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P4 CLI Documentation | 2026.1

# Configure workspace options

The following table describes the client spec `Options:` in detail:

Option | Description | Default
--- | --- | ---
`[no]allwrite` | Specifies whether unopened files are always writable. By default, P4 Server makes unopened files read-only. To avoid inadvertently overwriting changes or causing syncs to fail, specify `noallwrite`. A setting of `allwrite` leaves unopened files writable by the current user; it does not set filesystem permissions to ensure that files are writable by any user of a multiuser system. If `allwrite` and `noclobber` are both set, P4 Server performs a safe sync, comparing the content in your client workspace against what was last synced. If the file was modified outside of P4 Server control, an error message is displayed and the file is not overwritten. | `noallwrite`
`[no]altsync` | If `altsync` is set, and a P4 Virtual File Service (P4 VFS) application is installed to make use of P4ALTSYNC, the client can create, delete, or update placeholders of the file metadata instead of always taking time to download the full file content. See the P4 Virtual File Service (P4 VFS) Documentation. | `noaltsync`
`[no]clobber` | Specifies whether `p4 sync` overwrites writable but unopened workspace files. (By default, P4 Server does not overwrite unopened files if they are writable.) If `allwrite` and `noclobber` are both set, P4 Server performs a safe sync, comparing the content in your client workspace against what was last synced. If the file was modified outside of P4 Server control, an error message is displayed and the file is not overwritten. | `noclobber`
`[no]compress` | Specifies whether data is compressed when it is sent between your computer and the P4 Server. | `nocompress`
`[un]locked` | Specifies whether other users can use, edit, or delete the client workspace specification. A P4 Server administrator can override the lock with the `-f` (force) option. If you lock your client specification, be sure to set a password for the workspace’s owner using the `p4 passwd` command. | `unlocked`
`[no]modtime` | For files without the `+m` (modtime) file type modifier, if `modtime` is set, the modification date (on the local filesystem) of a newly synced file is the datestamp on the file when the file was submitted to the depot. If `nomodtime` is set, the modification date is the date and time of sync. For files with the `+m` (modtime) file type, the modification date (on the local filesystem) of a newly synced file is the datestamp on the file when the file was submitted to the depot, regardless of the setting of `modtime` or `nomodtime` on the client. | nomodtime (date and time of sync). Ignored for files with the `+m` file type modifier.
`[no]rmdir` | Specifies whether `p4 sync` deletes empty directories in a workspace if all files in the directory have been removed. | `normdir`

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