32 KiB
Command line reference
CommandKit owns command routing and syntax for commands registered with its
App. The caller supplies argv without the executable name, a context, and the
output and diagnostic writers. App.Execute returns an Outcome; it does not
exit the process.
Help
The root help command lists registered commands and their summaries. Help is
available through a bare invocation, --help, -h, and help:
example
example --help
example -h
example help
example help config show
example config --help
help [COMMAND...] resolves an exact registered path. A command group without
an execution handler displays its help when invoked by itself. A runnable
command with children runs its handler when invoked without help; add --help
to inspect that command and its children.
Help uses registered descriptions, command summaries, local flags, defaults, required and repeatable flag metadata, and operand names and counts. It does not construct the selected command's input or invoke its handler. Supplied flag and operand values are still parsed so malformed values and unknown flags remain usage errors. Missing execution-required values and input-combination checks are skipped for help.
Version
version reports the application identity by default:
example version
example version --scope commandkit
example version --format yaml
The supported flags are:
| Flag | Values | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
--scope |
app, commandkit |
app |
Select the caller's application identity or the embedded CommandKit module identity. |
--format |
text, yaml |
text |
Select the output format. |
Text output is NAME VERSION, followed by (REVISION) when the selected
identity has a revision. An empty application version is displayed as dev;
the revision remains empty when omitted.
CommandKit identity uses the version of its module in build information. A
versioned module replacement supplies the effective version. A local or
versionless replacement, an untagged module, or missing build information
displays dev. The CommandKit identity name is CommandKit; dependency build
metadata does not supply a revision.
YAML output uses these explicit fields, including an empty revision:
name: ExampleApp
version: dev
revision: ""
Registered command syntax
Options are parsed after the complete command path and may be interspersed with
declared operands. Flags are local to the selected command. Use -- to end
option parsing; all later tokens are operands.
Value flags accept --name value and --name=value. Boolean flags accept
presence as true and explicit values such as --enabled=false. A singleton
flag accepts repeated occurrences; the last successfully parsed occurrence
supplies its value. Every supplied occurrence is converted, so an earlier
malformed value remains an error. Repeatable flags preserve occurrence order,
with each occurrence treated as one value, including strings containing commas.
Typed inputs keep supplied state separate from defaults. An explicit empty, false, or zero value is supplied. Help and version are available without constructing application command inputs.
Configuration scopes
An application installs the declaration returned by
ckconfig.Command(ckconfig.Suite[Input, State]{...}) through
commandkit.New or App.Register. For the common single application scope,
ckconfig.AppCommand returns a convenience declaration. The installed
config scopes command lists scope names and the configuration operations
currently available for those scopes:
example config scopes
example config scopes --format yaml
Text output uses one scope: operation, operation line per scope. YAML uses a
scopes sequence with explicit name and operations fields. Scope order is
app, then promptkit, then other names alphabetically. A metadata-only scope
can be listed without an acquisition callback. Discovery does not construct a
runtime context or acquire configuration. It reports the intersection between
declared scope capabilities and installed handlers, so an operation is listed
only when the corresponding command is available.
Applications can add ckprompt.ConfigScope(loadEngine) to the ConfigKit suite
to expose PromptKit engine configuration through these handlers. The scope
declares validate, show, sources, explain, and native diff. It does not install
PromptKit prompt or profile definition commands.
Validate configuration
config validate loads and validates the selected scope. The default scope is
app; --scope all validates every registered scope and is available when each
scope declares validation. The command checks all selected capabilities before
calling scope providers.
Its default format is text; --format yaml emits a scopes sequence with
name and valid: true for each scope that completed successfully.
example config validate
example config validate --scope promptkit --format yaml
example config validate --scope all
Each successful scope is reported as SCOPE: valid. Aggregate validation stops
at the first load or output failure; records from earlier successful scopes may
already have been written. Provider warnings go to the diagnostic stream and do
not alone make validation fail. --config and --overlay preserve whether an
empty value was explicitly supplied, so a scope callback can map those inputs to
its own ConfigKit load policy. Help and invalid syntax do not call scope
providers.
