CLI Reference

Run elide --help for the everyday command list and elide --help-all for advanced commands and flags. Every subcommand also supports --help, and elide help <command> prints that command’s section of this page.

Run and develop

run

Run a source file, a named script, or the project entrypoint. JavaScript, TypeScript, JSX, TSX, and Python run as guest code; .java and .kt files compile and run on the JVM.

elide run app.ts
elide run app.js -- --port 3000
elide run -s 'console.log("hi")'

Script arguments follow --. A name that is not a file on disk resolves as a named script, and a bare elide run uses the project entrypoint; see Elide for AI Agents for the resolution order in full.

python

Run Python with a CPython-shaped command line: every token after the script is a program argument, so no -- separator is needed.

elide python script.py --flag-for-the-script
elide python -c 'print(1)'

-c CMD runs a program passed as a string, and -s leaves the user site directory off sys.path.

serve

Serve static files over HTTP. Defaults to 127.0.0.1:8080, with or without a terminal attached; --host and --port override that, and --no-tui replaces the dashboard with plain logs.

elide serve ./public
elide serve --no-tui --port 3000 ./dist

dev

Serve a directory or script with file watching and live reload. Defaults to 127.0.0.1:3000. --no-tui selects plain logs, --no-watch disables watching.

elide dev ./public
elide dev --no-tui ./public

install

Install project dependencies. Maven is the only ecosystem installed by default; npm is opt-in.

elide install
elide install --ecosystems=npm
elide install --workspace
elide install --with=sources

An ecosystem the project declares but the run skips is named on stderr under --verbose, and asking for an ecosystem this build cannot serve is a usage error.

repl

Start the interactive REPL. Also entered by a bare elide with no script and a terminal attached.

Build and test

build

Assemble the artifacts declared by an elide.pkl manifest. Bare tokens name targets, and a leading : is optional; deps, compile and test select a whole task group.

elide build
elide build --inspect
elide build deps compile

--inspect lists the project’s real task names, --no-cache disables the build cache for one run, and --offline avoids fetching remote resources. Anything after -- reaches the underlying subprocess unchanged.

test

Discover and run tests. JavaScript and TypeScript tests are found without configuration; JVM tests need a test source set declared in elide.pkl. Bare tokens narrow the run to the paths they name.

elide test
elide test src/api
elide test -t 'parses .+ headers'
elide test --coverage --bail=3

--timeout is the global flag bounding the whole invocation; --test-timeout is the per-test one.

format (alias fmt)

Format Java and Kotlin sources. Files and directories, and every formatter-specific flag, follow --; directory arguments are expanded and both languages are formatted in one pass.

elide format -- src
elide format --list-files -- --dry-run src

Write mode is the default. A check-mode run (--dry-run) exits 1 on its own when a file would change — --set-exit-if-changed is accepted for drop-in parity but not required, and there is no --check. --list-files names the offending files and belongs before --; --list-diffs[=N] prints a unified diff for each.

project

Interrogate an Elide project.

Setup and integration

elide agent rounds this group out with agent-oriented guidance, diagnostics, and a bug-report body; see Elide for AI Agents.

init

Create a project from a bundled template. With no flags it opens a TUI editor.

elide init --templates
elide init --plain --skip-defaults --skip-run --template java

info

Show binary, platform, and language information. --cargo-lockfile prints the embedded lockfile instead.

upgrade

Check for and apply updates. --check reports without applying, --force updates even when current, and --channel selects release, preview, or nightly.

use

Write a project .elideversion pin and download that version.

elide use 1.5.0
elide use --no-install 1.5.0

--no-install writes the pin without downloading. Pass --ignore-version on a later invocation to run the installed binary anyway.

help

Read the documentation embedded in the binary. A command name prints that command’s section of this page; a slug or page title prints the whole page.

elide help
elide help run --format=markdown
elide help sandbox --lang=fr

--format selects auto, interactive, or markdown; a non-interactive caller gets Markdown without asking. -w, --width bounds the rendered width and --languages lists the languages the binary carries.

lsp

Start a Language Server Protocol instance over stdio. Only the Java server is registered today, so a bare elide lsp selects it.

mcp

Start a Model Context Protocol instance. --mode selects stdio (the default) or http, which binds localhost:8125 unless --host and --port say otherwise.

JVM tools

Elide embeds java, javac, kotlinc, jar, javadoc, javap, jdeps, javaformat, ktfmt, mvn, and native-image. Tool arguments follow --, and compiler diagnostics pass through verbatim:

elide javac -- -d target Main.java

Setup and integration

classpath

Print a resolved classpath. A usage is [<sourceSet>:]<usage>, lowercase, with usage one of toolchain, processor, compile, modules, runtime, or provided; the default is main:compile.

elide classpath
elide classpath test:runtime

An unrecognized spec, or one naming a usage that does not exist, is a usage error rather than empty output.

manifest

Print the resolved project manifest as JSON on stdout, with no ANSI. Do not pass --quiet: it silences the output entirely.

Global options

Common global flags include:

See Filesystem Sandbox for capability examples.

Exit codes

For machine-oriented usage, see Elide for AI Agents.