diff --git a/apps/cli/cli_show.c b/apps/cli/cli_show.c
index bc457702..e10e2063 100644
--- a/apps/cli/cli_show.c
+++ b/apps/cli/cli_show.c
@@ -1371,6 +1371,7 @@ cli_pagination(clixon_handle h,
     cxobj          **xvec = NULL;
     size_t           xlen;
     int              locked = 0;
+    int              argc = 0;
 
     if (cvec_len(argv) != 5){
         clixon_err(OE_PLUGIN, 0, "Expected usage: <xpath> <prefix> <namespace> <format> <limit>");
@@ -1380,14 +1381,12 @@ cli_pagination(clixon_handle h,
     if ((cv = cvec_find(cvv, "xpath")) != NULL)
         xpath = cv_string_get(cv);
     else
-        xpath = cvec_i_str(argv, 0);
-    prefix = cvec_i_str(argv, 1);
-    namespace = cvec_i_str(argv, 2);
-    str = cv_string_get(cvec_i(argv, 3));     /* Fourthformat: output format */
-    if ((int)(format = format_str2int(str)) < 0){
-        clixon_err(OE_PLUGIN, 0, "Not valid format: %s", str);
+        xpath = cvec_i_str(argv, argc);
+    argc++;
+    prefix = cvec_i_str(argv, argc++);
+    namespace = cvec_i_str(argv, argc++);
+    if (cli_show_option_format(h, argv, argc++, &format) < 0)
         goto done;
-    }
     if ((str = cv_string_get(cvec_i(argv, 4))) != NULL){
         if (parse_uint32(str, &limit, NULL) < 1){
             clixon_err(OE_UNIX, errno, "error parsing limit:%s", str);
diff --git a/example/main/Makefile.in b/example/main/Makefile.in
index 29e6c192..844e4da0 100644
--- a/example/main/Makefile.in
+++ b/example/main/Makefile.in
@@ -103,7 +103,8 @@ all:	$(PLUGINS)
 .c.o:
 	$(CC) $(INCLUDES) $(CPPFLAGS) $(CFLAGS) -c $<
 
-CLISPECS =  $(APPNAME)_cli.cli
+CLISPECS  =  $(APPNAME)_cli.cli
+CLISPECS +=  $(APPNAME)_pipe.cli
 
 YANGSPECS	= clixon-example@2022-11-01.yang
 
diff --git a/example/main/example_cli.cli b/example/main/example_cli.cli
index 185ace15..93c8579c 100644
--- a/example/main/example_cli.cli
+++ b/example/main/example_cli.cli
@@ -94,13 +94,9 @@ show("Show a particular state of the system"){
     		     xml("Show comparison in xml"), compare_dbs("running", "candidate", "xml");
 		     text("Show comparison in text"), compare_dbs("running", "candidate", "text");
     }
-    pagination("Show list pagination") xpath("Show configuration") <xpath:string>("XPATH expression"){
-    	xml, cli_pagination("use xpath var", "es", "http://example.com/ns/example-social", "xml", "10");
-	cli, cli_pagination("use xpath var", "es", "http://example.com/ns/example-social", "cli", "10");
-	text, cli_pagination("use xpath var", "es", "http://example.com/ns/example-social", "text", "10");
-	json, cli_pagination("use xpath var", "es", "http://example.com/ns/example-social", "json", "10");
-    }
+    pagination("Show list pagination") xpath("Show configuration") <xpath:string>("XPATH expression"), cli_pagination("use xpath var", "es", "http://example.com/ns/example-social", "default", "10");
     configuration("Show configuration"), cli_show_auto_mode("candidate", "default", true, false, "explicit", "set ");{
+       @|example_pipe, cli_show_auto_mode("candidate", "xml", true, false, "explicit");
        default("With-default mode"){
           report-all, cli_show_auto_mode("candidate", "default", true, false, "report-all");
 	  trim, cli_show_auto_mode("candidate", "default", true, false, "trim");
@@ -111,16 +107,15 @@ show("Show a particular state of the system"){
        }
     }
     state("Show configuration and state"), cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true); {
-      xml("Show configuration and state as XML"), cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true);{
-	    default("With-default mode"){
-                  report-all, cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true, "report-all");
-		  trim, cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true, "trim");
-		  explicit, cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true, "explicit");
-		  report-all-tagged, cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true, "report-all-tagged");
-		  report-all-tagged-default, cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true, "report-all-tagged-default");
-		  report-all-tagged-strip, cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true, "report-all-tagged-strip");
-	    }
-        }
+       @|example_pipe, cli_show_auto_mode("running", "xml", true, true);
+       default("With-default mode"){
+          report-all, cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true, "report-all");
+	  trim, cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true, "trim");
+	  explicit, cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true, "explicit");
+	  report-all-tagged, cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true, "report-all-tagged");
+	  report-all-tagged-default, cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true, "report-all-tagged-default");
+	  report-all-tagged-strip, cli_show_auto_mode("running", "default", true, true, "report-all-tagged-strip");
+       }
     }
     yang("Show yang specs"), show_yang(); {
         clixon-example("Show clixon-example yang spec"), show_yang("clixon-example");
diff --git a/example/main/example_pipe.cli b/example/main/example_pipe.cli
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7ea49e85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/example/main/example_pipe.cli
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+# ***** BEGIN LICENSE BLOCK *****
+# 
+# Copyright (C) 2024 Olof Hagsand
+#
+# This file is part of CLIXON
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+# Alternatively, the contents of this file may be used under the terms of
+# the GNU General Public License Version 3 or later (the "GPL"),
+# in which case the provisions of the GPL are applicable instead
+# of those above. If you wish to allow use of your version of this file only
+# under the terms of the GPL, and not to allow others to
+# use your version of this file under the terms of Apache License version 2, 
+# indicate your decision by deleting the provisions above and replace them with
+# the notice and other provisions required by the GPL. If you do not delete
+# the provisions above, a recipient may use your version of this file under
+# the terms of any one of the Apache License version 2 or the GPL.
+#
+# ***** END LICENSE BLOCK *****
+
+# Clixon pipe example specification
+
+CLICON_MODE="|example_pipe"; # Must start with |
+\| { 
+   grep("Search for pattern") <arg:string>, pipe_grep_fn("-e", "arg");
+   except("Inverted search") <arg:string>, pipe_grep_fn("-v", "arg");
+   tail("Output last part") <arg:string>, pipe_tail_fn("-n", "arg");
+   count("Line count"), pipe_wc_fn("-l");
+   show("Show other format") {
+     cli("set Input cli syntax"), pipe_showas_fn("cli", true, "set ");
+     xml("XML"), pipe_showas_fn("xml", true);
+     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
+}
diff --git a/test/test_pagination_config.sh b/test/test_pagination_config.sh
index b128cefe..b282422c 100755
--- a/test/test_pagination_config.sh
+++ b/test/test_pagination_config.sh
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ cat <<EOF > $cfg
   <CLICON_STREAM_DISCOVERY_RFC8040>true</CLICON_STREAM_DISCOVERY_RFC8040>
   <CLICON_CLI_MODE>$APPNAME</CLICON_CLI_MODE>
   <CLICON_CLI_DIR>/usr/local/lib/$APPNAME/cli</CLICON_CLI_DIR>
+  <CLICON_CLI_OUTPUT_FORMAT>cli</CLICON_CLI_OUTPUT_FORMAT>
   <CLICON_CLISPEC_DIR>/usr/local/lib/$APPNAME/clispec</CLICON_CLISPEC_DIR>
   <CLICON_VALIDATE_STATE_XML>$validatexml</CLICON_VALIDATE_STATE_XML>
 </clixon-config>
diff --git a/test/test_pagination_expect.exp b/test/test_pagination_expect.exp
index 1720cc5a..2d0a4a0b 100755
--- a/test/test_pagination_expect.exp
+++ b/test/test_pagination_expect.exp
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ set timeout 15
 
