HOLOSELF(1) — Command-line manual

NAME

holoself — local whole-person context for AI tools

Holoself keeps canonical context in local Markdown, resolves task-specific lenses for independent projects, and requires explicit review before durable learning.

SYNOPSIS

node bin/holoself.mjs <command> [options]
holoself <command> [options]   # after npm or reviewed local installation

Use absolute paths in automation. Unknown commands and options fail closed.

MACHINE CONTRACT

Command	Purpose
`capabilities --json`	Inspect supported commands, schemas, and adapters.
`--version`	Print the installed version.
`--version --json`	Return version data for scripts and clients.

CORE COMMANDS

data-rootResolve the canonical context root.

initInitialize a new local context root.

doctor · validateInspect health and validate the model.

migrate --from <dir>Preview or perform a supported migration.

export --target <dir> · upgradeExport or upgrade deliberately.

webStart the optional loopback-only Workbench.

LENSES AND CONTEXT

holoself lens list
holoself lens show career
holoself lens validate
holoself context --project C:/work/project --task "prepare interview" --json

Context selection applies declared visibility, sensitivity, lifecycle, provenance, and budget rules. A manifest can show why sources were selected or truncated.

LINKED PROJECTS

Family	Commands
Links	`link add\|status\|activate\|deactivate\|repair\|doctor\|remove\|setup`
Skills	`skill status\|install --scope user`; `link skill migrate-global`
Analysis	`analyze overlap\|conflicts\|stale\|all`
Proposals	`propose`; `proposals list\|show\|approve\|reject\|defer`
Retrieval	`index [status\|rebuild]`; `search`; `context`

Legacy link --target and unlink --target remain compatibility commands; prefer the metadata link lifecycle above.

PROJECT-BOUND MCP

Give a supported client bounded context on demand.

holoself mcp configure --project C:/work/my-project --dry-run
holoself mcp configure --project C:/work/my-project --yes
holoself mcp status --project C:/work/my-project

The client starts a local STDIO subprocess for its session. There is no daemon, port, hosted account, or alternate database. An existing .holoself/link.yaml remains the authorization boundary.

Tool	Bounded action
`holoself_status`	Inspect project link and availability.
`holoself_context_manifest`	Preview sources and selection metadata.
`holoself_context_get`	Retrieve structured, size-bounded context.
`holoself_search`	Search within the linked scope.
`holoself_proposal_create`	Create a project-local proposal.
`holoself_proposal_preview`	Preview a proposal without applying it.

SAFETY

Core CLI behavior makes no required network requests.
Automation confirmations use explicit --yes.
MCP cannot broaden the configured lens or accept arbitrary filesystem paths.
MCP cannot approve proposals or write canonical context.
Canonical Markdown remains readable and reviewable; indexes and packets remain disposable.