diff --git a/apps/cli/cli_pipe.c b/apps/cli/cli_pipe.c
index 9c653a2b..f2759027 100644
--- a/apps/cli/cli_pipe.c
+++ b/apps/cli/cli_pipe.c
@@ -72,15 +72,12 @@
 
 #include "clixon_cli_api.h"
 
-/* Grep pipe output function
+/* General-purpose pipe output function
  *
  * @param[in]  h      Clixon handle
  * @param[in]  cmd    Command to exec
  * @param[in]  option Option to command (or NULL)
  * @param[in]  value  Command argument value (or NULL)
- * @code
- *   grep <arg:rest>, grep_fn("-e", "arg");
- * @endcode
  */
 int
 pipe_arg_fn(clixon_handle h,
@@ -344,6 +341,57 @@ pipe_showas_fn(clixon_handle h,
     return retval;
 }
 
+/*! pipe function: save to file
+ *
+ * @param[in]  h     Clixon handle
+ * @param[in]  cvv   Vector of cli string and instantiated variables 
+ * @param[in]  argv  String vector of options. Format: <argname>
+ * @retval     0     OK
+ * @retval    -1     Error
+ */
+int
+pipe_save_file(clixon_handle h,
+               cvec         *cvv,
+               cvec         *argv)
+{
+    int     retval = -1;
+    cg_var *cv;
+    char   *str;
+    char   *argname = NULL;
+    char   *filename = NULL;
+    int     fd;
+
+    if (cvec_len(argv) != 1){
+        clixon_err(OE_PLUGIN, EINVAL, "Received %d arguments. Expected: <argname>", cvec_len(argv));
+        goto done;
+    }
+    if ((cv = cvec_i(argv, 0)) != NULL &&
+        (str = cv_string_get(cv)) != NULL &&
+        strlen(str)){
+        argname = str;
+    }
+    if (argname && strlen(argname)){
+        if ((cv = cvec_find_var(cvv, argname)) != NULL &&
+            (str = cv_string_get(cv)) != NULL &&
+            strlen(str))
+            filename = str;
+    }
+    if (filename){
+        if ((fd = creat(filename, S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR)) < 0){
+            clixon_err(OE_CFG, errno, "creat(%s)", filename);
+            goto done;
+        }
+        close(1);
+        if (dup2(fd, STDOUT_FILENO) < 0){
+            clixon_err(OE_UNIX, errno, "dup2(STDOUT)");
+            return -1;
+        }
+        return pipe_arg_fn(h, CAT_BIN, NULL, NULL);
+    }
+ done:
+    return retval;
+}
+
 /*! Test cli callback calls cligen_output with output lines as given by function arguments
  *
  * Only for test or debugging to generate output to eg cligen_output scrolling
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 8c972c87..fda5ea2f 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -651,6 +651,7 @@ LIBOBJS
 CLICON_GROUP
 CLICON_USER
 CLIGEN_DIR
+CAT_BIN
 WC_BIN
 TAIL_BIN
 GREP
@@ -5904,6 +5905,54 @@ fi
 
 printf "%s\n" "#define WC_BIN \"$WC_BIN\"" >>confdefs.h
 
+# Extract the first word of "cat", so it can be a program name with args.
+set dummy cat; ac_word=$2
+{ printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
+printf %s "checking for $ac_word... " >&6; }
+if test ${ac_cv_path_CAT_BIN+y}
+then :
+  printf %s "(cached) " >&6
+else $as_nop
+  case $CAT_BIN in
+  [\\/]* | ?:[\\/]*)
+  ac_cv_path_CAT_BIN="$CAT_BIN" # Let the user override the test with a path.
+  ;;
+  *)
+  as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
+for as_dir in $PATH
+do
+  IFS=$as_save_IFS
+  case $as_dir in #(((
+    '') as_dir=./ ;;
+    */) ;;
+    *) as_dir=$as_dir/ ;;
+  esac
+    for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
+  if as_fn_executable_p "$as_dir$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; then
+    ac_cv_path_CAT_BIN="$as_dir$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"
+    printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: found $as_dir$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
+    break 2
+  fi
+done
+  done
+IFS=$as_save_IFS
+
+  ;;
+esac
+fi
+CAT_BIN=$ac_cv_path_CAT_BIN
+if test -n "$CAT_BIN"; then
+  { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $CAT_BIN" >&5
+printf "%s\n" "$CAT_BIN" >&6; }
+else
+  { printf "%s\n" "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
+printf "%s\n" "no" >&6; }
+fi
+
+
+
+printf "%s\n" "#define CAT_BIN \"$CAT_BIN\"" >>confdefs.h
+
 
 # Get "bison" from bison -y or other string
 if test "$YACC" = "${YACC##bison}" ; then
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index ecba85d4..77820bb4 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -162,6 +162,8 @@ AC_PATH_PROG(TAIL_BIN, tail)
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(TAIL_BIN, "$TAIL_BIN", [tail binary])
 AC_PATH_PROG(WC_BIN, wc)
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(WC_BIN, "$WC_BIN", [wc binary])
+AC_PATH_PROG(CAT_BIN, cat)
+AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(CAT_BIN, "$CAT_BIN", [cat binary])
 
 # Get "bison" from bison -y or other string
 if test "$YACC" = "${YACC##bison}" ; then
diff --git a/example/main/README.md b/example/main/README.md
index 82cca145..957ac7a4 100644
--- a/example/main/README.md
+++ b/example/main/README.md
@@ -111,6 +111,17 @@ cli> show configuration
       <value>42</value>
    </parameter>
 </table>
+cli> show configuration | show json
+{
+   "clixon-example:table": {
+      "parameter": [
+         {
+            "name": "a",
+            "value": "42"
+         }
+      ]
+   }
+}
 cli> delete interfaces interface eth1table parameter a
 cli> commit
 ```
diff --git a/example/main/example_pipe.cli b/example/main/example_pipe.cli
index 7ea49e85..3b85329d 100644
--- a/example/main/example_pipe.cli
+++ b/example/main/example_pipe.cli
@@ -43,5 +43,5 @@ CLICON_MODE="|example_pipe"; # Must start with |
      json("JSON"), pipe_showas_fn("json");
      text("Text curly braces"), pipe_showas_fn("text");
    }
-#   save("Save configuration to file") <filename:string>("Filename (local filename)"), save_config_file("candidate","filename", "xml"); # XXX
+   save("Save configuration to file") <filename:string>("Filename (local filename)"), pipe_save_file("filename");
 }
diff --git a/include/clixon_config.h.in b/include/clixon_config.h.in
index 32b8430e..bc265017 100644
--- a/include/clixon_config.h.in
+++ b/include/clixon_config.h.in
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 /* include/clixon_config.h.in.  Generated from configure.ac by autoheader.  */
 
+/* cat binary */
+#undef CAT_BIN
+
 /* Pass-through $bindir */
 #undef CLIXON_CONFIG_BINDIR