Using the CLI

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

The Melso 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://downloads.melso.ai/install.sh | bash

Windows PowerShell

irm https://downloads.melso.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Confirm the install:

melso version

First connection

Connect to Melso Cloud:

melso setup

Connect to a self-hosted instance:

melso 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:

melso auth status
melso daemon status

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

melso 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:

melso workspace list
melso 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:

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

Common issue operations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Agents and skills

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

melso skill list
melso skill get <skill-id>
melso skill import --url <skill-url>
melso 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:

melso skill import --url <skill-url> --on-conflict overwrite
melso skill import --url <skill-url> --on-conflict rename
melso 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

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

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

Deleting a runtime that still has active agents bound to it is refused by default. melso 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

melso 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:

melso issue list --output json
melso 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:

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

melso issue list --profile staging

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

melso config show
melso 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. Melso 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 Melso 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 Melso 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` (`actor` / `multi_actor` accept a member name, email, or id)
	`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` (`text`, `number`, `select`, `multi_select`, `date`, `checkbox`, `url`, `actor`, `multi_actor`), `--option` (repeatable, select types only); `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)
	`mcp list/add/enable/disable/remove <agent-id>`	Assign workspace MCP servers to this agent	Take the server id from `workspace mcp list`. A library entry does nothing until it is added here; `disable` stops sending it without dropping the assignment
`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
	`mcp list/add/update/remove`	Manage the workspace's MCP server library	Writes are owner/admin. A server added here is assigned to no agent — give it to one with `melso agent mcp add`. `list` shows names and transports only; the stored entry is write-only and never returned. `--server-config-file` / `--server-config-stdin` keep tokens out of shell history
	`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`)

Driving Melso from another coding agent

If most of your work already happens inside Codex, Claude Code, or Cursor, you can operate Melso from there instead of switching to a terminal. The Melso CLI skill teaches those agents to drive the commands on this page safely: reading issues and comment threads without burning tokens, writing comments through a file, and handling the side effects that mentions, status changes, and assignments carry.

It runs entirely through your authenticated CLI and grants no access of its own — permissions still come from your login, selected profile, and workspace. It requires CLI v0.4.26 or newer. The repository README covers installation for the Claude Code plugin marketplace, the Codex skill installer, Cursor, and any other tool that loads Markdown instructions.

Next steps

Melso CLI skill — operate Melso from Codex, Claude Code, or Cursor.
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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