CLI Reference

All Vant CLI commands.

Core Commands

Command	Description
`vant start`	Full startup (health → sync → load → run)
`vant health`	System diagnostics
`vant sync`	Pull/push brain from GitHub
`vant load`	Load brain (default: `$MODEL_PATH` or models/private)
`vant run`	Start runtime loop
`vant vibe`	Get/set runtime mood (experimental, focused, safety_first, etc)
`vant help`	Show help
`vant setup`	Initial setup

vant setup

Initial Vant setup:

vant setup              # Interactive setup
vant setup --force     # Overwrite existing config

vant help

Show help:

vant help              # Show all commands
vant help <command>   # Show command help

vant vibe

Get/set runtime mood:

vant vibe              # Show current vibe
vant vibe focused     # Set vibe to focused
vant vibe experimental # Set vibe to experimental

Core Details

Core CLI commands.

vant start

Full startup sequence:

health - Run diagnostics
sync - Pull/push brain from GitHub
load - Load brain files
run - Start runtime loop

vant start           # Full startup
vant start --no-sync # Skip sync
vant start --local  # Skip GitHub

vant health

Run system diagnostics:

Check config files
Verify GitHub connection
Check brain files
Validate .env

vant health          # Full check
vant health --quiet # Minimal output

vant sync

Sync brain with GitHub:

Pull remote changes
Commit local changes
Push to remote

vant sync              # Pull + push
vant sync --pull      # Pull only
vant sync --push      # Push only
vant sync --force     # Force push

vant load

Load brain from your brain folder (default: $MODEL_PATH or models/private/):

Load all .md files
Parse _succession.json
Update memory

vant load            # Load all
vant load identity  # Reload identity only

vant run

Start runtime loop:

Wait for input
Process and respond
Auto-save brain

vant run             # Interactive loop
vant run --mcp      # MCP mode
vant run --websocket # WebSocket mode

Development

Command	Description
`vant test`	Run build/tests
`vant watch`	Monitor GitHub for changes
`vant bot`	Run Telegram bot

Development Details

Development commands.

vant test

Build and test:

Lint code
Run tests
Build dist/

vant test           # Run all
vant test --lint   # Lint only
vant test --build  # Build only

vant watch

File watcher for changes:

Watch bin/, lib/
Auto-reload on changes

vant watch             # Watch + reload
vant watch --no-reload # Watch only

vant bot

Telegram bot for brain queries:

TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=xxx vant bot
# Commands:
#   /start - Welcome
#   /status - VANT status
#   /brain - Brain version
#   /health - Health check
#   /sync - Trigger sync

Setup & Config

Command	Description
`vant setup`	Interactive setup wizard
`vant update`	Check for new releases
`vant test`	Run test suite
`vant build-test`	Run build validation
`vant api`	API server
`vant auth`	Authentication
`vant config`	Configuration
`vant connector`	External services

vant api

API server:

vant api                 # Start API server
vant api --port 3456  # Custom port
vant api --secure     # HTTPS mode

vant auth

Authentication:

vant auth               # Show auth status
vant auth --login     # Login
vant auth --logout    # Logout

vant config

Configuration management:

vant config              # Show config
vant config get key   # Get value
vant config set key   # Set value

vant connector

External services connector:

vant connector           # List connectors
vant connector add name # Add connector
vant connector remove   # Remove connector

Setup Details

Initial setup.

vant setup

Interactive setup:

Create config.ini
Create .env
Optionally create settings.ini, mood.ini

vant setup          # Interactive
vant setup --force # Overwrite existing

vant update

Check for updates:

Compare local to remote
Show changelog
Prompt to upgrade

vant update           # Check
vant update --install # Install if available

vant test

Run test suite:

vant test              # Run all tests
vant test --coverage  # With coverage
vant test lib/        # Specific path

vant build-test

Run build validation tests:

vant build-test       # Validate all scripts load

Help & Info

Command	Description
`vant help`	Show all commands
`vant help <cmd>`	Help for specific command
`vant changelog`	View recent changes
`vant summary`	Session summary
`vant rate`	GitHub API rate limit

