units get downloads a ZIP of every resource attached to a unit; tasks get downloads one task’s sheet by default, or its linked resources with --resources.
Full syntax: ontrack units, ontrack tasks.

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--dest vs. -o/--output

These control two different files:
  • --dest <path> is where the downloaded content (the ZIP or the task sheet PDF) is written. It’s specific to units get and tasks get.
  • -o, --output <file> is the global flag that writes the command’s own result — the JSON, YAML or table describing what happened — to a file instead of stdout. It works on every command.
You can use both on the same download: --dest places the file, -o captures the confirmation record.
If you omit --dest, units get writes ontrack-resources-<project-id>.zip and tasks get writes the filename OnTrack reports for the task’s sheet or resources, both in the current directory.

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Refusing to overwrite

A download refuses to replace an existing file at the destination:
This is checked before the download starts, and enforced again as the file is written, so a file that appears between the check and the write still stops the command. Pass --force to replace it.

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How --force replaces a file

Every download writes to a temporary file next to the destination first, then either:
  • links it to the destination (default) — this fails if the destination exists, which is the second overwrite guard above, or
  • renames it onto the destination (--force) — an atomic replace, so a reader never sees a half-written file.
The temporary file is always cleaned up, whether the download succeeds, fails, or is cancelled with Ctrl-C.
A task with no task sheet or no resources returns an upstream_api error rather than an empty file. See Troubleshooting for that and other error codes.