Reference: Interactive Shell (cx>)
The cx interactive shell (REPL) is a powerful, stateful environment for exploring APIs, managing workspace assets, and building data workflows. This document is the definitive reference for its language and syntax, used at the cx> prompt.
Looking for Setup or Scripting Commands?
For a guide to the non-interactive CLI commands like cx init, cx compile, and running automated scripts from your OS terminal, please see the CLI Commands Reference.
Core Syntax & Operators
| Syntax |
Example |
Description |
// <prompt> |
// list my flows |
Translate a natural language prompt into a cx command. |
<alias>.<action>(...) |
gh.getUser(name="google") |
Execute a blueprint-defined action on an active connection. |
<var> = <command> |
repos = gh.read(...) |
Assign the result of a command or pipeline to a session variable. |
<cmd> \| <cmd> |
flow run ... \| script run ... |
Pipe the output of one command to the input of the next. |
(...) |
(repos \| script run ...) --output table |
Group commands to control the order of operations and precedence. |
These flags can be added to the end of any data-producing command or pipeline to control how the final result is displayed.
| Flag |
Example |
Description |
--output table |
... --output table |
Renders the output as a formatted table (if the data is a list of objects). |
--columns <cols> |
... --output table --columns name,id |
Selects specific columns for table view. |
--query <expr> |
... --query "[?stars > 100]" |
Filters or reshapes data using a JMESPath expression before rendering. |
Workspace Management Commands
These commands allow you to manage your entire workspace without leaving the shell.
Many commands have short aliases for convenience (e.g., var list can also be vars list). The reference shows the primary form.
session: Manage persistent workspace sessions.
| Command |
Description |
session list |
Lists all saved session files from ~/.cx/sessions. |
session save <name> |
Saves the current session (active connections and variables) to a file. |
session load <name> |
Replaces the current session with a saved one. |
session rm <name> |
Deletes a saved session file. |
session status |
Displays a summary of the current in-memory session. |
var / vars: Manage in-memory session variables.
| Command |
Description |
var list |
Lists all variables in the current session with a summary table. |
var rm <name> |
Deletes a variable from the current session. |
flow: Manage reusable .flow.yaml workflows.
| Command |
Description |
flow list |
Lists all available flows from ~/.cx/flows/. |
flow run <name> [key=value ...] |
Executes a flow, passing arguments to its script_input. |
query: Manage reusable .sql queries.
| Command |
Description |
query list |
Lists all available queries from ~/.cx/queries/. |
query run --on <alias> <name> [key=value ...] |
Executes a query on an active connection. |
script: Manage reusable .py scripts.
| Command |
Description |
script list |
Lists all available scripts from ~/.cx/scripts/. |
script run <name> [key=value ...] |
Executes a Python script. |
connection: Manage connection configuration files.
| Command |
Description |
connection list |
Lists all saved connection configuration files. |
connection create --blueprint "<id>" |
Starts an interactive wizard to create a new connection file. |
open: Open workspace assets in external applications.
| Command |
Description |
open <type> [name] |
Opens an asset (e.g., open flow my-flow). Types: flow, query, script, connection, config. |
open {{ url_variable }} |
Opens a URL from a variable in a web browser. |
... --in <handler> |
(Optional) Opens with a specific handler (e.g., --in vscode). |
inspect: Introspect session variables.
| Command |
Description |
inspect <variable> |
Displays a detailed summary panel of a session variable. |
app: Discover and manage installable applications.
| Command |
Description |
app list |
Lists all applications currently installed in your workspace. |
app install <id\|url> |
Installs a new application from the public registry or a private URL. |
app uninstall <id> |
Uninstalls an application and removes its assets. |
app sync |
Refreshes and installs any missing blueprint dependencies for all your applications. |
agent: Engage the Collaborative Agent.
| Command |
Description |
agent <goal> |
Starts a collaborative, multi-step reasoning session to achieve a complex goal. |
process: Manage background processes.
| Command |
Description |
process list |
Lists all background processes and their current status. |
process logs <id> |
Shows the complete log output for a specific process. |
process logs --follow <id> |
Attaches to a running process to stream its logs in real-time. |