CLI Commands

Stato provides 13 commands organized into four groups: core, composition, bridge/diff, and utilities.

Core Commands

`stato init`

Initialize a stato project.

stato init [--path DIR]

Option	Default	Description
`--path`	`.`	Project directory

Creates .stato/ directory with prompt templates and a .statoignore file.

`stato validate`

Validate module(s) through the 7-pass compiler.

stato validate TARGET

TARGET is a file or directory. If a directory, validates all .py files (excluding .history/ and __init__.py).

Prints pass/fail for each module with error codes, auto-corrections, and advice.

`stato status`

Show all modules, plan progress, and warnings.

stato status [--path DIR]

Displays a table of all modules with their type, class name, and version. Shows plan progress panels for any plan modules.

`stato crystallize`

Save a prompt for capturing agent expertise.

stato crystallize [--print] [--web] [--path DIR]

Option	Description
`--print`	Print full prompt to terminal (in addition to saving to file)
`--web`	Web AI prompt (prints to terminal, saves to crystallize_web.md)
`--path`	Project directory (default: `.`)

Default: saves the prompt to .stato/prompts/crystallize.md and prints a short instruction message. --web mode prints the web AI prompt to terminal (web AI can’t read local files) and saves to .stato/prompts/crystallize_web.md.

Composition Commands

`stato snapshot`

Export agent state as a .stato archive.

stato snapshot --name NAME [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--name`	Archive name (required)
`--template`	Reset runtime state (progress, phase) for sharing
`--module`	Specific modules to include (repeatable)
`--type`	Filter by module type (repeatable)
`--exclude`	Exclude types or modules (repeatable)
`--description`	Description in manifest
`--output`	Output path
`--sanitize`	Auto-replace detected secrets
`--force`	Skip privacy scan
`--path`	Project directory (default: `.`)

Privacy scanner runs automatically unless --force is passed.

`stato import`

Import modules from a .stato archive.

stato import ARCHIVE [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--module`	Import specific module only
`--type`	Import modules of this type only
`--as`	Rename imported module
`--dry-run`	Preview without writing
`--platform`	Auto-generate bridge after import
`--path`	Project directory (default: `.`)

`stato import-bundle`

Import modules from a bundle file generated by web AI.

stato import-bundle BUNDLE_PATH [OPTIONS]

Option	Default	Description
`--platform`	`claude`	Generate bridge for this platform after import. Choices: `claude`, `cursor`, `codex`, `generic`, `all`
`--dry-run`		Parse and validate without writing files

The bundle parser uses ast.parse for safety (no exec on untrusted files).

`stato inspect`

Preview archive contents without importing.

stato inspect ARCHIVE

Shows archive metadata (name, created date, template flag, description) and a table of all modules with their type, class, and validation status.

`stato slice`

Extract specific modules from the current project.

stato slice --module MODULE [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--module`	Modules to extract (repeatable, required)
`--with-deps`	Include transitive dependencies
`--output`	Output archive path
`--name`	Archive name
`--path`	Project directory (default: `.`)

`stato graft`

Add a module from an external source with conflict detection.

stato graft SOURCE [OPTIONS]

Option	Default	Description
`--module`		Specific module from archive
`--as`		Rename to avoid conflict
`--on-conflict`	`ask`	Conflict resolution: `ask`, `replace`, `rename`, `skip`
`--path`	`.`	Project directory

Bridge and Diff

`stato bridge`

Generate a platform bridge file.

stato bridge [--platform PLATFORM] [--force] [--path DIR]

Option	Description
`--platform`	Target platform (default: `auto`)
`--force`	Overwrite existing files without asking
`--path`	Project directory (default: `.`)

Platform	File Generated
`claude`	`CLAUDE.md`
`cursor`	`.cursorrules`
`codex`	`AGENTS.md`
`generic`	`README.stato.md`
`auto`	`CLAUDE.md` (default)
`all`	All four files

If the bridge file already exists and was not generated by stato, you’ll be prompted to choose: overwrite, append, save with a different name, or cancel. Files previously generated by stato are overwritten silently. Use --force to skip the prompt.

`stato diff`

Compare modules or snapshots.

# Current module vs last backup
stato diff TARGET

# Two archives
stato diff A.stato B.stato

# Two module files
stato diff module_a.py module_b.py

Option	Description
`--brief`	Show only changed fields
`--path`	Project directory (default: `.`)

Utilities

`stato resume`

Generate a recap of current project state for context restoration.

stato resume [--raw] [--brief] [--path DIR]

Option	Description
`--raw`	Plain text output (for piping)
`--brief`	One-paragraph summary only
`--path`	Project directory (default: `.`)

Use after /compact or when starting a new session.

Global Options

stato --version    # Show version
stato --help       # Show help