Using the CLI

Install and log in to the Multica CLI, and manage workspaces, issues, agents, and runtimes from the terminal.

The Multica CLI both connects local runtimes and manages workspaces, issues, agents, and automations from the terminal. This page covers the common paths; the flags your installed version supports are always defined by each command's own --help.

Installation

macOS / Linux

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/multica-ai/multica/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

With Homebrew installed, you can also run:

brew install multica-ai/tap/multica

Windows PowerShell

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/multica-ai/multica/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

Confirm the install:

multica version

First connection

Connect to Multica Cloud:

multica setup

Connect to a self-hosted instance:

multica setup self-host \
  --server-url https://api.example.com \
  --app-url https://app.example.com

setup saves the server address, opens a browser to complete sign-in, and starts the daemon. When it finishes, check:

multica auth status
multica daemon status

If you only need to sign in again without overwriting other configuration, run multica login. On a machine without a browser, create a personal access token in the web settings first, then enter it with:

multica login --token

The command prompts you to paste the token in the terminal, keeping the full value out of shell history.

Choosing a workspace

List workspaces and switch the default:

multica workspace list
multica workspace switch <slug>

Subsequent commands use this workspace. A single command can override it with --workspace-id, or you can set MULTICA_WORKSPACE_ID.

Invite members:

multica workspace member invite teammate@example.com
multica workspace member invite admin@example.com --role admin

Private Plugin development

multica plugin init ./my-plugin
multica plugin validate ./my-plugin
multica plugin pack ./my-plugin --output ./my-plugin.zip
multica plugin install ./my-plugin.zip --workspace <workspace>
multica plugin list --workspace <workspace>
multica plugin status [installation-id|plugin-key] --workspace <workspace>

Private acquisition requires workspace owner or admin access and both Plugin feature flags. See Private Skill Plugins for the manifest contract, trust model, immutable versions, scope management, and current limits.

Common issue operations

# View and search
multica issue list
multica issue get MUL-123
multica issue search "login failure"

# Create and update
multica issue create --title "Fix login failure"
multica issue status MUL-123 in_progress
multica issue assign MUL-123 --to "Backend Agent"

# Comments and runs
multica issue comment list MUL-123
multica issue comment add MUL-123 --content "Check the regression tests first"
multica issue runs MUL-123

Read long descriptions or comments from stdin to avoid dealing with newlines and quoting:

multica issue create --title "Upgrade notes" --description-stdin < notes.md
multica issue comment add MUL-123 --content-stdin < review.md

View the messages of a single run, or stop a task:

multica issue run-messages <task-id> --issue MUL-123
multica issue cancel-task <task-id> --issue MUL-123

Agents and skills

multica agent list
multica agent get <agent-id>
multica agent create --help
multica agent update <agent-id> --help

multica skill list
multica skill get <skill-id>
multica skill import --url <skill-url>
multica agent skills add <agent-id> --skill-ids <skill-id>

When an import hits a skill with the same name, the default is to stop without modifying existing content. Pick by intent:

multica skill import --url <skill-url> --on-conflict overwrite
multica skill import --url <skill-url> --on-conflict rename
multica skill import --url <skill-url> --on-conflict skip

overwrite is only allowed for the skill's creator and preserves the original ID and agent bindings.

Daemon and runtimes

multica daemon start
multica daemon stop
multica daemon restart
multica daemon status --output json
multica daemon logs --follow

multica runtime list
multica runtime rename <runtime-id> "Office Mac"
multica runtime usage <runtime-id>
multica runtime activity <runtime-id>

Deleting a runtime that still has active agents bound to it is refused by default. multica runtime delete <id> --cascade unbinds those agents, preserves their configuration and history, and cancels their active tasks.

See Daemon and runtimes for how it works and for custom profiles.

Command overview

Command	Purpose
`issue`	Create, update, assign, and search issues; manage comments, subscribers, labels, properties, and runs
`project`	Manage projects and their resources
`label`, `property`	Manage workspace labels and custom properties
`agent`, `skill`, `squad`	Manage agents, skills, and squads
`autopilot`	Manage automations, triggers, and run history
`workspace`	Create, view, and switch workspaces, and invite members
`repo`	Manage workspace repositories and check them out locally
`daemon`, `runtime`	Start and stop the local daemon; view and manage runtimes
`attachment`	Upload or download attachments
`user profile`	View or update the current user's profile
`auth`, `login`, `setup`	Log in, check auth status, and initialize a connection
`config`	View or edit the current CLI profile's local configuration
`update`, `version`	Update the CLI or print the version

multica chat reads the external chat session an agent is currently handling; it is mainly for agents in chat integrations, not a general command for browsing arbitrary workspace conversations.

