CLI Reference

Find the chio command for a task, then open its family page for exact arguments, options, defaults, and an example.

On this page

One binary, chio, creates your operator identity and computers, runs agents under the authority you grant, approves waiting requests, adds partners, and verifies the evidence your kernel signs.

Families are grouped by what they act on: the inputs that configure and drive the kernel, and the records it signs and settles. Each family page carries the usage line, every argument and flag, and an example; the complete reference holds every command path on one searchable page.

Command familiesChoose a group.

Identity and computers come first

Create the operator identity your kernel signs with, then a computer or a scaffolded project to work in.

chio key chio new chio init chio doctor chio start chio bind

The command families grouped by what they act on, around the kernel K they configure, drive, or read. Global options and subcommands are left out.Complete reference

Start with a common task

Run the QuickstartCreate your operator key and a computer, then give an agent a slice of it.Approve a waiting requestList pending approvals and sign the one you mean.Explain a receiptRead the decision for the exact call you made.

Command syntax

A command names a family, then a subcommand. Global options choose the stores and the control service; each subcommand adds its own arguments and flags.

Command synopsistext

chio [OPTIONS] <COMMAND>

Every command prints its usage, arguments, options, and defaults with --help. Flags shared by all commands are in the global flag reference.

Terminalbash

chio --help
chio receipt --help
chio receipt explain --help

Set up an operator and a project

Create the operator identity your kernel signs with, then a computer or a scaffolded project to work in.

chio key Create the operator identity key and show its DID.
chio new Create a computer for a project.
chio init Create a runnable project with a policy, tool server, and demo.
chio doctor Inspect local toolchain, configuration, and service health.
chio start Start the HTTP sidecar with convenience defaults.
chio bind Bind a model provider under a signed model card.

Grant, check, and approve authority

Evaluate calls against policy, approve the requests that wait for a person, and manage identities, passports, and revocation.

chio check Evaluate one call against a policy without invoking the tool.
chio policy Test, explain, and analyze HushSpec policies.
chio approvals List approval requests waiting for a person.
chio approve Sign an approval that binds one exact request.
chio trust Pin verifier keys, run trust control, and revoke.
chio passport Create, verify, and present Agent Passport bundles.
chio did Resolve did:chio identifiers into DID Documents.
chio lineage Query delegation history and anchored lineage roots.
chio cert Generate, verify, and inspect ACP session certificates.

Run agents and their work

Start agents under a policy, host durable processes, submit work commitments, and resume work after a refusal or an unknown outcome.

chio run Run an agent subprocess under a policy.
chio agent Create demo callers and drive service traffic.
chio process Host durable agent processes and verify their evidence.
chio work Submit, inspect, and collect work commitments.
chio recovery Inspect, explain, and resume recovery workflows.
chio workflow Validate workflow planning evidence before dispatch.
chio runtime Evaluate live-runtime admission artifacts.
chio replay Re-evaluate recorded calls against the current build.

Serve tools and protect APIs

Put the kernel in front of MCP tools and HTTP APIs, so each caller's grant is admitted before your code runs.

chio mcp Serve, wrap, or bridge MCP tools behind the kernel.
chio api Protect an HTTP API with the OpenAPI sidecar.

Cooperate with partners

Add partners by their cards, exchange federation artifacts, and relay signals across the boundary between operators.

chio partner Add partners from their partner cards.
chio federation Produce and verify cross-kernel federation artifacts.
chio pheromone Receive, query, and relay signals between agents.

Read receipts and verify evidence

Explain the signed receipt for a decision, export evidence packages, and verify proofs and attestations offline.

chio receipt Find a signed record, explain its decision, or query a log.
chio evidence Export and verify offline evidence packages.
chio proof Verify proof bundles using independently configured trust.
chio attest Verify attestation evidence and buyer proof packages.

Settle spend and run markets

Inspect settlement records and run the optional market and reputation modules.

chio settle Inspect pending and completed settlement records.
chio spend Stream spend events, project burn rates, export anomaly findings, and register budget webhooks.
chio oracle Read a price pair exactly as the kernel does when it converts a budget.
chio anchor Anchor receipt checkpoints to public ledgers and verify inclusion proofs offline.
chio commerce Verify commerce proof bundles and payment evidence.
chio finding Publish, discover, verify, and buy cognition-market findings.
chio reputation Inspect local reputation scorecards.

Develop, test, and certify

Build and sign guards, run the conformance harness, certify a corpus, and exercise the kernel against adversaries. Conformance and arena runs have their own fixtures and sit outside application setup.

chio guard Scaffold, build, test, sign, and publish WASM guards.
chio conformance Run the cross-language conformance harness.
chio certify Evaluate a conformance corpus and sign certification artifacts.
chio arena Run adversarial scenarios and replay their bundles.
chio security Prepare the confined runtime and run the enforcement suites on your host.
chio release Verify a release and check a node before it upgrades.

Next: run the commands in order

QuickstartKey, computer, grant, run, receipt, and merge, in the order a project meets them.Complete referenceEvery command path, argument, option, and default on one page.

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