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CLI Reference

Complete reference for all Tessera CLI commands.

Main Command

tessera [TASK]

Run Tessera in interactive mode or with a direct task.

Usage: 

# Interactive mode
tessera

# Direct task
tessera "Build a web scraper"

# With options
tessera --dry-run "Deploy application"
tessera --background "Generate project"

Options:

Option Short Description
--dry-run Show plan without executing
--background -b Run in background mode
--config -c Custom config file path

Configuration Commands

tessera init

Initialize Tessera configuration with interactive wizard.

Usage: 

tessera init

Creates: - ~/.config/tessera/config.yaml - ~/.config/tessera/prompts/supervisor.md - ~/.cache/tessera/metrics.db

tessera config show

Display current configuration.

Usage: 

tessera config show
tessera config show --section agents

tessera config validate

Validate configuration file syntax and schema.

Usage: 

tessera config validate

Session Management

tessera status <SESSION_ID>

Check status of a running or completed session.

Usage: 

tessera status sess-20251116-abc123

tessera attach <SESSION_ID>

Attach to a running session (shows live progress).

Usage: 

tessera attach sess-20251116-abc123

Press Ctrl+B D to detach (tmux-style).

tessera pause <SESSION_ID>

Pause a running session.

Usage: 

tessera pause sess-20251116-abc123

tessera resume <SESSION_ID>

Resume a paused session.

Usage: 

tessera resume sess-20251116-abc123

tessera list

List all sessions (active and recent).

Usage: 

tessera list
tessera list --active  # Only running sessions
tessera list --all     # Include completed sessions

Metrics & Observability

tessera metrics show

Display metrics and analytics.

Usage: 

# Overall metrics
tessera metrics show

# Agent-specific
tessera metrics show --agent code-reviewer

# Date range
tessera metrics show --date-range last-7-days

tessera cost summary

Show cost breakdown and budget status.

Usage: 

tessera cost summary
tessera cost summary --agent supervisor
tessera cost summary --month 2025-11

tessera trace view <TASK_ID>

View OTEL trace for a specific task.

Usage: 

tessera trace view task-123

Agent Management

tessera agent list

List all configured agents.

Usage: 

tessera agent list

tessera agent test <AGENT_NAME>

Test an agent with a sample task.

Usage: 

tessera agent test code-reviewer

Utility Commands

tessera version

Show Tessera version.

Usage: 

tessera version

tessera doctor

Check system health and configuration.

Usage: 

tessera doctor

Validates: - Configuration file syntax - API key availability - Directory permissions - Database integrity

Environment Variables

Variable Description Example
TESSERA_CONFIG_DIR Override config directory /custom/path
TESSERA_CACHE_DIR Override cache directory /custom/cache
TESSERA_LOG_LEVEL Set log level DEBUG
OPENAI_API_KEY OpenAI API key sk-...
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY Anthropic API key sk-ant-...

Exit Codes

Code Meaning
0 Success
1 General error
2 Configuration error
3 API error
4 Budget exceeded
130 Interrupted by user (Ctrl+C)

Examples

Generate a Web Application

tessera "Build a FastAPI REST API with user authentication"

Generate with Custom Config

tessera --config ./project-config.yaml "Build microservice"

Dry Run (Plan Only)

tessera --dry-run "Deploy to production"

Background Mode

tessera --background "Generate full-stack application"
# Returns: Session ID: sess-20251116-abc123
tessera attach sess-20251116-abc123

Next Steps