# CLI and Agent Daemon Guide

The `multica` CLI connects your local machine to Multica. It handles authentication, workspace management, issue tracking, and runs the agent daemon that executes AI tasks locally.

## Installation

### Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

```bash
brew install multica-ai/tap/multica
```

### Build from Source

```bash
git clone https://github.com/multica-ai/multica.git
cd multica
make build
cp server/bin/multica /usr/local/bin/multica
```

### Update

```bash
brew upgrade multica-ai/tap/multica
```

For install script or manual installs, use:

```bash
multica update
```

`multica update` auto-detects your installation method and upgrades accordingly.

## Quick Start

```bash
# One-command setup: configure, authenticate, and start the daemon
multica setup

# For self-hosted (local) deployments:
multica setup self-host
```

Or step by step:

```bash
# 1. Authenticate (opens browser for login)
multica login

# 2. Start the agent daemon
multica daemon start

# 3. Done — agents in your watched workspaces can now execute tasks on your machine
```

`multica login` automatically discovers all workspaces you belong to and adds them to the daemon watch list.

## Authentication

### Browser Login

```bash
multica login
```

Opens your browser for OAuth authentication, creates a 90-day personal access token, and auto-configures your workspaces.

### Token Login

```bash
multica login --token <mul_...>
```

Authenticate using a personal access token directly. Useful for headless environments. Pass `--token=` with an empty value to be prompted interactively (so the token never lands in shell history).

### Check Status

```bash
multica auth status
```

Shows your current server, user, and token validity.

### Logout

```bash
multica auth logout
```

Removes the stored authentication token.

## Agent Daemon

The daemon is the local agent runtime. It detects available AI CLIs on your machine, registers them with the Multica server, and executes tasks when agents are assigned work.

### Start

```bash
multica daemon start
```

By default, the daemon runs in the background and logs to `~/.multica/daemon.log`.

To run in the foreground (useful for debugging):

```bash
multica daemon start --foreground
```

### Stop

```bash
multica daemon stop
```

### Status

```bash
multica daemon status
multica daemon status --output json
```

Shows PID, uptime, detected agents, and watched workspaces.

### Logs

```bash
multica daemon logs              # Last 50 lines
multica daemon logs -f           # Follow (tail -f)
multica daemon logs -n 100       # Last 100 lines
```

### Supported Agents

The daemon auto-detects these AI CLIs on your PATH:

| CLI | Command | Description |
|-----|---------|-------------|
| [Claude Code](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code) | `claude` | Anthropic's coding agent |
| [Codex](https://github.com/openai/codex) | `codex` | OpenAI's coding agent |
| [GitHub Copilot CLI](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot) | `copilot` | GitHub's coding agent (model routed by your GitHub entitlement) |
| OpenCode | `opencode` | Open-source coding agent |
| OpenClaw | `openclaw` | Open-source coding agent |
| Hermes | `hermes` | Nous Research coding agent |
| Gemini | `gemini` | Google's coding agent |
| [Pi](https://pi.dev/) | `pi` | Pi coding agent |
| [Cursor Agent](https://cursor.com/) | `cursor-agent` | Cursor's headless coding agent |
| Kimi | `kimi` | Moonshot coding agent |
| Kiro CLI | `kiro-cli` | Kiro ACP coding agent |

You need at least one installed. The daemon registers each detected CLI as an available runtime.

### How It Works

1. On start, the daemon detects installed agent CLIs and registers a runtime for each agent in each watched workspace
2. It polls the server at a configurable interval (default: 3s) for claimed tasks
3. When a task arrives, it creates an isolated workspace directory, spawns the agent CLI, and streams results back
4. Heartbeats are sent periodically (default: 15s) so the server knows the daemon is alive
5. On shutdown, all runtimes are deregistered

