CLI Overview

CLI

The Archcore CLI builds structured, git-native context for AI coding agents. It reads .archcore/, validates documents, builds the relation graph, and exposes it to every supported agent through MCP and lifecycle hooks.

Use the CLI on its own for any MCP-aware agent, for a minimal, direct integration, and for scripting in CI. The CLI and the plugin are two entry points into the same .archcore/ directory, chosen by the agent you run.

When to use the CLI directly

• Your coding agent is Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Roo Code, or Cline. The plugin does not ship for these hosts; the CLI’s MCP integration does.
• You want the smallest install: one binary and 10 core MCP tools, plus install_host_config for host wiring.
• You’re scripting Archcore in CI, pre-commit hooks, or other non-interactive contexts.
• You want to understand the full system before adding the plugin layer on top.

How the CLI fits

• archcore init creates .archcore/, detects coding agents, and writes MCP config and lifecycle hooks for each.
• archcore mcp starts the MCP server that agents launch as a subprocess.
• archcore status and archcore doctor check structure, frontmatter, and relation graph health.
• archcore hooks installs and runs the lifecycle hooks per agent: session start, pre-write, and post-write.
• archcore config reads and writes .archcore/settings.json.

The plugin layers skills, tracks, and built-in agents on top of the CLI.

See the Plugin path →

Supported agents

The CLI integrates with eight coding agents. MCP works with all eight; lifecycle hooks work with five.

Agent	MCP	Hooks
Claude Code	Yes	Yes
Cursor	Yes	Yes
GitHub Copilot	Yes	Yes
Gemini CLI	Yes	Yes
Codex CLI	Yes	Yes
OpenCode	Yes	No
Roo Code	Yes	No
Cline	Manual	No

A host can accept a hook config and still not run it. Codex CLI, for example, keeps hooks behind an experimental flag. archcore hooks install reports that at write time, and archcore doctor repeats it for hosts it finds wired.

For the full matrix, per-agent config paths, and the known host limitations, see Agent integrations.

Next steps

• Install: curl installer (macOS, Linux, WSL) or PowerShell (Windows).
• Quick start: initialize a project and create your first document.
• Commands: full reference for every archcore subcommand.
• MCP server: how agents connect and what tools they get.