CLI commands

Overview of Tessl's CLI commands for managing tiles, workspaces, and authentication.

The Tessl CLI provides commands for managing tiles, workspaces, authentication, and project configuration. This page provides a comprehensive reference for all available commands.

Getting started

tessl help

To see all available commands, run:

tessl --help

To get detailed information about a specific command or command group, use the --help flag:

tessl <command> --help
tessl <command-group> <subcommand> --help

---

Authentication

tessl login

Authenticate with Tessl using the WorkOS device flow.

Usage

tessl login

Alternative

tessl auth login

tessl logout

Sign out and clear authentication credentials.

Usage

tessl logout

Alternative

tessl auth logout

tessl whoami

Show current authenticated user information.

Usage

tessl whoami

Alternative

tessl auth whoami

tessl auth token

Generate a new Tessl API key for programmatic access.

Usage

tessl auth token [--expiry-date <date>]

Flags

• --expiry-date (string, optional): Expiration date for the API key in YYYY-MM-DD format (e.g., 2025-10-05)

Examples

# Generate an API key with default expiration
tessl auth token

# Generate an API key that expires on a specific date
tessl auth token --expiry-date 2025-12-31

---

Setup and initialization

tessl init

Authenticate and sync dependencies, optionally configure MCP client integration with coding agents.

Usage

tessl init [--project-dependencies <option>] [--agent <name>]...

Flags

• --project-dependencies (string, optional): Configure project dependencies mode. Options: install (default), skip, ask

• --agent (string, optional, repeatable): Configure MCP for coding agent. Supported values: cursor, claude-code, gemini, codex. Can specify multiple agents. See Custom Agents for information on configuring additional agents.

Notes

• Configures MCP server settings for AI coding agents

• Automatically syncs project dependencies when configured

• Important: Open source dependencies must be installed in your project (via npm install, pip install, etc.) before running tessl init so that Tessl can detect them and install the relevant tiles

Examples

# Basic initialization with default settings
tessl init

# Initialize and configure Cursor integration
tessl init --agent cursor

# Initialize with multiple agents
tessl init --agent cursor --agent claude-code

# Initialize but skip automatic dependency sync
tessl init --project-dependencies skip

---

Project dependencies

tessl install

Install tiles into your project. Tiles are versioned bundles of reusable, agent-agnostic context that make coding agents more effective. They can contain skills, documentation, and rules.

Alias: tessl i

Usage

tessl install [--project-dependencies] [--yes] [--skill <value>]... <tile>...

Arguments

• tile (string, required): Can be:

  • Registry tile: workspace/tile[@version] (version optional, defaults to latest)

  • GitHub repository:

    • Full URL: https://github.com/owner/repo

    • Shorthand: github:owner/repo (e.g., github:softaworks/agent-toolkit)

  • File path: file:<path> to install from local directory

Flags

• --project-dependencies (boolean, optional): Scan and sync project dependencies with registry tiles. Dependencies should be installed locally via package manager prior to using this. When used in a monorepo, scans dependencies from the current working directory.

• --yes (boolean, optional): Automatically accept all installations (use with --project-dependencies)

• --skill (string, repeatable, optional): ** Specify which skill(s) to install by name (e.g., pdf, pptx). Used when a repository contains multiple skills. If omitted, you'll be prompted interactively to select from available skills. Can be specified multiple times to install multiple skills from the same repository.

Notes

• Tiles are installed to .tessl/tiles/<workspace>/<tile>/ in your project

• Your project's tessl.json is automatically updated with the tile reference

• If a tile is already installed and up-to-date, it will be skipped

• GitHub URL formats: https://github.com/owner/repo, github:owner/repo, or with branch/path: https://github.com/owner/repo/tree/main/skills/pdf

• File system installation: Use file:<path> to install from a local directory (tile.json expected in the path)

• Monorepo support: When using --project-dependencies in a monorepo, the command scans dependencies from your current working directory. This allows you to initialize Tessl at the monorepo root and then install project-specific dependencies from subfolders.

