Steroid CLI — Command Reference

Every steroid command and capability, its flags, and what it does. Run any command with --help for the same information inline. The reference is split by mode: Part 1 does not require the Steroid backend; answering recall, updates and agent health probes can still require network access. Part 2 describes credentials and the Connected-only MCP operations.

Part 1 · Local Client Commands

These commands run with no account, no connection string, and no server — they are available in both Local and Connected mode. Provider inference and release downloads have their own network requirements.

Everyday Commands

The handful you'll reach for most — one from each area. Full detail is in the sections below.

Command	What it does
`steroid`	Launch the interactive TUI (mode picker on first run, IDE wiring, credential vault, onboarding). The default when you run `steroid` with no subcommand.
`steroid project init`	Track the current directory and build its chat-memory index — the usual way to onboard a repo for recall.
`steroid memory ask "<question>"`	Recall an answer with session/turn citations through an installed agent CLI and its configured model provider.
`steroid memory diff <diff_id>`	Fetch the full diff/file content behind a citation surfaced by `memory ask`.
`steroid doctor`	Run installation diagnostics; exits non-zero if anything is wrong.
`steroid daemon status`	Show whether background sync is running.
`steroid update`	Update the CLI to the latest release.
`steroid --version` (`-V`)	Print the installed version and exit.

NOTE

Every command accepts --help, e.g. steroid memory ask --help.

Conventions & Syntax

A few conventions hold across almost every command below — stated once here instead of repeated in every table.

--project <path> defaults to the current directory on memory commands.
--json is available on doctor, mode show, setup and memory status/list; use each command's help for its output contract.
--force ignores the change cache and rebuilds from scratch (memory build).
<angle> = required argument; [brackets] = optional argument.

Chat Memory & Recall

Steroid's flagship local capability. Index and recall from your past AI-chat history for this project (steroid memory …). Readers cover Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Cursor CLI and Copilot, so you can recall a conversation from one IDE while working in another. --project defaults to the current directory. Storage/indexing are local and LLM-free. Answering recall sends node-selection and synthesis prompts through an agent CLI; its model provider may receive transcript excerpts.

Command	Flags	What it does
`memory build`	`--project`, `--force`	Build or incrementally refresh the chat-memory index. `--force` rebuilds unconditionally, ignoring the change cache.
`memory rebuild`	`--project`	Force a full rebuild (ignores the change cache).
`memory status`	`--project`, `--json`	Show the memory-index status, per source.
`memory list`	`--project`, `--json`	List the chat-memory indexes present, per agent.
`memory remove`	`--agent <name>`, `--project`	Delete derived indexes, never the agent's source history. Sources: `claude-code \| codex \| cursor \| cursor-cli \| copilot`.
`memory ask <query>`	`--project`, `--global`	Recall within the selected project. `--global` is currently disabled/no-op; the public path forces project-scoped search.
`memory diff <diff_id>`	`--project`	Fetch the full diff / file content for a diff id surfaced by `memory ask` (e.g. `d1fbddca-t047-e0`).
`memory view`	`--agent <name>`, `--project`	Open the chat-memory tree (`MEMORY_TREE.html`) for an agent in the browser.

NOTE

Inside your IDE, the same capability is exposed as the MCP tools recall_memory, recall_turn, and recall_diff — available in both Local and Connected mode.

Examples

steroid memory build
steroid memory ask "how did we fix the timeout bug?"
steroid memory diff d1fbddca-t047-e0

Register and build with project init or project add. Recall can also auto-index and register a project, reporting that work. Background sync refreshes existing indexes for registered projects every 300 seconds by default; it does not initially index every repository. Source history must exist. Git worktree resolution uses live Git metadata, so removed worktrees can become unresolvable and a later rebuild can lose their previously captured coverage.