Show effective configuration
config show writes the provider's native effective YAML for one scope. Its
default scope is app; --format yaml is accepted and YAML is the only initial
format. Single-scope output is passed through unchanged, without a CommandKit
header or document marker.
example config show
example config show --scope promptkit
example config show --scope all
--scope all acquires every selected scope and checks each effective writer
before writing output. It then emits one YAML document per scope in discovery
order, with a # scope: NAME comment at each document boundary. For ordinary
block documents the comment follows the marker. When a native opening marker
contains inline content, the comment precedes that marker so it does not
interrupt the native value. Existing native markers and leading comments are
retained; documents without a marker receive one. Scope labels containing line
control characters are quoted to keep them on one comment line. A provider
failure leaves the output stream empty. A rendering or output failure may leave
an aggregate prefix, and the outcome reports
incomplete report delivery.
List configuration sources
config sources reports the source inventory captured during the selected
scope's acquisition. It reads the source facet once and does not reload
configuration. The default scope is app; --scope all is unsupported. Text is
the default format, and --format yaml returns a structured report:
scope: app
sources:
- id: source-1
label: "application config"
path: /etc/example/config.yml
layer: base
kind: file
underlay_index: 0
imported_from: null
destination: /server
placement: mapping
destination_unresolved: false
version_check:
path: /version
version:
present: true
null: false
text: "1"
location:
source_id: source-1
line: 2
column: 1
redacted: false
Each source includes id, label, path, layer, kind, underlay_index,
and imported_from, plus the native destination pointer, placement, unresolved
destination flag, and nullable version_check. Placement is mapping or
sequence_item. The import location is null when absent; otherwise it has
source_id, line, and column. Version evidence preserves path, present,
null, text, optional source location, and redacted as returned by
ConfigKit. Owning values and source order are preserved, including empty fields,
zero coordinates, false and null observations, and synthetic sources without
paths. An absent version check is null. An empty inventory is sources: [].
Text output begins with the scope heading and prints the same source fields,
quoting labels and paths. These fields project the selected ConfigKit source
records; CommandKit does not reload files or rerun version checks. See the
ConfigKit v0.8.0 inspection API
for native evidence definitions.
Explain a configuration path
config explain --path POINTER explains the effective and historical value at a
JSON Pointer path. --path is required; an explicitly empty value selects the
root. The default scope is app; --format yaml selects structured output, and
text is the default. --scope all is unsupported.
example config explain --path /server/addr
example config explain --path /profiles/team~1summary --format yaml
example config explain --path= --format yaml
Pointer tokens use JSON Pointer escaping: ~1 represents / and ~0
represents ~. A malformed pointer is a usage error with status 2 and is
rejected before acquisition. A well-formed path that is unknown in the selected
configuration is an operational error with status 1. Text output comes from
the scope's native explanation writer.
YAML output uses these root fields:
scope: app
path: /server/addr
effective:
present: true
redacted: false
yaml: "localhost:8080\n"
origin:
layer: base
locations:
- source_id: source-1
line: 4
column: 9
operation: ""
inheritance: []
history: []
secret_reference: null
Snapshot yaml values remain strings, including null and empty fragments.
Origin and history retain source locations, operation names, inheritance paths,
ordered reasons and dependencies. Secret references contain only the owning
environment-variable name; effective and historical secret fragments remain
redacted. Empty location, inheritance, history, reason, and dependency lists are
serialized as [].
Compare configuration selections
config diff prepares two selections for one scope that declares comparison
and invokes its comparison provider after input checks pass. The default scope
is app; --scope all is unsupported.
When an application installs ckprompt.ConfigScope(loadEngine), the PromptKit
scope declares comparison and delegates it to PromptKit's captured
configuration inspection API. PromptKit owns the meaning of that native
comparison; CommandKit uses the existing config diff preparation and report
path.
--config and --overlay select the left side. --against-config and
--against-overlay independently override the right side. When a right-side
field is omitted, it inherits the corresponding left value and supplied state;
an explicit empty string overrides it and remains supplied. Equal selections are
allowed; their equality alone does not cause CommandKit to skip the provider.
