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CLI Reference

The manifold CLI provides instant operations (<100ms) without AI round-trips. Use it for status checks, validation, CI/CD integration, and visualization.

Global Options

manifold [options] <command>

  -v, --version      Output version number
  --no-color         Disable colored output
  --force-color      Force colored output even when not a TTY
  -h, --help         Display help

Commands

manifold status [feature]

Show manifold state, constraints, and suggested next action.

manifold status                          # All features
manifold status payment-retry            # Single feature
manifold status payment-retry --json     # Machine-readable
manifold status payment-retry --history  # Include iteration log
manifold status payment-retry --graph    # ASCII constraint network
manifold status payment-retry --mermaid  # Mermaid constraint network
Flag Type Default Description
--json boolean false Output as JSON
--history boolean false Show full iteration history
--graph boolean false Show constraint network as ASCII
--mermaid boolean false Output constraint network as Mermaid syntax

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 error

manifold validate [feature]

Validate manifold schema. Supports v1, v2, and v3 schemas, both YAML and JSON+MD formats.

manifold validate                                 # All features
manifold validate payment-retry                   # Single feature
manifold validate payment-retry --conflicts       # Semantic conflict detection
manifold validate --cross-feature                 # Cross-feature conflicts
manifold validate payment-retry --metrics         # Error pattern analysis
manifold validate payment-retry --all             # Show all errors (no truncation)
Flag Type Default Description
--json boolean false Output as JSON
--strict boolean false Enable strict validation (extra warnings)
--all boolean false Show all errors (default truncates at 20)
--conflicts boolean false Run semantic conflict detection
--cross-feature boolean false Detect conflicts across all features
--metrics boolean false Show validation metrics summary

Exit codes: 0 valid, 1 error, 2 validation failure

Example output:

Validating: payment-retry
  Format: JSON+Markdown
  Schema: v3
  Linked: 12/12 constraints, 3/3 tensions, 5/5 required truths
  Result: ✓ Valid

manifold init <feature>

Create a new manifold with optional template.

manifold init user-auth                                    # Basic init
manifold init user-auth -o "Secure login with 2FA"         # With outcome
manifold init user-auth --template=auth                    # From template
manifold init checkout --template=pm/feature-launch        # PM template
manifold init user-auth --force                            # Overwrite existing
Flag Type Default Description
-o, --outcome string "TBD" Set the outcome statement
-f, --force boolean false Overwrite existing manifold
-t, --template string none Use a constraint template
--json boolean false Output as JSON

Templates: auth, crud, payment, api, pm/feature-launch, pm/experiment, pm/deprecation, and 10 more PM templates.

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 error

manifold verify [feature]

Verify that generated artifacts exist and constraints are covered.

manifold verify payment-retry                              # Basic verify
manifold verify payment-retry --artifacts                  # Check artifact files exist
manifold verify payment-retry --verify-evidence            # Check evidence (v3)
manifold verify payment-retry --verify-evidence --run-tests # Execute tests too
manifold verify payment-retry --strict                     # Require 100% coverage
Flag Type Default Description
--json boolean false Output as JSON
--artifacts boolean false Verify generated artifact files exist
--strict boolean false Require all artifacts and 100% coverage
--verify-evidence boolean false Verify evidence for required truths (v3)
--run-tests boolean false Execute test evidence (requires --verify-evidence)

Exit codes: 0 pass, 1 error, 2 verification failure

See Evidence System for details on evidence types and verification.

manifold graph [feature]

Output the constraint network in multiple visualization formats.

manifold graph payment-retry                  # JSON (default)
manifold graph payment-retry --ascii          # ASCII art
manifold graph payment-retry --mermaid        # Mermaid syntax
manifold graph payment-retry --dot            # GraphViz DOT format
Flag Type Default Description
--json boolean true Output as JSON
--ascii boolean false Output as ASCII visualization
--mermaid boolean false Output as Mermaid syntax
--dot boolean false Output as GraphViz DOT format

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 error

Use cases:

  • Paste --mermaid output into GitHub markdown for rendered diagrams
  • Pipe --dot output to dot -Tpng for image generation
  • Use --ascii for quick terminal visualization

manifold solve [feature]

Generate a parallel execution plan from the constraint network, including backward reasoning.

manifold solve payment-retry                            # Execution plan
manifold solve payment-retry --backward                 # Backward reasoning
manifold solve payment-retry --backward --target=B1     # From specific constraint
manifold solve payment-retry --mermaid                  # As Mermaid diagram
Flag Type Default Description
--json boolean true Output as JSON
--ascii boolean false Output as ASCII visualization
--mermaid boolean false Output as Mermaid syntax
--dot boolean false Output as GraphViz DOT format
--backward boolean false Reason backward from outcome
--target string "outcome" Target node for backward reasoning

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 error

manifold show [feature]

Display a combined view of JSON structure + Markdown content. Lists all features with format detection when no feature specified.

manifold show                                           # List all features
manifold show payment-retry                             # Combined view
manifold show payment-retry --structure                 # JSON only
manifold show payment-retry --content                   # Markdown only
manifold show payment-retry --validate                  # Include link validation
manifold show payment-retry --map                       # ASCII relationship map
manifold show payment-retry --mermaid                   # Mermaid relationship map
Flag Type Default Description
--json boolean false Output as JSON
--structure boolean false Show only JSON structure
--content boolean false Show only Markdown content
--validate boolean false Include linking validation results
--map boolean false Show constraint relationship map (ASCII)
--mermaid boolean false Output relationship map as Mermaid syntax

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 error, 2 linking validation failure

Feature listing example:

Features:
  📄 payment-retry (json-md)
  📄 user-auth (json-md)
  📝 legacy-feature (yaml)

manifold migrate [feature]

Convert YAML manifolds to JSON+Markdown hybrid format.

manifold migrate payment-retry                # Single feature
manifold migrate --all                        # All YAML manifolds
manifold migrate payment-retry --dry-run      # Preview without changes
manifold migrate payment-retry --no-backup    # Don't keep .yaml.backup
Flag Type Default Description
--json boolean false Output as JSON
--dry-run boolean false Preview migration without writing files
--backup boolean true Keep original YAML as .backup
--all boolean false Migrate all YAML manifolds at once

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 error, 2 migration failure

manifold completion [shell]

Generate shell completion scripts for tab-completion of commands, features, and templates.

# Generate and install completions
manifold completion bash > ~/.bash_completion.d/manifold
manifold completion zsh > ~/.zsh/completions/_manifold
manifold completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/manifold.fish

# Source immediately (bash)
source <(manifold completion bash)
Argument Type Default Description
shell string "bash" Shell type: bash, zsh, or fish

Completions include: command names, feature names (from .manifold/), template names, and flag names.

Exit codes: 0 success, 1 error

Exit Code Summary

Code Meaning Commands
0 Success All commands
1 Error (missing files, permissions, etc.) All commands
2 Validation/verification failure validate, verify, migrate, show --validate

When to Use CLI vs AI Commands

Use Case Tool Why
Quick status check manifold status Instant, no AI needed
CI/CD pipeline manifold validate --json Deterministic, exit codes
Constraint discovery /manifold:m1-constrain Requires AI reasoning
Tension analysis /manifold:m2-tension Requires AI reasoning
Code generation /manifold:m4-generate Requires AI reasoning
Schema migration manifold migrate Deterministic transformation
Visualization manifold graph --mermaid Instant, no AI needed

See Also