> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://kerno.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://kerno.gitbook.io/docs/references/kerno-cli.md).

# Kerno CLI

### Install

The CLI is published as [`@kerno/cli`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@kerno/cli) on npm.

```bash
npm install -g @kerno/cli
```

Or run without installing.

```bash
npx @kerno/cli <command>
```

Requires Node.js 18 or higher. For the full setup walkthrough, see Set up Kerno MCP.

### Commands

| Command             | Description                                                                                                    |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `kerno mcp`         | Show MCP server configuration for Claude Code and Cursor. Starts the agent if it is not already running.       |
| `kerno start`       | Start the Kerno agent.                                                                                         |
| `kerno stop`        | Stop the Kerno agent.                                                                                          |
| `kerno status`      | Show the current system status.                                                                                |
| `kerno doctor`      | Diagnose orphan agents and inconsistent state files. Use `--clean` to apply fixes.                             |
| `kerno logs`        | Stream workspace logs from the running agent. Use `-n <count>` to set the number of log lines (default 40).    |
| `kerno export-logs` | Export Kerno agent logs (workspace + terminal output) to a zip file. Requires `-o <path>` for the destination. |
| `kerno login`       | Log in to Kerno via your browser.                                                                              |
| `kerno logout`      | Log out from Kerno.                                                                                            |
| `kerno uninstall`   | Stop the agent and remove installed binaries.                                                                  |

Run `kerno` with no arguments to launch the interactive shell.

### Global options

| Option                   | Description                                                   |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `-w, --workspace <path>` | Workspace path. Defaults to the current directory.            |
| `-v, --verbose`          | Show Kerno diagnostic logs.                                   |
| `--force-update`         | Force re-download of the agent. Applies to `start` and `mcp`. |
| `-V, --version`          | Show CLI version.                                             |
| `-h, --help`             | Show help.                                                    |

### Examples

Start the agent in your project root.

```bash
cd /path/to/your/project
kerno start
```

Print MCP config and let the CLI start the agent if needed.

```bash
kerno mcp
```

Fix orphan agent processes.

```bash
kerno doctor --clean
```

Stream the most recent 100 log lines.

```bash
kerno logs -n 100
```

Export logs for support.

```bash
kerno export-logs -o ./kerno-logs.zip
```


---

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