IDs and output formats

Issues use keys like MUL-123 or full UUIDs; short UUID prefixes are not accepted.

list commands for other resources usually print copyable short IDs and support --full-id for the full UUID. When a short ID is ambiguous, the CLI asks for more characters or the full UUID. Short task IDs also require --issue to identify the owning issue.

Many commands support structured output:

multica issue list --output json
multica agent list --output json

Scripts should use JSON output rather than parsing the terminal-oriented tables. The output formats and pagination flags each command supports are defined by multica <command> --help.

Profiles and configuration

The default configuration lives in ~/.multica/config.json. Use --profile <name> to isolate a separate set of server address, token, default workspace, and daemon state:

multica setup self-host --profile staging \
  --server-url https://api.staging.example.com \
  --app-url https://app.staging.example.com

multica issue list --profile staging

Named profiles live in ~/.multica/profiles/<name>/config.json. Inspect the current values:

multica config show
multica config show --profile staging

Do not set MULTICA_DAEMON_PORT in the host shell, Compose service, or container entrypoint that starts a daemon. The host daemon derives its health port from --profile and injects this variable into agent tasks itself. Remove the variable from older startup environments entirely: versions 0.4.22 and 0.4.23 otherwise mistake that shell for a managed task and reject login. Newer versions let guarded human login and daemon status recover when the port is the only task signal, but ordinary API and profile-resolving commands intentionally remain fail-closed until the variable is removed.

When the CLI runs inside a daemon-managed agent task, it does not load or modify these human-owned profile files. Multica API commands authenticate with the task-scoped credential injected by the daemon. config show and config set use private task-local state; human/local commands such as login, logout, setup, workspace switch, local runtime profile path changes, daemon start / stop / restart, daemon logs, and daemon probe-runtimes are unavailable. auth status does not print token material in this context.

daemon status and daemon disk-usage stay available so an agent can inspect the runtime hosting it, scoped to that runtime: status probes the health port the daemon injected, and disk-usage scans the workspaces root the daemon injected. Neither accepts --profile, disk-usage also rejects --all-profiles and --workspaces-root, and its STATUS column is blank because resolving it would require the human's stored token. Use du and df for anything outside that scope.

This protects implicit Multica CLI profile resolution while preserving the normal HOME and XDG variables used by other provider tools. It is not an OS filesystem boundary: processes running as the same system user may still open an explicitly known path. Use a dedicated user, container, VM, or equivalent isolation when that stronger guarantee is required.

CLI configuration files contain tokens that can access Multica as you. Don't commit them to a repository, upload them to logs, or share them with others.

Command reference

The tables below cover every current top-level command, grouped the way the CLI itself groups them. All commands accept the global flags --server-url, --workspace-id, --profile, and --debug. --output is registered per command, and the default format varies: list commands default to a table, while get and create commands mostly default to JSON. Full flags are defined by multica <command> --help.