### Configuration

Daemon behavior is configured via flags or environment variables:

| Setting | Flag | Env Variable | Default |
|---------|------|--------------|---------|
| Poll interval | `--poll-interval` | `MULTICA_DAEMON_POLL_INTERVAL` | `3s` |
| Heartbeat interval | `--heartbeat-interval` | `MULTICA_DAEMON_HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL` | `15s` |
| Agent timeout | `--agent-timeout` | `MULTICA_AGENT_TIMEOUT` | `0` (no cap; bounded by the watchdogs) |
| Codex semantic inactivity timeout | `--codex-semantic-inactivity-timeout` | `MULTICA_CODEX_SEMANTIC_INACTIVITY_TIMEOUT` | `10m` |
| Max concurrent tasks | `--max-concurrent-tasks` | `MULTICA_DAEMON_MAX_CONCURRENT_TASKS` | `20` |
| Daemon ID | `--daemon-id` | `MULTICA_DAEMON_ID` | hostname |
| Device name | `--device-name` | `MULTICA_DAEMON_DEVICE_NAME` | hostname |
| Runtime name | `--runtime-name` | `MULTICA_AGENT_RUNTIME_NAME` | `Local Agent` |
| Workspaces root | — | `MULTICA_WORKSPACES_ROOT` | `~/multica_workspaces` |
| GC enabled | — | `MULTICA_GC_ENABLED` | `true` (set `false`/`0` to disable) |
| GC scan interval | — | `MULTICA_GC_INTERVAL` | `1h` |
| GC TTL (done/cancelled issues) | — | `MULTICA_GC_TTL` | `24h` |
| GC orphan TTL (no `.gc_meta.json`) | — | `MULTICA_GC_ORPHAN_TTL` | `72h` |
| GC artifact TTL (open issues) | — | `MULTICA_GC_ARTIFACT_TTL` | `12h` (set `0` to disable) |
| GC artifact patterns | — | `MULTICA_GC_ARTIFACT_PATTERNS` | `node_modules,.next,.turbo` |

#### Workspace garbage collection

The daemon periodically scans `MULTICA_WORKSPACES_ROOT` and reclaims disk space in three modes:

- **Full task cleanup** — when an issue's status is `done` or `cancelled` and has been idle for `MULTICA_GC_TTL`, the entire task directory is removed.
- **Orphan cleanup** — task directories with no `.gc_meta.json` (e.g. left over from a daemon crash) are removed once they exceed `MULTICA_GC_ORPHAN_TTL`.
- **Artifact-only cleanup** — when a task has been completed for at least `MULTICA_GC_ARTIFACT_TTL` but the issue is still open, regenerable build outputs whose directory basename matches `MULTICA_GC_ARTIFACT_PATTERNS` are removed; the rest of the workdir (source, `.git`, `output/`, `logs/`, `.gc_meta.json`) is preserved so the agent can resume the same workdir on the next task.

Patterns are basename-only — entries containing `/` or `\` are silently dropped — and `.git` subtrees are never descended into. The default list (`node_modules`, `.next`, `.turbo`) is intentionally narrow; extend it per deployment if your repos consistently produce other regenerable directories (for example, `MULTICA_GC_ARTIFACT_PATTERNS=node_modules,.next,.turbo,target,__pycache__`). To disable artifact cleanup entirely, set `MULTICA_GC_ARTIFACT_TTL=0`.

Agent-specific overrides:

| Variable | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| `MULTICA_CLAUDE_PATH` | Custom path to the `claude` binary |
| `MULTICA_CLAUDE_MODEL` | Override the Claude model used |
| `MULTICA_CLAUDE_ARGS` | Default extra arguments for Claude Code runs |
| `MULTICA_CODEX_PATH` | Custom path to the `codex` binary |
| `MULTICA_CODEX_MODEL` | Override the Codex model used |
| `MULTICA_CODEX_ARGS` | Default extra arguments for Codex runs |
| `MULTICA_COPILOT_PATH` | Custom path to the `copilot` binary |
| `MULTICA_COPILOT_MODEL` | Override the Copilot model used (note: GitHub Copilot routes models through your account entitlement, so this may not be honoured) |
| `MULTICA_OPENCODE_PATH` | Custom path to the `opencode` binary |
| `MULTICA_OPENCODE_MODEL` | Override the OpenCode model used |
| `MULTICA_OPENCLAW_PATH` | Custom path to the `openclaw` binary |
| `MULTICA_OPENCLAW_MODEL` | Override the OpenClaw model used |
| `MULTICA_HERMES_PATH` | Custom path to the `hermes` binary |
| `MULTICA_HERMES_MODEL` | Override the Hermes model used |
| `MULTICA_GEMINI_PATH` | Custom path to the `gemini` binary |
| `MULTICA_GEMINI_MODEL` | Override the Gemini model used |
| `MULTICA_PI_PATH` | Custom path to the `pi` binary |
| `MULTICA_PI_MODEL` | Override the Pi model used |
| `MULTICA_CURSOR_PATH` | Custom path to the `cursor-agent` binary |
| `MULTICA_CURSOR_MODEL` | Override the Cursor Agent model used |
| `MULTICA_KIMI_PATH` | Custom path to the `kimi` binary |
| `MULTICA_KIMI_MODEL` | Override the Kimi model used |
| `MULTICA_KIRO_PATH` | Custom path to the `kiro-cli` binary |
| `MULTICA_KIRO_MODEL` | Override the Kiro model used |

