CLI
Essential commands
The Cortex CLI commands used most often.
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
cortex |
Open the default interactive client |
cortex chat --workspace . |
Start interactive work in a workspace |
cortex exec "…" |
Run a non-interactive task |
cortex review - |
Run a read-only review from standard input |
cortex validate test "…" |
Run the test-validation preset |
cortex research "…" |
Research current public sources |
cortex sessions list |
List durable sessions |
cortex sessions resume --cwd . |
Resume the latest workspace session |
cortex workflow status SESSION_ID |
Inspect a durable workflow |
cortex cloud readiness |
Check Cloud availability |
cortex doctor |
Diagnose configuration and connectivity |
cortex manual QUERY |
Search the generated command manual |
Global options
Section titled “Global options”Use --profile, --pipeline-url, --auth-url, --ca-bundle and
--proxy-url only for an approved environment. --offline prevents network
use. --output text|json|jsonl selects stable output where supported.
Run cortex COMMAND --help for the installed version’s complete flags. Generate
shell completions with cortex completion bash|zsh|fish|powershell.
Exit behavior
Section titled “Exit behavior”Automation succeeds with 0. Invalid input, authentication, timeout, policy,
or service failures use nonzero codes. An action that needs approval exits with
code 3 when no approved external approval provider is configured.