Run/debug configurations dialog

Use this dialog to create, edit, adjust, or remove run/debug configurations, as well as to configure the default templates that will apply to all newly created run/debug configurations.

Existing run/debug configurations are grouped by configuration types. The templates for creating new configurations are editable and available via the Edit configuration templates link in the left-hand pane of the dialog.

Common settings

When you edit a run configuration (but not a run configuration template), you can specify the following options:

Item	Description
Name	Specify a name for the run configuration to quickly identify it among others when editing or running.
Allow multiple instances	Allow running multiple instances of this run configuration in parallel. By default, it is disabled, and when you start this configuration while another instance is still running, CLion suggests stopping the running instance and starting another one. This is helpful when a run configuration consumes a lot of resources and there is no good reason to run multiple instances.
Store as project file	Save the file with the run configuration settings to share it with other team members. The default location is .idea/runConfigurations. However, if you do not want to share the .idea directory, you can save the configuration to any other directory within the project. By default, it is disabled, and CLion stores run configuration settings in .idea/workspace.xml.

Item

Description

Name

Specify a name for the run configuration to quickly identify it among others when editing or running.

Allow multiple instances

Allow running multiple instances of this run configuration in parallel.

By default, it is disabled, and when you start this configuration while another instance is still running, CLion suggests stopping the running instance and starting another one. This is helpful when a run configuration consumes a lot of resources and there is no good reason to run multiple instances.

Store as project file

Save the file with the run configuration settings to share it with other team members. The default location is .idea/runConfigurations. However, if you do not want to share the .idea directory, you can save the configuration to any other directory within the project.

By default, it is disabled, and CLion stores run configuration settings in .idea/workspace.xml.

Before launch

In this area, you can specify tasks to be performed before starting the selected run/debug configuration. The tasks are performed in the order they appear in the list.

Item	Shortcut	Description
	`Alt+Insert`	Click this icon to add one of the following available tasks: Run External tool: select to run an external application. In the dialog that opens, select one or multiple applications you want to run. If it is not defined in CLion yet, add its definition. For more information, refer to External tools and External Tools. Run Another Configuration: select to execute another run/debug configuration and wait until it finishes before starting the current configuration. If you want to run several configurations in parallel, use a compound run/debug configuration. Run File Watchers: select this option to have CLion apply all the currently active File Watchers. Run Grunt task: select this option to run a Grunt task. In the Grunt task dialog that opens, specify the Gruntfile.js where the required task is defined, select the task to execute, and specify the arguments to pass to the Grunt tool. Specify the location of the Node.js runtime, the parameters to pass to it, and the path to the grunt-cli package. Run gulp task: select this option to run a Gulp task. In the Gulp task dialog that opens, specify the Gulpfile.js where the required task is defined, select the task to execute, and specify the arguments to pass to the Gulp tool. Specify the location of the Node.js runtime, the parameters to pass to it, and the path to the gulp package. Run npm script: select this option to execute an npm script. In the NPM Script dialog that opens, specify the npm run/debug configuration settings. Compile TypeScript: select to run the built-in TypeScript compiler and thus make sure that all the changes you made to your TypeScript code are reflected in the generated JavaScript files. In the TypeScript Compile Settings dialog that opens, select or clear the Check errors checkbox to configure the behaviour of the compiler in case any errors are detected: If the Check errors checkbox is selected, the compiler will show all the errors and the run configuration will not start. If the Check errors checkbox is cleared, the compiler will show all the detected errors but the run configuration still will be launched. Generate CoffeeScript Source Maps: select this option to generate the source maps for your CoffeeScript sources. In the dialog that opens, specify where your CoffeeScript source files are located.
	`Alt+Delete`	Click this icon to remove the selected task from the list.
	`Enter`	Click this icon to edit the selected task. Make the necessary changes in the dialog that opens.
	`Alt+Up` `Alt+Down`	Click these icons to move the selected task one line up or down in the list. The tasks are performed in the order that they appear in the list.
Show this page		Select this checkbox to show the run/debug configuration settings prior to actually starting the run/debug configuration.
Activate tool window		By default this checkbox is selected and the Run or the Debug tool window opens when you start the run/debug configuration. Otherwise, if the checkbox is cleared, the tool window is hidden. However, when the configuration is running, you can open the corresponding tool window for it yourself by pressing `Alt+4` or `Alt+5`.
Focus tool window		Select this checkbox to automatically move focus to the Run or the Debug tool window when you start the run/debug configuration.

Logs

The following options are related to logging the execution of this configuration. For more information, refer to .

Item	Description
Specify logs to be shown in the console	Specify which log files to display while running the application. Click to add a new log. In the Edit Log Files Aliases dialog, configure the following: Alias: The name of the tab where the log will be displayed. Log File Location: Specify the path to the log file or an Ant pattern. If several files of a rolling log match the pattern, CLion will display the most recent one. Show all files coverable by pattern: Show all logs that match the pattern. For logs in the table, you can configure the following options: Is Active: Display the specified log file. Skip Content: Do not display old log messages from previous runs.
Save console output to file	Save the console output to the specified location. Type the path manually or click the browse button and point to the desired location in the dialog that opens.
Show console when a message is printed to stdout	Activate the console when the application writes to the standard output stream.
Show console when a message is printed to stderr	Activate the console when the application writes to the standard error stream.

24 February 2026