CLI Reference

LocalNest is a full CLI tool. Everything is managed from the terminal with localnest <noun> <verb> subcommands.

Global Flags

Flag	Description
--json	Machine-readable JSON output
--verbose	Detailed output
--quiet	Suppress non-essential output
--config <path>	Override config file location

Core Commands

localnest setup              # configure roots, backends, AI clients
localnest doctor             # health check
localnest upgrade            # self-update
localnest version            # current version
localnest status             # runtime status

Memory Commands

localnest memory add "content" --type decision --importance 80 --nest myproject
localnest memory search "query" --limit 10 --nest myproject
localnest memory list --kind decision --json
localnest memory show <id>
localnest memory delete <id> -f

Knowledge Graph Commands

localnest kg add Alice works_on ProjectX --confidence 0.9
localnest kg query Alice --direction outgoing
localnest kg timeline Alice
localnest kg stats

Skill Commands

localnest skill install       # install skills to all detected AI clients
localnest skill list          # show installed skills
localnest skill remove <name> # uninstall a skill

MCP Commands

localnest mcp start           # start MCP server (stdio mode)
localnest mcp status          # server health and config
localnest mcp config          # output MCP config JSON for AI clients
localnest mcp config --client claude  # output claude mcp add command

Ingest Commands

localnest ingest ./chat.md                    # auto-detect format
localnest ingest ./export.json --format json  # explicit format
localnest ingest ./chat.md --nest project --branch auth

Shell Completions

localnest completion bash >> ~/.bashrc
localnest completion zsh >> ~/.zshrc
localnest completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/localnest.fish