Command Reference

Generate Context Files

Generates context files according to your configuration. This is the default command that runs when no command is specified.

ctx

You can also explicitly call:

ctx generate
# or 
ctx build
# or
ctx compile

Options

Option	Description
--inline, -i	Inline JSON configuration string. If provided, file-based configuration will be ignored.
--config-file, -c	Path to a specific configuration file or directory. If not provided, will look for standard config files in the root path.
--env, -e	Path to .env (like .env.local) file. If not provided, will ignore any .env files.

Examples of using the --env option:

# Load variables from a specific file
ctx --env=.env.local

# Do not load any environment variables (default behavior)
ctx

Examples of specifying configuration:

# Use a specific configuration file
ctx -c src/custom-config.yaml

# Look for standard config files (context.json, context.yaml, etc.) in a specific directory
ctx -c src/configs

# Use inline JSON configuration
ctx -i '{"documents":[{"description":"Quick Context","outputPath":"output.md","sources":[{"type":"text","content":"Sample content"}]}]}'

Display Configuration

Displays the context configuration in a human-readable format.

ctx display

Options

Option	Description
--inline, -i	Inline JSON configuration string. If provided, file-based configuration will be ignored.
--config-file, -c	Path to a specific configuration file or directory. If not provided, will look for standard config files in the root path.

Initialize a Configuration File

Creates a new configuration file in the current directory. The default filename is context.yaml if not specified.

ctx init

You can also specify a different filename:

ctx init --config-file=context.json
# or
ctx init -c context.json

Note: Only json and yaml formats are supported for the configuration file.

Generate MCP Configuration

Generates MCP configuration snippets for connecting CTX to Claude Desktop or other MCP clients. This command automatically detects your operating system and generates the appropriate configuration format.

ctx mcp:config

Options

Option	Description
--explain	Show detailed setup instructions
--interactive, -i	Interactive mode with guided questions
--client, -c	MCP client type (claude, generic). Default: claude
--global, -g	Use global project registry (no -c option)

Examples

Auto-detect and generate global registry configuration:

ctx mcp:config

Interactive mode with guided questions:

ctx mcp:config --interactive
# or
ctx mcp:config -i

Global registry mode (default):

ctx mcp:config --global
# or
ctx mcp:config -g

Generate for different MCP clients:

ctx mcp:config --client=generic
# or
ctx mcp:config -c generic

Sample Output

Global Registry Mode:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ctx": {
      "command": "ctx",
      "args": [
        "server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Project-Specific Mode:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ctx": {
      "command": "ctx",
      "args": [
        "server",
        "-c",
        "/path/to/project"
      ]
    }
  }
}

WSL Configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ctx": {
      "command": "bash.exe",
      "args": [
        "-c",
        "ctx server -c /path/to/project"
      ]
    }
  }
}

MCP Server

Starts the Model Control Protocol (MCP) server to enable direct integration with Claude AI. This server acts as a bridge between your codebase and AI assistants, allowing Claude to access project context in real-time.

Note: To enable Claude to access your project context through the MCP server read the MCP documentation.

ctx server

Options

Option	Description
--config-file, -c	Path to configuration file (absolute or relative to current directory).
--env, -e	Path to .env (like .env.local) file. If not provided, will ignore any .env files.

Examples

Starting the server with default settings:

ctx server

Using a specific configuration file:

ctx server --config-file=path/to/custom-context.yaml
# or
ctx server -c path/to/custom-context.yaml

Loading environment variables from a specific file:

ctx server --env=.env.development
# or
ctx server -e .env.development

Combining configuration and environment options:

ctx server -c path/to/project/context.yaml -e .env.local

Pointing to a project directory (will use default config file in that directory):

ctx server -c /path/to/project/

Log Verbosity

The MCP server logs its activities to a mcp.log file in the project root directory. The log level is determined by the verbosity level of the command:

• Default: Warning level logs
• --verbose or -v: Info level logs
• --very-verbose or -vv: Debug level logs
• --quiet or -q: Error level logs only

# Get more detailed logs
ctx server -c /path/to/project -vv

Get JSON Schema

Shows the URL where the JSON schema for IDE integration is hosted.

ctx schema
# or
ctx json-schema

Options

Option	Description
--download, -d	Download the schema to the current directory
--output, -o	The file path where the schema should be saved

ctx schema --download
# or
ctx schema -d

Downloads the JSON schema to the current directory with the default filename (json-schema.json).

ctx schema --download --output=custom-name.json
# or
ctx schema -d -o custom-name.json

