CT CLI

The ct binary is the CLI for CommonTools. Use --help for current commands:

bash

deno task ct --help           # Top-level commands
deno task ct piece --help     # Piece operations
deno task ct check --help     # Type checking

Environment Setup

Identity key (required for most operations):

bash

ls -la claude.key              # Check for existing
deno task ct id new > claude.key  # Create if missing

Environment variables (avoid repeating flags):

bash

export CT_API_URL=http://localhost:8000  # or https://toolshed.saga-castor.ts.net/
export CT_IDENTITY=./claude.key

Local servers: See docs/development/LOCAL_DEV_SERVERS.md

Quick Command Reference

Operation	Command
Type check	`deno task ct check pattern.tsx --no-run`
Deploy new	`deno task ct piece new pattern.tsx -i key -a url -s space`
Update existing	`deno task ct piece setsrc pattern.tsx --piece ID -i key -a url -s space`
Inspect state	`deno task ct piece inspect --piece ID ...`
Get field	`deno task ct piece get --piece ID fieldPath ...`
Set field	`echo '{"data":...}' \| deno task ct piece set --piece ID path ...`
Call handler	`deno task ct piece call --piece ID handlerName ...`
Trigger recompute	`deno task ct piece step --piece ID ...`
List pieces	`deno task ct piece ls -i key -a url -s space`
Visualize	`deno task ct piece map ...`

Core Workflow: setsrc vs new

Critical pattern: After initial deployment, use setsrc to iterate:

bash

# First time only
deno task ct piece new pattern.tsx ...
# Output: Created piece bafyreia... <- Save this ID!

# ALL subsequent iterations
deno task ct piece setsrc pattern.tsx --piece bafyreia... ...

Why: new creates duplicate pieces. setsrc updates in-place.

JSON Input Format

All values to set and call must be valid JSON:

bash

# Strings need nested quotes
echo '"hello world"' | deno task ct piece set ... title

# Numbers are bare
echo '42' | deno task ct piece set ... count

# Objects
echo '{"name": "John"}' | deno task ct piece set ... user

Gotcha: Stale Computed Values

piece set does NOT trigger recompute. Run piece step after:

bash

echo '[...]' | deno task ct piece set --piece ID expenses ...
deno task ct piece step --piece ID ...  # Required!
deno task ct piece get --piece ID totalSpent ...

See docs/development/debugging/cli-debugging.md for debugging patterns.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Fix
Commands hang	Check Tailnet connection for `*.ts.net` URLs
Permission denied	`chmod 600 claude.key`
JSON parse error	Check nested quotes, no trailing commas
Local servers not responding	`./scripts/restart-local-dev.sh --force`

References

•packages/patterns/system/default-app.tsx - System pieces (allCharms list lives here)
•docs/common/workflows/handlers-cli-testing.md - Handler testing
•docs/development/debugging/cli-debugging.md - CLI debugging