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CLI Reference

The Sibyl CLI (sibyl) is a REST client for your knowledge graph and memory loop. It is built for human users, AI agents, and scripts, with rich terminal output in the SilkCircuit palette and JSON-first output for automation.

sibyl is the client. The server daemon is sibyld (serve, worker, db, migrate). This reference covers the client.

Installation

bash
# User install
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hyperb1iss/sibyl/main/install.sh | sh

# Remote-only install
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hyperb1iss/sibyl/main/install.sh | sh -s -- --remote

# For development
moon run cli:install-dev

Quick Start

bash
# Running Sibyl locally? Start it; the CLI points at localhost by default.
sibyl up

# Connecting to a remote or shared server instead? Authenticate first.
sibyl auth login

# Link the current directory to a project
sibyl project link <project_id>

# Now commands auto-scope to that project
sibyl task list --status todo
# Load a working context pack for a goal
sibyl context "wire up the password reset endpoint" --intent build

Command Families

The CLI has roughly three dozen command groups. They fall into five families.

Memory loop

Capture knowledge and recall it back into agent context.

CommandDescription
sibyl contextRecall a compact working context pack for an agent
sibyl briefOne-shot lean context brief for a subagent
sibyl rememberRemember a decision, plan, idea, claim, or learning
sibyl reflectReflect raw notes into reviewable memory candidates
sibyl citeRecord citation or misleading-usage feedback
sibyl captureQuick capture with an auto-derived title
sibyl noteAdd a task note or capture a free note memory
sibyl correctInspect or correct source memory
sibyl showShow a graph entity or raw memory by ID
sibyl entityGeneric entity CRUD operations
sibyl exploreGraph traversal and exploration
sibyl archiveBrowse raw quick captures
sibyl sessionPackage a wake-up context bundle
sibyl exportMaterialize memory into .sibyl/memory/ files
sibyl config contextManage named server, org, and project contexts

Work tracking

Plan and run tasks, epics, and projects.

CommandDescription
sibyl taskTask lifecycle management
sibyl epicDeprecated sugar over the task tree; prefer task --epic
sibyl projectProject management

Sources and synthesis

Ingest external docs and produce source-grounded artifacts.

CommandDescription
sibyl crawlWeb crawling and documentation ingestion
sibyl ingestImport Claude Code / Codex transcript JSONL into raw memory
sibyl docsImport and list document collections
sibyl synthesisSource-grounded synthesis (plan/draft/verify)

Memory governance

Review, promote, share, and audit memory.

CommandDescription
sibyl admin memory auditInspect memory audit receipts
sibyl admin memory inspectInspect a memory source and its audit trail
sibyl admin memory import-statusInspect a source import receipt
sibyl admin memory promotePreview or auto-review candidate promotion
sibyl admin memory sharePreview or apply memory sharing
sibyl admin memory spaceMemory-space inspection and preview
sibyl admin memory reviewReflection review queue and dream-cycle
sibyl pending-writesInspect and replay locally buffered writes

System

Auth, organizations, configuration, and operations.

CommandDescription
sibyl authAuthentication, tokens, and API keys
sibyl loginLog in to the active or provided server
sibyl logoutClear stored auth credentials
sibyl whoamiCheck auth status for the active context
sibyl orgOrganizations and member management
sibyl teamTeams, membership, and team project access
sibyl config contextServer/org/project context bundles (see above)
sibyl initCreate a local or remote context for first-run setup
sibyl configManage CLI configuration
sibyl healthCheck Sibyl server health
sibyl statsShow knowledge graph statistics
sibyl versionShow version information
sibyl logsView server logs (requires OWNER role)
sibyl debugDebug tools for development (requires OWNER role)
sibyl doctorDiagnose CLI/server/auth/agent setup
sibyl upStart the local server and web UI
sibyl downStop the local server and web UI
sibyl serveStart the local embedded daemon
sibyl startStart the local embedded daemon in the background
sibyl stopStop the background local daemon
sibyl serviceInstall local daemon service files
sibyl dockerManage a self-hosted Docker deployment
sibyl localManage a local Docker-based instance
sibyl devDevcontainer shell and lifecycle commands
sibyl updateSelf-update the CLI/containers/skills
sibyl skillInstall/list/print version-matched skill packs

