CLI Reference

This page is a short index. The authoritative CLI contract — invocation model, exit codes, every command with flags, defaults, environment overrides, authentication requirements, worked examples, the environment-variable index, and the deprecated-surface appendix — lives in CLI-REFERENCE.md.

Start here:

• Invocation model and exit codes
• Global conventions
• Command reference
• Environment-variable index
• Authentication matrix
• Deprecated and retired surface

For configuration keys and file formats see CONFIGURATION.md; for MCP profiles and tools see MCP.md; for the HTTP API see HTTP-API.md; for server deployment see SERVER.md; for the interactive terminal UI see TUI-GUIDE.md.

The production entrypoint is cmd/cortex. Run cortex help for the command list and see CLI-REFERENCE.md for per-command detail.

The local v2 baseline is forward-only. migrate down is not a supported normal operation and existing v2 databases must not be downgraded automatically.