CLI Reference

Wave CLI commands for pipeline orchestration.

Quick Reference

Command	Purpose
`wave init`	Initialize a new project
`wave run`	Execute a pipeline
`wave do`	Run an ad-hoc task
`wave status`	Check pipeline status
`wave logs`	View execution logs
`wave cancel`	Cancel running pipeline
`wave chat`	Interactive analysis of pipeline runs
`wave artifacts`	List and export artifacts
`wave list`	List adapters, runs, pipelines, personas, contracts
`wave validate`	Validate configuration
`wave clean`	Clean up workspaces
`wave cleanup`	Remove orphaned worktrees from .wave/workspaces/
`wave compose`	Validate and execute pipeline sequences
`wave decisions`	Show decision log for a pipeline run
`wave doctor`	Diagnose project configuration and health
`wave fork`	Fork a run from a checkpoint
`wave merge`	Merge a pull request using forge CLI
`wave persona`	Persona management (create, list)
`wave pipeline`	Pipeline management (create, list)
`wave retro`	View and manage run retrospectives
`wave rewind`	Rewind a run to an earlier checkpoint
`wave skill`	Manage skill templates and install from remote sources
`wave suggest`	Suggest impactful pipeline runs
`wave serve`	Start the web dashboard server
`wave migrate`	Database migrations
`wave bench`	Run and analyze SWE-bench benchmarks

wave init

Initialize a new Wave project.

bash

wave init

Output:

Created wave.yaml
Created .wave/personas/navigator.md
Created .wave/personas/craftsman.md
Created .wave/personas/summarizer.md
Created .wave/pipelines/default.yaml

Project initialized. Run 'wave validate' to check configuration.

Options

bash

wave init --adapter opencode    # Use different adapter
wave init --force               # Overwrite existing files
wave init --merge               # Merge into existing config
wave init --reconfigure         # Re-run onboarding wizard with current settings as defaults
wave init --all                 # Include all pipelines regardless of release status
wave init --workspace ./ws      # Custom workspace directory path
wave init --output config.yaml  # Custom output path for wave.yaml
wave init -y                    # Answer yes to all confirmation prompts

wave run

Execute a pipeline. Arguments can be provided as positional args or flags.

bash

# Positional arguments (recommended for quick usage)
wave run ops-pr-review "Review auth module"

# Flag-based (explicit)
wave run --pipeline ops-pr-review --input "Review auth module"

# Mixed
wave run ops-pr-review --input "Review auth module"

Output:

[run-abc123] Starting pipeline: ops-pr-review
[run-abc123] Step: analyze (navigator) - started
[run-abc123] Step: analyze (navigator) - completed (45s)
[run-abc123] Step: review (auditor) - started
[run-abc123] Step: review (auditor) - completed (1m12s)
[run-abc123] Pipeline completed in 1m57s

Options

Flags are organized into four tiers by usage frequency.

Essential (Tier 1)

Flag	Description
`--pipeline`	Pipeline name to run
`--input`	Input data for the pipeline
`--model`	Model override (tier name or literal)
`--adapter`	Override adapter (claude, gemini, opencode, codex)

Execution (Tier 2)

Flag	Description
`--from-step`	Start execution from specific step
`--force`	Skip validation checks when using --from-step
`--dry-run`	Show what would be executed without running
`--timeout`	Timeout in minutes (0 = no timeout)
`--steps`	Run only named steps (comma-separated)
`-x, --exclude`	Skip named steps (comma-separated)
`--on-failure`	Failure policy: halt (default) or skip
`--detach`	Run as detached background process

Continuous (Tier 3)

Flag	Description
`--continuous`	Run in continuous mode
`--source`	Work item source URI
`--max-iterations`	Maximum iterations (0 = unlimited)
`--delay`	Delay between iterations (e.g., 5s, 1m)

Dev/Debug (Tier 4)

Flag	Description
`--mock`	Use mock adapter (testing)
`--preserve-workspace`	Keep workspace from previous run
`--auto-approve`	Auto-approve approval gates
`--no-retro`	Skip retrospective generation
`--force-model`	Force model on all steps
`--run`	Resume from specific run ID
`--manifest`	Path to manifest file

