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The special shell variable $_ holds the last argument of the previous command. It’s especially handy in interactive Bash sessions and scripts when you want to avoid retyping long or dynamic arguments.

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Why Use $_?

  • Boosts productivity by reducing repetitive typing
  • Seamlessly reuses file names, directory paths, or any last argument
  • Works in interactive shells and within scripts
$_ refers strictly to the last argument of the previous command. If that command had no arguments, $_ will be empty.

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Interactive Shell Examples

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Listing and Copying a File

$ ls -l file.conf
total 16
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 896 Jun 18 2020 file.conf
$ cp $_ /tmp
Here, $_ expands to file.conf, so you don’t have to type it twice.

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Chaining Commands

$ ls -l file.conf; echo "Done"
total 16
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 896 Jan 18 2020 file.conf
Done
$ echo $_
Done
Since the last command was echo "Done", $_ now contains Done.

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Using $_ in Scripts

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# Create a new directory
mkdir project_build

# Change into the new directory using $_
cd $_

# Show current path
pwd
Here, $_ saves you from typing project_build again.

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Common Use Cases

ScenarioLast Command$_ Value
Copying a filecp large_archive.tar.gz /backup/backup
Editing a filevim /etc/nginx/nginx.conf/etc/nginx/nginx.conf
Moving a directorymv logs_old logs_archivelogs_archive
Pipelining commandsgrep ERROR logfile.loglogfile.log

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Advanced Examples

# Remove a file, then verify its removal
rm temp_data.csv
echo "Removed" $_

# Using in a pipeline
find . -name '*.log' | xargs gzip
echo "Compressed" $_

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Further Reading

If you chain multiple commands with ; or &&, $_ always reflects the very last argument of the last executed command.

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