YAML is the only format and the default. Explicit --format yaml is accepted;
text and other formats are usage errors. For example:
example config diff --config before.yml --against-config after.yml
example config diff --config base.yml --against-overlay candidate
example config diff --config base.yml --overlay current --against-overlay ""
example config diff --scope promptkit --config before.yml --against-config after.yml
For ConfigKit-backed scopes, ConfigKit compares frozen effective typed values
after defaults and resolution; source or provenance differences alone do not
create a change. PromptKit delegates its native comparison to ConfigKit. The
report is one YAML document with additions, changes, and deletions in that
order. Additions and changes preserve semantic paths and contain right-side
values provided by the native comparison. Deletions contain canonical JSON
Pointer paths. Explicit null is a value; it is not a deletion. Changed sequences
and native structural replacement regions stay atomic.
ConfigKit pairs sensitivity across both loads. A concealed change can therefore appear even when its two safe snapshots are equal. For those ConfigKit-backed comparisons, the report omits separate redaction and hidden-change metadata: a reported masked region changed, but that does not mean every member inside it changed. Marker-looking public strings stay ordinary YAML values. An empty comparison succeeds with this shape:
additions: {}
changes: {}
deletions: []
The reduced report is a partial safe view, not a reloadable configuration or an automatically applicable patch. Exceptional whole-root empty/null transitions can be ambiguous because the report has no root envelope; ordinary field-level null values and deletions retain their distinction.
Successful comparisons return status 0, including empty results.
Unsupported scopes and format errors are usage errors; input checks retain the
existing usage/operational classification. Load and native comparison failures
are operational and preserve supported error identity.
The bundled FromConfigKit and AppCommand adapters invoke the supplied loader
for each reached side, left before right, then call native comparison. They label
native diagnostics with their left/right side and source legend, retain left
diagnostics if right loading fails, and gather both loads' diagnostics before
native comparison. Custom pair providers own their loading and diagnostics;
application loaders and caches determine whether a loader call reads sources
again.
The complete report is prepared before writing. Report preparation failures and cancellation observed before report delivery starts leave CommandKit's report output empty. Once writing starts, CommandKit does not interrupt the supplied writer or roll back delivered bytes. A write error or short write uses the existing incomplete-report delivery outcome and can leave partial output.
PromptKit definition inspection
Applications can install prompt and profile inspection independently with
ckprompt.Command(suite). The ckprompt.FromEngine(loadEngine) adapter
supplies these callbacks alongside native requirements discovery and the five
catalogs. Its loader receives invocation context, configuration selection,
typed input, and shared state. Direct suite callbacks retain their own
implementation and lifecycle.
Prompt inspection uses an ID only. PromptKit returns any descriptive version
metadata as an optional report field; there is no --version flag for selecting
a prompt version. The prompt format and native selection behavior remain owned by
PromptKit v0.16.0.
example promptkit show prompt customer/summary --format yaml
example promptkit show prompt customer/summary
example promptkit show profile customer-support --format yaml
Both commands require one ID operand and accept --config, --overlay, and
--format text|yaml (default text). These commands have no built-in
--scope selection; their namespace is promptkit.
Prompt YAML preserves native input order and uses an optional version field.
The key is omitted when PromptKit returns no version and is retained when the
version is present, including an empty string. The prompt hash is an opaque
owning-library equality value.
prompt_id: customer/summary
version: "2"
prompt_hash: opaque-value
default_profile_id: customer-support
inputs:
- name: topic
required: true
content_type: text/plain
description: Topic to summarize
output_contract:
format: json
validation_mode: basic
schema_path: ""
repair_attempts: 2
Profile YAML preserves the effective values reported by PromptKit, including
zero values and nested provider parameters. api_key_env is only an
environment-variable name. api_key_required reports a direct credential
requirement; neither field reports credential availability. A nil provider
parameter map is displayed as {}.
profile_id: customer-support
effective_model_params:
backend_id: local
endpoint: https://example.invalid/v1
model: support-model
temperature: 0
max_tokens: 0
top_p: 0
timeout_seconds: 600
service_tier: ""
reasoning_effort: ""
api_key_env: ""
extra_params: {}
api_key_required: true
Text uses labeled fields and includes nested extra_params values. A missing ID
is a usage error. Definition selection reaches the owning inspection API and
preserves supported error identity and cancellation.