Examples

# Install a specific tile from registry
tessl install tessl/[email protected]

# Install multiple tiles from registry
tessl install tessl/svelte tessl/react

# Install tiles for all project dependencies
tessl install --project-dependencies

# Install all project dependencies without prompts
tessl install --project-dependencies --yes

# Install from file system (tile.json is expected in the specified path)
tessl install file:<path to tile>

# Install from GitHub repository with interactive skill selection
tessl install https://github.com/anthropics/skills

# Install using GitHub shorthand syntax
tessl install github:softaworks/agent-toolkit

# Install specific skill by name from GitHub repository (when repo has multiple skills)
tessl install https://github.com/anthropics/skills --skill pdf

# Install multiple skills by name from GitHub repository using shorthand
tessl install github:anthropics/skills --skill pdf --skill pptx

# Install from specific branch and path in GitHub repository
tessl install https://github.com/anthropics/skills/tree/main/skills/pdf

# Monorepo workflow: Initialize at root, then install dependencies from subfolder
tessl init
cd backend
tessl install --project-dependencies

tessl search

Search for tiles in the Tessl registry by name, PURL, or HTTP URL.

Usage

tessl search [query]

Arguments

• query (string, optional): Search query. If omitted, you'll be prompted interactively.

Examples

# Search for tiles matching "svelte"
tessl search svelte

# Interactive search
tessl search

tessl uninstall

Uninstall tiles from your project.

Usage

tessl uninstall <workspace/tile>

Arguments

• workspace/tile (string, required): Full tile name in the format workspace/tile

Notes

• Removes the tile from tessl.json and deletes files from .tessl/tiles/

• Does not require authentication (local operation only)

Examples

# Uninstall a tile
tessl uninstall tessl/svelte

tessl list

List all installed tiles in your project.

Usage

tessl list [--json]

Flags

• --json / --no-json (boolean, optional): Output tiles as JSON instead of human-readable format

Notes

• Lists all tiles installed in your project based on tessl.json

• Shows tile names in the format workspace/tile with their versions

• Does not require authentication (local operation only)

Examples

# List all installed tiles
tessl list

# List tiles in JSON format
tessl list --json

---

Skill management

tessl skill new

Create a new skill with an interactive wizard or using flags.

Usage

tessl skill new [--name NAME] [--description DESCRIPTION] [--workspace WORKSPACE] [--path PATH] [--install] [--public]

Flags

• --name (string, optional): Name of the skill

• --description (string, optional): Description of the skill

• --workspace (string, optional): Workspace to create the skill in

• --path (string, optional): Local path where the skill directory will be created

• --install (boolean, optional): Install the skill locally after creation

• --public (boolean, optional): Make the skill public (default is private)

Notes

• If flags are omitted, an interactive wizard will guide you through skill creation

• The skill will be created as a directory with the proper Agent Skills specification structure

• Use --install to immediately add the skill to your local agent configuration

Examples

# Create a skill interactively
tessl skill new

# Create a skill with all details specified
tessl skill new --name "commit-conventions" --description "Enforce commit message standards" --workspace myteam --install

tessl skill import

Import an existing skill from a local path or GitHub repository.

Usage

tessl skill import [--workspace WORKSPACE] [--public] [--force] [<path>]

Flags

• --workspace (string, optional): Workspace to import the skill into

• --public (boolean, optional): Make the imported skill public (default is private)

• --force (boolean, optional): Force import even if validation warnings exist

Arguments

• path (string, optional): Path to the skill directory or GitHub repository URL. Defaults to current directory if omitted.

Notes

• Validates the skill structure against the Agent Skills specification

• Can import from local directories or GitHub repositories

• Use --force to bypass non-critical validation warnings

Examples

# Import from current directory
tessl skill import

# Import from a specific path
tessl skill import ./my-skill

# Import from GitHub
tessl skill import https://github.com/user/my-skill

# Import and make public
tessl skill import --public --workspace myteam ./my-skill

tessl skill lint

Validate a skill's structure and contents against the Agent Skills specification.

Usage

tessl skill lint [<source>]

Arguments

• source (string, optional): Path to skill folder which contains tile.json file. Defaults to current directory if omitted.

Notes

• Checks for required files and proper structure

• Validates frontmatter fields (name, description, etc.)

