@auto-engineer/cli

@auto-engineer/cli

Command-line interface for Auto Engineer, a tool for building applications with Narrative Driven Development.

Purpose

The CLI orchestrates a pipeline-based architecture that loads plugins, starts development servers, and synchronizes files between local development and remote sandboxes. It serves as the primary entry point for running Auto Engineer workflows.

Installation

# Global
npm install -g @auto-engineer/cli

# Or via npx
npx @auto-engineer/cli

Quick Start

# Step 1: Create a config file
cat > auto.config.ts << 'EOF'
import { define } from '@auto-engineer/pipeline';

export const plugins = [
  '@auto-engineer/narrative',
  '@auto-engineer/server-generator-apollo-emmett',
];

export const pipeline = define('my-pipeline')
  .on('SchemaExported')
  .emit('GenerateServer', (e) => ({
    modelPath: e.data.outputPath,
    destination: e.data.directory,
  }))
  .build();
EOF

# Step 2: Start the server
auto start

# Step 3: View the pipeline diagram
auto diagram

How-to Guides

Start the Pipeline Server

auto start
# or simply
auto

Dispatch a Command

auto dispatch GenerateServer --data '{"modelPath": "./schema.json", "destination": "."}'

Check Server Status

auto status

Connect to Existing Server

auto dispatch MyCommand --host http://localhost:5555 --data '{}'

Configure for CI/CD

auto start --port 8080 --config ./ci.config.ts

CLI Reference

Commands

auto start

Start the pipeline server with loaded config (default command).

auto start [options]

Option	Alias	Type	Default	Description
--port	-p	number	5555	Server port
--debug	-d	boolean	false	Enable debug mode
--config	-c	string	auto.config.ts	Path to config file

auto dispatch <command>

Dispatch a command to the pipeline server.

auto dispatch <command> [options]

Option	Type	Default	Description
--data	string	{}	Command data as JSON
--host	string	localhost	Connect to existing server

auto status

Check pipeline server health and registry status.

auto status

auto diagram

Open the pipeline diagram in a browser.

auto diagram

Configuration File

// auto.config.ts
import { define } from '@auto-engineer/pipeline';

export const fileId = 'my-project';

export const plugins = [
  '@auto-engineer/narrative',
  '@auto-engineer/server-generator-apollo-emmett',
];

export const pipeline = define('my-pipeline')
  .on('SchemaExported')
  .emit('GenerateServer', (e) => ({
    modelPath: e.data.outputPath,
    destination: e.data.directory,
  }))
  .build();

Troubleshooting

Server Won't Start

Symptom: No pipeline config found error

Cause: Missing auto.config.ts file in current directory

Solution:

# Create a minimal config
cat > auto.config.ts << 'EOF'
export const plugins = [];
export const pipeline = { nodes: [] };
EOF

Port Already in Use

Symptom: Server fails to bind to port

Cause: Another process is using the port

Solution:

auto start --port 5556

Plugin Not Loading

Symptom: Command handlers not found

Cause: Plugin package not installed or COMMANDS not exported

Solution:

pnpm add @auto-engineer/my-plugin

Enable Debug Logging

DEBUG=auto:* auto start

Architecture

src/
├── index.ts
├── file-syncer/
│   └── index.ts
└── bin/
    └── auto.js

Server Endpoints

Endpoint	Description
/health	Server health check
/registry	List registered handlers
/pipeline	Pipeline state
/pipeline/diagram	Visual diagram
/events	SSE stream
ws://<syncPort>	File sync WebSocket

Dependencies

Package	Usage
@auto-engineer/pipeline	Pipeline server infrastructure
@auto-engineer/narrative	File discovery for sync
@auto-engineer/file-store	Virtual file system
commander	CLI argument parsing
socket.io	WebSocket communication
chokidar	File system watching