PromptKit requirements
When Suite.InspectRequirements is present, ckprompt.Command(suite) installs
promptkit requirements show. It accepts one prompt ID and uses PromptKit's
native selection and discovery rules:
example promptkit requirements show briefing --campaign spring
example promptkit requirements show briefing --profile editorial --var mode=full
example promptkit requirements show briefing --session-id session-42 --var note= --format yaml
The command accepts:
| Flag | Values | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
--config |
path string | omitted | Select the configuration input; explicit presence is retained. |
--overlay |
path string | omitted | Select one overlay; explicit presence is retained. Repeated occurrences use the last value. |
| Suite selectors | application-defined | per selector | The flags captured from Suite.Selectors. |
--profile |
string | empty | Pass the profile ID to PromptKit; empty uses its native selection rule. |
--session-id |
string | empty | Pass session context to PromptKit. |
--var |
repeatable KEY=VALUE |
none | Supply caller-variable context for native discovery. |
--format |
yaml |
yaml |
Select the requirements report format. Other formats are usage errors for this operation. |
The promptkit namespace identifies the operation, so there is no built-in
--scope flag. An explicitly empty profile or session value retains PromptKit's
native empty-string meaning. Requirements inspection does not require a profile
to be execution-ready. See the
PromptKit v0.16.0 consumer guide
for native configuration, selection, and requirements behavior. The built-in
flags other than --var are singleton bindings; when repeated, the last value
is used. Suite selectors retain their declared binding behavior.
Each --var occurrence must contain =. CommandKit splits at the first
separator and preserves the exact key and remaining value. Empty keys and
values, whitespace, commas, and additional = characters are retained. All
occurrences are parsed; duplicate keys use the last value, while any malformed
occurrence is a usage error even if a later assignment is valid.
The YAML report contains selected identities, native completeness, and input,
variable, and issue inventories. False values and empty inventories are
retained. Input metadata preserves null versus an empty string. Variable entries
contain name, kind, supplied, and explanation. supplied reports native
exact-key presence, including an explicitly empty value, independently of
kind and complete. Explanations and issue descriptions are upstream-owned
human-readable summaries, not machine-readable details. The optional version
key is omitted when absent and retained when supplied by PromptKit.
For a prompt with the template {{if .mode}}{{input "notes"}}{{end}} and no
input declarations, omitting mode can produce a partial report:
prompt_id: briefing
version: "2"
profile_id: editorial
complete: false
inputs:
- name: notes
kind: conditional
declared: false
content_type: null
description: null
explanation: This reference is not known to be reached on every execution path.
variables:
- name: mode
kind: required
supplied: false
explanation: ""
issues:
- code: missing_variable
input_name: ""
variable_name: mode
description: A missing variable prevents selecting a dependency-bearing branch.
PromptKit owns the inventory, classifications, explanations, completeness, and
structured issues. Successfully acquired and delivered partial reports return
status 0; structured issues do not independently fail the command. Provider
errors, native selection errors, cancellation, and report delivery failures use
the operational path (status 1) with supported cause identity. Syntax,
operand, variable-assignment, and format errors use usage status 2.
Concrete request validation
When Suite.ValidateRequest is present, ckprompt.Command(suite) also installs
promptkit requirements validate. It can be installed without discovery, and
discovery can remain installed without validation. The command accepts one
prompt ID and passes a concrete request to PromptKit's native
Engine.ValidateRequest preparation path:
example promptkit requirements validate briefing --campaign spring --input topic=topic.txt
example promptkit requirements validate briefing --profile editorial --session-id session-42 --var mode=full --input notes=notes.txt
The command accepts:
| Flag | Values | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
--config |
path string | omitted | Select the configuration input; explicit presence is retained. |
--overlay |
path string | omitted | Select one overlay; explicit presence is retained. Repeated occurrences use the last value. |
| Suite selectors | application-defined | per selector | The flags captured from Suite.Selectors. |
--profile |
string | empty | Pass the profile ID to PromptKit. |
--session-id |
string | empty | Pass session context to PromptKit. |
--var |
repeatable KEY=VALUE |
none | Supply caller variables for the concrete request. |
--input |
repeatable NAME=PATH |
none | Bind a file-backed PromptKit artifact. |
--format |
yaml |
yaml |
Select the success confirmation format. Other formats are usage errors. |
The built-in flags other than repeatable --var and --input are singleton
bindings; when repeated, the last value is used. Explicit empty --config or
--overlay values keep their supplied-presence information. The profile and
session fields use native empty-string semantics. PromptKit owns their
interpretation and selection errors.
