Reference and help
Availability and limits
Check platform support, command differences, listing windows, search behaviour and transfer limitations.
The CLI's available commands depend on your platform and, on Linux, the build you install. Check these limits before choosing a device for sync, exporting data or automating a large store.
Platform support
The downloadable CLI targets macOS and 64-bit Linux. There is no Windows installer or 32-bit x86 client in this distribution.
| Feature | macOS | Linux x86_64 dynamic | Linux static, including arm64 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notes, tasks, search and links | Available in the CLI's separate store | Available | Available |
| Temporal ledger and basic doctor report | Available | Available | Available |
| Sign-in, Ask Glob and account API key management | Available with a connection | Available with a connection | HTTPS commands fail in the static build |
| Node views, pins and project promotion | Commands appear in help but require an unsupported store type | Available | Available for local work |
| Markdown export | Requires an unsupported store type | Available | Available |
| Legacy Markdown import | Available for record input | Available | Available |
| Sync, sharing key grants, recovery setup, sync identity commands and relay | Commands absent, except id-less key rotation reports unavailable | Available with a connection | Commands present; HTTPS prevents hosted use |
Proposal review with patches |
Command absent | Available | Available for local proposals |
The standard Linux installer chooses the static build. On x86_64, opt into the dynamic build when you need hosted features. Linux arm64 has a static download only. Follow the platform-specific install instructions.
The TUI also shows some navigation rows without an available command behind them. They display Unavailable; the TUI guide identifies them. The terminal does not expose the complete graphical application's feature set.
Other limits to know before a large workflow:
- Note and task lists have bounded fetch windows; the record reference explains them.
- Linux and macOS search match text differently.
- Portable export/import require the Linux package-backed store; the macOS CLI backend cannot run them.
- Most commands support a JSON envelope, but proposal review, browser sign-in and relay have output exceptions.
What the terminal can do
The terminal exposes the commands in the command directory, rather than every feature in the graphical applications. The TUI has working views for notes, tasks, pins, a current node view, hosted AI, API keys and Settings. Some additional channel names remain visible but open an Unavailable pane. There are no working terminal controls for those channels.
The macOS CLI uses a different store format from Linux. Its record commands can capture, read, edit, archive and delete notes or tasks; they do not read the Mac application's store. A successful sign-in does not change that boundary. Node commands and export test for a store capability that the macOS CLI does not provide, even though their names appear in help.
Listing and search limits
notes list defaults to 50 results. It fetches twice the requested limit before filtering tasks, so it can return fewer results even when older notes remain. tasks list defaults to 100 tasks, selected from the newest 1,000 active records. Increasing its output limit does not enlarge that initial record window.
Both list commands show active records. Task listings hide completed tasks unless you add --all; note listings hide tasks unless you add --include-tasks. The commands have no pagination cursor. Use a known record's complete ID with notes show to read it directly.
Search defaults to 50 results and has its own --limit. Linux matches all query words as prefixes, while macOS matches the query as a substring. Results are newest by creation time, rather than ranked by relevance. The TUI's / filter only narrows records already fetched; Global Search uses the CLI's search.
Transfer and automation limits
Portable v1 keeps nodes, notes, tasks, schedules, tags, colours, hierarchy, summaries and project/list organisation. CLI and Web can read each other's files. Legacy flat and panel-tree Markdown also import in the CLI. Imports create separate copies and keep existing data. Keys and operation history are excluded. Read transfer before planning a move or restore.
Most commands support JSON, but the output is not uniform across every surface. Proposal listing returns a raw array; the other proposal actions are text only; relay has no JSON mode; browser sign-in prints opening instructions before its result. Some validation failures are ordinary parser text. Output and exit codes documents those exceptions.
The CLI can create a recovery key but has no command to enter that key for recovery. Keys and recovery distinguishes this from API key rotation and sync identity rotation.