Examples

bash

wave run impl-hotfix --dry-run                 # Preview without executing
wave run impl-speckit --from-step implement    # Start from step (auto-recovers input)
wave run impl-speckit --from-step implement --force  # Skip validation for --from-step
wave run impl-recinq --from-step report --run impl-recinq-20260219-fa19  # Recover input from specific run
wave run migrate --timeout 60                  # Custom timeout (minutes)
wave run test --mock                           # Use mock adapter for testing
wave run build -o json                         # NDJSON output to stdout (pipe-friendly)
wave run deploy -o text                        # Plain text progress to stderr
wave run review -o text -v                     # Plain text with real-time tool activity
wave run check -o quiet                        # Only final result to stderr
wave run build --model haiku                   # Override adapter model for this run
wave run impl-issue --adapter opencode --model "zai-coding-plan/glm-5-turbo"  # Override adapter and model
wave run ops-debug --preserve-workspace        # Preserve workspace from previous run (for debugging)
wave run --detach impl-issue "fix login bug"   # Detach: run in background, survive shell exit
wave run impl-issue --steps fetch,implement    # Run only specific steps
wave run impl-issue -x validate               # Skip the validate step
wave run impl-issue --on-failure skip          # Continue on step failure
wave run impl-issue --continuous --source "https://github.com/org/repo/issues" --delay 5m  # Continuous mode

Detached Mode

The --detach flag spawns the pipeline as a background process that survives shell exit. The command prints the run ID and returns immediately. Use wave logs and wave cancel to manage it.

bash

wave run --detach impl-issue -- "https://github.com/org/repo/issues/42"
# → Pipeline 'impl-issue' launched (detached)
# → Run ID:  impl-issue-20260317-...
# → Logs:    wave logs impl-issue-20260317-...
# → Cancel:  wave cancel impl-issue-20260317-...

This is the same mechanism the TUI uses internally — the subprocess runs in its own session group (setsid), so killing the parent terminal has no effect on the pipeline.

wave do

Run an ad-hoc task without a pipeline file.

bash

wave do "fix the typo in README.md"

Output:

[run-xyz789] Generated 2-step pipeline: navigate -> execute
[run-xyz789] Step: navigate (navigator) - started
[run-xyz789] Step: navigate (navigator) - completed (23s)
[run-xyz789] Step: execute (craftsman) - started
[run-xyz789] Step: execute (craftsman) - completed (1m05s)
[run-xyz789] Task completed in 1m28s

Options

bash

wave do "audit auth" --persona auditor         # Use specific persona
wave do "test" --dry-run                       # Preview only
wave do "deploy" --mock                        # Use mock adapter for testing
wave do "audit" --model opus                   # Override adapter model for this run

wave meta

Generate and execute a custom multi-step pipeline dynamically using the philosopher persona.

bash

wave meta "implement user authentication"

Output:

Invoking philosopher to generate pipeline...
This may take a moment while the AI designs your pipeline.

Generated pipeline: implement-auth
Steps:
  1. navigate [navigator]
  2. specify [philosopher]
  3. implement [craftsman]
  4. review [auditor]

Meta pipeline completed (3m28s)
  Total steps: 4, Total tokens: 45k

Options

bash

wave meta "build API" --save api-pipeline.yaml  # Save generated pipeline
wave meta "refactor code" --dry-run             # Preview without executing
wave meta "add tests" --mock                    # Use mock adapter for testing
wave meta "refactor" --model opus               # Override adapter model for this run

The --save flag is particularly useful for turning dynamically generated pipelines into reusable templates:

bash

# Generate, save, and later re-run the same pipeline
wave meta "implement OAuth2 flow" --save .wave/pipelines/oauth2.yaml
wave run oauth2 "add Google provider"

wave status

Check pipeline run status.

bash

wave status

Output:

RUN_ID          PIPELINE      STATUS     STEP        ELAPSED    TOKENS
run-abc123      ops-pr-review   running    review      2m15s      12k
run-xyz789      impl-hotfix        completed  -           5m23s      28k

Detailed Status

bash

wave status run-abc123

Output:

Run ID:     run-abc123
Pipeline:   ops-pr-review
Status:     running
Step:       review
Started:    2026-02-03 14:30:22
Elapsed:    2m15s
Input:      Review auth module

Steps:
  analyze   completed   45s
  review    running     1m30s

Options

bash

wave status --all                # Show all recent runs
wave status --format json        # JSON output for scripting

wave logs

View execution logs.

bash

wave logs run-abc123

Output:

[14:30:22] started    analyze (navigator) Starting analysis
[14:31:07] completed  analyze (navigator) 45.0s 2.1k tokens Found 5 relevant files
[14:31:08] started    review (auditor) Beginning review
[14:32:20] completed  review (auditor) 72.0s 1.5k tokens Checking security patterns

Options

bash

wave logs --step analyze         # Filter by step
wave logs --errors               # Show only errors
wave logs --tail 20              # Last 20 entries
wave logs --follow               # Stream in real-time
wave logs --since 10m            # Last 10 minutes
wave logs --level error          # Log level filter (all, info, error)
wave logs --format json          # Output as JSON for scripting

Logs vs Progress Output

Wave has two distinct observability mechanisms that serve different purposes:

wave logs reads the event history from the state database after events have been recorded. It works on both running and completed pipelines and is the primary tool for post-hoc debugging.
--output modes (text, json, quiet) control how real-time progress is rendered to the terminal during execution. They determine what you see while a pipeline runs.

Comparison

	`wave logs`	`--output` modes
Mechanism	Reads recorded events from SQLite state DB	Renders progress events to terminal in real-time
Data source	`.wave/state.db` (persisted)	Live event stream (ephemeral)
Timing	During or after execution	Only during execution
Typical use	Post-hoc debugging, audit trail, scripting	Watching progress, CI output formatting

Use-Case Examples

1. Debugging a failed step

After a pipeline fails, use wave logs to inspect what happened:

bash

wave logs impl-issue-20260320-abc123 --errors
wave logs impl-issue-20260320-abc123 --step implement --format json

The logs are persisted in the state database, so you can inspect them long after the run finishes.

2. Watching a pipeline run live

To see real-time progress with tool activity while a pipeline executes:

bash

wave run impl-issue -o text -v -- "https://github.com/org/repo/issues/42"

The -o text flag renders plain-text progress to stderr, and -v adds real-time tool activity lines. This output is ephemeral — once the terminal is closed, it is gone.

3. Scripting and CI integration

For machine-readable output, combine both mechanisms:

bash

# Real-time: stream structured JSON events during execution
wave run impl-issue -o json -- "https://github.com/org/repo/issues/42"

# Post-hoc: query the state DB after completion
wave logs impl-issue-20260320-abc123 --format json

Use -o json when you need to process events as they happen (e.g., updating a CI dashboard). Use wave logs --format json when you need to analyze a completed run (e.g., extracting step durations for metrics).

wave cancel

Cancel a running pipeline.

bash

wave cancel run-abc123

Output:

Cancellation requested for run-abc123 (ops-pr-review)
Pipeline will stop after current step completes.

Force Cancel

bash

wave cancel run-abc123 --force
wave cancel run-abc123 -f              # Short flag for --force

Output:

Force cancellation sent to run-abc123 (ops-pr-review)
Process terminated.

Options

bash

wave cancel --format json       # Output cancellation result as JSON
wave cancel -f --format text    # Force cancel with text output (default)

wave artifacts

List and export artifacts.

bash

wave artifacts run-abc123

Output:

STEP      ARTIFACT        TYPE    SIZE      PATH
analyze   analysis.json   json    2.1 KB    .wave/workspaces/.../analysis.json
review    findings.md     md      4.5 KB    .wave/workspaces/.../findings.md

Export Artifacts

bash

wave artifacts run-abc123 --export ./output

Output:

Exported 2 artifacts to ./output/
  ./output/analyze/analysis.json
  ./output/review/findings.md

Options

bash

wave artifacts --step analyze    # Filter by step
wave artifacts --format json     # JSON output

wave list

List Wave configuration, resources, and execution history.