Each --var and --input occurrence must contain =. CommandKit splits at the
first separator and preserves the exact key/name and remaining value/path.
Empty variable keys and values and empty input names and paths are passed to
native validation. File paths become promptkit.File(PATH) references without
being read, normalized, expanded, or rebased during argument binding. Duplicate
keys or names use the last value, but every occurrence is parsed.
On success, the YAML confirmation contains only the requested prompt ID and
valid: true:
prompt_id: briefing
valid: true
Validation delegates concrete request preparation to PromptKit. Native
preparation may resolve prompt/profile resources, load artifact and schema
resources, render messages and session context, and perform applicable
configuration and credential checks. It does not make a model call or retain a
prepared execution snapshot. A successful report describes this preparation
invocation; it does not certify provider acceptance or guarantee later
execution. See PromptKit's
Engine.ValidateRequest API.
Builder, engine-loading, and native validation errors use the operational path
(status 1) with supported error identity and acquired diagnostics retained.
Malformed syntax, missing operands, and unsupported formats use usage status
2. Successful diagnostics and report-delivery failures follow the common
delivery contract.
PromptKit catalogs
An installed ckprompt.Command(suite) exposes each catalog whose callback is
present:
example promptkit list prompts
example promptkit list profiles --config settings.yml --campaign spring
example promptkit list backends --namespace team
example promptkit list namespaces --kind prompt --kind profile
example promptkit list collections
All catalogs accept --config, --overlay, applicable flags from
Suite.Selectors, and --format yaml (the default). Other formats are usage
errors. Prompt, profile, and backend listings accept namespace selection:
| Binding | Effect |
|---|---|
omitted --namespace and --all-namespaces |
Forward PromptKit's native default namespace filter. |
--namespace team |
Forward the named namespace filter. |
--namespace "" |
Select the unqualified namespace. |
--all-namespaces |
Forward the all-namespaces filter. |
--all-namespaces=false |
Do not select an override; a supplied namespace still applies, otherwise native default is used. |
The namespace binding is a singleton and its last occurrence is used.
Supplying a namespace while --all-namespaces=true is active is a usage error
before provider work. Namespace inventory accepts repeatable --kind KIND;
omitting --kind forwards PromptKit's native default kind selection. Repeated
values are forwarded in order. Collections have no namespace or kind filter.
Each operation writes one bare YAML sequence, retaining provider order and native identities:
- Prompt entries are
{id, version?}. The optionalversionkey is omitted when absent and retained for a present empty or nonempty value. - Profiles, backends, and namespaces are strings.
- Collection entries are
{namespace, version?}, whereversionprojects PromptKit's optional release version. - Nil and allocated-empty inventories both render as
[].
- id: team/briefing
version: "2"
- autumn
- spring
A catalog result is an inventory, not a readiness check or execution result. The owning provider controls membership and order. Namespace filters are passed to PromptKit without local membership interpretation. See the PromptKit v0.16.0 consumer guide for native resource and selection definitions.