Mode / IDE setup	Behavior
`mode show [--json]`	Show the effective mode and its resolution context.
`mode set local\|connected`	Persist mode; an environment override still wins. Restart IDE MCP processes. This does not perform all TUI cleanup.
`setup <ide>`	Configure `cursor`, `claude-code`, `codex` or `copilot`. Flags: `--check`, `--json`, `--skip-health-probe`. Skipping the probe does not prove agent inference works.
`install-onboard-skill`	Install the separate onboarding bootstrap; use `--help` for options.

Projects

Track the folders you work in (the same registry that powers memory sync and the TUI) and build their chat-memory index (steroid project …).

Command	Flags	What it does
`project init`	—	Register + index the current directory with no path argument (resolves the project root from the nearest `.git`).
`project add [path]`	—	Register a project folder and build its chat-memory index for a given path.
`project status [slug\|path]`	—	Show the chat-memory index status for a project.
`project list`	—	List all registered projects.
`project remove <slug\|path>`	`--keep-artifacts`	Unregister and delete Steroid's generated index (`.steroid/`, `.steroidignore`, chat-memory) for every agent. Source files are untouched. `--keep-artifacts` only unregisters, leaving the generated files on disk.

Background Sync

Keeps your recall index fresh automatically, and in Connected mode also powers Flows. It's turned on during IDE setup. It refreshes existing registered indexes and optionally polls FCC for connected LLM work; each IDE's MCP process is separate.

Command	Flags	What it does
`daemon start`	`--force`	Turn on background sync. `--force` restarts it even if already running (to pick up new state).
`daemon status`	—	Show whether background sync is running.
`daemon stop`	—	Turn off background sync.

Diagnostics

One-shot health check of the install.

Command	Flags	What it does
`doctor`	`--json`	Run installation diagnostics — version, mode (local / connected), project registry, IDE MCP config + slash-command skills, background sync status, and project error state. Exits with code 1 if any check fails. `--json` emits the result as a JSON array.

Updating & Removing

Keep the binary current or remove Steroid entirely. (There's a dedicated Updating & Uninstalling page too; this is the quick command reference.)

Command	Flags	What it does
`update`	—	Fetch the latest GitHub release asset. SHA-256 verification is conditional on a published checksum sidecar. POSIX uses a backup/copy replacement; Windows stages a batch swap.
`uninstall`	`--yes` / `-y`	Remove Steroid state and owned wiring/managed skills. Version stamps protect user-owned same-named skill directories. The separately installed `steroid-onboard` bootstrap intentionally survives. Back up needed credentials first.

WARNING

steroid uninstall is irreversible — it wipes credentials and all ~/.steroid/ data (including your local memory indexes).

Part 2 · Connected Mode (adds the networked layer)

The marketplace/workflow MCP tools are available only in Connected mode and require a connection string. The credential store itself is local and can be managed without a cloud connection. Switch to Connected from onboarding or Settings.

Credentials (Vault)

Manage credentials in the local encrypted vault (per-server secrets used by the marketplace and workflows).

Command	Flags	What it does
`cred store`	—	Launch the local encrypted-file credential TUI. This command does not itself require Connected mode or a cloud request.

Marketplace & Workflow Tools

These are tools your IDE calls in Connected mode — not steroid terminal subcommands. They're available only in Connected mode, and are surfaced through the agent skills (see Agent Skills).

Tool	What it does
`search_tools`	Search the catalog for tools (200+ servers, surfaced just-in-time).
`run_tool`	Run a tool from the search results.
`search_workflows`	Find one of your workflows.
`run_workflow`	Run a workflow.
`create_workflow`	Build a new workflow from a description.
`repair_workflow`	Fix a failing workflow.

NOTE

In Local mode these tools aren't available at all — only the recall tools are.

Internal MCP Modes

You don't type these — your IDE and the operating system start them for you. Listed for completeness.

Command	What it does
`steroid mcp-server`	The MCP server your IDE launches (via its MCP config). It exposes the recall tools in Local mode, plus the marketplace and workflow tools in Connected mode.
`steroid pull-server`	The background service that keeps your recall index fresh and, in Connected mode, powers Flows. Started automatically by your operating system.

→ Local vs Connected Mode → Steroid CLI — Overview → Updating & Uninstalling