CLI

One binary is the TUI, the agent, and the updater.

steelframe [COMMAND]

Commands:
  tui      Operator TUI (default when no subcommand is given)
  agent    Project agent (run / install / tools / memory-rebuild)
  config   Add or update a project in the TUI registry
  setup    First-run host tools (including RustFS) + coding runtime
  update   Replace this binary from the release channel if newer
  mcp      Stdio MCP proxy to a running agent
  version  Print version

Consoles and the agent

steelframe                        # TUI (same as `steelframe tui`)
steelframe agent run              # run the agent (HTTP + coordinator)
steelframe agent install          # systemd unit + /opt/steelframe
steelframe agent tools            # host CLIs: git, gh, gcx, bun, duckdb, rustfs
steelframe agent memory-rebuild   # replay WAL into the agent database index

agent install requires STEELFRAME_MASTER_KEY. agent tools installs the host CLIs the agent needs.

Database maintenance

steelframe db repair <db>              # checkpoint, or rebuild from a dump
steelframe db checkpoint <db>          # merge the WAL only
steelframe db export <db> <dir>        # SQL + one CSV per table
steelframe db import <dir> <new>       # import a dump into a fresh file

db repair is the only safe tool for an agent database: it links the same pinned DuckDB build as the agent, while a host duckdb CLI writes a serialization the agent cannot read back. --replace swaps in the rebuilt file once every table count matches, and moves the original file and its .wal aside as <db>.invalid-<timestamp>. A later repair replaces a previous <db>.repaired. db import refuses an existing file or a leftover .wal. See DuckDB recovery.

Project registry

steelframe config --list
steelframe config \
  --name my-project \
  --url https://my-project.example.com \
  --token-file /tmp/steelframe-tui.token \
  --operator your-github-login

--token takes the token inline; --token-file reads it from a file. With no flags, config opens the interactive wizard. See projects.toml.

Host setup

steelframe setup --runtime pi   # legacy runtime names are accepted with a warning

MCP

steelframe mcp [--project NAME] [--url URL] [--token-file PATH] [--print-config]

Stdio adapter to a running agent’s Streamable HTTP /mcp. It does not start the agent or the Coordinator. Token comes from projects.toml or --token-file (there is no --token flag). --print-config prints Claude Desktop / Cursor snippets with the bearer token redacted.

Default project is --project if given, else the sole registry entry, else local. See MCP.

Update

steelframe update

Pulls a newer build from the release channel. STEELFRAME_NO_UPDATE=1 skips the launch/launch-time check and the agent’s poll.