
```bash
kubectl completion bash >/usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d/kubectl
```
- If you have an alias for kubectl, you can extend shell completion to work with that alias:
```bash
echo 'alias k=kubectl' >>~/.bash_profile
echo 'complete -F __start_kubectl k' >>~/.bash_profile
```
- If you installed kubectl with Homebrew (as explained [here](/docs/tasks/tools/install-kubectl-macos/#install-with-homebrew-on-macos)), then the kubectl completion script should already be in `/usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d/kubectl`. In that case, you don't need to do anything.
{{< note >}}
The Homebrew installation of bash-completion v2 sources all the files in the `BASH_COMPLETION_COMPAT_DIR` directory, that's why the latter two methods work.
{{< /note >}}
In any case, after reloading your shell, kubectl completion should be working.