govc

name	govc
description	VMware vSphere automation with govc. Use when the user wants to list inventory, power VMs, clone, snapshot, import OVA, or inspect datastores/hosts on vCenter/ESXi. Output CLI for the user to run — do not execute govc yourself unless they ask.

For AI assistants

Do not run govc or shell scripts on the user’s machine unless they explicitly ask you to execute commands. Give copy-paste bash blocks, list required GOVC_* environment variables, and explain placeholders (paths, VM names, datacenter).

govc — vSphere CLI

govc is a Go-based CLI for VMware vSphere (govmomi). Useful alongside MTV for source-side checks (VMs, snapshots, datastores) before or during migration.

Install

Point the user to the official release or package manager they prefer:

# Example: download release from https://github.com/vmware/govmomi/releases
# Ensure the binary is on PATH as `govc`
govc version

Connection environment (user sets locally)

export GOVC_URL=vcenter.example.com
export GOVC_USERNAME=[e-mail]
export GOVC_PASSWORD='...'
export GOVC_INSECURE=true   # only if skipping TLS verify

Optional defaults to shorten commands:

export GOVC_DATACENTER=mydc
export GOVC_DATASTORE=datastore1
export GOVC_NETWORK='VM Network'
export GOVC_RESOURCE_POOL=/mydc/host/mycluster/Resources

Verify:

govc about
govc datacenter.info

Help

govc -h
govc vm.info -h

Browse inventory

govc ls
govc ls /<dc>/vm
govc ls -l /<dc>/network
govc find / -type m
govc find / -type m -name 'app-*'

VM lifecycle

Create

govc vm.create -m 4096 -c 2 -g ubuntu64Guest \
  -net.adapter vmxnet3 -disk.controller pvscsi \
  -disk 40GB -ds datastore1 my-vm

Clone

govc vm.clone -vm /path/to/template -ds datastore1 new-vm

Power

govc vm.power -on=true my-vm
govc vm.power -s=true my-vm
govc vm.power -off=true my-vm

Info and IP

govc vm.info my-vm
govc vm.ip -v4 my-vm

Destroy

govc vm.destroy my-vm

Snapshots

govc snapshot.create -vm my-vm before-change
govc snapshot.tree -vm my-vm
govc snapshot.revert -vm my-vm before-change
govc snapshot.remove -vm my-vm before-change

Datastore file operations

govc datastore.ls -ds datastore1
govc datastore.upload ./file.iso "[datastore1] iso/file.iso"

OVA import (common for appliances)

govc import.ova -folder=/<dc>/vm/folder ./appliance.ova

Guest operations (VMware Tools)

govc guest.run -vm my-vm /bin/uname -a
govc guest.upload -vm my-vm ./local.cfg /tmp/local.cfg

JSON for scripting

govc vm.info -json my-vm
govc find / -type m -json

When unsure of flags, tell the user to run govc <command> -h locally.