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Commands

Warden provides several commands for different workflows:

warden

Main command - analyze code for issues

warden init

Initialize Warden in your repository

warden --fix

Apply suggested fixes automatically

warden logs

Manage analysis logs and history

warden add

Add skills to your configuration

warden sync

Update remote skill definitions

warden setup-app

Configure GitHub App integration

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Common Patterns

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Analyze uncommitted changes

The most common workflow - analyze files you’ve modified: 
npx warden
This analyzes:
  • Unstaged changes (modified files not added to git)
  • Staged changes (files added but not committed)

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Analyze specific files

Target specific files or directories: 
# Single file
npx warden src/api/users.ts

# Directory
npx warden src/api/

# Multiple targets
npx warden src/api/ src/utils/auth.ts

# Glob patterns
npx warden 'src/**/*.ts'

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Analyze git diffs

Compare branches or commits: 
# Compare with main branch
npx warden main..HEAD

# Compare two commits
npx warden abc1234..def5678

# Compare with a branch
npx warden origin/main..feature-branch

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Apply fixes automatically

Review and apply suggested fixes: 
# Interactive mode - review each fix
npx warden --fix

# Auto-apply all fixes
npx warden --fix --yes

# Combine with targets
npx warden --fix src/api/

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Control output verbosity

Adjust how much Warden prints: 
# Quiet mode - only errors
npx warden --quiet

# Normal mode (default)
npx warden

# Verbose mode - show progress
npx warden --verbose

# Debug mode - show everything
npx warden --debug

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Output formats

Export findings in different formats: 
# JSON output
npx warden --json

# JSONL (one finding per line)
npx warden --output findings.jsonl

# Both terminal and file
npx warden --output findings.jsonl --verbose

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Global Options

These options work with all commands:

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—help, -h

Show help for any command: 
warden --help
warden init --help
warden logs --help

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—version, -v

Show the installed version: 
warden --version

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—config

Use a custom config file: 
warden --config ./configs/strict.toml
Default: warden.toml in the repo root.

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—no-color

Disable colored output: 
warden --no-color
Useful for CI environments or when piping output.

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Exit Codes

Warden uses these exit codes:
CodeMeaning
0Success - no failures above threshold
1Failure - findings exceed failOn threshold
130User aborted (Ctrl+C)
Use exit codes in scripts: 
if npx warden; then
  echo "✓ Passed"
else
  echo "✗ Failed"
  exit 1
fi

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Environment Variables

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ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

Anthropic API key for authentication: 
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
npx warden

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WARDEN_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

Warden-specific API key (takes precedence): 
export WARDEN_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
npx warden

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GITHUB_TOKEN

GitHub token for API access: 
export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_...
npx warden
Used when analyzing pull requests or fetching remote skills.

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NO_COLOR

Disable colored output: 
export NO_COLOR=1
npx warden

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WARDEN_LOG_LEVEL

Set the log level: 
export WARDEN_LOG_LEVEL=debug
npx warden
Values: quiet, normal, verbose, debug

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Configuration File

The CLI reads configuration from warden.toml in your repository root. You can specify a different path with --config: 
npx warden --config ./configs/strict.toml
See Configuration Reference for details.

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Shell Completion

Warden doesn’t currently provide built-in shell completion, but you can create aliases for common workflows:
.bashrc
alias wf="npx warden --fix"
alias wv="npx warden --verbose"
alias wq="npx warden --quiet"

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CI/CD Integration

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GitHub Actions

Use the official action: 
- uses: getsentry/warden@v1
  with:
    anthropic-api-key: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}

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GitLab CI

Run as a regular CLI command: 
warden:
  script:
    - npx warden
  only:
    - merge_requests

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Jenkins

Run in a shell step: 
sh 'npx warden'

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CircleCI

Add to your config: 
- run:
    name: Run Warden
    command: npx warden

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Best Practices

Add Warden to your pre-commit hook to catch issues early:
.husky/pre-commit
#!/bin/sh
npx warden || exit 1
Local development can be lenient, CI can be strict:
# Local - show all findings
npx warden

# CI - fail on high severity
npx warden --config warden.strict.toml
Save logs for later review:
npx warden --output ./logs/$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).jsonl
Then review with warden logs show.
Don’t analyze everything - focus on changed files:
# Analyze only API changes
npx warden src/api/

# Analyze related test files
npx warden src/api/ test/api/

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Next Steps

Main command

Learn all options for the main warden command

Initialize

Set up Warden in your repository

Auto-fix

Apply suggested fixes automatically

Configuration

Configure Warden’s behavior

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