CLI Reference
This page describes the role of the Nimi Coding CLI surfaces at a conceptual level. It isn't a full command manual.
What The CLI Is For
The CLI exists to make governance actions explicit:
- create and validate topics;
- add, select, and admit waves;
- freeze execution packets;
- dispatch worker or audit steps;
- record results;
- close waves and topics;
- validate lifecycle and graph consistency.
Those commands matter because topic state should not live only in a chat transcript. It needs durable artifacts that another session can audit.
Reader Scenario: Why The CLI Is Not Optional Even When You Are Working Solo
Suppose a single developer is running a wave end-to-end with AI assistance. The CLI seems redundant in that setting; the developer already knows what is happening. The CLI still matters because:
- The artifacts it produces are how a future review (or a future contributor) reconstructs what was decided.
- The validation steps catch shape errors a single session might miss.
- The artifacts form the boundary the audit step relies on.
- The closeout artifacts are how "this was actually finished" gets recorded as more than a memory.
A solo developer benefits from the same gate that a team would. The gate is what protects the work from quietly drifting later.
Command Categories, At A Reading Level
| Category | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Topic | Init, validate, hold (pending), close |
| Wave | Add, select, admit, close |
| Packet | Freeze, validate |
| Execution | Preflight, dispatch, record result |
| Audit | Record audit evidence, judge |
| Validation | Lifecycle and graph consistency checks |
The exact command arguments belong to the local CLI help and to the methodology source. Public command examples appear in these docs only when the project has stabilized the external user path.
Reader Scenario: A Validation Step That Catches Drift
Suppose someone hand-edits a topic artifact in a way that no longer matches the schema. A validation command would surface that as a typed error rather than letting the drift slip through.
That is a small example, but it is the kind of guardrail the methodology relies on. The CLI is what enforces shape so the audit step has clean evidence to work against.
How To Use This Page
Use this page to understand the workflow categories. For exact command arguments, inspect the local CLI help or existing topic artifacts in .nimi/topics/**. Public command examples should be expanded only when the project has stabilized the external user path.