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CLI Reference

Complete command-line interface documentation for Angreal.

Synopsis

angreal [OPTIONS] <SUBCOMMAND>

Global Options

  • -h, --help - Print help information
  • -v, --verbose - Verbose level (may be used multiple times for more verbosity)
  • -V, --version - Print version information

Verbose Levels

The verbose flag can be repeated for increased verbosity:

angreal -v init template/     # Basic verbose output
angreal -vv init template/    # More detailed output
angreal -vvv init template/   # Maximum verbosity

Core Commands

init

Initialize a new project from an Angreal template.

angreal init <TEMPLATE> [OPTIONS]

Arguments: - TEMPLATE - Template source (local path, Git URL, or GitHub shorthand)

Options: - -f, --force - Force the rendering of a template, even if paths/files already exist - -d, --defaults - Use default values provided in the angreal.toml - --values <FILE> - Provide values to template, bypassing template toml

Template Sources & Examples:

# Local template
angreal init ./my-template

# Git repository
angreal init https://github.com/user/template.git

# GitHub catalog template
angreal init template

# With options
angreal init template/ --force --defaults
angreal init template/ --values values.toml

{{< hint type=note >}} Available Templates: Browse the official Angreal templates at github.com/angreal to find pre-built templates for various project types. {{< /hint >}}

Template Resolution: Angreal resolves templates in the following order: 1. Local path if it exists 2. Path in ~/.angrealrc/ if it exists 3. GitHub repository at https://github.com/angreal/template_name 4. Git repository at the specified URL

{{< hint type=info >}} For a detailed explanation of how Angreal resolves and processes templates, see Angreal Init Behavior. {{< /hint >}}

tree

Get a structured view of all available commands and tasks in an Angreal project.

angreal tree [OPTIONS]

Options: - -l, --long - Include full tool descriptions for AI agent guidance

Examples:

# Short format: commands with arguments and descriptions
angreal tree

# Long format: includes full ToolDescription prose
angreal tree --long

Output Formats:

The short format (default) shows commands with their argument signatures and short descriptions: 

test:
  all                                      - Run complete test suite
  rust [--unit-only] [--integration-only]  - Run Rust tests

The long format (--long) adds the full ToolDescription prose for each command, including: - When to use / when NOT to use guidance - Example invocations - Risk level annotations (safe, read_only, destructive)

This enables AI agents to understand available commands and make informed decisions about when and how to use them.

alias

Create and manage command aliases for white-labeling Angreal.

angreal alias <SUBCOMMAND>

Subcommands: - create <name> - Create a new command alias - remove <name> - Remove an existing alias - list - List all registered aliases

Examples:

# Create a custom command name
angreal alias create mycompany-tool

# Now you can use 'mycompany-tool' instead of 'angreal'
mycompany-tool init template/

# List all aliases
angreal alias list

# Remove an alias
angreal alias remove mycompany-tool

completion

Install and manage shell completion for Angreal.

angreal completion <SUBCOMMAND>

Subcommands: - install [shell] - Install shell completion (bash, zsh) - uninstall [shell] - Uninstall shell completion - status - Show completion installation status

Examples:

# Install completion for current shell
angreal completion install

# Install for specific shell
angreal completion install bash

# Check completion status
angreal completion status

# Uninstall completion
angreal completion uninstall

help

Print help information for Angreal or a specific subcommand.

angreal help [SUBCOMMAND]

Examples:

# General help
angreal help

# Help for a specific command
angreal help init

# Alternative syntax
angreal init --help

Project-Specific Commands

When you're inside an Angreal project (a directory containing .angreal/), the CLI behavior changes significantly.

{{< hint type=warning >}} Important: When inside an Angreal project, you lose access to the init command and instead get the project's custom tasks. To use init, you must run it from outside any Angreal project directory. {{< /hint >}}

Task Discovery

Angreal automatically discovers tasks by:

  1. Looking for .angreal/ directory in current or parent directories
  2. Loading Python files matching the pattern task_*.py
  3. Registering functions decorated with @angreal.command
  4. Replacing the default commands with project-specific ones

Command Context Loading

Angreal's available commands are determined by the nearest .angreal/ directory found when walking up the directory tree from your current location.

Outside any Angreal project: 

angreal --help

# SUBCOMMANDS:
#     help    Print this message or the help of the given subcommand(s)
#     init    Initialize an Angreal template from source.

Inside an Angreal project: 

cd my-angreal-project/
angreal --help

# SUBCOMMANDS:
#     help     Print this message or the help of the given subcommand(s)
#     build    Build the project
#     test     Run tests
#     deploy   Deploy to production
#
# Note: 'init' is no longer available!

Running Project Tasks

# Run a project task
angreal build

# Get help for a project task
angreal build --help

# Run with arguments
angreal deploy --environment staging --dry-run

Common Errors

Template Not Found

# Error: Template not found
angreal init nonexistent/template

# Solutions:
# 1. Check the template URL/path
# 2. Ensure you have internet access for remote templates
# 3. Check if the repository is public
# 4. Try with full Git URL

Task Not Found

# Error: Task 'build' not found
angreal build

# Solutions:
# 1. Check if you're in an Angreal project:
ls .angreal/

# 2. List available tasks:
angreal --help

# 3. Check task file naming:
ls .angreal/task_*.py

Command Not Found

# Error: angreal command not found

# Linux/macOS:
which angreal
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

# Windows:
where angreal
# Add to PATH: %APPDATA%\Python\Scripts

See Also