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Pacto CLI Commands Reference

These are the commands most teams reach for first. The full repository docs can expand later, but this page covers the core operational surface.

Global options

  • --lang <en|es> overrides the output language for one invocation.
  • --no-color disables color output.
  • --root <path> sets the project root for plans and tool discovery.
  • --allow-guardrail <id[,id...]> bypasses named plugin guardrails for one run.

status

Inspect plan state, blockers, freshness, and optional path verification.

pacto status [--root <path>] [--repo-root <path>] [--mode compat|strict] [--format table|json] [--verify]
pacto status
pacto status --format json --verify --fail-on partial

doctor

Audit generated integration artifacts for drift and legacy patterns.

pacto doctor
pacto doctor --format json --fail-on any

new

Create a plan scaffold and refresh the root index.

pacto new <current|to-implement|done|outdated> <slug> [--title ...] [--owner ...]

init

Initialize a local workspace in .pacto/plans.

pacto init [--root .] [--with-agents] [--force] [--tools <all|none|csv>] [--no-interactive] [--yes]

exec

Append execution notes, blockers, and evidence references to plan docs.

pacto exec <state> <slug> [--step <phase.task>] [--note <text>] [--evidence <claim>]

move

Move a plan slice between explicit states.

pacto move <from-state> <slug> <to-state> [--reason <text>]

explore

Capture ideas before they turn into formal plan slices.

pacto explore <slug> [--title ...] [--note ...]
pacto explore --list
pacto explore --show <slug>

install and update

Use these when you need generated skills or newer binaries.

pacto install [--tools <all|none|csv>] [--force]
pacto update [--check] [--yes] [--version <vX.Y.Z>]
pacto update --artifacts [--tools <all|none|csv>] [--force]