CLI

OpenCtrlC CLI options and commands.

The OpenCtrlC CLI by default starts the TUI when run without any arguments.

openctrlc

But it also accepts commands as documented on this page. This allows you to interact with OpenCtrlC programmatically.

openctrlc run "Explain how closures work in JavaScript"

tui

Start the OpenCtrlC terminal user interface.

openctrlc [project]

Flags

Flag	Short	Description
`--continue`	`-c`	Continue the last session
`--session`	`-s`	Session ID to continue
`--fork`		Fork the session when continuing (use with `--continue` or `--session`)
`--prompt`		Prompt to use
`--model`	`-m`	Model to use in the form of provider/model
`--agent`		Agent to use
`--auto`		Auto-approve permissions that are not explicitly denied
`--port`		Port to listen on
`--hostname`		Hostname to listen on
`--mdns`		Enable mDNS discovery
`--mdns-domain`		Custom mDNS domain name
`--cors`		Additional browser origin(s) to allow CORS

Commands

The OpenCtrlC CLI also has the following commands.

agent

Manage agents for OpenCtrlC.

openctrlc agent [command]

create

Create a new agent with custom configuration.

openctrlc agent create

This command will guide you through creating a new agent with a custom system prompt and permission configuration. Anything you don’t allow is denied in the generated agent’s frontmatter.

Flags

Flag	Short	Description
`--path`		Directory to write the agent file to (defaults to global or `.openctrlc/agent` based on the prompt)
`--description`		What the agent should do
`--mode`		Agent mode: `all`, `primary`, or `subagent`
`--permissions`		Comma-separated list of permissions to allow (default: all). Available: `bash`, `read`, `edit`, `glob`, `grep`, `webfetch`, `task`, `todowrite`, `websearch`, `lsp`, `skill`. Anything omitted is denied. Alias: `--tools`
`--model`	`-m`	Model to use, in `provider/model` format

Passing all of --path, --description, --mode, and --permissions runs the command non-interactively.

list

List all available agents.

openctrlc agent list

attach

Attach a terminal to an already running OpenCtrlC backend server started via serve or web commands.

openctrlc attach [url]

This allows using the TUI with a remote OpenCtrlC backend. For example:

# Start the backend server for web/mobile access
openctrlc web --port 4096 --hostname 0.0.0.0

# In another terminal, attach the TUI to the running backend
openctrlc attach http://10.20.30.40:4096

Flags

Flag	Short	Description
`--dir`		Working directory to start TUI in
`--continue`	`-c`	Continue the last session
`--session`	`-s`	Session ID to continue
`--fork`		Fork the session when continuing (use with `--continue` or `--session`)
`--password`	`-p`	Basic auth password (defaults to `OPENCTRLC_SERVER_PASSWORD`)
`--username`	`-u`	Basic auth username (defaults to `OPENCTRLC_SERVER_USERNAME` or `openctrlc`)

auth

Command to manage credentials and login for providers.

openctrlc auth [command]

OpenCtrlC is powered by the provider list at Models.dev, so you can use openctrlc auth login to configure API keys for any provider you’d like to use. This is stored in ~/.local/share/openctrlc/auth.json.

openctrlc auth login

When OpenCtrlC starts up it loads the providers from the credentials file. And if there are any keys defined in your environments or a .env file in your project.

Flags

Flag	Short	Description
`--provider`	`-p`	Provider ID or name to log in to
`--method`	`-m`	Login method label to use, skipping method selection

list

Lists all the authenticated providers as stored in the credentials file.

openctrlc auth list

Or the short version.

openctrlc auth ls

logout

Logs you out of a provider by clearing it from the credentials file.

openctrlc auth logout

github

Manage the GitHub agent for repository automation.

openctrlc github [command]

install

Install the GitHub agent in your repository.

openctrlc github install

This sets up the necessary GitHub Actions workflow and guides you through the configuration process. Learn more.

run

Run the GitHub agent. This is typically used in GitHub Actions.

openctrlc github run

Flags

Flag	Description
`--event`	GitHub mock event to run the agent for
`--token`	GitHub personal access token

mcp

Manage Model Context Protocol servers.

openctrlc mcp [command]

add

Add an MCP server to your configuration.

openctrlc mcp add

This command will guide you through adding either a local or remote MCP server.

list

List all configured MCP servers and their connection status.

openctrlc mcp list

Or use the short version.

openctrlc mcp ls

auth

Authenticate with an OAuth-enabled MCP server.

openctrlc mcp auth [name]

If you don’t provide a server name, you’ll be prompted to select from available OAuth-capable servers.

You can also list OAuth-capable servers and their authentication status.

openctrlc mcp auth list

Or use the short version.

openctrlc mcp auth ls

logout

Remove OAuth credentials for an MCP server.

openctrlc mcp logout [name]

debug

Debug OAuth connection issues for an MCP server.

openctrlc mcp debug <name>

models

List all available models from configured providers.

openctrlc models [provider]

This command displays all models available across your configured providers in the format provider/model.

This is useful for figuring out the exact model name to use in your config.