• Verifies conformance to the Agent Skills specification at agentskills.io/specification

• Returns validation errors and warnings

Examples

# Lint skill in current directory
tessl skill lint

# Lint skill at specific directory path
tessl skill lint ./my-skill

# Lint skill using tile.json path
tessl skill lint ./my-skill/tile.json

tessl skill publish

Publish a skill to the Tessl Registry.

Usage

tessl skill publish [--workspace WORKSPACE] [--public] [--force] [--skip-evals] [<path>]

Flags

• --workspace (string, optional): Workspace to publish the skill to

• --public (boolean, optional): Make the skill public (default is private)

• --force (boolean, optional): Force publish even if validation warnings exist

• --skip-evals (boolean, optional): Skip publishing eval scenarios from evals/ directory

Arguments

• path (string, optional): Path to the skill directory to publish. Defaults to current directory if omitted.

Notes

• Skills are automatically linted before publishing

• Published skills are versioned based on the version in the skill manifest

• Eval scenarios from the evals/ directory are published by default; use --skip-evals to exclude them

• Automatic evaluation: When published, skills are automatically evaluated and review scores are calculated (see Evaluating skills)

Examples

# Publish skill from current directory
tessl skill publish

# Publish to a specific workspace
tessl skill publish --workspace myteam ./my-skill

# Publish publicly
tessl skill publish --public

tessl skill review

Review a skill's conformance to the Agent Skills specification.

Usage

tessl skill review [--skill <name>] [<path-or-url>]

Flags

• --skill (string, optional): Specify which skill to review by name when the path contains multiple skills

Arguments

• path-or-url (string, optional): Path to the skill directory or URL to review. Defaults to current directory if omitted.

Notes

• Performs a comprehensive conformance review against the Agent Skills specification

• Validates skill structure, formatting, and best practices

• Provides detailed feedback on how to improve the skill

• Similar to lint but with more detailed analysis and recommendations

Examples

# Review skill in current directory
tessl skill review

# Review skill at specific path
tessl skill review ./my-skill

# Review specific skill by name from a tile with multiple skills
tessl skill review --skill pdf ./my-tile

tessl skill search

Search for skills and tiles with skills in the Tessl registry.

Usage

tessl skill search [<query>]

Arguments

• query (string, optional): Search query for skills. If omitted, you'll be prompted interactively.

Notes

• Searches specifically for skills and tiles containing skills

• Use tessl search for general tile search (docs, rules, skills)

• Use tessl skill search to focus specifically on skills

Examples

# Search for skills matching "code review"
tessl skill search "code review"

# Search for testing skills
tessl skill search testing

# Interactive search
tessl skill search

---

Tile management

tessl tile new

Create a new tile with an interactive wizard.

Usage

tessl tile new [--name <workspace/tile-name>] [--summary <description>] [--path <path>] [--docs] [--rules <rule-name>]... [--workspace <workspace>] [--skill] [--skill-name <name>] [--skill-description <description>] [--describes <purl>] [--install] [--public]

Flags

• --name (string, optional): Tile name in format workspace/tile-name

• --summary (string, optional): Brief description of the tile

• --path (string, optional): Directory path where tile will be created

• --docs / --no-docs (boolean, optional): Include documentation

• --rules (string, repeatable, optional): Include rule by name (can be specified multiple times)

• --workspace (string, optional): Workspace for the tile

• --skill / --no-skill (boolean, optional): Include a skill in the tile

• --skill-name (string, optional): Skill name (implies --skill)

• --skill-description (string, optional): Skill description (required with --skill or --skill-name)

• --describes (string, optional): PURL of package this tile documents

• --install / --no-install (boolean, optional): Automatically install in current project

• --public / --no-public (boolean, optional): Make tile public (default: private)

Notes

• Creates a new tile directory with a basic tile.json template

• If run without flags, launches an interactive wizard to guide you through tile creation

• Use --skill or --skill-name to create a tile with a skill component

Examples

# Interactive wizard mode
tessl tile new

# Create a tile with specific options
tessl tile new --name myworkspace/my-skill --summary "My skill description" --path ./my-skill-tile

# Create a tile with a skill
tessl tile new --name myworkspace/my-skill --skill --skill-name "my-skill" --skill-description "Description of my skill"

# Create and automatically install
tessl tile new --name myworkspace/my-skill --install

tessl tile lint

Validate tile structure and contents

Usage

tessl tile lint [<source>]

Arguments

• source (string, optional): Path to the tile directory to lint. Defaults to current directory if omitted.

tessl tile pack

Package a tile into a .tgz file

Usage

tessl tile pack [--output path] [<source>]

Arguments

• source (string, optional): Path to the tile directory to pack. Defaults to current directory if omitted.

