Knowledge Islands Enter Arcadia
Menu

← Docs · The ki CLI

How command groups divide

You can choose a command by the thing you want to inspect or change: your installation, a repository, a territory, a work package or a source of knowledge. The eighteen groups below follow the manual shipped with ki at v0.13.0.

The eighteen ki command groups Each group names what an operation acts on - tools-ki v0.13.0 General · Invocation and help · ki - one command surface General Invocation and help Global options · Help and version flags · ki - one command surface Global options Help and version flags Installation · Bootstrap this machine · ki - one command surface Installation Bootstrap this machine Local management · Inspect and update installation · ki - one command surface Local management Inspect and update installation User management · User skill declarations · ki - one command surface User management User skill declarations Repository options · Repository selectors · ki - one command surface Repository options Repository selectors Repository management · Repository standards and repairs · ki - one command surface Repository management Repository standards and repairs Batch records · Bounded work authority · ki - one command surface Batch records Bounded work authority Knowledge Base search · Search island knowledge · ki - one command surface Knowledge Base search Search island knowledge Registry management · Known repositories and roots · ki - one command surface Registry management Known repositories and roots Harness management · Install and remove harnesses · ki - one command surface Harness management Install and remove harnesses Trades · Routes between repositories · ki - one command surface Trades Routes between repositories Territory management · Repository groupings · ki - one command surface Territory management Repository groupings Acquisition · Capture external material · ki - one command surface Acquisition Capture external material Background agents · Launch and monitor runs · ki - one command surface Background agents Launch and monitor runs Work model · Work identifiers and packages · ki - one command surface Work model Work identifiers and packages Estate convergence · Converge a registered estate · ki - one command surface Estate convergence Converge a registered estate Development · Local harness development · ki - one command surface Development Local harness development ki - one command surface Legend Command group
The eighteen command groups in tools-ki v0.13.0, labelled by what each operates on. Interactive

General

The root invocation and ki help operate on the command tree. Use them to discover a command path or ask for help with a nested action before supplying its arguments.

Global options

--help and --version inspect the selected command or the installed executable. Reach for them when checking grammar or confirming which release you are actually running.

Installation

ki bootstrap establishes your user environment: detected agents, the canonical harness and core user skills. Use it on a new machine, or add --refresh after changing the agent runtimes you use; getting started carries the first-run sequence.

Local management

These commands inspect or maintain machine-local KI state: ki inventory, ki diag, ki doctor, ki repair and ki update, alongside completion, documentation locations, Markdown conversion, MCP source installations and editor projections. Use local utility commands to distinguish inspection from a deliberate write.

User management

ki skill add and ki skill remove change which skills are active for you across repositories. Use them when a way of working should follow your agent rather than govern one particular island; capability lifecycle explains the two activation scopes.

Repository options

Repository selectors choose the physical checkouts a ki repo action will operate on. Use --repo, --territory, --estate or --principals, with optional filters, when the current repository is too narrow or an explicit selection is clearer.

Repository management

ki repo declares, opens, audits, conforms, diagnoses and repairs repositories, manages their skill declarations and source stores, and reads or maintains roadmap records. Reach for it when an island's declared governance or local projections need attention; repositories and territory explains selection and repair.

Batch records

ki repo batch records an already-approved, exact set of Ready work items in one repository. Use it for a bounded delivery window that needs a protected authority envelope and an evidence ledger, as described in work and agents.

ki kb index, search and status operate on a derived search index for one explicitly registered Knowledge Base. Use them to retrieve current local notes with scoped citations; the notes remain authoritative and search needs explicit provisioning.

Registry management

ki registry records and lists canonical repository identities and their local checkout roots. Use it when a checkout must become visible to territory selection, trades or KB search, remembering that registration records presence rather than conformance.

Harness management

ki harness installs, inspects, reinstalls or removes compatible capability payloads. Use it when a skill's provider is missing or needs inspection; installing its payload and activating its skills remain separate decisions.

Trades

ki repo trade inspects routes and operates each repository's local side of an exchange. New submissions are currently on hold under the pinned harness; use the supported receipt and observation commands for existing records, with trades and acquisition explaining the boundary.

Territory management

ki territory resolves a Capital's declared membership and can show, audit, open or inspect the selected local roots. Use it when you need an overview or editor view of several islands without changing what each island authorises.

Acquisition

ki acquire lists enabled adapters and imports supplied source material into the selected receiver. Use ChatGPT's local-capture adapter or Granola's configured connection when preserving evidence; confirmed source marking is a separate operation from import.

Background agents

ki agent prepares prompts, launches detached workers, queues dependent runs and reports their progress and results. Use it to delegate a bounded task while keeping its authority, status and report visible; work and agents gives the operating sequence.

Work model

ki work status reads work packages and groups them by who holds them and whether they are moving, stuck, blocked or on hold. Use it to find what needs attention without changing any work state.

Estate convergence

ki estate converge previews how local checkouts differ from a tracked target manifest, and can deliberately apply or roll back recorded moves and repairs. Use it for a planned estate rearrangement, or its separate --hooks pass for supported hook bindings.

Development

ki dev switches installed harnesses between verified archives and remembered local development checkouts, and checks or regenerates skill surfaces. Use it while maintaining a harness; ordinary users normally stay on the verified installation.

Every ki command publishes all 121 entries from the release manual, including arguments and options. Your installed executable's --help remains the authority for the version on your machine.