CLI Overview

The openfang binary is the primary interface for managing the OpenFang Agent OS. It provides commands for managing agents, workflows, skills, channels, configuration, and more.

Installation

Shell Installer (Linux/macOS)
PowerShell Installer (Windows)
Cargo Install
Docker

curl -sSf https://openfang.sh | sh

Installs to ~/.openfang/bin/

irm https://openfang.sh/install.ps1 | iex

Downloads binary with SHA256 verification

cargo install --git https://github.com/RightNow-AI/openfang openfang-cli

Requires Rust 1.75+

docker pull ghcr.io/RightNow-AI/openfang:latest
docker run -d -p 4200:4200 \
  -e ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY \
  ghcr.io/RightNow-AI/openfang:latest

Verify Installation

openfang --version

Operation Modes

The CLI supports two modes:

Daemon Mode

When a daemon is running (openfang start), CLI commands communicate with it over HTTP. This is the recommended mode for production use.

Agents persist across sessions
Multi-user access via REST API
WebChat UI available
Background task scheduling

In-Process Mode

When no daemon is detected, commands boot an ephemeral in-process kernel. Agents spawned in this mode are not persisted and will be lost when the process exits.

Quick prototyping
Single-session agents
No daemon overhead

Daemon Auto-Detection

The CLI uses a two-step mechanism to detect a running daemon:

Read daemon.json: The daemon writes ~/.openfang/daemon.json containing the listen address (e.g., 127.0.0.1:4200)
Health check: The CLI sends GET /api/health with a 2-second timeout

If either step fails, the CLI falls back to in-process mode for supported commands.

Global Options

These options apply to all commands:

Option	Description
`--config <PATH>`	Path to a custom config file (overrides `~/.openfang/config.toml`)
`--help`	Print help information for any command or subcommand
`--version`	Print the version of the `openfang` binary

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
`RUST_LOG`	Controls log verbosity (e.g., `info`, `debug`, `openfang_kernel=trace`)
`OPENFANG_AGENTS_DIR`	Override the agent templates directory
`OPENFANG_HOME`	Override the OpenFang home directory (default: `~/.openfang`)
`EDITOR` / `VISUAL`	Editor used by `openfang config edit` (falls back to `notepad` on Windows or `vi` on Unix)

Configuration File Location

Default configuration is stored at:

~/.openfang/config.toml

The CLI automatically loads ~/.openfang/.env into the process environment on every invocation. System environment variables take priority over .env values.

All Commands

Core Commands

Command	Description
`openfang`	Launch the interactive TUI dashboard (no subcommand)
`openfang init`	Initialize OpenFang workspace
`openfang start`	Start the daemon
`openfang stop`	Stop the daemon
`openfang status`	Show kernel status
`openfang doctor`	Run diagnostic health checks
`openfang dashboard`	Open web dashboard in browser

Agent Management

Command	Description
`openfang agent new [template]`	Spawn agent from template
`openfang agent spawn <manifest>`	Spawn agent from manifest file
`openfang agent list`	List all running agents
`openfang agent chat <id>`	Interactive chat with agent
`openfang agent kill <id>`	Terminate an agent
`openfang chat [agent]`	Quick chat (alias)

See Agent Commands for details.

Workflow & Triggers

Command	Description
`openfang workflow list`	List all workflows
`openfang workflow create <file>`	Create workflow from JSON
`openfang workflow run <id> <input>`	Execute a workflow
`openfang trigger list`	List event triggers
`openfang trigger create`	Create new trigger

See Workflow Commands for details.

Skills

Command	Description
`openfang skill install <source>`	Install skill from FangHub or local directory
`openfang skill list`	List installed skills
`openfang skill search <query>`	Search FangHub marketplace
`openfang skill create`	Scaffold new skill project
`openfang skill remove <name>`	Remove installed skill

See Skill Commands for details.

Channels

Command	Description
`openfang channel list`	List configured channels
`openfang channel setup [channel]`	Interactive setup wizard
`openfang channel test <channel>`	Send test message
`openfang channel enable <channel>`	Enable a channel
`openfang channel disable <channel>`	Disable a channel

See Channel Commands for details.

Configuration

Command	Description
`openfang config show`	Display current config
`openfang config edit`	Open config in editor
`openfang config get <key>`	Get config value by dotted path
`openfang config set <key> <value>`	Set config value
`openfang config set-key <provider>`	Save API key to `.env`
`openfang config test-key <provider>`	Test provider connectivity

See Config Commands for details.

Models

Command	Description
`openfang models list`	List available models
`openfang models aliases`	Show model aliases
`openfang models providers`	List LLM providers
`openfang models set [model]`	Set default model

Other Commands

Command	Description
`openfang mcp`	Start MCP server over stdio
`openfang migrate --from <framework>`	Migrate from another framework
`openfang completion <shell>`	Generate shell completions
`openfang tui`	Launch terminal dashboard

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
`0`	Success
`1`	General error (invalid arguments, failed operations, missing daemon, parse errors)
`130`	Interrupted by second `Ctrl+C` (force exit)

Quick Start

# 1. Set your API key
export GROQ_API_KEY="gsk_your_key_here"

# 2. Initialize OpenFang
openfang init --quick

# 3. Start the daemon
openfang start

# 4. Chat with default agent
openfang chat

Next Steps

Agent Commands

Spawn, list, chat, and manage agents

Workflow Commands

Create and run multi-agent workflows

Skill Commands

Install and manage agent skills

Config Commands

Configure providers and settings

Commands

​CLI Overview

​Installation

​Verify Installation

​Operation Modes

​Daemon Auto-Detection

​Global Options

​Environment Variables

​Configuration File Location

​All Commands

​Core Commands

​Agent Management

​Workflow & Triggers

​Skills

​Channels

​Configuration

​Models

​Other Commands

​Exit Codes

​Quick Start

​Next Steps