bash

wave list                  # Show all categories
wave list adapters         # List configured adapters
wave list runs             # List recent pipeline runs
wave list pipelines        # List available pipelines
wave list personas         # List configured personas
wave list contracts        # List contract schemas

Adapters

bash

wave list adapters

Output:

Adapters
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

  ✓ claude
    binary: claude • mode: headless • format: json

Runs

bash

wave list runs

Output:

Recent Pipeline Runs
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  RUN_ID                    PIPELINE          STATUS        STARTED             DURATION
  run-abc123                ops-pr-review       completed     2026-02-03 14:30    5m23s
  run-xyz789                impl-hotfix            failed        2026-02-03 09:30    2m15s

Pipelines

bash

wave list pipelines

Output:

Pipelines
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

  ops-pr-review [4 steps]
    Automated code review workflow
    ○ analyze → review → report → notify

  impl-speckit [5 steps]
    Feature development pipeline
    ○ navigate → specify → plan → implement → validate

Personas

bash

wave list personas

Output:

Personas
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

  navigator
    adapter: claude • temp: 0.1 • allow:3
    Read-only codebase exploration

  craftsman
    adapter: claude • temp: 0.7 • allow:5
    Implementation and testing

Contracts

bash

wave list contracts

Output:

Contracts
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

  navigation [json-schema]
    used by:
      • impl-speckit → navigate (navigator)

  specification [json-schema]
    used by:
      • impl-speckit → specify (philosopher)

  validation-report [json-schema]
    (unused)

Options

bash

wave list runs --run-status failed       # Filter by status
wave list runs --limit 20                # Show more runs
wave list runs --run-pipeline impl-hotfix     # Filter by pipeline
wave list --format json                  # JSON output

wave validate

Validate configuration.

bash

wave validate

Output (success):

Validating wave.yaml...
  Adapters: 1 defined
  Personas: 5 defined
  Pipelines: 3 discovered

All validation checks passed.

Output (errors):

Validating wave.yaml...
ERROR: Persona 'craftsman' references undefined adapter 'opencode'
ERROR: System prompt file not found: .wave/personas/missing.md

Validation failed with 2 errors.

Options

bash

wave validate -v                     # Show all checks (global --verbose flag)
wave validate --pipeline impl-hotfix.yaml # Validate specific pipeline

wave clean

Clean up workspaces.

bash

wave clean --dry-run

Output:

Would delete:
  .wave/workspaces/run-abc123/  (ops-pr-review, 145 MB)
  .wave/workspaces/run-xyz789/  (impl-hotfix, 23 MB)
Total: 168 MB across 2 runs

Run without --dry-run to delete.

Options

bash

wave clean --all                     # Clean all workspaces
wave clean --older-than 7d           # Clean runs older than 7 days
wave clean --status completed        # Clean only completed runs
wave clean --keep-last 5             # Keep 5 most recent
wave clean --force                   # Skip confirmation
wave clean --dry-run                 # Preview what would be deleted
wave clean --quiet                   # Suppress output for scripting

wave serve

Start the web dashboard server. Provides real-time pipeline monitoring, execution control, DAG visualization, and artifact browsing through a web interface.

Note: wave serve requires the webui build tag. Install with go install -tags webui or use a release binary that includes the web UI.

bash

wave serve

Output:

Starting Wave dashboard on http://127.0.0.1:8080

Options

Flag	Default	Description
`--port`	`8080`	Port to listen on
`--bind`	`127.0.0.1`	Address to bind to
`--token`	`""`	Authentication token (required for non-localhost binding)
`--db`	`.wave/state.db`	Path to state database
`--manifest`	`wave.yaml`	Path to manifest file

Authentication

When binding to a non-localhost address (--bind 0.0.0.0), authentication is required. The token can be provided via:

--token flag
WAVE_SERVE_TOKEN environment variable
Auto-generated (printed to stderr on startup)

bash

# Local development (no auth required)
wave serve

# Custom port
wave serve --port 9090

# Expose on all interfaces with explicit token
wave serve --bind 0.0.0.0 --token mysecret

# Use custom database path
wave serve --db .wave/state.db

wave compose

Validate artifact compatibility between adjacent pipelines in a sequence and optionally execute them in order.