• output (string, optional): Path for the .tgz file that is generated. If omitted, uses the tile name and version to create a file in your current directory.

tessl tile publish

Publish tiles to the Tessl registry.

Usage

tessl tile publish [--skip-evals] [<path>]

Flags

• --skip-evals / --no-skip-evals (boolean, optional): Skip publishing eval scenarios from evals/ directory

Arguments

• path (string, optional): Path to the tile directory to publish. Defaults to current directory if omitted.

Examples

# Publish a tile from current directory
tessl tile publish

# Publish a tile from a specific directory
tessl tile publish path/to/my/tile

Not sure what your published tile's URL will look like? See Workspaces to learn how workspace and tile names map to Registry URLs.

tessl tile unpublish

Unpublish tiles from the registry.

Usage

tessl tile unpublish --tile <tile-name>

Flags

• --tile (string, required): Tile to unpublish in the format workspace/tile@version

Notes

• Only available within 2 hours of publishing

Examples

# Unpublish a specific tile version
tessl tile unpublish --tile myworkspace/[email protected]

tessl tile archive

Archive tiles in the registry.

Usage

tessl tile archive --tile <tile-name> --reason <reason>

Flags

• --tile (string, required): Tile to archive in the format workspace/tile@version

• --reason (string, required): Reason for archiving the tile

Notes

• Prevents new installations while preserving existing installations

Examples

# Archive a tile with a reason
tessl tile archive --tile myworkspace/[email protected] --reason "Deprecated in favor of v2"

---

Workspace management

Workspaces enable you to create private collections of tiles that are restricted to yourself or your organization. You can control member access and permissions. To learn more, see Distributing via registry.

tessl workspace create

Create a new workspace.

Usage

tessl workspace create [name]

Arguments

• name (string, optional): Name for the workspace. The name must be lowercase. If omitted, you'll be prompted.

Examples

# Create a workspace
tessl workspace create myworkspace

# Interactive creation
tessl workspace create

tessl workspace list

List all workspaces that you are a member of.

Usage

tessl workspace list

tessl workspace delete

Delete an existing workspace.

Usage

tessl workspace delete [name]

Arguments

• name (string, optional): The name or ID of the workspace. If omitted, you'll be prompted.

Examples

# Delete a workspace
tessl workspace delete myworkspace

# Interactive deletion
tessl workspace delete

tessl workspace add-member

Add a user to a workspace with specified permissions.

Usage

tessl workspace add-member [--workspace <name>] [--user <user>] [--role <role>]

Flags

• --workspace (string, optional): The name or ID of the workspace

• --user (string, optional): The username or ID of the user to add

• --role (string, optional): The role of the user. Options:

  • member * publisher

  • manager * owner

See Roles for more information

Examples

# Add a user to the workspace with a member role
tessl workspace add-member --workspace myworkspace --user johnsmith --role member

# Add a user to the workspace with an owner role
tessl workspace add-member --workspace myworkspace --user janesmith --role owner

# Interactive mode (prompts for all fields)
tessl workspace add-member

tessl workspace remove-member

Remove a user from a workspace.

Usage

tessl workspace remove-member [--workspace <name>] [--user <user>]

Flags

• --workspace (string, optional): The name or ID of the workspace

• --user (string, optional): The username or ID of the user to remove

Examples

# Remove a member
tessl workspace remove-member --workspace myworkspace --user [email protected]

# Interactive mode
tessl workspace remove-member

tessl workspace list-members

List all members of a workspace.