`MULTICA_CLAUDE_ARGS` and `MULTICA_CODEX_ARGS` are parsed with POSIX shellword quoting, so values such as `--model "gpt-5.1 codex" --sandbox read-only` are split like a shell command line. Agent arguments are applied in this order: hardcoded Multica defaults, daemon-wide env defaults, then per-agent `custom_args` from the task.

### Self-Hosted Server

When connecting to a self-hosted Multica instance, the easiest approach is:

```bash
# One command — configures for localhost, authenticates, starts daemon
multica setup self-host

# Or for on-premise with custom domains:
multica setup self-host --server-url https://api.example.com --app-url https://app.example.com
```

Or configure manually:

```bash
# Set URLs individually
multica config set server_url http://localhost:8080
multica config set app_url http://localhost:3000

# For production with TLS:
# multica config set server_url https://api.example.com
# multica config set app_url https://app.example.com

multica login
multica daemon start
```

### Profiles

Profiles let you run multiple daemons on the same machine — for example, one for production and one for a staging server.

```bash
# Set up a staging profile
multica setup self-host --profile staging --server-url https://api-staging.example.com --app-url https://staging.example.com

# Start its daemon
multica daemon start --profile staging

# Default profile runs separately
multica daemon start
```

Each profile gets its own config directory (`~/.multica/profiles/<name>/`), daemon state, health port, and workspace root.

## Workspaces

### Working with multiple workspaces

Every command runs against a single workspace. The CLI resolves which one in this order (highest priority first):

1. `--workspace-id <id>` flag on the command
2. `MULTICA_WORKSPACE_ID` environment variable
3. The default workspace stored in your current profile (set by `multica workspace switch` or `multica login`)

`multica workspace switch <id|slug>` is the day-to-day way to change the default workspace. For scripting and headless setups where you don't want any stored state, prefer the `--workspace-id` flag or the env variable. `multica config set workspace_id <id>` is the low-level equivalent of `switch` (it writes the same setting but skips the access check).

If you need full isolation between organizations or accounts — separate tokens, separate daemons, separate config dirs — use `--profile <name>` instead. Each profile keeps its own default workspace.

### List Workspaces

```bash
multica workspace list
multica workspace list --full-id
multica workspace list --output json
```

The current default workspace is marked with `*`. Table output shows short UUID prefixes — pass `--full-id` when you need the canonical UUIDs.

### Switch Default Workspace

```bash
multica workspace switch <workspace-id>
multica workspace switch <slug>
```

Verifies you have access to the workspace, then sets it as the default for the current profile. Subsequent commands without `--workspace-id` and `MULTICA_WORKSPACE_ID` target this workspace. Pair `--profile` if you want to change a non-default profile's workspace.

### Get Details

```bash
multica workspace get <workspace-id>
multica workspace get <workspace-id> --output json
```

Passing no `<workspace-id>` resolves to the current default workspace, so `multica workspace get` doubles as "what workspace am I on?".

