Halo CLI Shared

Start here when the task says "use Halo CLI" but does not yet say whether it is auth, content, search, operations, or moderation.

Install And Verify

Install globally:

npm install -g @halo-dev/cli

Binary name:

halo

Check version and top-level help:

halo --version
halo --help

Top-Level Areas

• auth
• post
• single-page
• search
• plugin
• theme
• attachment
• backup
• moment
• comment
• notification
• completion <shell> — Generate shell completion script (bash, zsh, fish, powershell)

Shared Rules

• Most command areas require an authenticated profile.
• Use halo auth login to create a profile.
• Use --profile <name> when more than one profile exists.
• Use --json when output is meant for automation or follow-up parsing.
• In non-interactive mode, dangerous commands usually require --force.
• Read --help before guessing flags for a specific command.

Public vs Authenticated

Most areas require auth.

The main public workflow is halo search, which can use a direct site URL without login:

halo search --keyword "halo" --url https://www.halo.run

Config And Secrets

Profile metadata is stored in:

• $HALO_CLI_CONFIG_DIR/config.json if HALO_CLI_CONFIG_DIR is set
• otherwise $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/halo/config.json
• otherwise ~/.config/halo/config.json

Credentials are stored in the system keyring.

Routing

• Use halo-cli-auth for login, current profile, profile list/use/delete, and credential repair.
• Use halo-cli-content for posts and single pages.
• Use halo-cli-search for public site search.
• Use halo-cli-operations for themes, plugins, attachments, backups, and moments.
• Use halo-cli-moderation-notifications for comments, replies, and notifications.