Usage

tessl workspace list-members [name]

Arguments

• name (string, optional): The name or ID of the workspace. If omitted, you'll be prompted.

Examples

# List members of a workspace
tessl workspace list-members myworkspace

# Interactive mode
tessl workspace list-members

tessl workspace archive

Archive a workspace. An archived workspace won't be available to publish to or read from, but can be unarchived later.

Usage

tessl workspace archive --reason <text> [name]

Flags

• --reason (string, required): Reason for archiving the workspace

Arguments

• name (string, optional): The name or ID of the workspace. If omitted, you'll be prompted.

Notes

• Archiving is a safer alternative to deleting, as archived workspaces can be restored

• Use tessl workspace unarchive to restore an archived workspace

Examples

# Archive a workspace with a reason
tessl workspace archive --reason "deprecated" myworkspace

# Interactive mode
tessl workspace archive --reason "no longer in use"

tessl workspace unarchive

Unarchive an archived workspace, making it active again.

Usage

tessl workspace unarchive [name]

Arguments

• name (string, optional): The name or ID of the workspace. If omitted, you'll be prompted.

Examples

# Unarchive a workspace
tessl workspace unarchive myworkspace

# Interactive mode
tessl workspace unarchive

---

Configuration management

tessl config get

Get a configuration value or show all configuration.

Usage

tessl config get [<key>]

Arguments

• key (string, optional): Configuration key to get. If omitted, shows all configuration.

Examples

# Show all configuration
tessl config get

# Get a specific configuration value
tessl config get analytics.enabled

tessl config set

Set a configuration value.

Usage

tessl config set <key> <value>

Arguments

• key (string, required): Configuration key to set

• value (string, required): Value to set

Examples

# Set a configuration value
tessl config set analytics.enabled false

tessl config list

List all configuration values.

Usage

tessl config list [<key>]

Arguments

• key (string, optional): Configuration key to list. If omitted, lists all configuration.

Notes

• Similar to tessl config get but specifically for listing configuration values

Examples

# List all configuration
tessl config list

# List a specific configuration key
tessl config list analytics.enabled

tessl config add

Add one or more values to a configuration array.

Usage

tessl config add <key> <value>...

Arguments

• key (string, required): Configuration key for the array

• value (string, required, repeatable): One or more values to add to the array

Notes

• Use this command to add values to array-type configuration settings

• Can specify multiple values in a single command

Examples

# Add a single value to an array configuration
tessl config add agents cursor

# Add multiple values to an array configuration
tessl config add agents cursor claude-code

tessl config remove

Remove a value from a configuration array.

Usage

tessl config remove <key> <value>

Arguments

• key (string, required): Configuration key for the array

• value (string, required): Value to remove from the array

Notes

• Use this command to remove values from array-type configuration settings

• Only removes the specified value, not the entire configuration key

Examples

# Remove a value from an array configuration
tessl config remove agents cursor

---

Diagnostics and utilities

tessl doctor

Run authentication and manifest diagnostics to troubleshoot issues.

Usage

tessl doctor [--json]

Flags

• --json (boolean, optional): Output diagnostics as JSON for programmatic processing

Examples

# Run diagnostics with human-readable output
tessl doctor

# Output diagnostics as JSON
tessl doctor --json

tessl feedback

Send feedback to the Tessl team.

Usage

tessl feedback [<message>]

Arguments

• message (string, optional): Feedback message to send. If omitted, you'll be prompted interactively.

Examples

# Send feedback directly
tessl feedback "Great tool! Would love to see Python support."

# Interactive feedback
tessl feedback

---

CLI self-management

tessl cli update

Update the CLI to the latest or specified version.

Usage

tessl cli update [--target <version>] [--dry-run]

Note: --target can be shortened to -t

Flags

• --target or -t (string, optional): Target version to update to (e.g., v1.0.0)

• --dry-run (boolean, optional): Show what would be run without executing the update

Examples

# Update to the latest version
tessl cli update

# Update to a specific version
tessl cli update --target v1.0.0

# Preview update without executing
tessl cli update --dry-run

---

Model Context Protocol (MCP)

tessl mcp start

Start the Tessl MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for integration with AI coding agents.

Usage

tessl mcp start