### List Members

```bash
multica workspace member list <workspace-id>
```

## Issues

### List Issues

```bash
multica issue list
multica issue list --status in_progress
multica issue list --priority urgent --assignee "Agent Name"
multica issue list --assignee-id 5fb87ac7-23b5-4a7a-81fa-ed295a54545d
multica issue list --full-id
multica issue list --limit 20 --output json
```

Table output shows a routable issue `KEY` such as `MUL-123`; copy that key into follow-up commands like `issue get`, `issue comment list`, `issue status`, or `--parent`. Add `--full-id` when you need canonical UUIDs. Available filters: `--status`, `--priority`, `--assignee` / `--assignee-id`, `--project`, `--metadata`, `--limit`. Use `--assignee-id <uuid>` for unambiguous filtering when names overlap.

Use `--metadata key=value` (repeatable; combined with AND) to filter by per-issue metadata. The value is JSON-parsed: `true`/`false` become bool, numbers become numbers, anything else is a string. Wrap as `'"42"'` to force a string when the value would otherwise sniff as a number:

```bash
multica issue list --metadata pipeline_status=waiting_review
multica issue list --metadata pr_number=482 --metadata is_blocked=true
```

### Get Issue

```bash
multica issue get <id>
multica issue get <id> --output json
```

### Create Issue

```bash
multica issue create --title "Fix login bug" --description "..." --priority high --assignee "Lambda"
multica issue create --title "Fix login bug" --assignee-id 5fb87ac7-23b5-4a7a-81fa-ed295a54545d
```

Flags: `--title` (required), `--description`, `--status`, `--priority`, `--assignee` / `--assignee-id`, `--parent`, `--project`, `--due-date`. Pass `--assignee-id <uuid>` (mutually exclusive with `--assignee`) when scripting against the IDs returned by `multica workspace member list --output json` / `multica agent list --output json`.

### Update Issue

```bash
multica issue update <id> --title "New title" --priority urgent
```

### Assign Issue

```bash
multica issue assign <id> --to "Lambda"
multica issue assign <id> --to-id 5fb87ac7-23b5-4a7a-81fa-ed295a54545d
multica issue assign <id> --unassign
```

Pass `--to-id <uuid>` to assign by canonical UUID (mutually exclusive with `--to`); useful when names overlap across members and agents.

### Change Status

```bash
multica issue status <id> in_progress
```

Valid statuses: `backlog`, `todo`, `in_progress`, `in_review`, `done`, `blocked`, `cancelled`.

### Comments

```bash
# List comments — flat timeline, chronological. Hard cap of 2000 rows; on
# long-running issues prefer one of the thread-aware reads below to keep
# context windows tight.
multica issue comment list <issue-id>

# Single thread (root + every descendant). Anchor may be the root itself
# or any reply inside the thread — the server walks up to the root.
multica issue comment list <issue-id> --thread <comment-id>

# Single thread, capped to the N most recent replies. The thread root is
# always included (even with --tail 0), so an agent landing on a long
# thread keeps the "what is this about" context without dragging hundreds
# of replies into its prompt.
multica issue comment list <issue-id> --thread <comment-id> --tail 30

# Scroll older replies inside the same thread. --before / --before-id are
# the reply cursor that the previous response emitted on stderr as
# `Next reply cursor: --before <ts> --before-id <reply-id>`.
multica issue comment list <issue-id> --thread <comment-id> --tail 30 \
    --before <ts> --before-id <reply-id>

# Most recently active threads (root + every descendant), grouped by
# thread. Returns N complete conversational arcs, oldest-active first so
# the freshest thread sits closest to "now" in an agent prompt.
multica issue comment list <issue-id> --recent 20

# Scroll older threads. Under --recent, --before / --before-id are a
# THREAD cursor (thread last_activity_at + root id), emitted on stderr as
# `Next thread cursor: --before <ts> --before-id <root-id>`.
multica issue comment list <issue-id> --recent 20 \
    --before <ts> --before-id <root-id>

# Incremental polling. Combines with --thread or --recent; filters out
# replies created on or before <ts> from the page (the thread root is
# exempt so the agent always gets context).
multica issue comment list <issue-id> --thread <comment-id> --tail 30 \
    --since <RFC3339-timestamp>

# Add a comment
multica issue comment add <issue-id> --content "Looks good, merging now"

# Reply to a specific comment
multica issue comment add <issue-id> --parent <comment-id> --content "Thanks!"

# Delete a comment
multica issue comment delete <comment-id>
```

