FilterVcf (Picard)

Applies one or more hard filters to a VCF file to filter out genotypes and variants.

Category Variant Filtering

Overview

Applies a set of hard filters to Variants and to Genotypes within a VCF. @author Tim Fennell @author Pierre Lindenbaum added the javascript filter in 2016

FilterVcf (Picard) specific arguments

This table summarizes the command-line arguments that are specific to this tool. For more details on each argument, see the list further down below the table or click on an argument name to jump directly to that entry in the list.

Argument name(s)	Default value	Summary
Required Arguments
--INPUT -I		The INPUT VCF or BCF file.
--OUTPUT -O		The output VCF or BCF.
Optional Tool Arguments
--arguments_file		read one or more arguments files and add them to the command line
--help -h	false	display the help message
--JAVASCRIPT_FILE -JS		Filters a VCF file with a javascript expression interpreted by the java javascript engine. The script puts the following variables in the script context: 'variant' a VariantContext ( https://samtools.github.io/htsjdk/javadoc/htsjdk/htsjdk/variant/variantcontext/VariantContext.html ) and 'header' a VCFHeader ( https://samtools.github.io/htsjdk/javadoc/htsjdk/htsjdk/variant/vcf/VCFHeader.html ). Last value of the script should be a boolean to tell whether we should accept or reject the record.
--MAX_FS	1.7976931348623157E308	The maximum phred scaled fisher strand value before a site will be filtered out.
--MIN_AB	0.0	The minimum allele balance acceptable before filtering a site. Allele balance is calculated for heterozygotes as the number of bases supporting the least-represented allele over the total number of base observations. Different heterozygote genotypes at the same locus are measured independently. The locus is filtered if any allele balance is below the limit.
--MIN_DP	0	The minimum sequencing depth supporting a genotype before the genotype will be filtered out.
--MIN_GQ	0	The minimum genotype quality that must be achieved for a sample otherwise the genotype will be filtered out.
--MIN_QD	0.0	The minimum QD value to accept or otherwise filter out the variant.
--version	false	display the version number for this tool
Optional Common Arguments
--COMPRESSION_LEVEL	5	Compression level for all compressed files created (e.g. BAM and VCF).
--CREATE_INDEX	true	Whether to create an index when writing VCF or coordinate sorted BAM output.
--CREATE_MD5_FILE	false	Whether to create an MD5 digest for any BAM or FASTQ files created.
--MAX_RECORDS_IN_RAM	500000	When writing files that need to be sorted, this will specify the number of records stored in RAM before spilling to disk. Increasing this number reduces the number of file handles needed to sort the file, and increases the amount of RAM needed.
--QUIET	false	Whether to suppress job-summary info on System.err.
--REFERENCE_SEQUENCE -R		Reference sequence file.
--TMP_DIR		One or more directories with space available to be used by this program for temporary storage of working files
--USE_JDK_DEFLATER -use_jdk_deflater	false	Use the JDK Deflater instead of the Intel Deflater for writing compressed output
--USE_JDK_INFLATER -use_jdk_inflater	false	Use the JDK Inflater instead of the Intel Inflater for reading compressed input
--VALIDATION_STRINGENCY	STRICT	Validation stringency for all SAM files read by this program. Setting stringency to SILENT can improve performance when processing a BAM file in which variable-length data (read, qualities, tags) do not otherwise need to be decoded.
--VERBOSITY	INFO	Control verbosity of logging.
Advanced Arguments
--showHidden	false	display hidden arguments

Argument details

Arguments in this list are specific to this tool. Keep in mind that other arguments are available that are shared with other tools (e.g. command-line GATK arguments); see Inherited arguments above.

--arguments_file

read one or more arguments files and add them to the command line

List[File] []

--COMPRESSION_LEVEL

Compression level for all compressed files created (e.g. BAM and VCF).

int 5 [ [ -∞ ∞ ] ]

--CREATE_INDEX

Whether to create an index when writing VCF or coordinate sorted BAM output.

Boolean true

--CREATE_MD5_FILE

Whether to create an MD5 digest for any BAM or FASTQ files created.

boolean false

--help / -h

display the help message

boolean false

--INPUT / -I

The INPUT VCF or BCF file.

R File null

--JAVASCRIPT_FILE / -JS

Filters a VCF file with a javascript expression interpreted by the java javascript engine. The script puts the following variables in the script context: 'variant' a VariantContext ( https://samtools.github.io/htsjdk/javadoc/htsjdk/htsjdk/variant/variantcontext/VariantContext.html ) and 'header' a VCFHeader ( https://samtools.github.io/htsjdk/javadoc/htsjdk/htsjdk/variant/vcf/VCFHeader.html ). Last value of the script should be a boolean to tell whether we should accept or reject the record.

File null

--MAX_FS

The maximum phred scaled fisher strand value before a site will be filtered out.

double 1.7976931348623157E308 [ [ -∞ ∞ ] ]

--MAX_RECORDS_IN_RAM

When writing files that need to be sorted, this will specify the number of records stored in RAM before spilling to disk. Increasing this number reduces the number of file handles needed to sort the file, and increases the amount of RAM needed.

Integer 500000 [ [ -∞ ∞ ] ]

--MIN_AB

The minimum allele balance acceptable before filtering a site. Allele balance is calculated for heterozygotes as the number of bases supporting the least-represented allele over the total number of base observations. Different heterozygote genotypes at the same locus are measured independently. The locus is filtered if any allele balance is below the limit.

double 0.0 [ [ -∞ ∞ ] ]

--MIN_DP

The minimum sequencing depth supporting a genotype before the genotype will be filtered out.

int 0 [ [ -∞ ∞ ] ]

--MIN_GQ

The minimum genotype quality that must be achieved for a sample otherwise the genotype will be filtered out.

int 0 [ [ -∞ ∞ ] ]

--MIN_QD

The minimum QD value to accept or otherwise filter out the variant.

double 0.0 [ [ -∞ ∞ ] ]

--OUTPUT / -O

The output VCF or BCF.

R File null

--QUIET

Whether to suppress job-summary info on System.err.

Boolean false

--REFERENCE_SEQUENCE / -R

Reference sequence file.

PicardHtsPath null

--showHidden / -showHidden

display hidden arguments

boolean false

--TMP_DIR

One or more directories with space available to be used by this program for temporary storage of working files

List[File] []

--USE_JDK_DEFLATER / -use_jdk_deflater

Use the JDK Deflater instead of the Intel Deflater for writing compressed output

Boolean false

--USE_JDK_INFLATER / -use_jdk_inflater

Use the JDK Inflater instead of the Intel Inflater for reading compressed input

Boolean false

--VALIDATION_STRINGENCY

Validation stringency for all SAM files read by this program. Setting stringency to SILENT can improve performance when processing a BAM file in which variable-length data (read, qualities, tags) do not otherwise need to be decoded.

The --VALIDATION_STRINGENCY argument is an enumerated type (ValidationStringency), which can have one of the following values:

STRICT
LENIENT
SILENT

ValidationStringency STRICT

--VERBOSITY

Control verbosity of logging.

The --VERBOSITY argument is an enumerated type (LogLevel), which can have one of the following values:

ERROR
WARNING
INFO
DEBUG

LogLevel INFO

--version

display the version number for this tool

boolean false

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GATK version 4.6.2.0 built at Sun, 13 Apr 2025 13:21:43 -0400.