Command reference#
Every command, grouped by when you reach for it. csda --help shows the eight
of the daily loop; csda --help --all shows this whole surface, and
csda config set profile full makes that the default.
Each command takes --json. See the agent contract.
Starting#
| Command | What it does |
|---|
csda init | Scaffold a new project. Interactive wizard when no --config. |
csda init --from-pack <repo>@<tag> --pack <id> | Scaffold and install a pinned domain pack in one step. An unpinned reference is refused. |
csda adopt | Install SDD on an existing repository. Never overwrites a file, never touches source. |
csda onboard | Read an existing repository and propose the capabilities its layout implies, with the evidence for each. Writes nothing. |
Every day#
| Command | What it does |
|---|
csda status | Where the project stands: totals by state, orphan features, locked pack versions, and the one command to run next. |
csda plan | Requirements that still need a test, code or a status change. |
csda req add | link | done | list | Manage matrix rows without hand-editing the ten-column table. |
csda done <REQ> | Mark a requirement Implemented. --check validates first. |
csda fix | Apply the repairs validate suggests. --dry-run previews. |
csda validate [--strict-tdd] [--against-lock] | The gate. Structure, traceability, Gherkin, TDD, and drift from the locked pack. |
Changing a spec that already shipped#
| Command | What it does |
|---|
csda change new <id> [--lite|--full] [--schema <name>] | Open a change. Reserves a REQ range so two changes in flight never collide. |
csda change status | Which artefact to write next, in dependency order. |
csda change instructions <artifact> | The template, the rules the validator enforces, the project's stack, and what writing it unblocks. |
csda change author <id> | Have an agent write one artefact, confined to the change directory and gated by change validate. |
csda change validate | Check the deltas. Runs inside csda validate too. |
csda change archive <id> | Merge the delta into the specs, write the matrix rows, materialise the feature files. --dry-run first. |
→ Reviewing changes
Domain packs#
| Command | What it does |
|---|
csda pack init | lint | infer | bundle | Scaffold (--type backend|frontend|mobile|contracts), lint (--strict, --graph, --json), infer from a .feature, or export as a git bundle for air-gapped use. Lint runs the installer's own validation, so passing means installable. |
csda specops add | remove | Install or drop a pack. Writes .specops.lock. |
csda specops sync | Re-render locked packs, three-way merging your edits. |
csda specops diff [--as-change] | Preview a version bump — as files, or as a reviewable change proposal. |
csda specops contribute --change <id> | Send a local change back upstream to the pack. Never pushes. |
csda expand | Low-level pack render. specops add is the ergonomic path. |
→ Domain packs
Automation and CI#
| Command | What it does |
|---|
csda harness init | Scaffold harness.config.yaml and .harness/prompt-prefix.md. Detects the gate from your build files; leaves the agent unset on purpose. |
csda harness run | The plan → agent → verify → done loop, one git worktree per requirement. Never merges. |
csda harness prompt <REQ> | Print the prompt the harness would hand an agent, before paying for tokens. |
csda ci init | Generate the spec gate for GitHub, GitLab, Azure or Jenkins. |
csda alm sync | Sync requirements with Jira or Azure Boards — create, close, report drift. |
csda alm status | The requirement ↔ issue mapping, without touching the network. |
csda alm link <REQ> <issue> | Adopt an issue that already exists into the mapping. |
csda report | Spec-coverage dashboard as a self-contained HTML file. |
csda doctor | Diagnose the project and the environment. Every finding ships a fix. |
→ Automation · The harness · Jira and Azure Boards
Agents#
| Command | What it does |
|---|
csda agents init [--tool <names>] | Slash commands and instruction files for Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Windsurf, Aider, Gemini, Cline, Codex and Antigravity. |
csda update | Refresh those generated files after a CLI upgrade, three-way merging your edits. Conflicts are reported, never resolved silently. |
→ Agents
Customising#
| Command | What it does |
|---|
csda config set profile core|full | How much of this surface --help shows. |
csda config set language es|pt | Language for generated prose. SHALL and GIVEN/WHEN/THEN never translate. |
csda config init | Write a starter project.yaml. |
csda schema which | init | fork | validate | Inspect or fork the artefact graph a change follows. Ships spec-driven and bdd-first. |
csda completion bash|zsh|fish [--install] | Shell completion. |
csda studio [--port <n>] [--json] | Serve a local, read-only HTML view of the spec tree. |
Exit codes#
| Code | Meaning |
|---|
0 | Success, including advisory warnings |
1 | Failure, or a gate that found something |
2 | Usage error — unknown flag, missing argument |
3 | A required script is missing (a broken installation) |
→ The agent contract for the JSON envelope and the
full diagnostic code catalogue.