CLI reference
Aura has three setup-management commands: setup, check, and undo. The standalone binary also
provides update. Run aura <command> --help for the same action-oriented reference in the
terminal.
A private distribution may add commands of its own beside these. They appear on the root help
screen and answer --help with the same layout; see
Distribution commands.
Global
Section titled “Global”| Command or option | Purpose |
|---|---|
aura --help |
Show the command overview. |
aura --version |
Print the release version. |
aura update |
Bypass the update cache, install an available update, and exit. |
--no-color |
Disable terminal colors; accepted before or after a command. |
aura update exits 0 when Aura is current or installed, 1 when another update is in progress,
2 when the current installation or environment cannot self-update, and 3 when the check or
installation fails. Automatic startup checks remain silent and never change another command’s exit
code.
aura setup
Section titled “aura setup”| Option | Purpose |
|---|---|
--dry-run |
Stop after the plan summary and write nothing. |
--yes |
Take proposed defaults without prompting. |
--detail |
Include full planned file diffs; may contain private contents. |
--add <kind> |
Open one registered addition: snippet, skill, or mcp. |
--preset <ref> |
Load a bundled, npm, HTTPS, or local team preset. |
--no-cache |
Bypass preset cache reads and writes. |
--enable <id> / --disable <id> |
Override check activation; repeatable. |
--severity <id>=<level> |
Override a check with error, info, or warn; repeatable. |
--threshold '<id>=<JSON>' |
Override one check’s threshold object; repeatable. |
--home <absolute-path> |
Override the home directory. |
--path <absolute-directories> |
Override executable search paths. |
--dry-run and --yes contradict each other. Interactive setup requires terminal input and output;
otherwise choose one of those non-interactive modes.
Setup exit codes: 0 applied, converged, dry-run, or declined; 1 aborted or completed with
post-setup findings; 2 conflicts, errors, or invalid usage; 3 operational failure.
aura check
Section titled “aura check”| Option | Purpose |
|---|---|
--only <filter> |
Select an exact check ID, category, or application; repeatable. |
--explain <id> |
Explain one check without scanning. |
--online |
Permit bounded remote MCP probes. |
--fix |
Prepare fixes, ask guided questions, preview, and apply after confirmation. |
--dry-run |
With --fix, preview and write nothing. |
--yes |
With --fix, apply automatic fixes without prompting. |
--json |
Emit the versioned JSON envelope. |
--json-version <n> |
Select the JSON contract; version 1 is supported. |
--verbose |
Expand occurrences and add passed checks and applications. |
--detail |
Include plugin diagnostic detail or fix diffs; may contain private contents. |
--preset, --no-cache |
Control preset resolution. |
--enable, --disable, --severity, --threshold |
Override check configuration. |
--home, --path |
Override scanning roots and executable search paths. |
Repeated --only selectors are ORed within the check and application dimensions, then those
dimensions are intersected. Exact check IDs win before category and application aliases.
Check exits 0 for every completed report, 2 for usage or state conflicts, and 3 for
operational failures. Findings do not change the process exit code.
aura undo
Section titled “aura undo”| Option | Purpose |
|---|---|
--list |
List every available backup instead of restoring. |
<backup-id> |
Restore one named backup rather than the newest. |
--dry-run |
Name what would be restored and write nothing. |
--yes |
Restore without prompting. |
--detail |
Include underlying restoration errors. |
--home, --path |
Override state and executable paths. |
Undo exits 0 when restored or when there is nothing to undo, 1 when aborted or declined, 2
for conflicts, and 3 for operational failures.
Distribution commands
Section titled “Distribution commands”A distribution registers extra top-level commands as data — word, summary, examples, and long
flags. --no-color applies to them; --home and --path do not, because they belong to the three
built-in commands. An invalid or colliding definition fails the run at startup with exit code 3.
Telemetry
Section titled “Telemetry”The official standalone binary sends privacy-safe command events by default. See
Anonymous telemetry for the exact fields, retention policy, and the
AURA_TELEMETRY=off and DO_NOT_TRACK=1 opt-out controls.