**`--before` / `--before-id` semantics depend on the paging mode**, by
design — same flag, different scope:

| Mode | What the cursor walks | stderr label |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `--recent N` | Older *threads* (last_activity_at, root_id) | `Next thread cursor` |
| `--thread <id> --tail N` | Older *replies* inside that thread (created_at, id) | `Next reply cursor` |

Outside those two modes (`--thread` without `--tail`, or no `--thread`
and no `--recent`) the cursor flags are rejected so they cannot silently
no-op. The server emits the cursor headers (`X-Multica-Next-Before` /
`X-Multica-Next-Before-Id`) only when an older page actually exists —
exact-boundary pages (e.g. `--tail 3` on a thread with exactly 3
replies) intentionally return no cursor so callers stop paginating.

When `--since` is combined with `--recent` or `--thread --tail`, the
server additionally suppresses the cursor once the cursor target itself
is older than `since`. Older pages walk strictly older rows, so they
cannot satisfy `> since` either — emitting a cursor there would just
hand back root-only pages until the caller reaches the start of the
thread / issue. Incremental polling stops at the first page whose
cursor target falls before the watermark.

### Metadata

Per-issue metadata is a small KV map agents use to track pipeline state (PR number, pipeline status, waiting_on, ...). Keys match `^[a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z0-9_.-]{0,63}$`, values are primitives (string / number / bool), max 50 keys per issue, blob capped at 8KB.

The bar for writing is high: pin a value only when it is materially important to the issue AND likely to be re-read by future runs on this same issue (the PR URL, the deploy URL, what we're blocked on). Most runs write zero new keys — that's the expected case. Don't pin runtime bookkeeping like `attempts`, single-run investigation notes, large logs, secrets/tokens, or description/comment copies — see the agent runtime prompt for the full anti-pattern list.

```bash
# List every key on an issue
multica issue metadata list <issue-id>

# Read a single key
multica issue metadata get <issue-id> --key pipeline_status

# Write a single key — value auto-typed (true/false → bool, numbers → number, else string)
multica issue metadata set <issue-id> --key pipeline_status --value waiting_review
multica issue metadata set <issue-id> --key pr_number --value 482
multica issue metadata set <issue-id> --key is_blocked --value true

# Force a specific type when sniffing would pick the wrong one
multica issue metadata set <issue-id> --key code --value 42 --type string

# Remove a key
multica issue metadata delete <issue-id> --key pipeline_status
```

All writes are single-key atomic — concurrent agents writing different keys do not lose each other's updates. To query, use `multica issue list --metadata key=value` (see *List Issues* above).

### Subscribers

```bash
# List subscribers of an issue
multica issue subscriber list <issue-id>

# Subscribe yourself to an issue
multica issue subscriber add <issue-id>

# Subscribe another member or agent by name
multica issue subscriber add <issue-id> --user "Lambda"

# Unsubscribe yourself
multica issue subscriber remove <issue-id>

# Unsubscribe another member or agent
multica issue subscriber remove <issue-id> --user "Lambda"
```

Subscribers receive notifications about issue activity (new comments, status changes, etc.). Without `--user`, the command acts on the caller.

### Execution History

```bash
# List all execution runs for an issue
multica issue runs <issue-id>
multica issue runs <issue-id> --full-id
multica issue runs <issue-id> --output json

# View messages for a specific execution run
multica issue run-messages <task-id>
multica issue run-messages <short-task-id> --issue <issue-id>
multica issue run-messages <task-id> --output json

# Incremental fetch (only messages after a given sequence number)
multica issue run-messages <task-id> --since 42 --output json
```

The `runs` command shows all past and current executions for an issue, including running tasks. Table output uses short task UUID prefixes by default; pass `--full-id` to print canonical task UUIDs. The `run-messages` command accepts full task UUIDs directly; copied short task prefixes must be scoped with `--issue <issue-id>` so the CLI only checks that issue's runs. It shows the detailed message log (tool calls, thinking, text, errors) for a single run. Use `--since` for efficient polling of in-progress runs.

## Projects

Projects group related issues (e.g. a sprint, an epic, a workstream). Every project
belongs to a workspace and can optionally have a lead (member or agent).

### List Projects

```bash
multica project list
multica project list --status in_progress
multica project list --output json
```

Available filters: `--status`.