bash

wave compose impl-speckit wave-evolve wave-review

Output:

Validating pipeline sequence: impl-speckit → wave-evolve → wave-review
  impl-speckit → wave-evolve: compatible (3 artifacts)
  wave-evolve → wave-review: compatible (2 artifacts)

Executing pipeline sequence...
[run-abc123] impl-speckit completed (2m15s)
[run-def456] wave-evolve completed (3m42s)
[run-ghi789] wave-review completed (1m08s)

Sequence completed in 7m05s

Options

Flag	Default	Description
`--validate-only`	`false`	Check compatibility without executing
`--input`	`""`	Input data passed to every pipeline in the sequence
`--mock`	`false`	Use mock adapter (for testing)
`--parallel`	`false`	Enable parallel execution (use `--` to separate stages)
`--fail-fast`	`true`	Stop on first failure

bash

# Validate without executing
wave compose impl-speckit wave-evolve --validate-only

# Pass input to all pipelines
wave compose pipeline-a pipeline-b --input "build feature X"

# Parallel execution with stage separator
wave compose --parallel A B -- C

# Use mock adapter for testing
wave compose impl-speckit wave-evolve --mock

wave doctor

Run diagnostic checks on Wave project configuration, tools, and environment.

bash

wave doctor

Output:

Wave Doctor
────────────────────────────────────────
  ✓ Manifest valid
  ✓ Adapters configured
  ✓ Personas resolved
  ⚠ 2 pipelines reference missing contracts

Checks: 12 passed, 1 warning, 0 errors

Options

Flag	Default	Description
`--fix`	`false`	Auto-install missing dependencies where possible
`--optimize`	`false`	Scan project and propose `wave.yaml` improvements
`--dry-run`	`false`	Show proposed changes without writing (requires `--optimize`)
`--skip-ai`	`false`	Skip AI-powered analysis, deterministic scan only (requires `--optimize`)
`--skip-codebase`	`false`	Skip forge API codebase analysis
`--yes`, `-y`	`false`	Accept all proposed changes without confirmation (requires `--optimize`)
`--json`	`false`	Output in JSON format

bash

# Auto-fix issues
wave doctor --fix

# Propose manifest optimizations
wave doctor --optimize

# Preview optimizations without applying
wave doctor --optimize --dry-run

# Non-interactive optimization
wave doctor --optimize --yes

# JSON output for scripting
wave doctor --json

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	All checks passed
1	Warnings detected (non-blocking)
2	Errors detected (action required)

wave suggest

Analyze codebase health and suggest pipeline runs that would be most impactful.

bash

wave suggest

Output:

Suggested pipelines:

  1. [P1] wave-test-hardening
     Reason: Test coverage below threshold in internal/pipeline/
     Input:  internal/pipeline/

  2. [P2] wave-security-audit
     Reason: 3 packages have no input validation
     Input:  internal/adapter/ internal/workspace/

  3. [P3] wave-evolve
     Reason: 5 TODOs found in production code

Options

Flag	Default	Description
`--limit`	`5`	Maximum number of suggestions
`--dry-run`	`false`	Show what would be suggested without executing
`--json`	`false`	Output in JSON format

bash

# Limit suggestions
wave suggest --limit 3

# JSON output
wave suggest --json

# Preview mode
wave suggest --dry-run

wave chat

Interactive analysis and exploration of pipeline runs. Opens a conversational session where you can investigate step outputs, artifacts, and execution details.

bash

wave chat run-abc123

Options

Flag	Default	Description
`--step`	`""`	Focus context on a specific step
`--model`	`sonnet`	Model to use for the chat session
`--list`	`false`	List recent runs
`--continue`	`""`	Continue work in a step's workspace (read-write)
`--rewrite`	`""`	Re-execute a step with modified prompt
`--extend`	`""`	Add supplementary instructions to a step

bash

# List recent runs
wave chat --list

# Chat about a specific step
wave chat run-abc123 --step implement

# Continue working in a step's workspace
wave chat run-abc123 --continue implement

# Re-execute a step with a new prompt
wave chat run-abc123 --rewrite implement

# Add supplementary instructions to a step
wave chat run-abc123 --extend implement

wave migrate

Database migration commands.

