Promptliano CLI

Quick setup and management tool for Promptliano - Your AI toolkit for context engineering.

Overview

The Promptliano CLI provides a streamlined way to install, configure, and manage Promptliano on your system. It handles the complete setup process including downloading the server, configuring MCP (Model Context Protocol) for your AI editor, and managing the Promptliano server lifecycle.

Installation

Quick Start with npx (Recommended)

npx promptliano@latest

Note: Using @latest ensures you always run the most recent version of the CLI. No installation required!

Global Installation

# Using npm
npm install -g promptliano

# Using yarn
yarn global add promptliano

# Using bun
bun add -g promptliano

Quick Start

1. Run the interactive setup:

   npx promptliano@latest

   Or if installed globally:

   promptliano

2. Follow the prompts to:

   • Download and install Promptliano server
   • Configure MCP for your AI editor (Claude, Cursor, etc.)
   • Start the Promptliano server
   • Create your first project

3. Access Promptliano UI: Open http://localhost:3579 in your browser

Commands

promptliano

Run interactive setup wizard (default command).

promptliano

promptliano setup

Perform guided installation with options.

promptliano setup [options]

Options:
  --skip-download      Skip downloading Promptliano server
  --skip-server        Skip starting the server
  --skip-mcp          Skip MCP configuration
  --install-path <path>  Custom installation path (default: ~/.promptliano)
  --editor <editor>    Specify editor (claude, vscode, cursor, windsurf, continue)
  --project <path>     Project path to configure

Example:

promptliano setup --editor cursor --project /path/to/my-project

promptliano config

Configure MCP for your AI editor.

promptliano config [options]

Options:
  -e, --editor <editor>  Editor to configure (claude, vscode, cursor, windsurf, continue)
  -p, --project <path>   Project path
  --remove               Remove MCP configuration

Example:

promptliano config --editor claude --project ./my-project

promptliano server

Manage the Promptliano server.

# Check server status
promptliano server

# Start server
promptliano server start [options]

Options:
  -p, --port <port>  Port to run on (default: 3579)
  -d, --detached     Run in background (default: true)
  -f, --foreground   Run in foreground

# Stop server
promptliano server stop

# Restart server
promptliano server restart

# Show server logs
promptliano server logs [options]

Options:
  -f, --follow  Follow log output
  -n <lines>    Number of lines to show (default: 50)

promptliano update

Update Promptliano to the latest version.

promptliano update [options]

Options:
  --check  Check for updates without installing
  --force  Force update even if on latest version

promptliano doctor

Diagnose and fix common issues.

promptliano doctor [options]

Options:
  --fix  Attempt to fix issues automatically

The doctor command checks:

• Node.js and Bun versions
• Installation integrity
• Server connectivity
• MCP configurations
• File permissions
• Port availability

promptliano repair

Advanced repair tool for fixing installation issues.

promptliano repair [options]

Options:
  -p, --path <path>      Installation path to repair
  --fix-permissions      Fix file and directory permissions
  --fix-mcp             Repair MCP configurations
  --fix-dependencies    Reinstall dependencies
  --no-backup           Skip backup before repair
  -f, --force           Force repair without prompts

promptliano install

Install additional Promptliano components.

promptliano install [component]

Components:
  server    Install/reinstall the Promptliano server
  mcp       Install MCP configurations

promptliano uninstall

Uninstall Promptliano from your system.

promptliano uninstall [options]

Options:
  --keep-config  Keep configuration files
  --keep-data    Keep project data
  -f, --force    Force uninstall without prompts

Supported AI Editors

The CLI can configure MCP (Model Context Protocol) for the following AI editors:

• Claude Desktop - Anthropic's Claude AI assistant
• Cursor - AI-powered code editor
• VS Code - With Continue extension
• Windsurf - Codeium's AI editor
• Continue - Open-source AI code assistant

Configuration

MCP Configuration Paths

The CLI automatically configures MCP in the appropriate location for each editor:

• Claude Desktop:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

• Cursor:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/globalStorage/rooveterinaryinc.roo-cline/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Cursor\User\globalStorage\rooveterinaryinc.roo-cline\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json

• VS Code:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/rooveterinaryinc.roo-cline/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\rooveterinaryinc.roo-cline\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json

Environment Variables

• PROMPTLIANO_HOME - Override default installation path
• PROMPTLIANO_PORT - Override default server port (3579)
• PROMPTLIANO_LOG_LEVEL - Set log level (debug, info, warn, error)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "Command not found" after installation:

   • Ensure npm/yarn global bin directory is in your PATH
   • Try using npx promptliano instead

2. Server won't start:

   • Check if port 3579 is already in use
   • Run promptliano doctor to diagnose issues
   • Try promptliano server restart

3. MCP not working in editor:

   • Restart your AI editor after configuration
   • Verify configuration with promptliano doctor
   • Check editor-specific MCP settings

4. Permission errors:

   • Run promptliano repair --fix-permissions
   • On macOS/Linux, you may need to use sudo for global installation

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging for troubleshooting:

PROMPTLIANO_LOG_LEVEL=debug promptliano doctor

System Requirements

• Node.js: >= 18.0.0
• Operating Systems: macOS, Windows, Linux
• Memory: 512MB RAM minimum
• Disk Space: 100MB for installation

Optional Requirements

• Bun: For better performance (automatically installed if not present)
• Git: For cloning projects

Development

Running from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/brandon-schabel/promptliano.git
cd promptliano/packages/promptliano

# Install dependencies
bun install

# Run CLI in development
bun run dev

# Run tests
bun test

# Build for production
bun run build

Testing Locally

# Run the test script
./test-local.sh

# Or manually test commands
bun run src/index.ts --help
bun run src/index.ts doctor

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Support

• Documentation: promptliano.com
• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discord: Join our community

License

MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

Built with:

• Commander.js - CLI framework
• Inquirer.js - Interactive prompts
• Chalk - Terminal styling
• Ora - Terminal spinners

Made with ❤️ by the Promptliano team