Core

Command	Subcommand	Purpose	Key flags
`issue`	`list`	List issues	`--status`, `--priority`, `--assignee`, `--project`, `--metadata` (repeatable), `--limit`, `--offset`, `--sort`, `--full-id`
	`get <id>`	Show a single issue
	`create`	Create an issue	`--title` (required), `--description` / `--description-stdin` / `--description-file`, `--status`, `--priority`, `--assignee`, `--parent`, `--stage`, `--project`, `--start-date`, `--due-date`, `--attachment` (repeatable)
	`update <id>`	Update issue fields	Same fields as `create`, plus `--position`, `--no-start`
	`assign <id>`	Assign or unassign	`--to` (fuzzy name match against members, agents, and squads), `--to-id`, `--unassign`, `--no-start`
	`status <id> <status>`	Change status	`--no-start`
	`reorder <id>`	Move within a column
	`search <query>`	Search issues	`--limit`, `--include-closed`
	`children <id>`	List sub-issues grouped by stage
	`pull-requests <id>`	List linked PRs
	`comment list/add/delete/resolve/unresolve`	Manage comments	`add`: `--content` / `--content-stdin` / `--content-file`, `--parent`, `--attachment`; `list`: `--since`, `--thread`, `--tail`
	`subscriber list/add/remove <issue-id>`	Manage subscribers	`--user`, `--user-id` (defaults to the current user)
	`label list/add/remove <issue-id>`	Manage labels on an issue
	`metadata list/get/set/delete <issue-id>`	Manage issue-level key-value metadata
	`property list/set/unset <issue-id>`	Set custom property values	`set`: `--name`, `--value`
	`runs <issue-id>`	View run history	`--full-id`
	`run-messages <task-id>`	View the messages of a single run	`--since`, `--issue`
	`usage <issue-id>`	View aggregated token usage
	`rerun <id>`	Re-enqueue a run for the current assignee
	`cancel-task <task-id>`	Cancel a running or queued task	`--issue`
`project`	`list/get/create/update/delete`	Manage projects
	`status <id> <status>`	Change project status
	`resource list/add/update/remove`	Manage project resources	`--type`, `--url`, `--local-path`, `--daemon-id`, `--execution-mode` (`in_place` / `worktree` for a local directory)
`label`	`list/get/create/update/delete`	Manage workspace labels
`property`	`list/get/create/update/archive/unarchive`	Manage workspace custom properties	`create`: `--name`, `--type`, `--option` (repeatable); `list`: `--include-archived`; the type cannot be changed after creation
`agent`	`list/get/create/update/archive/restore`	Manage agents	`--name`, `--runtime-id` (required for `create`), `--instructions`, `--model`, `--thinking-level`, `--mcp-config`, `--permission-mode`, `--max-concurrent-tasks`
	`copy <agent-id>`	Copy into a new agent; the original is untouched	`--name` (defaults to the original name plus `(copy)`), `--runtime-id` (copying to another runtime also requires `--model`), `--no-skills`; secret configuration such as `custom_env`, `mcp_config`, and `runtime_config` is not copied — re-provide it with the same flags as `create`
	`tasks <id>`	View an agent's tasks
	`avatar <id>`	Upload an avatar
	`env get/set <agent-id>`	Read and write custom environment variables (owner and admin only)
	`skills list/set/add <agent-id>`	Manage attached skills	`--skill-ids` (`set` replaces the full list, `add` appends)
`autopilot`	`list/get/create/update/delete`	Manage automations	`create`: `--title`, `--agent`, `--mode` (all required), `--priority`, `--project`, `--subscriber` (repeatable)
	`trigger <id>`	Trigger a run manually
	`runs <id>`	View run history
	`trigger-add/trigger-update/trigger-delete/trigger-rotate-url`	Manage schedule and webhook triggers
`workspace`	`list/get/create/update/switch`	Manage workspaces; `switch` sets the current profile's default workspace
	`member list/invite <email>`	View members, send invites	`invite`: `--role` (member or admin, default member)
`repo`	`list/add/remove/checkout`	Manage workspace repositories and check them out locally	`--url` (repeatable); `checkout`: `--ref`
`skill`	`list/get/create/update/delete`	Manage skills
	`import`	Import a skill from a URL or local file	`--url` / `--file`, `--on-conflict` (`fail`, `overwrite`, `rename`, `skip`; default `fail`)
	`search <query>`	Search skills
	`files list/upsert/delete <skill-id>`	Manage the files inside a skill
`squad`	`list/get/create/update/delete`	Manage squads (`delete` archives)
	`member list/add/set-role/remove`	Manage squad members
	`activity <issue-id> <outcome>`	Record a leader evaluation
`chat`	`history`, `thread [id]`	Read the external chat session an agent is currently handling	`--limit`, `--before`

Runtime

Command	Subcommand	Purpose	Key flags
`daemon`	`start`	Start the local daemon	`--foreground`, `--device-name`, `--runtime-name`, `--workspaces-root`, `--poll-interval`, `--heartbeat-interval`, `--agent-timeout` (`0` means no limit), `--max-concurrent-tasks`, `--no-auto-update`; each has a matching `MULTICA_*` environment variable
	`stop` / `status` / `restart`	Stop, check status, restart (`restart` takes the same flags as `start`)
	`logs`	View daemon logs	`--follow`, `--lines`
	`disk-usage`	View local disk usage	`--by-workspace`, `--by-task`, `--top`
`runtime`	`list/usage/activity/update/rename/delete`	View and manage runtimes	`delete`: `--cascade` (unbinds bound agents, preserves their data, and cancels their tasks)
	`profile list/create/update/delete`	Manage custom runtime profiles
	`profile set-path/unset-path <profile-id>`	Pin a local executable path (local only, never uploaded to the server)

Additional

Command	Subcommand	Purpose	Key flags
`auth`	`status` / `logout`	Check auth status; `logout` only deletes the locally saved token and does not revoke it on the server
`user`	`profile get/update`	View or update the current user's profile
`login`	—	Sign in via the browser and configure all workspaces automatically	`--token` (prompts interactively in the terminal when passed without a value)
`setup`	`cloud` (default), `self-host`	Save the server address, complete sign-in, and start the daemon	`self-host`: `--server-url`, `--app-url`, `--port`, `--frontend-port`
`attachment`	`download <attachment-id>`, `upload <path>`	Download or upload attachments	`download`: `--output-dir`; `upload`: `--task`
`config`	`show`, `set <key> <value>`	View or edit the current profile's local configuration	Precedence: command-line flags > environment variables > `config.json` > built-in defaults; set an empty string to clear a value
`update`	—	Update the CLI to the latest version
`version`	—	Print version information	`--output` (`text` or `json`)

Next steps

Authentication and tokens — creating, renewing, and revoking PATs.
Troubleshooting — diagnosing command errors and tasks that never start.
Create and configure an agent — the full semantics of every agent create field.

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