# cmake --system-information ignores cross-compilation
**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/cmake-system-information-ignores-cross-compilation/1444
**Category:** Usage
**Created:** [June 25, 2020, 12:23pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/cmake-system-information-ignores-cross-compilation/1444 "2020-06-25T12:23:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@magnus.grandin](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/magnus.grandin)
#### Post date: [June 25, 2020, 12:23pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/cmake-system-information-ignores-cross-compilation/1444/1 "2020-06-25T12:23:23Z")
I have been trying to use cmake on the command line with switch `--system-information` to dump system level information about a given configuration. In particular, I am interested in verifying that certain variables (e.g. CMAKE\_SYSTEM\_NAME) are set to the right values when cross-compiling against different targets. However, the information I get from `--system-information` ignores any cross-compilation settings and values set by toolchains.
The usage of `--system-information` is not very well documented, so I am a bit at loss exactly how it is supposed to be used. I have been trying it in various ways:
1. Passing --system-information on the command line together with my other cmake flags, e.g.
cmake … -G Ninja -DCMAKE\_TOOLCHAIN\_FILE= --system-information sysinfo.txt
2. Generating my project first, the running cmake with --system-information, e.g.
cmake … -G Ninja -DCMAKE\_TOOLCHAIN\_FILE=
cmake -B . --system-information sysinfo.txt
I always only get host system information, never any target system information. I have tried it in Linux and on Windows. Am I doing it wrong or is `--system-information` not supposed to work the way I expect it to?
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### Author:  [@ben.boeckel](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/ben.boeckel)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/cmake-system-information-ignores-cross-compilation/1444/2 "2020-11-11T14:51:40Z")
I think it always queries the host system.
Cc: @brad.king