You can optionally pass a provider ID to filter models by that provider.

openctrlc models anthropic

Flags

Flag	Description
`--refresh`	Refresh the models cache from models.dev
`--verbose`	Use more verbose model output (includes metadata like costs)

Use the --refresh flag to update the cached model list. This is useful when new models have been added to a provider and you want to see them in OpenCtrlC.

openctrlc models --refresh

run

Run openctrlc in non-interactive mode by passing a prompt directly.

openctrlc run [message..]

This is useful for scripting, automation, or when you want a quick answer without launching the full TUI. For example.

openctrlc run Explain the use of context in Go

You can also attach to a running openctrlc serve instance to avoid MCP server cold boot times on every run:

# Start a headless server in one terminal
openctrlc serve

# In another terminal, run commands that attach to it
openctrlc run --attach http://localhost:4096 "Explain async/await in JavaScript"

Flags

Flag	Short	Description
`--command`		The command to run, use message for args
`--continue`	`-c`	Continue the last session
`--session`	`-s`	Session ID to continue
`--fork`		Fork the session when continuing (use with `--continue` or `--session`)
`--share`		Share the session
`--model`	`-m`	Model to use in the form of provider/model
`--agent`		Agent to use
`--file`	`-f`	File(s) to attach to message
`--format`		Format: default (formatted) or json (raw JSON events)
`--title`		Title for the session (uses truncated prompt if no value provided)
`--attach`		Attach to a running openctrlc server (e.g., http://localhost:4096)
`--password`	`-p`	Basic auth password (defaults to `OPENCTRLC_SERVER_PASSWORD`)
`--username`	`-u`	Basic auth username (defaults to `OPENCTRLC_SERVER_USERNAME` or `openctrlc`)
`--dir`		Directory to run in, or path on the remote server when attaching
`--port`		Port for the local server (defaults to random port)
`--variant`		Model variant (provider-specific reasoning effort)
`--thinking`		Show thinking blocks
`--auto`		Auto-approve permissions that are not explicitly denied

serve

Start a headless OpenCtrlC server for API access. Check out the server docs for the full HTTP interface.

openctrlc serve

This starts an HTTP server that provides API access to openctrlc functionality without the TUI interface. Set OPENCTRLC_SERVER_PASSWORD to enable HTTP basic auth (username defaults to openctrlc).

Flags

Flag	Description
`--port`	Port to listen on
`--hostname`	Hostname to listen on
`--mdns`	Enable mDNS discovery
`--mdns-domain`	Custom mDNS domain name
`--cors`	Additional browser origin(s) to allow CORS

session

Manage OpenCtrlC sessions.

openctrlc session [command]

list

List all OpenCtrlC sessions.

openctrlc session list

Flags

Flag	Short	Description
`--max-count`	`-n`	Limit to N most recent sessions
`--format`		Output format: table or json (table)

delete

Delete an OpenCtrlC session.

openctrlc session delete <sessionID>

stats

Show token usage and cost statistics for your OpenCtrlC sessions.

openctrlc stats

Flags

Flag	Description
`--days`	Show stats for the last N days (all time)
`--tools`	Number of tools to show (all)
`--models`	Show model usage breakdown (hidden by default). Pass a number to show top N
`--project`	Filter by project (all projects, empty string: current project)

export

Export session data as JSON.

openctrlc export [sessionID]

If you don’t provide a session ID, you’ll be prompted to select from available sessions.

Flags

Flag	Description
`--sanitize`	Redact sensitive transcript/file data

import

Import session data from a JSON file, OpenCtrlC share URL, or an existing OpenCode session.

openctrlc import <file>

You can import from a local file or an OpenCtrlC share URL.

openctrlc import session.json
openctrlc import https://opncd.ai/s/abc123
openctrlc import ses_01H...

When the argument is a session ID, OpenCtrlC reads that session from ~/.local/share/opencode/opencode.db without modifying the source database. Use --opencode-db to provide a different OpenCode database path.

web

Start a headless OpenCtrlC server with a web interface.

openctrlc web

This starts an HTTP server and opens a web browser to access OpenCtrlC through a web interface. Set OPENCTRLC_SERVER_PASSWORD to enable HTTP basic auth (username defaults to openctrlc).

Flags

Flag	Description
`--port`	Port to listen on
`--hostname`	Hostname to listen on
`--mdns`	Enable mDNS discovery
`--mdns-domain`	Custom mDNS domain name
`--cors`	Additional browser origin(s) to allow CORS

acp

Start an ACP (Agent Client Protocol) server.

openctrlc acp

This command starts an ACP server that communicates via stdin/stdout using nd-JSON.

