💻 CLI Reference

SpecMem provides a comprehensive command-line interface for all operations.

Installation

pip install specmem

Global Options

specmem [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

Options:
  --version        Show version and exit
  --config PATH    Path to config file
  --verbose, -v    Enable verbose output
  --quiet, -q      Suppress output
  --help           Show help and exit

Commands Overview

Command	Description
init	Initialize SpecMem in a project
scan	Scan and index specifications
build	Build the Agent Experience Pack
query	Search specifications
impact	Analyze impact of changes
validate	Validate specifications
cov	Analyze spec coverage
guidelines	Manage coding guidelines
serve	Start the web UI
demo	Launch demo with SpecMem's own specs

Lifecycle Commands

Command	Description
health	Display spec health scores
prune	Archive or delete orphaned specs
generate	Generate specs from code
compress	Compress verbose specs

Quick Reference

# Initialize
specmem init

# Scan specs
specmem scan

# Build pack
specmem build

# Query
specmem query "authentication"

# Impact analysis
specmem impact --files src/auth.py

# Validate
specmem validate

# Spec coverage
specmem cov

# Coding guidelines
specmem guidelines                # List all guidelines
specmem guidelines --source claude  # Filter by source
specmem guidelines convert <id> steering  # Convert format

# Web UI
specmem serve

# Demo (try SpecMem instantly)
specmem demo

# Lifecycle management
specmem health                    # View spec health scores
specmem prune --orphaned          # Archive orphaned specs
specmem generate src/             # Generate specs from code
specmem compress --all            # Compress verbose specs

Configuration

SpecMem looks for configuration in this order:

1. --config flag
2. .specmem.toml in current directory
3. .specmem.local.toml (local overrides)
4. Environment variables

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	General error
2	Configuration error
3	Validation errors found
4	No specs found

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
SPECMEM_CONFIG	Path to config file
SPECMEM_LOG_LEVEL	Log level (debug, info, warning, error)
SPECMEM_NO_COLOR	Disable colored output