bash

wave migrate status

Output:

Current version: 3
Available migrations: 5
Pending: 2

  v1  core_tables      applied   2026-01-15 10:00:00
  v2  add_artifacts    applied   2026-01-20 14:30:00
  v3  add_metrics      applied   2026-02-01 09:00:00
  v4  add_checkpoints  pending
  v5  add_relay        pending

Apply Migrations

bash

wave migrate up

Output:

Applying migration v4: add_checkpoints... done
Applying migration v5: add_relay... done

Migrations complete. Current version: 5

Validate

Verify that applied migrations match their expected checksums and are in a consistent state.

bash

wave migrate validate

Rollback

bash

wave migrate down 3

Output:

Rolling back to version 3...
  Reverting v5: add_relay... done
  Reverting v4: add_checkpoints... done

Rollback complete. Current version: 3

TUI Guided Workflow

When launched without --no-tui, Wave provides an interactive terminal UI with a guided workflow that progresses through four phases:

Phases

Phase	View	Description
Health	Health checks	Infrastructure health checks run automatically on startup
Proposals	Suggest view	Shows recommended pipeline runs based on codebase analysis
Fleet	Pipelines view	Monitors active pipeline runs and their step progress
Attached	Live output	Shows real-time output from a running pipeline step

Phase Progression

Health — Runs automatically on startup. If all checks pass, transitions to Proposals after a brief delay. If errors are detected, the user can choose to continue or address issues first.
Proposals — Displays pipeline suggestions from wave suggest. Press Tab to switch to Fleet view.
Fleet — Shows active runs. Press Tab to switch back to Proposals. Select a run to attach.
Attached — Shows live output from the selected pipeline. Tab is blocked during attachment. Detaching returns to Fleet view.

Key Bindings

Key	Action
Tab	Toggle between Proposals and Fleet views
Enter	Select/attach to a pipeline run
Esc	Detach from live output (returns to Fleet)
q	Quit

To disable the TUI and use plain text output, pass --no-tui or -o text.

Key source: internal/tui/content.go

wave bench

Run and analyze SWE-bench benchmarks. Compare Wave pipeline performance against standalone Claude Code.

bench run

Execute a pipeline against each task in a JSONL benchmark dataset.

bash

wave bench run --dataset swe-bench-lite.jsonl --pipeline bench-solve
wave bench run --dataset tasks.jsonl --pipeline bench-solve --limit 10
wave bench run --dataset tasks.jsonl --mode claude --label baseline-v1
wave bench run --dataset tasks.jsonl --pipeline bench-solve --results-path results.json

Flag	Default	Description
`--dataset`		Path to JSONL dataset file (required)
`--pipeline`		Pipeline name to execute per task (required unless `--mode=claude`)
`--mode`	`wave`	Execution mode: `wave` or `claude`
`--label`		Human-readable label for this run
`--limit`	`0`	Maximum number of tasks to run (0 = all)
`--timeout`	`0`	Per-task timeout in seconds (0 = no limit)
`--concurrency`	`1`	Number of tasks to run in parallel
`--offset`	`0`	Skip the first N tasks in the dataset
`--results-path`		Path to write JSON results file
`--datasets-dir`	`.wave/bench/datasets`	Directory to search for dataset files
`--keep-workspaces`	`false`	Preserve task worktrees after completion

bench report

Generate a summary from a previous benchmark run's results file.

bash

wave bench report --results results.json
wave bench report --results results.json --json

bench compare

Compare two benchmark result files to show per-task differences.

bash

wave bench compare --base baseline.json --compare wave-run.json
wave bench compare --base baseline.json --compare wave-run.json --json

Flag	Default	Description
`--base`		Path to base/baseline results JSON (required)
`--compare`		Path to comparison results JSON (required)

bench list

List available benchmark datasets in the datasets directory.

bash

wave bench list
wave bench list --datasets-dir ./my-datasets

wave cleanup

Remove orphaned worktrees from .wave/workspaces/ that have no corresponding running pipeline.

