Cura Profile Extractor

Extract all your Cura slicer settings into a single, searchable JSON file.

Cura stores settings across 8+ different files with complex inheritance. This tool flattens everything into one file, tracking where each setting came from — perfect for documenting printer setups, debugging slicer issues, or sharing configurations.

GUI mode with auto-detection and one-click extraction

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Features

• Complete Extraction — Preferences, machine settings, G-code, quality profiles, plugins
• Inheritance Tracking — See exactly which file each setting comes from
• Any Manufacturer — Works with Creality, Prusa, Anycubic, Elegoo, Voron, and more
• Dual Interface — GUI (Tkinter) for ease of use, CLI for scripting/automation
• Zero Dependencies — Python standard library only, runs anywhere Python does
• Cross-Platform — Windows, Linux, and macOS path detection

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Quick Start

GUI Mode (Recommended)

python cura_profile_extractor.py

1. Paths auto-detect on launch
2. Click Validate & Discover
3. Select your printer from the dropdown
4. Click Extract All!
5. Save your JSON file

CLI Mode

# Auto-detect everything, extract first machine found
python cura_profile_extractor.py --cli

# Specify machine and output file
python cura_profile_extractor.py --cli --machine "Ender 3 Pro" -o my_profile.json

# Extract only G-code and machine settings
python cura_profile_extractor.py --cli --no-preferences --no-builtin --no-custom

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Installation

Requirements

• Python 3.7 or higher
• Tkinter (included with most Python installations)
• Cura 4.x or 5.x installed

Download

git clone https://github.com/ixhlbxi/Cura_Profile_Extractor.git
cd Cura_Profile_Extractor
python cura_profile_extractor.py

Or just download cura_profile_extractor.py directly — it's a single file with no dependencies.

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Output Structure

The extracted JSON contains:

{
  "_summary": {          // Quick overview of extracted data
    "machine_name": "Ender 3 Pro",
    "manufacturer": "creality",
    "quality_profile": "Standard",
    ...
  },
  "_key_settings": {     // Most important settings at a glance
    "layer_height": 0.2,
    "infill_sparse_density": 20,
    ...
  },
  "metadata": {          // Extraction info
    "cura_version": "5.11",
    "extracted_at": "2025-12-29T...",
    ...
  },
  "preferences": {...},  // Global Cura preferences
  "machine": {           // Full machine config
    "settings": {...},
    "inheritance_chain": [...],  // Shows definition hierarchy
    ...
  },
  "gcode": {             // Start/End G-code as line arrays
    "start_gcode": ["G28", "G29 P1", ...],
    "end_gcode": [...],
    ...
  },
  "extruders": {...},    // Extruder-specific settings
  "quality_builtin": {...},
  "quality_custom": {...},
  "plugins": [...]
}

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CLI Reference

usage: cura_profile_extractor.py [-h] [--cli] [--install PATH] [--appdata PATH]
                                  [--machine NAME] [-o FILE] [--raw]
                                  [--no-preferences] [--no-machine] [--no-gcode]
                                  [--no-builtin] [--no-custom] [--no-plugins]
                                  [--version]

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  --cli                 Run in command-line mode (no GUI)
  --install PATH        Cura installation directory
  --appdata PATH        Cura user data directory
  --machine NAME        Machine/printer name to extract
  -o, --output FILE     Output JSON file path
  --raw                 Skip human-friendly formatting
  --version             show program's version number and exit

Skip options:
  --no-preferences      Skip global preferences
  --no-machine          Skip machine settings
  --no-gcode            Skip G-code extraction
  --no-builtin          Skip built-in quality profiles
  --no-custom           Skip custom quality profiles
  --no-plugins          Skip plugins list

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Troubleshooting

"Could not auto-detect Cura install path"

Use the Browse button to manually select your Cura folder, or set the path in the script:

# Near the top of cura_profile_extractor.py
USER_INSTALL_PATH_OVERRIDE = r"C:\Program Files\UltiMaker Cura 5.11.0"

Typical locations:

• Windows: C:\Program Files\UltiMaker Cura X.X.X
• Linux: /usr/share/cura or ~/.local/share/cura
• macOS: /Applications/UltiMaker Cura.app or ~/Applications/...

"Could not auto-detect Cura AppData path"

Typical locations:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\cura\5.11 (e.g., C:\Users\You\AppData\Roaming\cura\5.11)
• Linux: ~/.config/cura/5.11 or ~/.local/share/cura/5.11
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/cura/5.11

"No machines found"

• Make sure you've created at least one printer profile in Cura
• Verify the AppData path points to the correct Cura version
• Check the machine_instances folder exists in AppData

Wrong quality profiles detected

Expand the Advanced Fallbacks section in the GUI and manually set:

• Manufacturer: creality, prusa, anycubic, etc.
• Quality Subdir: creality/base, prusa, etc.

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Advanced Configuration

For permanent overrides, edit the USER_OVERRIDES section at the top of the script:

# Path overrides
USER_INSTALL_PATH_OVERRIDE = r"C:\Program Files\UltiMaker Cura 5.11.0"
USER_APPDATA_PATH_OVERRIDE = r"C:\Users\You\AppData\Roaming\cura\5.11"

# Detection overrides
USER_MANUFACTURER_OVERRIDE = "creality"
USER_QUALITY_SUBDIR_OVERRIDE = "creality/base"

# Add custom manufacturer prefixes
USER_ADDITIONAL_MANUFACTURERS = ["biqu", "tronxy", "geeetech"]

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Use Cases

• Documentation — Record your exact slicer setup for reproducibility
• Debugging — Find where a mysterious setting is coming from
• Sharing — Export settings to share with others (cleaner than .curaprofile)
• Backup — Snapshot your config before major Cura updates
• Comparison — Diff two extractions to see what changed
• Migration — Reference when setting up a new machine

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How It Works

Cura uses a stacked profile system with 8 layers of inheritance:

Layer 0: User overrides (per-session changes)
Layer 1: Custom quality profile
Layer 2: Intent profile
Layer 3: Quality profile
Layer 4: Material profile
Layer 5: Variant (nozzle)
Layer 6: Definition changes (YOUR CUSTOM G-CODE LIVES HERE)
Layer 7: Base machine definition
   └── Inherits from: manufacturer_base → fdmprinter

This tool walks the entire stack, resolves all inheritance, and produces a flat JSON with source attribution for every setting.

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Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

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License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.

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Changelog

v1.3.0 (2025-12-29)

• Added: Auto-population of Advanced Fallbacks fields on Validate & Discover
• Added: Right-click context menus (Cut/Copy/Paste/Select All) on all text fields
• Added: Help / Instructions button with comprehensive documentation popup

v1.2.1

• Added: USER_OVERRIDES section for power user fallback configuration
• Added: Collapsible "Advanced Fallbacks" panel in GUI
• Added: Linux and macOS path detection support

v1.2.0

• Fixed: Nested G-code values now properly humanized
• Fixed: Removed hardcoded manufacturer references for full portability
• Added: Manufacturer auto-detection from definition chain

v1.1.0

• Added: Human-readable formatting (arrays instead of semicolon-delimited strings)
• Added: _summary and _key_settings sections

v1.0.0

• Initial release

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Acknowledgments

Built for the 3D printing community. Special thanks to the Cura team for their documentation on the profile system.