Reference

CLI Reference

Everything the knowit binary can do. Run any command with --help for full option details.

Setup

Command	Description
`knowit install`	Install Knowit into AI clients and initialize storage. Options: `--client` (claude, codex, cursor, windsurf, vscode, gemini, kiro, cline, continue, zed, jetbrains, or comma-separated), `--scope` (project or global), `--source` (local or notion), `--mcp-server-name`, `--migrate-md`, `--markdown-path`, `--yes`, `--dry-run`
`knowit init`	Initialize Knowit storage manually
`knowit serve`	Start the Knowit MCP server over stdio (what your agent's MCP config runs)

Knowledge

Command	Description
`knowit add <type> <title> <content>`	Add an entry. Options: `--source`, `--tags`, `--repo`, `--domain`, `--scope`, `--confidence`, `--url`
`knowit search <query>`	Search entries. Options: `--source`, `--repo`, `--domain`, `--limit`
`knowit resolve <task>`	Resolve context for a task. Options: `--source`, `--repo`, `--domain`, `--files`, `--limit`
`knowit list`	List entries. Options: `--source`, `--type`, `--repo`, `--domain`, `--limit`
`knowit show <id>`	Show one entry. Option: `--source`
`knowit stats`	Summarize entries. Options: `--source`, `--repo`, `--domain`, `--limit`
`knowit preview`	Open a read-only local browser UI for Knowit memory. Options: `--host`, `--port` (defaults to 4077 with fallback), `--no-open`

Sources

Command	Description
`knowit source list`	List configured sources
`knowit source show <id>`	Show one configured source
`knowit source connect <provider>`	Connect a known provider (`local` or `notion`). Options: `--mcp-server-name`, `--default`
`knowit source add-mcp <name> <command>`	Register a custom external MCP source (advanced). Options: `--args`, `--cwd`, `--env`, `--store-tool`, `--search-tool`, `--resolve-tool`, `--default`

Import and migration

Command	Description
`knowit import-md`	Import markdown knowledge files into a source. Auto-detects files when `--path` is omitted. Options: `--source`, `--path`, `--repo`, `--yes`, `--dry-run`
`knowit migrate`	Migrate entries between sources. Options: `--from` (default `local`), `--to` (default `cloud`), `--yes`, `--dry-run`
`knowit migrate-storage`	Convert a project SQLite database to JSONL storage. Options: `--sqlite-path`, `--jsonl-path`, `--sources-path`, `--force`, `--dry-run`

Cloud

Command	Description
`knowit cloud login --token <token>`	Authenticate with Knowit Cloud
`knowit cloud whoami`	Show the authenticated account
`knowit cloud logout`	Remove stored credentials

The current public release focuses on the open-source, local-first workflow; hosted cloud plans are not publicly enabled right now.

Typical session

Terminal

$ npx knowit install
$ knowit add rule "Use repository classes" "No direct DB access from controllers."
$ knowit search "repository pattern"
$ knowit resolve "add webhook retry handling" --repo api-gateway --domain billing
$ knowit import-md --yes