Self-Update

Updates the CTX to the latest version.

ctx self-update
# or
ctx update

Options

Option	Description
--path, -p	Path where to store the binary
--name, -b	Name of the binary file. Default is [ctx]
--type, -t	Binary type (phar or bin)
--repository	GitHub repository to update from

If you installed ctx in a non-standard location, you can specify the path:

ctx self-update --path=/usr/local/bin/ctx
# or
ctx self-update -p /usr/local/bin/ctx

Check Version

Displays the current version of CTX.

ctx version

Options

Option	Description
--check-updates, -c	Check for updates

To check for available updates:

ctx version --check-updates
# or
ctx version -c

Inline Configuration

You can provide a JSON configuration directly on the command line without needing a config file:

ctx --inline='{"documents":[{"description":"Quick Context","outputPath":"output.md","sources":[{"type":"text","content":"Sample content"}]}]}'
# or
ctx -i '{"documents":[{"description":"Quick Context","outputPath":"output.md","sources":[{"type":"text","content":"Sample content"}]}]}'

This is useful for:

• One-off context generation without creating config files
• CI/CD pipelines or automated workflows
• Testing configurations quickly
• Scripting and integration with other tools

The JSON configuration structure follows the same schema as config files. For complex configurations, consider using a heredoc in your shell scripts:

ctx --inline='
{
  "documents": [
    {
      "description": "API Documentation",
      "outputPath": "api-docs.md",
      "sources": [
        {
          "type": "file",
          "sourcePaths": ["src/Api"],
          "filePattern": "*.php"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
'

List Available Prompts

Lists all available prompts with their IDs, types, descriptions, tags, and arguments.

ctx prompts:list
# or
ctx prompts

Options

Option	Description
--config-file, -c	Path to configuration file (absolute or relative to current directory).
--tag, -t	Filter prompts by tag (can be used multiple times).
--exclude-tag, -x	Exclude prompts with specific tag (can be used multiple times).
--id, -p	Filter prompts by ID (can be used multiple times).
--detailed, -d	Show detailed information including arguments.

Examples

List all prompts in table format:

ctx prompts:list

Show detailed information with arguments:

ctx prompts:list --detailed
# or
ctx prompts -d

Filter prompts by tags:

ctx prompts:list --tag api --tag documentation
# or
ctx prompts -t api -t documentation

Exclude prompts with specific tags:

ctx prompts:list --exclude-tag experimental
# or
ctx prompts -x experimental

Filter prompts by ID:

ctx prompts:list --id system-prompt --id user-query
# or
ctx prompts -p system-prompt -p user-query

This command helps you discover and explore available prompts in your configuration, making it easier to understand what prompts are available for use with the MCP server.

List Available Tools

Lists all available MCP tools with their IDs, types, descriptions, and schema information.

ctx tool:list
# or
ctx tools

Options

Option	Description
--config-file, -c	Path to configuration file (absolute or relative to current directory).
--type, -t	Filter tools by type (e.g., run, http).
--id, -i	Filter tools by ID (can be used multiple times).
--detailed, -d	Show detailed information including commands.

Examples

List all tools in table format:

ctx tool:list

Show detailed information with commands:

ctx tool:list --detailed
# or
ctx tools -d

Filter tools by type:

ctx tool:list --type run
# or
ctx tools -t http

Filter tools by ID:

ctx tool:list --id git-status --id lint-code
# or
ctx tools -i git-status -i lint-code

Execute a Tool

Executes an MCP tool with interactive prompts for arguments based on the tool's schema.

ctx tool:run <tool-id>

Options

Option	Description
--config-file, -c	Path to configuration file (absolute or relative to current directory).
--arg, -a	Tool arguments in format name=value (can be used multiple times).
--no-interaction, -n	Do not ask any interactive questions.

Examples

Execute a tool with interactive prompts:

ctx tool:run git-status

Execute a tool with arguments provided on command line:

ctx tool:run lint-code --arg path=src/MyClass.php --arg fix=true
# or
ctx tool:run lint-code -a path=src/MyClass.php -a fix=true

Execute in non-interactive mode (requires all necessary arguments):

ctx tool:run build-assets --arg env=production --no-interaction
# or
ctx tool:run build-assets -a env=production -n

Select a tool interactively:

ctx tool:run

Use a specific configuration file:

ctx tool:run deploy-app --config-file=tools-config.yaml
# or
ctx tool:run deploy-app -c tools-config.yaml

This command simplifies testing and executing MCP tools during development without requiring code changes or application redeployment.