Help Details

Help commands.

vant help

Show help:

vant help           # All commands
vant help start    # Start command
vant help --json  # JSON output

vant changelog

View recent commits:

vant changelog           # Last 10
vant changelog --full    # Full history
vant changelog v0.8.0   # Since version

vant summary

Session statistics:

vant summary       # This session
vant summary all  # All time

vant rate

GitHub API rate status:

vant rate         # Current limit
vant rate reset  # Time until reset

Node & MCP

Command	Description
`vant node`	Run as persistent node
`vant node --mcp`	Node + MCP server
`vant mcp`	Run MCP server

Node Details

Run as node.

vant node

Persistent node - runs Vant continuously with brain loaded.

vant node              # Persistent mode (manual sync)
vant node --mcp        # Node + MCP server
vant node --mcp-port 3100  # Custom MCP port

⚠️ Auto-Polling Opt-In (for Self-Hosted): By default, vant node does NOT poll GitHub. To enable background sync:

Flag: --enable-polling

Env var: VANT_AGREE_AUTO_SYNC=true

Or type “AGREE” when prompted

⚠️ This violates GitHub.com ToS - intended for self-hosted GitLab/Gitea only. Use vant sync for manual brain sync with GitHub.com.

vant mcp

Standalone MCP server:

vant mcp              # Default port
vant mcp --stdio      # STDIO mode
vant mcp --websocket # WebSocket

Advanced

Command	Description
`vant onboard`	Browse knowledge base
`vant succession`	Brain version/trust
`vant resolution`	Mark thoughts resolved
`vant lock`	Brain write lock (acquire/release/status)
`vant bump`	Bump version & tag

Advanced Details

Advanced commands.

vant onboard

Browse knowledge base:

vant onboard          # Interactive browse
vant onboard identity # Query identity
vant onboard --list   # List files

vant succession

Brain version tracking:

vant succession      # Current version
vant succession trust # Mark trusted
vant succession diff # vs previous

vant resolution

Mark thoughts resolved:

vant resolution          # Interactive
vant resolution resolve # Mark resolved
vant resolution list     # List unresolved

vant lock

Brain write lock for multi-agent safety. Prevents race conditions when multiple agents try to write to brain simultaneously.

vant lock acquire   # Acquire lock for writes
vant lock release   # Release lock
vant lock status   # Show lock status
vant lock force    # Force release (admin)

Using in code:

const brain = require('vant').brain;

// Simple: acquire lock, do work, release
const token = await brain.acquireBrainLock();
if (token) {
    brain.write('learnings', 'new-lesson', '# My lesson content');
    await brain.releaseBrainLock(token);
}

// Safer: withLock helper handles release
await brain.withLock(async () => {
    brain.write('learnings', 'new-lesson', '# Content');
});

Lock behavior:

Auto-expires after 1 hour if not released
Uses exponential backoff for contention
Token required for secure release

vant bump

Bump version:

vant bump         # Patch (0.8.6 → 0.8.5)
vant bump minor  # Minor (0.8.6 → 0.9.0)
vant bump major  # Major (0.8.6 → 1.0.0)

Docs

Command	Description
`vant docs`	Build docs for release
`vant docs serve`	Serve docs locally

Docs Details

Docs commands.

vant docs

Build documentation:

vant docs build           # Build for release
vant docs build --version # Specific version
vant docs serve          # Local server

See also: Configuration, API, Entropy Patching

compress

Entropy encoder for Vant brain files. Creates .vpatch files from markdown.

vant compress

vant compress <input> [options]

Option	Alias	Description
`--output`	`-o`	Output directory (default: models/latent)
`--window`	`-w`	Window size (default: 8)
`--threshold`	`-t`	Entropy threshold 0-1 (default: 0.85)
`--adaptive`	`-a`	Enable adaptive threshold (auto μ + k×σ)
`--sensitivity`	`-k`	k-factor for threshold (default: 1.5)
`--stats`	`-s`	Show entropy statistics only
`--decompress`	`-d`	Decompress .vpatch to original

Examples

# Compress a file (use $MODEL_PATH or models/private/)
vant compress ${MODEL_PATH:-models/private}/goals.md

# View entropy stats
vant compress ${MODEL_PATH:-models/private}/goals.md --stats

# Adaptive mode (self-calibrating threshold)
vant compress ${MODEL_PATH:-models/private}/goals.md --adaptive
vant compress ${MODEL_PATH:-models/private}/goals.md -a -k 2.0

# Decompress
vant compress models/latent/goals.vpatch --decompress

FAQ

Frequently asked questions answered.

