CLI Reference

The Cortex TMS CLI is the primary tool for managing your TMS projects. Use it to initialize projects, validate documentation health, check project status, and more.

Installation

# Install globally
npm install -g [email protected]

# Or use with npx (no installation)
npx [email protected] <command>

Global Usage

cortex-tms [command] [options]
cortex-tms --help          # Show help for all commands
cortex-tms --version       # Show current version

Available Commands

init

Initialize Cortex TMS in your project

Sets up the complete TMS documentation structure with interactive prompts.

View init documentation

validate

Validate project health and compliance

Runs comprehensive health checks to ensure documentation follows TMS standards.

View validate documentation

status

Show project health dashboard

Displays a high-level overview of scope, sprint progress, health summary, and backlog.

View status documentation

migrate

Upgrade TMS files to current version

Safely updates template files while preserving customizations.

View migrate documentation

prompt

Access AI prompt templates

Provides quick access to project-aware AI prompts with clipboard integration.

View prompt documentation

tutorial

Interactive walkthrough

Teaches the “Cortex Way” through an interactive onboarding tutorial.

View tutorial documentation

Global Options

All commands support these global options:

Option	Description
`-h, --help`	Show help for the command
`-V, --version`	Show CLI version

Command Summary

Command	Purpose	Common Usage
`init`	Initialize TMS in project	`cortex-tms init`
`validate`	Check project health	`cortex-tms validate --strict`
`status`	View project dashboard	`cortex-tms status`
`migrate`	Upgrade templates	`cortex-tms migrate --apply`
`prompt`	Get AI prompts	`cortex-tms prompt init-session`
`tutorial`	Learn Cortex TMS	`cortex-tms tutorial`

Exit Codes

All commands follow standard Unix exit code conventions:

Code	Meaning
`0`	Success - command completed without errors
`1`	Failure - command encountered errors

Common Workflows

Initial Setup

# 1. Initialize project
cortex-tms init

# 2. Verify setup
cortex-tms validate

# 3. Check status
cortex-tms status

Daily Development

# 1. Get AI session prompt
cortex-tms prompt init-session

# 2. Work on tasks in NEXT-TASKS.md

# 3. Validate before committing
cortex-tms validate --strict

Template Upgrades

# 1. Check for updates
cortex-tms migrate

# 2. Apply upgrades
cortex-tms migrate --apply

# 3. Verify changes
cortex-tms validate

Environment Variables

Cortex TMS CLI respects these environment variables:

Variable	Description	Default
`NO_COLOR`	Disable colored output	Not set
`CI`	Indicates CI/CD environment	Not set

Configuration File

The CLI uses .cortexrc in your project root for configuration:

{
  "version": "2.6.0",
  "scope": "standard",
  "projectName": "my-project",
  "metadata": {
    "createdAt": "2026-01-19T10:00:00.000Z",
    "customFiles": []
  }
}

This file is automatically created by cortex-tms init and updated by other commands.

Next Steps

Explore individual command documentation:

cortex-tms init - Detailed initialization options
cortex-tms validate - Validation checks explained
cortex-tms status - Dashboard components
cortex-tms migrate - Safe migration process
cortex-tms prompt - Prompt library usage
cortex-tms tutorial - Interactive learning