Global Options

These options are available on the root command:

bash
sibyl --context <project_id_or_name> <command>   # Override project context
sibyl -C <project_id_or_name> <command>          # Short form
sibyl --version                                  # Show CLI version
sibyl -V                                         # Short form

Output Formats

Most commands support a --json / -j flag for machine-readable output, and list-style commands add --csv:

OptionDescriptionUse Case
(default)Table formatHuman-readable terminal output
--json / -jJSON outputAutomation, scripting, piping to jq
--csvCSV outputSpreadsheets, data analysis
bash
sibyl task list                              # Table (default)
sibyl task list --json | jq '.[0].name'      # JSON for scripting
sibyl task list --csv > tasks.csv            # CSV export

Environment Variables

VariableDescriptionExample
SIBYL_CONTEXTOverride project contextproj_abc123
SIBYL_API_URLServer URL (legacy)http://localhost:3334/api
SIBYL_ACCESS_TOKENAuth token (rarely needed)eyJhbG...

Configuration

Config File Location

~/.sibyl/config.toml

Config Structure

toml
[server]
url = "http://localhost:3334/api"

[paths]
"/home/user/project-a" = "proj_abc123"
"/home/user/project-b" = "proj_xyz789"

[context]
active = "local"

[contexts.local]
server_url = "http://localhost:3334"
org_slug = ""
default_project = ""

[contexts.prod]
server_url = "https://sibyl.example.com"
org_slug = "myorg"
default_project = "proj_main"

Context Priority

When resolving project context, the CLI checks in this order:

  1. --context / -C flag (highest priority)
  2. SIBYL_CONTEXT environment variable
  3. Active context's default project
  4. Path-based project link (from the current directory)

Common Patterns

AI Agent Integration

The CLI is built for AI agent consumption with JSON-first output:

bash
# Load a context pack and pull titles
sibyl context "implement OAuth2" --json | jq '.items[].title'

# Get task status
sibyl task show <task_id> --json | jq '.metadata.status'

# Filter and process
sibyl task list --status todo --json | jq '[.[] | {id, name, priority}]'

The Memory Loop

bash
# Load context before starting work
sibyl context "fix the auth token refresh bug" --intent debug

# Capture findings as you go
sibyl capture "Redis WRONGTYPE on refresh was the root cause"

# Reflect a session into reviewable candidates
cat session-notes.md | sibyl reflect --persist --review

Project-Scoped Operations

bash
# Link once
cd ~/dev/my-project
sibyl project link proj_abc123

# All future commands in this directory are scoped
sibyl task list                      # Only proj_abc123 tasks
sibyl context "work on auth"          # Only loads context from proj_abc123
sibyl task create --title "Fix bug"  # Creates in proj_abc123

Bulk Operations

bash
# Archive done tasks via stdin
sibyl task list -s done --json | jq -r '.[].id' | sibyl task archive --stdin --yes

# Export tasks to CSV
sibyl task list --csv > backlog.csv

SilkCircuit Colors

The CLI uses the SilkCircuit palette for terminal output:

ColorHexUsage
Electric Purple#e135ffHeaders, importance
Neon Cyan#80ffeaInteractions, paths
Coral#ff6ac1Data, IDs, secondary
Electric Yellow#f1fa8cWarnings
Success Green#50fa7bSuccess states
Error Red#ff6363Errors

Troubleshooting

Cannot connect to server

Cannot connect to Sibyl server
  > Check that the Sibyl server is running

Ensure the server is running:

bash
sibyld serve  # or: moon run dev

Writes attempted while offline are buffered locally. Inspect and replay them with sibyl pending-writes.

Authentication required

Authentication required
  > sibyl auth login    Log in

Run sibyl auth login to authenticate.

No project context

No project specified and no linked project for current directory

Either:

  • Link the directory: sibyl project link <project_id>
  • For task/epic commands: pass --project <project_id> or -p
  • For context retrieval: pass --all or -a
  • Use the global flag --context / -C to override

Released under the Apache-2.0 License.