Which command do I start with?

vant start - Full startup (health → sync → load → run)

How do I check if everything is working?

vant health - Runs diagnostics

How do I save my brain?

vant sync - Pulls latest + pushes changes

How do I see my rate limit?

vant rate - Shows GitHub API remaining

How do I update Vant?

vant update - Checks for new versions

How do I run tests?

vant test - Runs build tests

Utility Commands

Additional CLI commands for specific tasks.

vant canvas

Visualization tools:

vant canvas             # Show canvas
vant canvas render     # Render visualization
vant canvas export     # Export canvas

vant compute

Multi-language runner:

vant compute            # Show compute status
vant compute run lang  # Run code
vant compute eval     # Evaluate expression

vant format

Format detection and conversion:

vant format             # Detect format
vant format convert    # Convert format
vant format validate  # Validate format

vant geometry

Geometry utilities:

vant geometry           # Show tools
vant geometry calc    # Calculate
vant geometry render  # Render shape

vant nature

Nature/entropy utilities:

vant nature            # Show entropy tools
vant nature analyze   # Analyze
vant nature generate  # Generate

vant rls

Row-level security:

vant rls               # Show RLS status
vant rls enable       # Enable RLS
vant rls disable      # Disable RLS

vant rules

Rule management:

vant rules             # List rules
vant rules add        # Add rule
vant rules remove     # Remove rule

vant shell

Shell operations:

vant shell             # Open shell
vant shell --cmd     # Run command
vant shell --script  # Run script

vant audit

Generate an audit report - security, health, deps:

vant audit              # Full report
vant audit --json      # JSON output

vant bot

Run Telegram bot:

vant bot              # Start bot
vant bot --test     # Test mode

vant bump

Bump version and create git tag:

vant bump patch      # 0.8.6 → 0.8.6
vant bump minor     # 0.8.6 → 0.9.0
vant bump major    # 0.8.6 → 1.0.0

vant compress

Compress brain to patches:

vant compress input.png "Secret message" -o output.png
vant compress input.png "msg" -o out.png --encrypt password

vant changelog

View changes:

vant changelog           # View changelog
vant changelog --since  # Since version
vant changelog --json   # JSON output

vant citations

Citation management:

vant citations           # List citations
vant citations add     # Add citation
vant citations format  # Format citations

vant clean

Unified cleanup:

vant clean              # Show cleanup options
vant clean --dry-run   # Preview changes
vant clean --force     # Execute cleanup
vant clean --auto     # Auto-cleanup
vant clean --setup-cron # Setup cron job

vant error

Error handling:

vant error              # Show errors
vant error --list      # List errors
vant error --clear    # Clear errors

vant schema

Schema validation:

vant schema             # Validate schema
vant schema --check   # Check schema
vant schema --fix     # Fix schema issues

vant telegram

Telegram bot:

vant telegram           # Start Telegram bot
vant telegram --token  # Set token
vant telegram --chat   # Set chat

vant watch

Poll GitHub for changes:

vant watch             # Watch for changes
vant watch --interval # Set interval
vant watch --quiet    # Quiet mode

vant rate

Show GitHub API rate limit:

vant rate           # Current remaining
vant rate --json   # JSON output

vant resolution

Manage resolutions:

vant resolution --list     # List all
vant resolution --add key "content"
 vant resolution --rm key

vant succession

Show commit history:

vant succession           # Last 10 commits
vant succession 20     # Last N commits

vant summary

Show brain summary:

vant summary          # Stats + info
vant summary --json # JSON

vant update

Check for updates:

vant update         # Check version
vant update --force # Force update

Storage Commands

Command	Description
`vant storage`	Storage operations
`vant stream`	Stream operations
`vant cache`	Cache management
`vant tmp`	Temp file management

vant storage

Storage operations:

vant storage              # Show storage status
vant storage --stats    # Storage statistics
vant storage --clear    # Clear storage

vant stream

Stream operations:

vant stream              # Show streams
vant stream --list      # List active streams
vant stream --close id  # Close stream

vant cache

Cache management:

vant cache               # Show cache
vant cache --clear     # Clear all cache
vant cache --compress  # Compress cache

vant tmp

Temp file management:

vant tmp                 # Show temp files
vant tmp --clear       # Clear temp files
vant tmp --list        # List temp files

Network Commands

Command	Description
`vant server`	HTTP/HTTPS server
`vant network`	Network operations
`vant node`	Persistent node
`vant nodes`	Peer discovery
`vant remote`	Remote operations

vant server

HTTP/HTTPS server:

vant server              # Start server
vant server --port 8080 # Custom port
vant server --secure    # HTTPS mode

vant network

Network operations:

vant network             # Show network status
vant network --connect  # Connect to peers
vant network --disconnect # Disconnect

vant node

Persistent node:

vant node                # Start node
vant node --name mynode # Named node
vant node --port 3100  # Custom port

vant nodes

Peer discovery:

vant nodes               # List peers
vant nodes --online    # Online only
vant nodes --all      # All peers

vant remote

Remote operations:

vant remote             # Show remotes
vant remote add name url # Add remote
vant remote remove name # Remove remote

Messaging Commands

Command	Description
`vant msg`	Messaging system
`vant event`	Event handling

vant msg

Messaging system:

vant msg                  # Show messages
vant msg send user msg  # Send message
vant msg --read         # Read messages

vant event

Event handling:

vant event               # Show events
vant event --emit name  # Emit event
vant event --listen     # Listen for events

Security Commands

Command	Description
`vant encrypt`	Encryption utilities
`vant sudo`	Privilege management
`vant security`	Security utilities

vant encrypt

Encryption utilities:

vant encrypt --encrypt file.txt      # Encrypt file
vant encrypt --decrypt file.enc      # Decrypt file
vant encrypt --keygen               # Generate key

vant sudo

Privilege management:

vant sudo --elevate                 # Elevate privileges
vant sudo --status                  # Check status
vant sudo --revoke                  # Revoke privileges

DevOps Commands

Command	Description
`vant metrics`	Metrics dashboard
`vant system`	System diagnostics
`vant health`	Health check
`vant cron`	Cron scheduler

vant metrics

Metrics dashboard:

vant metrics               # Show metrics
vant metrics --json      # JSON output
vant metrics --reset     # Reset counters

vant system

System diagnostics:

vant system               # System info
vant system --verbose    # Detailed output
vant system --check      # Run checks

vant health

Health check:

vant health              # Full check
vant health --quiet     # Minimal output
vant health --json      # JSON output

vant cron

Cron scheduler:

vant cron                # List jobs
vant cron add "*/5 *" cmd # Add job
vant cron remove id     # Remove job

Agent Commands

Command	Description
`vant agents`	Multi-agent management
`vant load`	Load brain
`vant onboard`	Browse brain files
`vant islands`	Island component boot
`vant mcp`	MCP server
`vant succession`	Trust levels

vant agents

Multi-agent management:

vant agents               # List agents
vant agents spawn name  # Spawn agent
vant agents kill id    # Kill agent

vant load

Load brain:

vant load                # Load brain
vant load --path path   # Custom path
vant load --repl       # Interactive mode

vant onboard

Browse brain files:

vant onboard             # Interactive browser
vant onboard --path     # Browse path

vant islands

Island component boot:

vant islands             # Show islands
vant islands boot       # Boot islands
vant islands load name  # Load island

vant mcp

MCP server for AI tools:

vant mcp                 # Start MCP server
vant mcp --port 3457   # Custom port
vant mcp --key secret  # Require API key

