CLI reference

The spec-editor command line has 26 commands in the open core and 7 more with spec-editor Pro. Every command page lists its usage, arguments and options, and the subcommands of a group. Run spec-editor <command> --help for the same text in a terminal.

Commands marked Pro exist only when the Pro plugin is installed. A few core groups, for example stats, gain subcommands with Pro; the command page marks them.

Most commands take -p / --project with the path of the project directory; without it they use the project found from the current directory.

Commands

Command	Edition	Description
spec-editor adaptation	Open core	Audit trail for a role’s adaptive SOUL/skill changes.
spec-editor agents	Open core	Contours, roles and slots of the delivery loop.
spec-editor archive-sources	Open core	Move old deprecated sources out of the active model into the archive.
spec-editor breakpoint	Pro	Work with breakpoints: sources created by clicking an element of the running product, bound to the requirement of that element.
spec-editor breakpoints	Pro	List owner-captured UI breakpoints, newest first.
spec-editor code	Pro	Code-repository commands: snapshot, refs, diff, gc.
spec-editor config	Open core	Configure the project (Hosts, Modules).
spec-editor context	Open core	Build spec context for AI coding assistants.
spec-editor coverage	Pro	Show implements coverage of leaf requirements.
spec-editor decision	Open core	List or view architecture decision records (ADR).
spec-editor demo	Open core	Quick demo: see a pre-generated specification without any LLM calls.
spec-editor deploy-record	Pro	Record a deployment: build artifact x host x version/commit.
spec-editor diff	Open core	Show a ChangeSet: what changed, in exactly one scope.
spec-editor element	Open core	Element lifecycle commands (deprecate, restore, write-many).
spec-editor export	Open core	Export the specification to various formats.
spec-editor gate	Pro	Gate approvals: risk-based auto/consensus/human policy per stage.
spec-editor init	Open core	Initialize a new specification project at the –path directory.
spec-editor license	Open core	Manage the licence key stored in a project.
spec-editor mcp	Open core	Start the MCP server for external agents (stdio, HTTP or socket).
spec-editor memory	Open core	Owner write_approval queue for role MEMORY notes.
spec-editor methodology	Open core	Methodology generation/inspection commands.
spec-editor migrate	Open core	Idempotently migrate a project to the current methodology and tooling conventions.
spec-editor partial	Pro	Act on tasks whose run came back partial.
spec-editor plugins	Open core	Inspect plugins and choose alternative implementations (local.yaml modules:).
spec-editor questions	Open core	Manage asynchronous agent questions (questions.jsonl).
spec-editor set-trace	Open core	Set the trace LEVEL of ELEMENT on HOST.
spec-editor shutdown	Open core	Stop all agent roles (as agents stop), then the server (MCP and UI).
spec-editor source	Open core	Requirement sources: add, import, sync, listen, list.
spec-editor stats	Open core	Usage statistics.
spec-editor status	Open core	Show the state of the specification.
spec-editor unarchive	Open core	Return an archived source to the active model.
spec-editor validate	Open core	Validate the specification (model and/or code links).
spec-editor view	Open core	Render the specification as an interactive Mermaid graph in the browser.

Global options

Option	Description
--version	Show the version and exit.
--help	Show this message and exit.