Skip to main content
The ironclaw completion command generates shell completion scripts that enable tab completion for IronClaw commands, subcommands, and flags.

​
Usage

ironclaw completion --shell <shell>
​
--shell
string
required
Shell to generate completions for. Options: bash, zsh, fish, powershell, elvish

​
Supported Shells

Bash

Bourne Again Shell (Linux/macOS default)

Zsh

Z Shell (macOS Catalina+ default)

Fish

Friendly Interactive Shell

PowerShell

Windows PowerShell / PowerShell Core

​
Installation

​
Bash

1

Generate completion script

ironclaw completion --shell bash > ~/.ironclaw-completion.bash
2

Source in your shell profile

Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile:
source ~/.ironclaw-completion.bash
3

Reload your shell

source ~/.bashrc
Alternative: System-wide installation (requires sudo) 
ironclaw completion --shell bash | sudo tee /etc/bash_completion.d/ironclaw

​
Zsh

1

Generate completion script

ironclaw completion --shell zsh > ~/.zsh/completions/_ironclaw
Create the directory if it doesn’t exist:
mkdir -p ~/.zsh/completions
2

Add to fpath

Add to ~/.zshrc (before compinit):
fpath=(~/.zsh/completions $fpath)
autoload -Uz compinit
compinit
3

Reload your shell

source ~/.zshrc
Alternative: System-wide installation 
ironclaw completion --shell zsh | sudo tee /usr/local/share/zsh/site-functions/_ironclaw

​
Fish

1

Generate and install completion

ironclaw completion --shell fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/ironclaw.fish
2

Reload completions

fish_update_completions

​
PowerShell

1

Generate completion script

ironclaw completion --shell powershell > $PROFILE\..\ironclaw-completion.ps1
2

Source in your PowerShell profile

Add to your $PROFILE:
. (Join-Path (Split-Path -Parent $PROFILE) "ironclaw-completion.ps1")
3

Reload PowerShell

. $PROFILE

​
What Gets Completed

Shell completions provide tab completion for:
  • Commands: ironclaw run, ironclaw onboard, ironclaw config, etc.
  • Subcommands: config list, tool install, mcp add, etc.
  • Flags: --help, --version, --cli-only, --no-db, etc.
  • Options: --shell bash, --kind tool, --filter agent, etc.
  • Paths: File paths for --config, --output, etc. (shell-dependent)

​
Examples

​
Test completions

After installation, try these examples: 
# Type and press Tab
ironclaw <Tab>
# Shows: run, onboard, config, tool, mcp, memory, registry, pairing, service, doctor, status, completion

# Type and press Tab
ironclaw config <Tab>
# Shows: init, list, get, set, reset, path

# Type and press Tab
ironclaw tool install --<Tab>
# Shows: --force, --build, --help

​
Generate and preview

Generate completion script without installing: 
# Preview for Bash
ironclaw completion --shell bash | less

# Save to file
ironclaw completion --shell zsh > ironclaw.zsh

​
Temporary completion

Enable completions for current session only (no file required): 
# Bash
source <(ironclaw completion --shell bash)

# Zsh
source <(ironclaw completion --shell zsh)

# Fish
ironclaw completion --shell fish | source

​
Troubleshooting

Common issues:
  1. Shell not reloaded: Run source ~/.bashrc (or ~/.zshrc, etc.)
  2. Wrong shell: Verify your current shell with echo $SHELL
  3. Path not in fpath (Zsh): Ensure completion directory is in $fpath before compinit
  4. Permissions: Ensure the completion file is readable: chmod +r ~/.ironclaw-completion.bash
For Zsh, ensure:
  1. The completion file is in a directory listed in $fpath: 
    echo $fpath
  2. The file is named _ironclaw (underscore prefix)
  3. compinit is called after adding to fpath: 
    fpath=(~/.zsh/completions $fpath)
autoload -Uz compinit
compinit
  4. Rebuild completion cache: 
    rm -f ~/.zcompdump; compinit
If PowerShell blocks the script with an execution policy error:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
Then reload the profile:
. $PROFILE
After updating IronClaw, regenerate completions to include new commands:
# Bash
ironclaw completion --shell bash > ~/.ironclaw-completion.bash
source ~/.bashrc

# Zsh
ironclaw completion --shell zsh > ~/.zsh/completions/_ironclaw
rm -f ~/.zcompdump; source ~/.zshrc

# Fish
ironclaw completion --shell fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/ironclaw.fish
fish_update_completions

​
Pre-generated Completions

IronClaw releases include pre-generated completion scripts in the installation directory: 
~/.cargo/bin/ironclaw.bash   # Bash
~/.cargo/bin/ironclaw.zsh    # Zsh
~/.cargo/bin/ironclaw.fish   # Fish
You can source these directly instead of generating: 
# Bash
echo 'source ~/.cargo/bin/ironclaw.bash' >> ~/.bashrc

# Zsh
echo 'source ~/.cargo/bin/ironclaw.zsh' >> ~/.zshrc

# Fish
ln -s ~/.cargo/bin/ironclaw.fish ~/.config/fish/completions/ironclaw.fish
Pre-generated completions are only available for installations via the official installer or Homebrew. Cargo installations do not include these files.

ironclaw --help

View all available commands and flags

Shell configuration

Installation and shell setup guide

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us