Q100412: How to create Nuke shortcuts with extra flags

Pete

Updated: May 12, 2026 22:00

Created: January 20, 2026 15:59

SUMMARY

This article explains how to create Desktop shortcuts for launching Nuke with additional flags, such as --safe for safe mode.

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When launching Nuke, it can be beneficial to use various command flags to provide additional functionality. These can vary from things such as safe mode, which disables all plug-ins and customizations for troubleshooting purposes, to launching in terminal mode, which allows you to enter Python commands without the GUI.

The full list of command flags and their use cases can be found in our Command Line Operations page.

The most common way to launch Nuke with additional flags is by opening a Terminal/Command Prompt window, and running the Nuke launch command with the flags applied. This method is great if you only need to do it occasionally, but if you regularly need to launch in terminal mode or launch with certain flags, then it can become a nuisance to enter the same command every time.

For these situations, you can create a Desktop shortcut that includes the relevant command flags, which is accessible on your machine as a clickable icon.

METHOD

Select the operating systems below for steps to create a shortcut on the Desktop which launches Nuke 16.0v4 in safe mode. You can change the --safe flag for any combination of other command flags that you require when launching Nuke.

Windows

1) Right-Click the Desktop and select New > Shortcut.

2) Enter the full path to the Nuke executable, with the --safe flag afterwards, as shown below:

3) Press Next.

4) Give the shortcut an appropriate name and press Finish.

5) When you double click the Desktop shortcut, Nuke 16.0v4 will open in safe mode.

macOS

There are two processes that can be used to create a custom shortcut on macOS, which are described in the following sections:

Creating a Bash script

1) Open a text editor and create a new empty file

2) Add the following code into the empty file. The second line consists of the full path to the Nuke application, with the --safe flag appended:

#!/bin/bash
/Applications/Nuke16.0v4/Nuke16.0v4.app/Contents/MacOS/Nuke16.0 --safe

3) Save the file to your Desktop with an appropriate name, for example: Nuke 16.0v4 Safe Mode

NOTE: The file should be saved with no file extension, not .txt, .rtf, or other.

4) Open a new Terminal window, and change directory to your Desktop, using the following command:

cd ~/Desktop

5) Run the following command in the Terminal window, changing "Nuke 16.0v4 Safe Mode" for the name of your shortcut:

chmod 744 "Nuke 16.0v4 Safe Mode"

6) When you double click the shortcut, Nuke 16.0v4 will open in safe mode.

Creating an Automator App

1) Open the Automator application, and add a "Run Shell Script" action

2) Add the following code into the script field, which consists of the full path to the Nuke application, with the --safe flag appended:

/Applications/Nuke16.0v4/Nuke16.0v4.app/Contents/MacOS/Nuke16.0 --safe

3) Press Cmd+S to save the application to your Desktop with an appropriate name, for example: Nuke 16.0v4 Safe Mode.app

4) When you double click the shortcut, Nuke 16.0v4 will open in safe mode.

After following either process, it is possible to assign an icon to the shortcut by following the steps below:

1) Use the Finder to navigate to the application that has the icon you would like to assign, which in this case is Nuke 16.0v4 and is located at /Applications/Nuke16.0v4/Nuke16.0v4.app

2) Right-click the application and select the Get Info option

3) On your Desktop, right-click the Safe Mode shortcut and select the Get Info option. You should now see both information panels:

4) Select the Nuke icon next to "Nuke 16.0v4.app" and press Cmd+C to copy it

5) Select the current Terminal/Automator icon of your shortcut, and press Cmd+V to paste the Nuke icon:

Linux

1) Open a text editor and create a new empty file.
2) Add the following code into the empty file. Line 4 consists of the full path to Nuke 16.0v4, with the --safe flag added:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Nuke 16.0v4 Safe Mode
Comment=
Exec="/usr/local/Nuke16.0v4/Nuke16.0" -b --safe %f
Terminal=false
MimeType=application/x-nuke;
Icon=/usr/local/Nuke16.0v4/plugins/icons/NukeApp48.png
Type=Application
Categories=Graphics;2DGraphics;RasterGraphics;FLTK;

3) Save the file with an appropriate name, for example, "Nuke 16.0v4 Safe Mode.desktop" to the /usr/share/applications directory. This will create a shortcut that can be found in the Search bar of the OS.

TIP: You can also add the shortcut to your Favorites, for easier access:

More information about creating shortcuts for Linux can be found in the following article:
Q100521: How to create a desktop shortcut for Foundry software on Linux operating systems

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