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The Athena CLI provides a complete toolkit for initializing workspaces, running diagnostics, and managing AI agent sessions from your terminal.

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Installation

Install Athena from the source repository: 
pip install -e .
Verify the installation: 
athena --version

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Quick Start

Create your first Athena workspace: 
# Initialize in current directory
athena init .

# Boot a session
athena

# Run health check
athena check

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Available Commands

athena

Boot a new AI agent session

athena init

Initialize workspace structure

athena check

Run basic health diagnostics

athena doctor

Run full system diagnostics (15 checks)

athena save

Quicksave session checkpoint

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Default Boot

Running athena without arguments boots the orchestrator and starts a new session: 
athena
What it does:
  1. Loads Core Identity from .framework/modules/Core_Identity.md
  2. Recalls context from the last session log
  3. Creates a new session log file
  4. Confirms ready status

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Options

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--version
flag
Show version information and exit
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--boot
flag
Explicitly run the boot orchestrator (default behavior)
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--end
flag
Run the shutdown sequence (see athena save)
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--root
path
Specify project root directory (auto-detected if not provided)

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Global Flags

These flags work with any command: 
athena --version          # Show SDK version
athena --help             # Show help information

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Session Workflow

Typical session lifecycle: 
# 1. Start session
athena

# 2. Work with your AI agent...

# 3. Save checkpoints as needed
athena save "Implemented user authentication"

# 4. Close session
athena --end

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Exit Codes

CodeMeaning
0Success
1Failure or warnings detected

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Environment Variables

Optional cloud features:
  • SUPABASE_URL - Supabase project URL (for memory sync)
  • SUPABASE_ANON_KEY - Supabase anonymous key
  • ANTHROPIC_API_KEY - Anthropic API key (for Claude integration)
These environment variables are optional. Athena works fully offline without them.

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Next Steps

Initialize Workspace

Set up your first Athena workspace

Run Diagnostics

Check system health with 15 diagnostic tests

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