JSONPath output format

Some commands accept a format value of jsonpath={TEMPLATE} on the -f / --format flag. This is not a separate command—it is an alternative output mode for:

Command	Default -f	JSONPath value
inspect	yaml	jsonpath={TEMPLATE}
dump	json	jsonpath={TEMPLATE}

metadata, generate, update, and verify do not support this format.

Templates use the Kubernetes JSONPath engine (Go templates in {...} braces), not the Goessner JSONPath query syntax.

mmdb-cli inspect -i db.mmdb \
  -f 'jsonpath={range .items[*]}{.network}{"\n"}{end}' \
  1.1.1.1

mmdb-cli dump -i db.mmdb -o networks.txt \
  -f 'jsonpath={range .items[*]}{.network}{"\n"}{end}'

Shell quoting

Wrap the entire -f value in single quotes so the shell does not expand $, `, or ? inside the template.

Behavior

• inspect: Rendered output goes to stdout (not wrapped in YAML/JSON/XML/CSV).
• dump: Rendered bytes are written to -o. The file does not need a .json extension.
• Invalid templates fail before iteration starts.

Syntax (quick reference)

Construct	Example
Field access	{.metadata.NodeCount}
Wildcard	{.items[*].network}
range loop	{range .items[*]}{.network}{"\n"}{end}
Filter in range	{range .items[?(@.record.country.iso_code=="AU")]}{.network}{end}
Missing key	{.items[0].missing} → empty string, no error

See kubectl JSONPath for the full grammar.

Root data: inspect

{
  "apiVersion": "mmdb-cli/v1",
  "kind": "InspectList",
  "items": [
    { "query": "1.1.1.1", "network": "1.1.1.0/24", "record": { } }
  ],
  "queries": [
    { "query": "1.1.1.1", "records": [ { "network": "1.1.1.0/24", "record": { } } ] }
  ]
}

Use items for flat range loops and filters. queries mirrors normal inspect output (grouped by input).

Root data: dump

{
  "apiVersion": "mmdb-cli/v1",
  "kind": "DumpList",
  "metadata": { },
  "items": [ { "network": "1.1.1.0/24", "record": { } } ],
  "dataset": [ ]
}

items and dataset are the same list. metadata uses Go field names (NodeCount, DatabaseType, …).

Examples

Filter Australian networks during dump:

mmdb-cli dump -i GeoLite2-Country.mmdb -o au.txt \
  -f 'jsonpath={range .items[?(@.record.country.iso_code=="AU")]}{.network}{"\n"}{end}'

Inspect: network and country code, tab-separated:

mmdb-cli inspect -i GeoLite2-Country.mmdb \
  -f 'jsonpath={range .items[*]}{.network}{"\t"}{.record.country.iso_code}{"\n"}{end}' \
  1.1.1.1/24

Command-specific usage: inspect, dump. Record field shapes: dataset schema.