hob CLI
Use hob from the command line for app lifecycle, license activation, issues, and pull requests.
The hob CLI is for machine-level app tasks and project workflows you might run from a
shell. Use it for things like activating a remote machine, checking app status, and managing
issues or pull requests.
User Commands
These are normal CLI commands for humans and scripts:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
hob app | App lifecycle: version, update, uninstall, and license |
hob issue | Create/comment/close remote issues; list/start/complete local hob issues when a project is running |
hob pr | Create, comment on, or close pull requests |
Global flags: --json (machine-readable output), --debug (connection details), and
--project-dir <path>. Run hob <command> --help for full details.
Launch hob
Run hob [path] for the desktop app or hob --headless [path] for the browser IDE without a
native window. Both launch modes accept --detach when the process should continue after the
starting terminal closes:
hob --detach /srv/my-project
hob --headless --detach /srv/my-projectDetached headless mode is intended for one-off runs. For tmux/byobu/screen examples and an always-on systemd service that starts after reboot, see Headless mode.
Agent commands
Agents spawned by hob get additional commands for hob surfaces — opening panes and panels, messaging other panes, committing with provenance, and working with past conversations:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
hob search conversations <query> | Search all saved conversations — same query grammar as Activity search, plus --any for alternate phrasings and --role/--agent-type/--since/--until flags |
hob conversation list | List saved conversations with block counts and activity windows |
hob conversation show <ref> | Read a conversation back from hob's database — works even when the backend's transcript file is gone from disk |
hob git ... | Git with provenance: hob git commit links the commit to the agent turn that made it |
hob open / hob input / hob list | Open panes and panels, message other panes, inspect the workspace |
When an issue draws on other agent conversations, hob issue create accepts repeatable
--link-pane <pane-id> flags to preserve those contributing turns alongside the origin turn.
These need the environment of a hob-spawned agent pane (HOB_PANE_ID and friends), so they
are hidden from hob --help outside one. hob teaches them to agents automatically through
managed instructions, so you rarely type them yourself — but they are what make requests
like "find that conversation where we discussed X" work.
License activation
Use hob app license to manage the license stored on the current machine without opening
the desktop UI. This is useful for remote VMs and headless servers:
hob app license activate
hob app license status
hob app license deactivateFor non-interactive setup, pass the key over stdin:
printf '%s\n' '<license-key>' | hob app license activate --key-stdin