Flags

Flag	Description
`--cwd`	Working directory
`--port`	Port to listen on
`--hostname`	Hostname to listen on
`--mdns`	Enable mDNS discovery
`--mdns-domain`	Custom mDNS domain name
`--cors`	Additional browser origin(s) to allow CORS

plugin

Install a plugin and update your config.

openctrlc plugin <module>

Or use the alias.

openctrlc plug <module>

Flags

Flag	Short	Description
`--global`	`-g`	Install in global config
`--force`	`-f`	Replace existing plugin version

pr

Fetch and checkout a GitHub PR branch, then run OpenCtrlC.

openctrlc pr <number>

db

Database tools.

openctrlc db [query]

Flags

Flag	Description
`--format`	Output format: `json` or `tsv`

path

Print the database path.

openctrlc db path

debug

Debugging and troubleshooting tools.

openctrlc debug [command]

uninstall

Uninstall OpenCtrlC and remove all related files.

openctrlc uninstall

Flags

Flag	Short	Description
`--keep-config`	`-c`	Keep configuration files
`--keep-data`	`-d`	Keep session data and snapshots
`--dry-run`		Show what would be removed without removing
`--force`	`-f`	Skip confirmation prompts

upgrade

Updates openctrlc to the latest version or a specific version.

openctrlc upgrade [target]

To upgrade to the latest version.

openctrlc upgrade

To upgrade to a specific version.

openctrlc upgrade v0.1.48

Flags

Flag	Short	Description
`--method`	`-m`	The installation method that was used; curl, npm, pnpm, bun, brew

Global Flags

The openctrlc CLI takes the following global flags.

Flag	Short	Description
`--help`	`-h`	Display help
`--version`	`-v`	Print version number
`--print-logs`		Print logs to stderr
`--log-level`		Log level (DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR)
`--pure`		Run without external plugins

Environment variables

OpenCtrlC can be configured using environment variables.

Variable	Type	Description
`OPENCTRLC_AUTO_SHARE`	boolean	Automatically share sessions
`OPENCTRLC_GIT_BASH_PATH`	string	Path to Git Bash executable on Windows
`OPENCTRLC_CONFIG`	string	Path to config file
`OPENCTRLC_TUI_CONFIG`	string	Path to TUI config file
`OPENCTRLC_CONFIG_DIR`	string	Path to config directory
`OPENCTRLC_CONFIG_CONTENT`	string	Inline json config content
`OPENCTRLC_DISABLE_AUTOUPDATE`	boolean	Disable automatic update checks
`OPENCTRLC_DISABLE_PRUNE`	boolean	Disable pruning of old data
`OPENCTRLC_DISABLE_TERMINAL_TITLE`	boolean	Disable automatic terminal title updates
`OPENCTRLC_PERMISSION`	string	Inlined json permissions config
`OPENCTRLC_DISABLE_DEFAULT_PLUGINS`	boolean	Disable default plugins
`OPENCTRLC_DISABLE_LSP_DOWNLOAD`	boolean	Disable automatic LSP server downloads
`OPENCTRLC_ENABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_MODELS`	boolean	Enable experimental models
`OPENCTRLC_DISABLE_AUTOCOMPACT`	boolean	Disable automatic context compaction
`OPENCTRLC_DISABLE_CLAUDE_CODE`	boolean	Disable reading from `.claude` (prompt + skills)
`OPENCTRLC_DISABLE_CLAUDE_CODE_PROMPT`	boolean	Disable reading `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md`
`OPENCTRLC_DISABLE_CLAUDE_CODE_SKILLS`	boolean	Disable loading `.claude/skills`
`OPENCTRLC_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH`	boolean	Disable fetching models from remote sources
`OPENCTRLC_DISABLE_MOUSE`	boolean	Disable mouse capture in the TUI
`OPENCTRLC_FAKE_VCS`	string	Fake VCS provider for testing purposes
`OPENCTRLC_CLIENT`	string	Client identifier (defaults to `cli`)
`OPENCTRLC_ENABLE_EXA`	boolean	Enable Exa web search tools
`OPENCTRLC_SERVER_PASSWORD`	string	Enable basic auth for `serve`/`web`
`OPENCTRLC_SERVER_USERNAME`	string	Override basic auth username (default `openctrlc`)
`OPENCTRLC_MODELS_URL`	string	Custom URL for fetching models configuration

Experimental

These environment variables enable experimental features that may change or be removed.

Variable	Type	Description
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL`	boolean	Enable the experimental umbrella flag
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_ICON_DISCOVERY`	boolean	Enable icon discovery
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_DISABLE_COPY_ON_SELECT`	boolean	Disable copy on select in TUI
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_BASH_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS`	number	Default timeout for bash commands in ms
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_OUTPUT_TOKEN_MAX`	number	Max output tokens for LLM responses
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_FILEWATCHER`	boolean	Enable file watcher for entire dir
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_OXFMT`	boolean	Enable oxfmt formatter
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_LSP_TOOL`	boolean	Enable experimental LSP tool
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_DISABLE_FILEWATCHER`	boolean	Disable file watcher
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_EXA`	boolean	Enable experimental Exa features
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_LSP_TY`	boolean	Enable TY LSP for python files
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_PLAN_MODE`	boolean	Enable plan mode
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_BACKGROUND_SUBAGENTS`	boolean	Enable background subagent tasks
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_EVENT_SYSTEM`	boolean	Enable experimental event system
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_NATIVE_LLM`	boolean	Enable native LLM request path
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_PARALLEL`	boolean	Enable parallel web search execution
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_SCOUT`	boolean	Enable Scout subagent
`OPENCTRLC_EXPERIMENTAL_WORKSPACES`	boolean	Enable workspace support