---
description: Decrypt matched rule payloads using the command-line tool.
title: Decrypt the payload content
image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/og-docs.png
---

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# Decrypt the payload content

Last updated Aug 24, 2026|Copy as Markdown|[View as Markdown](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/waf/managed-rules/payload-logging/command-line/decrypt-payload/index.md)|[Agent setup](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/agent-setup/)

Use the `matched-data-cli` tool to decrypt a payload in the command line.

1. [Download ↗](https://github.com/cloudflare/matched-data-cli/releases) the `matched-data-cli` tool for your platform from the **Releases** page on GitHub, under **Assets**.
2. Extract the content of the downloaded `.tar.gz` file to a local folder.
3. Open a command line window and change to the local folder containing the `matched-data-cli` binary.  
```sh  
cd matched-data-cli  
```
4. Create two files: one with your private key and another one with the encrypted payload:  
```sh  
printf "<PRIVATE_KEY>" > private_key.txt && chmod 400 private_key.txt  
printf "<ENCRYPTED_PAYLOAD>" > encrypted_payload.txt  
```  
Replace `<PRIVATE_KEY>` with your private key and `<ENCRYPTED_PAYLOAD>` with the encrypted payload.  
Note: The first `printf` command will make your private key visible in your command history.
5. Run the following command to decrypt the payload:  
```sh  
decrypt -k private_key.txt encrypted_payload.txt  
```

Note

If you are using macOS and you get an error when running the `matched-data-cli` tool, refer to [Troubleshooting macOS errors](https://docs-durable-objects-instance-replaced-errors.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/waf/managed-rules/payload-logging/command-line/generate-key-pair/#troubleshooting-macos-errors).

## Example

The following example creates two files — one with the private key and another one with the encrypted payload — and runs the `matched-data-cli` tool to decrypt the payload in the `encrypted_payload.txt` file:

```sh
~ cd matched-data-cli

printf "uBS5eBttHrqkdY41kbZPdvYnNz8Vj0TvKIUpjB1y/GA=" > private_key.txt && chmod 400 private_key.txt

printf "AzTY6FHajXYXuDMUte82wrd+1n5CEHPoydYiyd3FMg5IEQAAAAAAAAA0lOhGXBclw8pWU5jbbYuepSIJN5JohTtZekLliJBlVWk=" > encrypted_payload.txt

decrypt -k private_key.txt encrypted_payload.txt
```

```txt
test matched data
```

Encryption formats

The format of the encrypted payload can change over time. The `matched-data-cli` tool returns an error if it cannot decrypt a new encryption format.

To fix this error, [download ↗](https://github.com/cloudflare/matched-data-cli/releases) a newer version of the tool from GitHub and try again.

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