bash

wave cleanup              # Remove orphaned worktrees (with confirmation)
wave cleanup --dry-run    # Show what would be removed without deleting
wave cleanup --force      # Skip confirmation prompt

Flag	Default	Description
`--dry-run`	`false`	Show what would be removed without deleting anything
`--force`	`false`	Skip confirmation prompt

wave decisions

Show the structured decision log from pipeline runs. Decisions record model routing choices, retry attempts, contract validations, budget allocations, and composition selections.

bash

wave decisions                          # Decisions from most recent run
wave decisions impl-issue-20240315-abc  # Decisions for a specific run
wave decisions --step plan              # Filter to a specific step
wave decisions --category model_routing # Filter by category
wave decisions --format json            # JSON output

Flag	Default	Description
`--step`		Filter by step ID
`--category`		Filter by category: `model_routing`, `retry`, `contract`, `budget`, `composition`
`--format`	`text`	Output format: `text`, `json`
`--manifest`	`wave.yaml`	Path to manifest file

wave fork

Create a new independent run branching from a specific step of an existing run. The forked run starts from the selected checkpoint with a fresh execution context.

bash

wave fork impl-issue-20240315-abc123 --from-step plan
wave fork impl-issue-20240315-abc123 --list       # List available fork points
wave fork impl-issue-20240315-abc123 --from-step plan --input "updated input"

Flag	Default	Description
`--from-step`		Fork from after this step (required unless `--list`)
`--list`	`false`	List available fork points
`--allow-failed`	`false`	Allow forking non-completed (failed/cancelled) runs
`--input`		Override input for the forked run
`--model`		Override adapter model for the forked run
`--manifest`	`wave.yaml`	Path to manifest file

wave merge

Merge a pull request by number or URL. Detects the forge type (GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, Bitbucket) and uses the appropriate forge CLI with API fallback.

bash

wave merge 123
wave merge https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/123
wave merge --all              # Merge all approved open PRs (oldest first)
wave merge --all --yes        # Skip confirmation

Flag	Default	Description
`--all`	`false`	Merge all approved open PRs (oldest first)
`--yes`	`false`	Skip confirmation prompt (use with `--all`)

wave persona

Create and manage Wave personas.

persona create

Scaffold a new persona from a built-in template.

bash

wave persona create --name my-reviewer --template reviewer

Flag	Default	Description
`--name`		Name for the new persona (required)
`--template`		Built-in persona template to use (required)

persona list

List available persona templates.

bash

wave persona list

wave pipeline

Create and manage Wave pipelines.

pipeline create

Scaffold a new pipeline YAML from a built-in template.

bash

wave pipeline create --name my-pipeline --template impl-issue

Flag	Default	Description
`--name`		Name for the new pipeline (required)
`--template`		Built-in pipeline template to use (required)

pipeline list

List available pipelines (alias for wave list pipelines).

bash

wave pipeline list

wave retro

View, list, and generate retrospectives for pipeline runs.

bash

wave retro                          # Retrospective for most recent run
wave retro impl-issue-20240315-abc  # Retrospective for a specific run
wave retro --narrate                # Generate LLM narrative
wave retro --json                   # JSON output

Flag	Default	Description
`--narrate`	`false`	Generate or regenerate LLM narrative
`--json`	`false`	Output in JSON format

retro list

List retrospectives across runs.

bash

wave retro list
wave retro list --pipeline impl-issue
wave retro list --since 7d

Flag	Default	Description
`--pipeline`		Filter by pipeline name
`--since`		Show retros since duration (e.g. `7d`, `24h`)

retro stats

Show aggregate retrospective statistics.

bash

wave retro stats

wave rewind

Reset a run's state to an earlier checkpoint (destructive). The run can be resumed from the rewound point.

bash

wave rewind impl-issue-20240315-abc123 --to-step plan
wave rewind impl-issue-20240315-abc123 --to-step plan --confirm

Flag	Default	Description
`--to-step`		Rewind to after this step (required)
`--confirm`	`false`	Skip confirmation prompt
`--manifest`	`wave.yaml`	Path to manifest file

wave skill

Manage skill templates shipped with Wave and install skills from remote sources. Skills are SKILL.md files that extend persona capabilities.