### Get Project

```bash
multica project get <id>
multica project get <id> --output json
```

### Create Project

```bash
multica project create --title "2026 Week 16 Sprint" --icon "🏃" --lead "Lambda"
```

Flags: `--title` (required), `--description`, `--status`, `--icon`, `--lead`.

### Update Project

```bash
multica project update <id> --title "New title" --status in_progress
multica project update <id> --lead "Lambda"
```

Flags: `--title`, `--description`, `--status`, `--icon`, `--lead`.

### Change Status

```bash
multica project status <id> in_progress
```

Valid statuses: `planned`, `in_progress`, `paused`, `completed`, `cancelled`.

### Delete Project

```bash
multica project delete <id>
```

### Associating Issues with Projects

Use the `--project` flag on `issue create` / `issue update` to attach an issue to a
project, or on `issue list` to filter issues by project:

```bash
multica issue create --title "Login bug" --project <project-id>
multica issue update <issue-id> --project <project-id>
multica issue list --project <project-id>
```

## Setup

```bash
# One-command setup for Multica Cloud: configure, authenticate, and start the daemon
multica setup

# For local self-hosted deployments
multica setup self-host

# Custom ports
multica setup self-host --port 9090 --frontend-port 4000

# On-premise with custom domains
multica setup self-host --server-url https://api.example.com --app-url https://app.example.com
```

`multica setup` configures the CLI, opens your browser for authentication, and starts the daemon — all in one step. Use `multica setup self-host` to connect to a self-hosted server instead of Multica Cloud.

## Configuration

### View Config

```bash
multica config show
```

Shows config file path, server URL, app URL, and default workspace.

### Set Values

```bash
multica config set server_url https://api.example.com
multica config set app_url https://app.example.com
multica config set workspace_id <workspace-id>
```

`config set workspace_id <id>` is the low-level interface — it writes the value verbatim without checking that the workspace exists or that you have access. Prefer `multica workspace switch <id|slug>` for day-to-day workspace changes; it does both checks before saving.

## Autopilot Commands

Autopilots are scheduled/triggered automations that dispatch agent tasks (either by creating an issue or by running an agent directly).

### List Autopilots

```bash
multica autopilot list
multica autopilot list --full-id
multica autopilot list --status active --output json
```

Autopilot table IDs are short UUID prefixes; follow-up autopilot commands accept copied prefixes when they are unique in the current workspace. Use `--full-id` to print canonical UUIDs.

### Get Autopilot Details

```bash
multica autopilot get <id>
multica autopilot get <id> --output json   # includes triggers
```

### Create / Update / Delete

```bash
multica autopilot create \
  --title "Nightly bug triage" \
  --description "Scan todo issues and prioritize." \
  --agent "Lambda" \
  --mode create_issue

multica autopilot update <id> --status paused
multica autopilot update <id> --description "New prompt"
multica autopilot delete <id>
```

`--mode` accepts `create_issue` (creates a new issue on each run and assigns it to the agent) or `run_only` (enqueues a direct agent task without creating an issue). `--agent` accepts either a name or UUID.

### Manual Trigger

```bash
multica autopilot trigger <id>            # Fires the autopilot once, returns the run
```

### Run History

```bash
multica autopilot runs <id>
multica autopilot runs <id> --limit 50 --output json
```

### Schedule Triggers

```bash
multica autopilot trigger-add <autopilot-id> --cron "0 9 * * 1-5" --timezone "America/New_York"
multica autopilot trigger-update <autopilot-id> <trigger-id> --enabled=false
multica autopilot trigger-delete <autopilot-id> <trigger-id>
```

Only cron-based `schedule` triggers are currently exposed via the CLI. The data model also defines `webhook` and `api` kinds, but there is no server endpoint that fires them yet, so they're not surfaced here.

## Other Commands

```bash
multica version              # Show CLI version and commit hash
multica update               # Update to latest version
multica agent list           # List agents in the current workspace
```

## Output Formats

Most commands support `--output` with two formats:

- `table` — human-readable table (default for list commands)
- `json` — structured JSON (useful for scripting and automation)

```bash
multica issue list --output json
multica daemon status --output json
```
