CLI reference

The mend CLI talks to the Mend server. Run mend help for the help text installed with your version. One-shot commands require Node 22 or newer. The terminal dashboard requires Node 26 and node:ffi; every other command still works when the dashboard cannot start.

Setup commands

Command	Purpose
mend login [--url <server>]	Sign in through the browser. The CLI opens <server>/authorize, waits for you to press Authorize, and saves a revocable device token with mode 0600
mend logout	Revoke this terminal’s device token on the server and remove it from this machine
mend connect <provider> [--from-stdin] [--remove]	Connect or remove claude, codex, or github for the signed-in user
mend accounts	List the signed-in user’s connected provider accounts
mend doctor	Run a read-only setup checklist and print a repair command for unfinished items
mend pair [--url <base-url>]	Create a single-use, ten-minute pairing code for another device

Read Connect provider accounts for credential sources and removal.

Project commands

Command	Purpose
mend adopt [source] [--name <name>] [--auth <mode>]	Adopt a local path or Git URL into the store
mend projects	List adopted projects and their live sessions
mend env load [file] [--secret [A,B]] [--project <name>]	Load dotenv values into project configuration and secrets
mend env show [--project <name>]	List configuration, secret, and cluster-binding names; never secret values

Git authentication modes for mend adopt are ambient, mend-key, and bridge.

Start agents and commands

mend codex ["prompt"] [options]
mend claude ["prompt"] [options]
mend opencode ["prompt"] [options]
mend run -- <command...>

Agent options:

Option	Meaning
--model <id>	Pass a model selection to a supported harness
--effort low|medium|high|xhigh|max	Pass the reasoning effort
--base <ref>	Create the session from another Git base
--ask	Restore the harness’s permission prompts
--fast	Request the Codex priority service tier
--project <name>	Select an adopted project instead of matching the current directory

A quoted prompt becomes the first message and supplies the initial session name. The CLI creates the session worktree, waits for the workspace and process, then attaches the current terminal.

Codex uses model, effort, permission, and speed options. Claude uses model, effort, and permission options. OpenCode currently uses only the prompt; the other harness flags are accepted but ignored.

Session commands

Command	Purpose
mend or mend ui	Open the terminal dashboard of projects and sessions
mend sessions [--all] [--project <name>] [--json]	List active sessions, or include settled sessions with --all
mend status	Alias for the active-session list
mend attach <session-id-prefix>	Reattach to a running agent PTY
mend shell [session-id-prefix]	Open a shell in a live session workspace
mend continue [session-id]	Resume a session with its pending review follow-up
mend resume [session-id] [--with <harness>]	Restore provider state and resume a settled session
mend rejoin [session-id] [--harness <harness>]	Attach when live, otherwise resume

When no session ID is given, commands narrow candidates by the current project and then use an interactive picker when needed.

mend sessions --json is the stable automation output. Human-readable rows may change as the interface improves.

Terminal attachment

The CLI sends terminal input and resize events over one WebSocket and replays recorded output before following live frames.

Press Ctrl+] to detach without stopping the process. Set:

export MEND_DETACH_KEY=none

when tmux, Zellij, or another outer tool owns detaching.

Dotfiles commands

Command	Purpose
mend dotfiles	Show the configured repository and synced file snapshot
mend dotfiles sync	Preview known dotfile candidates on this machine
mend dotfiles sync --all	Replace the snapshot with all discovered candidates
mend dotfiles sync <paths...>	Replace the snapshot with selected home-relative paths

Read Dotfiles before syncing credentials or machine-specific files.

Git key commands

Command	Purpose
mend keys init	Generate the Mend machine’s Ed25519 deploy key
mend keys show	Print the public key and fingerprint
mend keys share	Relay this machine’s SSH agent to the Mend server until interrupted

The key bridge requires a reachable local SSH agent. Signing happens on the machine holding the key.

Service commands

Command	Purpose
mend service init [--yes]	Scaffold mend.toml from package and Compose files
mend service run [session] --port <port> [options] -- <command...>	Start and supervise a Service command; tunnels the port here when remote
mend service run [session] <name>	Start a recipe from mend.toml
mend service <name>	Shorthand for a named recipe
mend service add [session] <port> [--name <name>] [--udp] [--http|--https]	Forward an existing workspace listener without supervising it
mend service connect [name...] [--port <port>]	Bring live Services to this machine’s loopback over an authenticated tunnel
mend service list	List live Services and observed endpoints
mend service logs <name-or-id> [--from <sequence>]	Replay and follow recorded Service output
mend service restart <name-or-id>	Start another attempt for a supervised Service
mend service stop <name-or-id>	Stop the process and close its host port

mend service run accepts --name, --port, --udp, --http, --https, and --no-connect. Read Development services for network and authentication boundaries.

mend inside the workspace

Every session workspace has a mend command of its own on the PATH. It is not the CLI above and not part of the workspace image: the server stages a small helper into the session’s run directory, mounted read-only at /run/mend and linked to /usr/local/bin/mend, so it is always version-locked to the server. It talks only to its own session, over the session socket (or the authenticated session endpoint on Kubernetes), and it speaks Services only:

Command	Purpose
mend service or mend service list	List this session’s live Services
mend service run --port <port> [--name <n>] [--udp] -- <command...>	Start and supervise a Service
mend service run <name> or mend service <name>	Start a recipe from mend.toml
mend service add <port> [--name <n>] [--udp]	Adopt an existing workspace listener
mend service stop <name-or-id>	Stop a Service
mend service restart <name-or-id>	Start another attempt

The helper has no --http/--https, no init, no logs, and no connect — browser schemes, history, and reaching the endpoint stay on your side. Its job is declaration: an agent that starts a dev server can register it as a real Service instead of leaving an unobserved listener.

Shell completion

mend completions zsh
mend completions bash

The generated hook completes command names and live session IDs. Add its output to the matching shell configuration. Fish completion is not currently generated.

CLI configuration

The CLI reads:

Input	Default
MEND_URL	http://localhost:3105
MEND_TOKEN	Saved token from the configuration file
MEND_DETACH_KEY	Ctrl+]
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/mend/cli.json	~/.config/mend/cli.json when XDG is unset

The configuration file contains:

{
  "url": "http://localhost:3105",
  "token": "<redacted>"
}

A legacy ~/.mend directory remains authoritative when it is the only Mend configuration directory on the machine.

Exit behavior

One-shot commands print a readable server error and exit nonzero when a request fails. Interactive commands return terminal control when the process ends or the user detaches. mend doctor does not change server or machine state.