Command Line
CLI Overview
Install the Snipset terminal companion and run your first commands.
Snipset ships a terminal companion, snipset, that reads and edits the same data as the desktop app directly from your shell. It is ideal for scripting, remote sessions, and letting AI tools drive your snippets.
snipset --version. If yours differs, trust snipset <command> --help over this page.
Install
The CLI installs separately from the desktop app, on Linux x64 or Windows x64, from public release assets. Inspect the installer before running it, then install a pinned release on Linux:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/belajarcarabelajar/snipset-cli/main/install.sh -o install-snipset.sh
less install-snipset.sh
bash install-snipset.sh --version v0.2.0 --add-path
The default destination is ~/.local/bin. Full install, update, and uninstall instructions live in the snipset-cli repository.
Global options
Every command accepts these options:
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
--db <PATH> | Use a specific SQLite database instead of the default application data directory. |
--json | Emit machine-readable JSON instead of human-readable text. |
-h, --help | Print help for the command or subcommand. |
-V, --version | Print the version. |
Create a database
The CLI works against a standalone database you create, or an existing compatible database created by Snipset Desktop. It never migrates a schema it does not own. For headless terminal use, create your own:
snipset init
snipset init --db /tmp/demo.db
init refuses to overwrite an existing file. Use --force to replace one; the current file (plus its WAL sidecars) is renamed to a timestamped backup first and never deleted.
Check it
snipset doctor --db /tmp/demo.db
database: /tmp/demo.db
exists: true
journal_mode: wal
schema_match: true
A schema_match: true line means the CLI recognizes the schema and is safe to use against it.
What needs the desktop app
- Database-only commands read and write the SQLite file directly, whether or not Snipset Desktop is running. All snippet, group, settings, import, export, and
statscommands, plus most read commands, are in this group. - Bridge commands talk to the running desktop application and fail when the app is closed. These include the whole
pomodorogroup,journal generate,note title/labels,task parse,clipboard clear, and thesupport submitticket endpoint.
The command reference marks every command's requirement.
Next steps
- Build real snippet workflows in Snippets.
- Browse every command in the command reference.
- Let an AI client drive the CLI through the MCP server.
- Read your running desktop database safely with the live database wrapper.