Loading CLI Defaults onto Your Betaflight Flight Controller/Drone: A Step-by-Step Guide

Loading CLI Defaults onto Your Betaflight Flight Controller/Drone: A Step-by-Step Guide

Important things to note when using CLI Dumps/Diff

When using CLI dumps, there are several important things to keep in mind:
  1. Always make sure the version of Betaflight firmware on your board is the same version as that on the CLI Dump file.   While you can sometimes use dumps from different versions of betaflight, its not best practice as sometimes things change between versions which can cause the drone to be unstable, or even dangerous to fly!  The start of any CLI dump file will show first the firmware target it is designed to be used with, in this case STM32F7X2, and then the version of Betaflight it is for, in this case 4.3.0.

  2. Always make sure to save your changes by typing "save" and pressing enter after loading a CLI dump onto your flight controller.  This will apply the current CLI file to the board, when you do this your FC will reboot and load the configuration.
  3. Be careful when making changes to a CLI dump, as even small mistakes can have a big impact on the flight controller's performance.
  4. Before loading a CLI dump onto your flight controller, always make sure to double-check that the configuration is appropriate for your specific build and setup.
  5. Always make sure to have a backup of your current configuration before loading a new one, as it can be useful in case something goes wrong.
  6. Be aware that loading a CLI dump will override all the current settings, so if there are any specific settings you want to keep, make sure to note them down before loading the new dump.
  7. When using CLI diff files, make sure to look for any unexpected changes and investigate them.

How to Load and Save a BetaFlight CLI Dump.

The steps to load and save a CLI dump onto a Betaflight flight controller are as follows:
  1. Connect the flight controller to your computer using a USB cable.
  2. Open the Betaflight Configurator application on your computer.
  3. Navigate to the "CLI" tab.
  4. Type "dump" and press enter to display the current configuration.
  5. To load a CLI dump, copy and paste the contents of the CLI dump file into the input field at the bottom of the CLI tab and press enter.
  6. Make sure to save your changes by typing "save" and pressing enter.
  7. To save a CLI dump, type "dump" into the input field and press enter. This will create a text file containing the current configuration of the flight controller. You can then save this file to your computer for future use.
  8. It's a good practice to save the CLI dump with a meaningful name, like "CLI_dump_[date][airframe name][version number].txt"
A helpful video showing you how to do this is shown below:

What are CLI Diff and CLI Dump Files?

A CLI dump file is a text file that contains the command line interface (CLI) commands used to configure a Betaflight flight controller. The file can be used to backup or share the current configuration of the flight controller with others. The file can also be used to restore the configuration to a previous state or to load a configuration onto a different flight controller.  Many pre built drones will include this file that allows you to reset the drone to factory defaults should you incorrectly configure something.

A CLI Diff file is a file that contains the difference between two CLI dump files. It can be used to compare two different configurations and see what is changed between them. It can be useful to find the specific changes that were made to the flight controller and to identify any potential issues with the configuration.

Why are CLI Dumps helpful?

CLI dumps can be used to backup, share, restore and replicate configurations, troubleshoot and debug issues.
  1. Backups: CLI dumps can be used to create backups of a flight controller's current configuration. This can be useful in case the configuration is accidentally changed or lost, as it allows for easy restoration of the previous configuration.
  2. Sharing Configurations: CLI dumps can be shared with others, which can be helpful for troubleshooting or for sharing configurations that are known to work well.
  3. Restoring Configurations: CLI dumps can be used to restore a flight controller's configuration to a previous state. This can be useful if a problem is encountered after making changes to the configuration.
  4. Replicating Configurations: CLI dumps can be used to replicate a configuration on multiple flight controllers. This can be useful if multiple drones are being used in a fleet or for testing purposes.
  5. Identifying Issues: CLI diff files can be used to compare two different configurations and identify any changes made between them, which can be useful to find any issues or bugs in the current configuration.

Betaflight Shows Warning:  The following problems with your configuration were detected:

If you see a warning message saying that no configuration is found when connecting your FC to Betaflight, this is usually caused by no configuration values being loaded onto your FC memory.  An example of this is sort of message is shown below.

To solve this configuration error you can either:
  1. Manually go through each parameter and set it according to your hardware, this takes time and is not the best way, but is sometimes the only whay if you have a highly custom betaflight drone.
  2. Go to the manufacturers website, and download the CLI Dump file for the drone you are using, this essentially is the factory defaults. 
    1. If you cant find it on the manufacutrers website, its best to contact them as they will then be able to provide you with the latest version.
    2. If the CLI dump file is for a very old version of betaflight, you will either need to downgrade to that version to use it, or again, contact the manufacturer to see if they have a new version.  Always make sure the CLI dump version is for the exact same version of Betaflight you have on your drone. 
  3. If you are not successful, then the last thing would be to find another pilot with the same drone and ask them to share their CLI

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