 spawn {*}$clixon_cli -f $cfg
 
-send "show pagination xpath $xpath cli\n"
+send "show pagination xpath $xpath\n"
 
 expect {
   timeout { send_user "\n$line1 not received.\n"; exit 1}
diff --git a/test/test_pagination_state.sh b/test/test_pagination_state.sh
index ff06a3d5..6fd6d15a 100755
--- a/test/test_pagination_state.sh
+++ b/test/test_pagination_state.sh
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ cat <<EOF > $cfg
   <CLICON_STREAM_DISCOVERY_RFC8040>true</CLICON_STREAM_DISCOVERY_RFC8040>
   <CLICON_CLI_MODE>$APPNAME</CLICON_CLI_MODE>
   <CLICON_CLI_DIR>/usr/local/lib/$APPNAME/cli</CLICON_CLI_DIR>
+  <CLICON_CLI_OUTPUT_FORMAT>cli</CLICON_CLI_OUTPUT_FORMAT>
   <CLICON_CLISPEC_DIR>/usr/local/lib/$APPNAME/clispec</CLICON_CLISPEC_DIR>
   <CLICON_VALIDATE_STATE_XML>$validatexml</CLICON_VALIDATE_STATE_XML>
 </clixon-config>
diff --git a/test/test_perf_state.sh b/test/test_perf_state.sh
index a66fa17a..fe75a5fb 100755
--- a/test/test_perf_state.sh
+++ b/test/test_perf_state.sh
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ done } 2>&1 | awk '/real/ {print $2}'
 # CLI get
 cat <<EOF >> $fin
 edit interfaces a foo b interface e1
-show state xml
+show state
 EOF
 new "cli get test single req"
 expectpart "$($clixon_cli -F $fin -f $cfg)" 0 "<name>e1</name>" "<type>eth</type>" "<status>up</status>$"
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ expectpart "$($clixon_cli -F $fin -f $cfg)" 0 "<name>e1</name>" "<type>eth</type
 new "cli get $perfreq single reqs"
 { time -p for (( i=0; i<$perfreq; i++ )); do
     rnd=$(( ( RANDOM % $perfnr ) ))
-    $clixon_cli -1 -f $cfg show state xml interfaces a b interface e$rnd > /dev/null
+    $clixon_cli -1 -f $cfg show state interfaces a b interface e$rnd > /dev/null
 done } 2>&1 | awk '/real/ {print $2}'
 
 # Get config in one large get
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ new "restconf get large config"
 $TIMEFN curl $CURLOPTS -X GET $RCPROTO://localhost/restconf/data/example:interfaces/a=foo/b 2>&1 | awk '/real/ {print $2}'
 
 new "cli get large config"
-$TIMEFN $clixon_cli -1f $cfg show state xml interfaces a foo b 2>&1 | awk '/real/ {print $2}'
+$TIMEFN $clixon_cli -1f $cfg show state interfaces a foo b 2>&1 | awk '/real/ {print $2}'
 
 # mem test needs sleep here
 new "wait restconf"