Command Reference

Complete reference for all Helix CLI v2 commands and options

This page provides a comprehensive reference for all commands available in Helix CLI v2.

Global Options

These options are available for all commands:

helix --help, -h      Show help information for the command
helix --version, -V   Display the CLI version

Project Management

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helix init

Initialize a new Helix project with configuration and structure.

helix init [OPTIONS] [SUBCOMMAND]

Show options

--path | -p [PATH] · String

The path to the project.

--template [TEMPLATE] · String

The template to use for the project.

--queries-path | -q [PATH] · String

The path to the query files.

Show subcommands

helix init cloud · [Options]

Show options

--region [REGION] · String

The region the instance is deployed to.

--name [NAME] · String

The name of the instance.

helix init ecr · [Options]

Show options

--name [NAME] · String

The name of the AWS ECR repository. Note this will create the repository if needed.

helix init fly · [Options]

Show options

--name [NAME] · String

The name of the Fly.io app.

--volume-size

The volume size in GB.

--vm-size [SIZE] · String

• shared-cpu-1x - 1 shared vCPU, 256MB RAM
• shared-cpu-2x - 2 shared vCPUs, 512MB RAM
• shared-cpu-4x - 4 shared vCPUs, 1GB RAM
• performance-4x - 4 dedicated vCPUs, 8GB RAM
• performance-8x - 8 dedicated vCPUs, 16GB RAM

--public

Make instance public.

helix init local · [Options]

Show options

--name [NAME] · String

The name of the local instance.

Note that helix init with no arguments defaults to making a local instance called dev.

helix add

Add a new instance to an existing Helix project.

helix add [SUBCOMMAND]

Show subcommands

helix add cloud · [Options]

Show options

--region [REGION] · String

The region the instance is deployed to.

--name [NAME] · String

The name of the instance.

helix add ecr · [Options]

Show options

--name [NAME] · String

The name of the AWS ECR repository. Note this will create the repository if needed.

helix add fly · [Options]

Show options

--name [NAME] · String

The name of the Fly.io app.

--volume-size

The volume size in GB.

--vm-size [SIZE] · String

• shared-cpu-1x - 1 shared vCPU, 256MB RAM
• shared-cpu-2x - 2 shared vCPUs, 512MB RAM
• shared-cpu-4x - 4 shared vCPUs, 1GB RAM
• performance-4x - 4 dedicated vCPUs, 8GB RAM
• performance-8x - 8 dedicated vCPUs, 16GB RAM

--public

Make instance public.

helix add local · [Options]

Show options

--name [NAME] · String

The name of the local instance.

helix migrate

Migrate a v1 Helix project to v2 format.

helix migrate [OPTIONS]

Show options

--path | -p [PATH] · String

The path to the project to migrate.

• Default: current directory

--queries-dir | -q [DIR] · String

The directory to move .hx files to.

• Default: ”./db/”

--instance-name | -i [NAME] · String

The name for the default local instance.

• Default: “dev”

--port [PORT] · String

The port for the local instance.

• Default: 6969

--dry-run

Show what would be migrated without making changes.

--no-backup

Skip creating backup of v1 files.

Validation & Compilation

helix check

Validate project configuration and query syntax.

helix check [INSTANCE]

Name of the instance to check (defaults to all instances)

helix compile

Compile project queries into executable format.

helix compile [OPTIONS]

Show options

--path, -p [PATH] · String

The path to the project.

--output, -o [PATH] · String

The output path for compiled queries.

helix build

Build and prepare an instance for deployment.

What it does:

1. Validates configuration and queries
2. Compiles queries
3. Generates Docker configuration files
4. Prepares the instance workspace

helix build [INSTANCE]

The instance to build.

Deployment & Instance Management

helix push

Deploy or update a running instance.

What it does:

1. Builds the instance if needed
2. Creates/updates Docker container for local instances
3. Pushes to cloud provider for remote instances
4. Starts the instance

helix push [INSTANCE]

The instance to deploy.

helix pull

🚧 COMING SOON 🚧

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helix start

Start a stopped instance without rebuilding.

helix start [INSTANCE]

The instance to start.

helix stop

Stop a running instance.

helix stop [INSTANCE]

The instance to stop.

helix status

Show the status of all instances in the project.

Cleanup & Maintenance

helix prune

Remove unused containers, images, and workspace files.

What it removes:

• Stopped containers
• Unused Docker images
• Workspace files
• Note: Preserves data volumes

helix prune [OPTIONS] [INSTANCE]

The instance to prune.

Show options

--all, -a · Boolean

Prune all instances in the project.

helix delete

Permanently delete an instance and all its data.

What it removes:

• Container and images
• All data volumes
• Workspace files
• Configuration entries

helix delete [INSTANCE]

The instance to delete.

Authentication & Cloud

helix auth

Manage authentication for Helix Cloud.

helix auth [SUBCOMMAND]

The subcommand to run.

Show subcommands

login

Initiates browser-based authentication flow.

logout

Clears authentication tokens from ~/.helix/credentials.

create-key

Generates a new API key for programmatic access.

Configuration & Settings

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helix metrics

Configure telemetry and usage metrics collection.

helix metrics [SUBCOMMAND]

The subcommand to run.

Show subcommands

full

Enable full metrics collection (requires email).

basic

Enable minimal anonymous metrics.

off

Disable all metrics collection.

status

Show current metrics configuration.

helix update

Update the Helix CLI to the latest version.

helix update [OPTIONS]

The options to run.

Show options

--force · Boolean

Force update even if already on latest version.

For issues or questions:

• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/HelixDB/helix-db/issues
• Discord: https://discord.gg/2stgMPr5BD
• Email: [e-mail]

Next Steps

Local Development

Learn how to develop locally

Helix Cloud

Learn how to deploy to Helix Cloud

Fly.io

Learn how to deploy to Fly.io

AWS ECR

Learn how to deploy to AWS ECR