File: coreutils.info,  Node: mkdir invocation,  Next: mkfifo invocation,  Prev: ln invocation,  Up: Special file types

12.3 ‘mkdir’: Make directories
==============================

‘mkdir’ creates directories with the specified names.  Synopsis:

     mkdir [OPTION]... NAME...

   ‘mkdir’ creates each directory NAME in the order given.  It reports
an error if NAME already exists, unless the ‘-p’ option is given and
NAME is a directory.

   The program accepts the following options.  Also see *note Common
options::.

‘-m MODE’
‘--mode=MODE’
     Set the file permission bits of created directories to MODE, which
     uses the same syntax as in ‘chmod’ and uses ‘a=rwx’ (read, write
     and execute allowed for everyone) for the point of the departure.
     *Note File permissions::.  This option affects only directories
     given on the command line; it does not affect any parents that may
     be created via the ‘-p’ option.

     Normally the directory has the desired file mode bits at the moment
     it is created.  As a GNU extension, MODE may also mention special
     mode bits, but in this case there may be a temporary window during
     which the directory exists but its special mode bits are incorrect.
     *Note Directory Setuid and Setgid::, for how the set-user-ID and
     set-group-ID bits of directories are inherited unless overridden in
     this way.

‘-p’
‘--parents’
     Make any missing parent directories for each argument, setting
     their file permission bits to ‘=rwx,u+wx’, that is, with the umask
     modified by ‘u+wx’.  Ignore existing parent directories, and do not
     change their file permission bits.

     If the ‘-m’ option is also given, it does not affect file
     permission bits of any newly-created parent directories.  To
     control these bits, set the umask before invoking ‘mkdir’.  For
     example, if the shell command ‘(umask u=rwx,go=rx; mkdir -p P/Q)’
     creates the parent ‘P’ it sets the parent’s file permission bits to
     ‘u=rwx,go=rx’.  (The umask must include ‘u=wx’ for this method to
     work.)  To set a parent’s special mode bits as well, you can invoke
     ‘chmod’ after ‘mkdir’.  *Note Directory Setuid and Setgid::, for
     how the set-user-ID and set-group-ID bits of newly-created parent
     directories are inherited.

‘-v’
‘--verbose’
     Print a message for each created directory.  This is most useful
     with ‘--parents’.

‘-Z’
‘--context[=CONTEXT]’
     Without a specified CONTEXT, adjust the SELinux security context
     according to the system default type for destination files,
     similarly to the ‘restorecon’ command.  The long form of this
     option with a specific context specified, will set the context for
     newly created files only.  With a specified context, if both
     SELinux and SMACK are disabled, a warning is issued.

   An exit status of zero indicates success, and a nonzero value
indicates failure.