# Passing arguments to "Load DWARF" plugin **URL:** \ **Category:** Plugins\ **Tags:** idapython\ **Created:** [August 20, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/passing-arguments-to-load-dwarf-plugin/454 "2025-08-20T15:53:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![b3ntx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c77e96/32.png) [@b3ntx](https://community.hex-rays.com/u/b3ntx)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/passing-arguments-to-load-dwarf-plugin/454/1 "2025-08-20T15:53:52Z")
I’m working on a script that incorporates some DWARF debug information into an existing IDB. As part of this, I rely on the builtin DWARF plugin, however I can’t seem to find how to invoke this plugin with an argument - a path to an existing .dSYM - using IDAPython. The most I have is `load_and_run_plugin(‘dwarf’, 0)`, but that just creates an open-file prompt. I’ve seen other plugins, like dscu, use netnode, but there’s hardly any documentation around it that I could find. ---
**Author:** ![igor](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.hex-rays.com/igor/32/35_2.png) [@igor](https://community.hex-rays.com/u/igor)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 10:57am UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/passing-arguments-to-load-dwarf-plugin/454/2 "2025-08-21T10:57:05Z")
if your dSYM is next to the file or in a parallel directory to the .app bundle, normally it should be picked up automatically by the mach-O loader. E.g. for `my.app/subdir/my2.app/subdir2/exec`, the plugin will check: - `my.app/subdir/my2.app/subdir2/.dSYM/Contents/Resources/DWARF/exec` - `my.app/subdir/my2.app/.dSYM/Contents/Resources/DWARF/exec` - `my.app/subdir/.dSYM/Contents/Resources/DWARF/exec` - `my.app/.dSYM/Contents/Resources/DWARF/exec` You should see the paths being checked by passing `-z400010`to IDA. ---
**Author:** ![b3ntx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c77e96/32.png) [@b3ntx](https://community.hex-rays.com/u/b3ntx)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2025, 12:48pm UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/passing-arguments-to-load-dwarf-plugin/454/3 "2025-08-21T12:48:04Z")
Yeah that functions as it should, however my use case is a bit different. My plugin is creating and loading DWARF files into IDBs like the shared library cache. Take Swift for example. It’s open source so I can build it myself and create a dSYM bundle containing all of the rich type information that Apple (and clang to a minor extent) strips from the shipped versions in the shared cache. I would like for my plugin to load those generated dSYM bundles programmatically instead of telling the user to manually go to a directory and Edit → Plugins → Load DWARF for each of the different dSYM bundles that the plugin generates. E.g. libswiftCore.dylib.dSYM, libswift\_Concurrency.dylib.dSYM, etc. ---
**Author:** ![igor](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.hex-rays.com/igor/32/35_2.png) [@igor](https://community.hex-rays.com/u/igor)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2025, 10:34am UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/passing-arguments-to-load-dwarf-plugin/454/4 "2025-08-25T10:34:04Z")
Thank you for the update. I’m afraid there is currently no option for this use case. Perhaps you can somehow intercept the `ui_ask_file` event and return your file name. ---
**Author:** ![BlackBird](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.hex-rays.com/blackbird/32/247_2.png) [@BlackBird](https://community.hex-rays.com/u/BlackBird)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2025, 12:43pm UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/passing-arguments-to-load-dwarf-plugin/454/5 "2025-12-22T12:43:46Z")
So, how to load a dwarf file in idapython(via headless ida)? ---
**Author:** ![BlackBird](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/community.hex-rays.com/blackbird/32/247_2.png) [@BlackBird](https://community.hex-rays.com/u/BlackBird)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2025, 3:28pm UTC](https://community.hex-rays.com/t/passing-arguments-to-load-dwarf-plugin/454/6 "2025-12-22T15:28:05Z")
Well, I tried intercept `ida_kernwin.ask_file` api after calling `ida_kernwin.process_ui_actionEdit/Plugins/Load DWARF file“)` for running the DWARF plugin in `ida64`. It did work! But I want to decompile multi files in `idat`, there’s no `ui_action` or `ask_file`. In a word, how to load specific dwarf file in `idat`?