CLI Reference

Complete reference for all ACE CLI commands

Installation

Requires Node.js 18+. Auto-downloads the compiled binary for your platform.

Connection Modes

ACE supports two connection modes for flexibility

🖥️ Production Mode (Default)

Run ACE server using the installed binary. Your data stays on your infrastructure.

ace start
✅ ACE server running (v3.0.15)
   Server: http://localhost:7777

☁️ Remote Mode

Connect to a cloud-hosted or team ACE server.

ace configure --remote https://ace.company.com
ace status
✅ Remote server: Online (v3.0.15)

Use ace configure --local to switch back to local mode.

Server Commands

Start, stop, and manage the ACE server

ace start

Start the ACE server on localhost:7777

🚀 Starting ACE server...

✅ ACE server already running (v3.0.15)
   Server: http://localhost:7777

If ACE is already running, it tells you instead of showing an error.

ace stop

Stop the running ACE server

ace status

Check server status, version, and health

📊 ACE Server Status

   Mode: Production
   Config: ~/.ace/config.json

✅ Server: Running (v3.0.15)
   URL: http://localhost:7777
   Status: healthy

ace init

Run the installation wizard to configure your database connection

Interactive wizard for setting up PostgreSQL connection (Neon, Supabase, local, etc.)

Authentication

ace login

Authenticate with ACE via OAuth (opens browser)

Opens your browser to sign in. Token saved securely to ~/.ace/config.json

ace logout

Logout and clear saved credentials

ace whoami

Show current logged-in user information

ace env

Show environment variables for REST API access

Use ace env --export to output as export commands for shell scripts.

Passport (Device Authentication)

Device-bound authentication that never expires - ideal for AI tools

Why Passport? Unlike JWT tokens that expire, Passport provides permanent device-bound authentication. Set it up once and never deal with token refresh issues again - especially useful for Claude Code, Cursor, and other AI tools.

ace passport create

Create a new passport for this device

Generates a unique device fingerprint and creates a passport bound to this machine.

ace passport link

Link passport to your ACE account

Opens browser to authenticate and link this device's passport to your account.

ace passport status

Check passport status and trust score

Shows if passport is linked, trust score (0-100), and device details.

ace passport stamp

Generate a signed request stamp for API calls

Creates a cryptographic signature for authenticating API requests.

ace passport revoke

Revoke a passport (useful if device is lost/compromised)

ace passport list

List all passports linked to your account

Learn more: Passport Documentation →

API Keys

Create and manage API keys for programmatic access

ace api-key create

Create a new API key

Save the key immediately - it won't be shown again.

ace api-key list

List all stored API keys

Configuration

View and modify ACE configuration

ace config show

Show current configuration

ace config set

Set a configuration value

Available keys: db-path, db-type

ace config reset

Reset configuration to defaults

ace configure

Alias for "ace config show"

Updates & Migrations

Keep ACE up to date and manage database migrations

ace update

Check for and install updates

Use ace update --check to check without installing.

ace migrate

Manage database migrations

ace migrate --check - Check for pending migrations

ace migrate --status - Show applied migrations

ace migrate --dry-run - Show SQL without executing

ace migrate --yes - Skip backup confirmation

MCP (Model Context Protocol)

Commands for AI tool integration via MCP

ace mcp start

Start the MCP server (stdio transport)

Used by AI tools like Claude Desktop, Cursor, and VS Code for native integration.

ace mcp config

Show MCP configuration for AI providers

Outputs JSON configuration to paste into your AI tool's settings.

Admin Commands

Administrative functions (requires super_admin role)

ace admin reset-password

Reset a user's password

Use --password "newpass" to set directly, or omit to be prompted.

ace admin list-users

List all users in the system

Help & Version

ace --version

Show ACE version

ace --help

Show help and available commands

Quick Reference

All commands at a glance

Command	Description
ace start	Start ACE server
ace stop	Stop ACE server
ace status	Check server status
ace init	Configure database
ace login	Authenticate (OAuth)
ace logout	Clear credentials
ace whoami	Show current user
ace env	Show env vars for REST API
ace api-key create	Create API key
ace api-key list	List API keys
ace config show	Show configuration
ace config set	Set config value
ace config reset	Reset to defaults
ace update	Check/install updates
ace migrate	Run database migrations
ace passport create	Create device passport
ace passport link	Link passport to account
ace passport status	Check passport status
ace passport list	List all passports
ace mcp start	Start MCP server
ace mcp config	Show MCP config
ace admin reset-password	Reset user password
ace admin list-users	List all users

Need more help? Getting Started Guide or Contact Support