# Unknown argument --log-level=TRACE with cmake --workflow?

**URL:** <https://discourse.cmake.org/t/unknown-argument-log-level-trace-with-cmake-workflow/14341>\
**Category:** Code\
**Created:** [July 10, 2025, 6:45am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/unknown-argument-log-level-trace-with-cmake-workflow/14341 "2025-07-10T06:45:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ClausKlein](https://discourse.cmake.org/user_avatar/discourse.cmake.org/clausklein/32/352_2.png) [@ClausKlein](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/ClausKlein)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 6:45am UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/unknown-argument-log-level-trace-with-cmake-workflow/14341/1 "2025-07-10T06:45:49Z")

</div>

### How to set the log-level in configure presets?

```bash
bash-5.2$ make release
cmake --workflow --preset release --fresh --log-level=TRACE
Unknown argument --log-level=TRACE
Usage: cmake --workflow <options>
Options:
  --preset <preset> = Workflow preset to execute.
  --list-presets = List available workflow presets.
  --fresh = Configure a fresh build tree, removing any existing cache file.
make: *** [release] Error 1
bash-5.2$ make release
cmake --preset release --fresh --log-level=TRACE
Preset CMake variables:

  CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE="RelWithDebInfo"
  CMAKE_CXX_EXTENSIONS:BOOL="TRUE"
  CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD="23"
  CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED:BOOL="TRUE"
  CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS:BOOL="TRUE"
  CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX:PATH="/Users/clausklein/Workspace/cpp/beman-project/execution26/stagedir"
  CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH:STRING="/Users/clausklein/Workspace/cpp/beman-project/execution26/stagedir"
  CMAKE_SKIP_TEST_ALL_DEPENDENCY:BOOL="FALSE"

-- The CXX compiler identification is AppleClang 16.0.0.16000026
-- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info
-- Detecting CXX compiler ABI info - done
-- Check for working CXX compiler: /usr/bin/c++ - skipped
-- Detecting CXX compile features
-- Detecting CXX compile features - done
-- Configuring done (0.5s)
-- Generating done (0.2s)
-- Build files have been written to: /Users/clausklein/Workspace/cpp/beman-project/execution26/build/release
cmake --workflow --preset release
Executing workflow step 1 of 4: configure preset "release"

-- Configuring done (0.1s)
-- Generating done (0.2s)
-- Build files have been written to: /Users/clausklein/Workspace/cpp/beman-project/execution26/build/release

Executing workflow step 2 of 4: build preset "release"

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![craig.scott](https://discourse.cmake.org/user_avatar/discourse.cmake.org/craig.scott/32/20_2.png) [@craig.scott](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/craig.scott)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2025, 8:23pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/unknown-argument-log-level-trace-with-cmake-workflow/14341/2 "2025-07-10T20:23:40Z")

</div>

Configure presets don’t currently support specifying a log level as a command-line argument. You _can_ set the `CMAKE_MESSAGE_LOG_LEVEL` cache variable, but then it will persist on each CMake re-execution.

Executing workflow presets at the command line doesn’t support specifying extra command line options for configure or any other steps, apart from `--fresh` as a special case.