Brain Commands

Command	Description
`vant brain`	Brain operations
`vant horcrux`	Backup/restore
`vant stego`	Stego recovery
`vant lock`	Write locking
`vant lineage`	Trace/audit

vant brain

Brain operations:

vant brain               # Show brain status
vant brain --stats     # Brain statistics
vant brain --path      # Brain path

vant horcrux

Backup/restore brain to images:

vant horcrux backup     # Create backup
vant horcrux restore   # Restore backup
vant horcrux list      # List backups

vant stego

Stego brain recovery:

vant stego              # Scan for stego
vant stego --extract   # Extract data
vant stego --verify    # Verify integrity

vant lock

Brain write lock:

vant lock acquire      # Acquire lock
vant lock release     # Release lock
vant lock status      # Show lock status

vant lineage

Trace/audit trail:

vant lineage            # Show lineage
vant lineage --graph   # Graph view
vant lineage --json   # JSON output

Skills & Plugins

Command	Description
`vant skills`	Skill management
`vant embed`	Embedding operations
`vant theme`	Theme management

vant skills

Skill management:

vant skills             # List skills
vant skills add url   # Add skill
vant skills remove    # Remove skill

vant embed

Embedding/vector operations:

vant embed             # Show embed status
vant embed --query    # Query vectors
vant embed --index   # Build index

vant theme

Theme management:

vant theme             # Show theme
vant theme set name   # Set theme
vant theme list      # List themes

Webhook Commands

vant webhook serve             # Start webhook server
vant webhook register <name> <source>  # Register webhook
vant webhook list            # List webhooks
vant webhook send <url> <payload>   # Send webhook

Notification Commands

vant notify slack "message"    # Send Slack notification
vant notify discord "message" # Send Discord notification

Linear Commands (when island loaded)

vant linear issues            # List issues
vant linear create "title"   # Create issue
vant linear comment <id> "body"  # Add comment

Development Commands

Command	Description
`vant search`	Search brain files (basic/rag/hybrid)
`vant rerank`	Rerank search results
`vant prune`	Clean up old/stale brain files

vant prune

Clean up old or stale brain files:

vant prune -h, --help           # Show help
vant prune -d, --dry-run       # Preview without changes
vant prune -f, --force        # Force prune without confirmation
vant prune -D, --daemon      # Run as background daemon
vant prune -s, --stats       # Show prune statistics
vant prune -l, --list        # List prunable files

vant search

Search brain files:

vant search <query>          # Basic search
vant search --rag <query>    # RAG search (semantic)
vant search --hybrid <query> # Hybrid search (BM25 + vector + RRF)
vant search --rerank         # Rerank results

vant rerank

Rerank search results:

vant rerank <results.json>    # Rerank results file
vant rerank --query "query"  # Query for reranking

Infrastructure Commands

Command	Description
`vant repos`	Manage multiple brain repositories
`vant islands-boot`	Initialize islands
`vant validate`	Validate brain files
`vant qos`	QoS rate limiting
`vant sandbox`	Capability sandbox
`vant security`	Security utilities
`vant vaf`	Input validation
`vant habitat`	Runtime environment
`vant legal`	Compliance tools
`vant consensus`	Consensus mechanisms
`vant framework`	Agent framework
`vant runop`	Run operator
`vant escrow`	Escrow service

vant repos

Manage multiple repositories:

vant repos list               # List configured repos
vant repos add <name> <url>  # Add new repository
vant repos remove <name>    # Remove repository
vant repos sync <name>      # Sync specific repo

vant islands-boot

Initialize islands:

vant islands-boot            # Initialize all islands
vant islands-boot <island>   # Initialize specific island

vant validate

Validate brain files:

vant validate                # Validate all files
vant validate --schema      # Schema validation
vant validate --integrity  # Check file integrity

vant qos

QoS (Quality of Service) rate limiting:

vant qos                  # Show QoS status
vant qos --stats         # View rate limit stats
vant qos --reset         # Reset counters

vant sandbox

Capability sandbox for security:

