The CLI

The flotilla command runs the server, sets it up and pairs devices. It also starts, follows and manages threads from a terminal. This page lists the common commands; flotilla --help and flotilla <command> --help have every option.

Get it

Build it from the repo, and put it on your PATH:

cargo build --release -p flotilla-cli
cp target/release/flotilla ~/.local/bin/

It works with the Flotilla on the same machine: through the server or the app when one is running, or on its own when neither is. With --server <address>, the thread commands go to another server instead, as an agent device.

Server

Run these on the machine that serves Flotilla.

Command	What it does
`flotilla serve`	Run the server. `--tailscale-serve` reaches it over your tailnet; `--url` gives its address behind a proxy.
`flotilla setup`	Set up this machine: the boat.dev key, GitHub, titles and summaries, Tailscale, remote MCP, iPhone notifications. Then print a pairing link.
`flotilla doctor`	What isn't set up, and what to run to fix it.
`flotilla service install`	Run the server as a systemd user service on Linux. Also `status`, `start`, `stop`, `restart`, `uninstall`.
`flotilla pair`	Make a one-time pairing code, with a link and a QR code. `--agent` for an assistant, `--ttl` for longer than 5 minutes, `--list`, `--revoke`.
`flotilla devices`	List paired devices. `flotilla devices revoke <id>` signs one out.
`flotilla import <path>`	Bring a Mac's threads to this server. See Move your Mac's threads.

Threads

Commands that take a thread take its id, or the first few characters of it.

Command	What it does
`flotilla threads`	List threads.
`flotilla search <words>`	Find threads by title, and messages by what was said.
`flotilla new --provider <agent> --model <id> "<prompt>"`	Start a thread and follow it. `--effort` and `--fast` as in the app; `--no-follow` to return at once.
`flotilla send <thread> "<text>"`	Send a follow-up, waking the VM if it's stopped, or steer a running turn. Then follow.
`flotilla follow <thread>`	Print messages as they arrive, until the turn ends.
`flotilla show <thread>`	Print the thread's messages.
`flotilla steer`, `interrupt`	Steer or stop the running turn.
`flotilla stop`, `resume`	Stop or wake the thread's VM.
`flotilla keep-running <thread> on\|off`	Keep the VM up while it's idle, or not.
`flotilla rename`, `archive`, `unarchive`, `delete`	As in the thread menu.
`flotilla preview <thread> <port>`	Print a private link to a port in the VM.
`flotilla services <thread>`	Show the thread's services. `ensure`, `restart <name>`, `stop <name>` manage them.

--provider is claude-code, codex or opencode. flotilla models lists the models boat.dev offers for each.

Scheduled prompts

flotilla schedule add, list, pause, resume, run and rm. See Scheduled prompts.

Assistants

For assistants that use Flotilla over MCP.

Command	What it does
`flotilla mcp`	Serve Flotilla's tools to an assistant over MCP, on standard input and output.
`flotilla connect <address>`	Pair this machine with a server as an agent device.
`flotilla disconnect <address>`	Sign that agent device out, and forget its token.

See The agent API.

boat.dev

These read from boat.dev, or rebuild from it.

Command	What it does
`flotilla models`	The models, by agent.
`flotilla envs`	Your boat.dev environments.
`flotilla limits`	Your plan's limits.
`flotilla sync`	Bring everything up to date from boat.dev.
`flotilla rebuild`	Rebuild the database from boat.dev, keeping the old one as a backup.

Options for every command

These work with any command.

Option	What it does
`--data-dir <dir>`	Use Flotilla's data in this folder, not the default.
`--boat-key-file <file>`	Read the boat.dev key from this file, which only you may read. `BOAT_API_KEY` works too.
`--secrets-dir <dir>`	Keep keys in files here, not in the Keychain (on a Mac) or the data folder (elsewhere).
`--server <address>`	Work with the server at this address, as the agent device `flotilla connect` paired.