skill list

List available and installed skill templates.

bash

wave skill list
wave skill list --format json
wave skill list --remote          # Show available remote sources

Flag	Default	Description
`--format`	`table`	Output format: `table`, `json`
`--remote`	`false`	Show available remote sources

skill install

Install a skill from bundled templates, GitHub, Tessl, or URL.

bash

wave skill install reviewer          # Bundled template
wave skill install github:owner/repo # From GitHub
wave skill install tessl:my-skill    # From Tessl registry

Flag	Default	Description
`--format`	`table`	Output format: `table`, `json`

skill check

Run check commands for installed skills in .wave/skills/.

bash

wave skill check

Flag	Default	Description
`--format`	`table`	Output format: `table`, `json`

Global Options

All commands support:

Flag	Short	Description
`--help`	`-h`	Show help
`--version`		Show version
`--manifest`	`-m`	Path to manifest file (default: wave.yaml)
`--debug`	`-d`	Enable debug mode
`--output`	`-o`	Output format: auto, json, text, quiet (default: auto)
`--verbose`	`-v`	Include real-time tool activity
`--json`		Output in JSON format (equivalent to `--output json`)
`--quiet`	`-q`	Suppress non-essential output (equivalent to `--output quiet`)
`--no-color`		Disable colored output
`--no-tui`		Disable TUI and use text output

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	General error (includes pipeline failures, timeouts, validation errors)
2	Usage error (invalid arguments or configuration)

Next Steps

Quick Start - Run your first pipeline
Pipelines - Define multi-step workflows
Manifest Reference - Configuration options

CLI Reference ​

Quick Reference ​

wave init ​

Options ​

wave run ​

Options ​

Essential (Tier 1) ​

Execution (Tier 2) ​

Continuous (Tier 3) ​

Dev/Debug (Tier 4) ​

Examples ​

Detached Mode ​

wave do ​

Options ​

wave meta ​

Options ​

wave status ​

Detailed Status ​

Options ​

wave logs ​

Options ​

Logs vs Progress Output ​

Comparison ​

Use-Case Examples ​

wave cancel ​

Force Cancel ​

Options ​

wave artifacts ​

Export Artifacts ​

Options ​

wave list ​

Adapters ​

Runs ​

Pipelines ​

Personas ​

Contracts ​

Options ​

wave validate ​

Options ​

wave clean ​

Options ​

wave serve ​

Options ​

Authentication ​

wave compose ​

Options ​

wave doctor ​

Options ​

Exit Codes ​

wave suggest ​

Options ​

wave chat ​

Options ​

wave migrate ​

Apply Migrations ​

Validate ​

Rollback ​

TUI Guided Workflow ​

Phases ​

Phase Progression ​

Key Bindings ​

wave bench ​

bench run ​

bench report ​

bench compare ​

bench list ​

wave cleanup ​

wave decisions ​

wave fork ​

wave merge ​

wave persona ​

persona create ​

persona list ​

wave pipeline ​

pipeline create ​

pipeline list ​

wave retro ​

retro list ​

retro stats ​

wave rewind ​

CLI Reference

Quick Reference

wave init

Options

wave run

Options

Essential (Tier 1)

Execution (Tier 2)

Continuous (Tier 3)

Dev/Debug (Tier 4)

Examples

Detached Mode

wave do

Options

wave meta

Options

wave status

Detailed Status

Options

wave logs

Options

Logs vs Progress Output

Comparison

Use-Case Examples

wave cancel

Force Cancel

Options

wave artifacts

Export Artifacts

Options

wave list

Adapters

Runs

Pipelines

Personas

Contracts

Options

wave validate

Options

wave clean

Options

wave serve

Options

Authentication

wave compose

Options

wave doctor

Options

Exit Codes

wave suggest

Options

wave chat

Options

wave migrate

Apply Migrations

Validate

Rollback

TUI Guided Workflow

Phases

Phase Progression

Key Bindings

wave bench

bench run

bench report

bench compare

bench list

wave cleanup

wave decisions

wave fork

wave merge

wave persona

persona create

persona list

wave pipeline

pipeline create

pipeline list

wave retro

retro list

retro stats

wave rewind