PromptKit smoke testing
When Suite.SmokeTest is present, ckprompt.Command(suite) installs
promptkit test KIND. The special kind all runs the four concrete operations
sequentially in this order: reachability, authentication, text_inference,
and structured_output. Both forms use the same single-operation callback;
each aggregate call changes the seed kind before invoking it. The command
accepts:
example promptkit test text_inference --campaign spring --prompt briefing --profile spring
example promptkit test all --campaign spring --prompt briefing --profile spring
example promptkit test authentication --backend local
| Flag | Values | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
--config, --overlay |
path strings | omitted | Select PromptKit configuration; supplied presence is retained. |
| Suite selectors | application-defined | per selector | Captured flags from Suite.Selectors. |
--backend |
string | empty | Native backend ID. |
--prompt |
string | empty | Native prompt ID. |
--profile |
string | empty | Native profile ID. |
--endpoint |
string | omitted | Override the execution endpoint. |
--model |
string | omitted | Override the execution model. |
--temperature |
float | omitted | Override execution temperature. |
--max-tokens |
integer | omitted | Override execution maximum tokens. |
--top-p |
float | omitted | Override execution top-p. |
--timeout-seconds |
integer | omitted | Override the execution timeout. |
--service-tier |
string | omitted | Override the execution service tier. |
--reasoning-effort |
string | omitted | Override execution reasoning effort. |
--api-key-env |
string | omitted | Supply an API-key environment-variable name to native configuration. |
--transient-retries |
integer | omitted | Set the native inference transient retry count. |
--format |
yaml |
yaml |
Select the report format. Other formats are usage errors. |
The execution flags populate PromptKit's native execution override. The
--api-key-env value is a variable name, not a credential value. Application
selectors, loader policy, credentials, and client wiring remain application
owned. The WithSmokeTesting helper accepts an optional typed builder. A nil
builder forwards the seed; a supplied builder's complete native request is
authoritative. The helper retains a native report when PromptKit returns both a
report and an error.
A single report projects the native smoke report into YAML. It preserves native
false, unknown/null, and incomplete values and does not add a readiness score.
The report includes kind, supported, applicable, completed, reason,
target, facts, timing, attempts, usage, and failure. Its target
contains selected IDs, optional version, selection source, endpoint, effective
settings, and settings-presence flags. Attempt entries retain their own facts,
timing, failure, and token-usage evidence. Durations use Go duration strings;
token counts preserve value, known, and complete.
Here is a native projection as rendered by the command:
kind: reachability
supported: false
applicable: null
completed: true
reason: http_diagnostics_unavailable
target:
backend_id: ""
profile_id: spring
prompt_id: briefing
version: "1"
default_source_backend_id: ""
selection_source: profile
endpoint: https://example.invalid/v1
effective_settings:
endpoint: https://example.invalid/v1
model: spring-model
temperature: 0
max_tokens: 0
top_p: 0
timeout_seconds: 600
service_tier: ""
reasoning_effort: ""
api_key_env: ""
extra_params:
campaign: spring
settings_presence:
temperature: false
max_tokens: false
top_p: false
timeout_seconds: false
facts:
credentials_supplied: null
endpoint_reachable: null
credentials_accepted: null
response_received: null
generation_completed: null
text_returned: null
expected_text_matched: null
structured_output_requested: null
valid_json: null
schema_matched: null
timing:
started_at: 2026-10-17T19:05:36Z
duration: 35.685µs
capacity_wait: null
request_duration: null
retry_delay: null
evaluation_duration: null
attempts: []
usage:
prompt_tokens: {value: 0, known: true, complete: true}
completion_tokens: {value: 0, known: true, complete: true}
total_tokens: {value: 0, known: true, complete: true}
cached_tokens: {value: 0, known: true, complete: true}
cache_write_tokens: {value: 0, known: true, complete: true}
failure: ""
Aggregate output is one YAML mapping with ordered tests entries. Each entry
has selected kind, nullable report, and optional error text. The inner
report keeps its native kind. This cancellation example shows two attempted
operations with no reports; later kinds are absent because cancellation stops
the sequence:
tests:
- kind: reachability
report: null
error: "reachability operation failed"
- kind: authentication
report: null
error: "context canceled"
A successful delivered single operation returns status 0. For all, all
four callbacks must return without error for status 0. Native false, unknown,
unsupported, or incomplete observations do not independently change the
outcome. Operation errors use operational status 1; aggregate runs continue
after individual errors, retain their reports and ordered error text, and join
causes for supported errors.Is/errors.As access. Cancellation stops later
operations and preserves results already acquired. Report encoding or delivery
failures use the common incomplete-report delivery outcome and retain operation
causes where applicable. Syntax, operand, unsupported format, and conflicting
namespace selection are usage status 2.
Native configuration, selection, and diagnostic meanings remain owned by PromptKit. See the v0.16.0 consumer guide, smoke API, and engine API.
Outcome status
CommandKit usage failures use status 2; operational failures use status 1.
Successful operations use status 0. Application handlers may return a domain
classification and status of their choice, which Execute preserves. The caller
chooses how to map an outcome to process exit.