CLI reference

The desktop app includes the magnitude CLI. Open the app once, then open a new terminal and run:

magnitude --help

Running magnitude without a subcommand prints help. Setup and model browsing are available in the desktop app; no npm installation is required.

Find and download models

magnitude hardware
magnitude catalog recommendations --preference balanced --limit 5
magnitude catalog list

Copy the exact model ID from the output, then replace MODEL_ID below:

magnitude catalog show "MODEL_ID"
magnitude catalog pull "MODEL_ID"
magnitude models status "MODEL_ID"

Assessment and downloads run in the background. Use status commands to check progress.

Command	Purpose
`hardware`	Inspect detected hardware and memory.
`catalog status`	Check catalog preparation and assessment.
`catalog list`	List compatible catalog models.
`catalog show <model-id>`	Read model details.
`catalog recommendations`	Rank recommendations; defaults to Balanced and a limit of 10.
`catalog pull <model-id>`	Download or update a catalog model.
`catalog cancel <model-id>`	Cancel a download or model update.
`catalog remove <model-id>`	Remove an installed model.
`models status [model-id]`	Inspect downloaded models and loading state.
`models load <model-id>`	Load a downloaded model into memory.
`models stop`	Stop the active model without deleting it.

Prefix each command with magnitude. Recommendation preferences are fastest, faster, balanced, smarter, and smartest; use --preference and --limit to choose.

Connections

Command	Purpose
`magnitude connections list`	Inspect installed agents and connection state.
`magnitude connections add <harness>`	Configure an agent.
`magnitude connections sync [harness]`	Refresh one or all configured integrations.
`magnitude connections remove <harness>`	Disconnect an agent.

connections add accepts --set-model <model-id> to select a model and --install-skill to install or refresh its Magnitude skill. Skill installation is automatic for Pi. Harness IDs: pi, opencode, hermes, openclaw, codex, claude-code, oh-my-pi, and cline. See Integrations for agent-specific instructions.

App and background service

Command	Purpose
`magnitude app open`	Show the desktop window.
`magnitude service start`	Start the app in the background and wait for its service.
`magnitude service status`	Inspect service and active-model status.
`magnitude service stop`	Stop Magnitude without disabling launch at login.
`magnitude service install`	Enable launch at login and start in the background.
`magnitude service uninstall`	Disable launch at login and stop Magnitude.

service uninstall does not uninstall the desktop app or delete your models. The CLI controls the desktop-owned service; it is not a separate server installation.

Updates

Command	Purpose
`magnitude update` or `magnitude update check`	Check for a newer desktop release.
`magnitude update status`	Read update state without starting the app.
`magnitude update download`	Start downloading the available update.
`magnitude update install`	Install a prepared update and restart Magnitude.
`magnitude update discard`	Remove a retained update download.

Downloading is asynchronous; check magnitude update status for progress. Installing stops the current model and service. These commands update the desktop, bundled service, and CLI together.

Help

Use --help after any command to see its options. magnitude --version prints the installed CLI version. magnitude docs lists documentation bundled with the CLI, and magnitude docs cli prints its command guide.

Configuration

Settings are stored in ~/.magnitude/config.json. See Configuration file.

Get started

Connect your agent

API

Reference

Find and download models

Connections

App and background service

Updates

Help

Configuration

​Find and download models

​Connections

​App and background service

​Updates

​Help

​Configuration

Find and download models

Connections

App and background service

Updates

Help

Configuration