vant sandbox             # Show sandbox status
vant sandbox --allow    # Enable capabilities
vant sandbox --deny    # Restrict capabilities

vant security

Security utilities:

vant security            # Run security audit
vant security --scan    # Scan for vulnerabilities
vant security --fix     # Auto-fix issues

vant vaf

Validation-Authorization-Framework (input validation):

vant vaf                 # Show VAF status
vant vaf --validate     # Validate inputs
vant vaf --rules        # List validation rules

vant habitat

Runtime environment management:

vant habitat             # Show environment info
vant habitat --init     # Initialize environment
vant habitat --status   # Check runtime status

vant legal

Compliance and legal tools:

vant legal               # Compliance check
vant legal --audit      # Audit compliance
vant legal --report     # Generate report

vant consensus

Consensus mechanisms for multi-agent:

vant consensus           # Show consensus status
vant consensus --vote   # Submit vote
vant consensus --tally # Tally results

vant framework

Agent framework utilities:

vant framework           # Framework info
vant framework --list   # List available frameworks
vant framework --init  # Initialize framework

vant runop

Run operator for task execution:

vant runop               # Show operators
vant runop --execute    # Execute operation
vant runop --status    # Check status

vant escrow

Escrow service for operations:

vant escrow              # Escrow status
vant escrow --hold      # Hold operation
vant escrow --release  # Release held operation

Testing Commands

Command	Description
`vant test-all`	Run all tests
`vant test-core`	Run core tests

vant test-all

Run all tests:

vant test-all                # Run all tests
vant test-all --verbose     # Verbose output

vant test-core

Run core Vant tests:

vant test-core              # Run core tests
vant test-core --coverage   # With coverage

Stego Commands

Command	Description
`vant stego`	Encode/decode data in images

vant stego

Steganography - encode/decode data in images:

vant stego encode <input.txt> <image.png>  # Encode text in image
vant stego decode <stego.png>              # Decode from image
vant stego --RGBA                         # Use RGBA encoding (4x capacity)
vant stego --multi                        # Split across multiple images

Sync Commands

Command	Description
`vant sync`	GitHub brain sync
`vant hybrid-sync`	Public/private brain sync
`vant watch`	Poll GitHub for changes
`vant config`	Configuration management
`vant branch`	Branch management
`vant branch-manager`	Advanced branch ops

vant sync

GitHub brain sync:

vant sync               # Full sync
vant sync --push     # Push only
vant sync --pull     # Pull only

vant hybrid-sync

Hybrid sync between public and private brains:

vant hybrid-sync -h, --help         # Show help
vant hybrid-sync -p, --public    # Sync public brain only
vant hybrid-sync -r, --private   # Sync private brain only

vant branch

Branch management:

vant branch              # List branches
vant branch create     # Create branch
vant branch delete     # Delete branch
vant branch switch     # Switch branch

vant branch-manager

Advanced branch operations:

vant branch-manager           # Show status
vant branch-manager merge   # Merge branches
vant branch-manager rebase  # Rebase branch
vant branch-manager compare # Compare branches

Docs Commands

Command	Description
`vant docs`	Build docs
`vant docs-build`	Build docs (detailed)

vant docs

Build docs (shortcut):

vant docs                # Build docs
vant docs --serve       # Serve locally
vant docs --version    # Show version

vant docs-build

Build documentation:

vant docs-build                # Build docs
vant docs-build --version 0.9.0 # Specific version

Boot Commands

Command	Description
`vant boot`	System bootstrap

vant boot

Bootstrap Vant system:

vant boot                  # Full bootstrap
vant boot --init           # Initialize from scratch
vant boot --verify         # Verify installation

Main Entry

Command	Description
`vant`	Main entry point

vant

Main Vant CLI entry:

vant                      # Show version
vant -h, --help           # Show help
vant --version            # Show version

Internal Commands

These commands are for internal development use.

Command	Description
`vant agent-spawner`	Agent spawning utility
`vant cli-standard`	CLI standards checker
`vant format-test`	Format testing
`vant brain-horcrux`	Brain backup utility

See also: vant horcrux for user-facing brain backup