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The Skald CLI is a command-line interface that allows users to manage memos, interact with a knowledge base, and generate documentation.

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Installation

To install the Skald CLI, run the following command: 
npm install -g @skald-labs/cli
Before using any other commands, authenticate with your API key: 
skald auth

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Usage

After installation, you can use the skald command: 
# Show help
skald --help

# Authenticate with your API key (first time setup)
skald auth

# Initialize documentation structure
skald docs init

# Add a memo from a file
skald memo add --title "Meeting Notes" --file-path ./notes.md

# Add a memo with tags
skald memo add -t "Project Update" -f ./update.md --tags "project,update"

# Write a memo using vi editor
skald memo write

# Write a memo with tags
skald memo write --tags "meeting,notes"

# Ask a question to your knowledge base
skald chat ask "What are our quarterly goals?"

# Ask about specific topics
skald chat ask "Tell me about the API authentication process"

# Show help for a specific command
skald docs --help

# Generate documentation (uses current directory by default)
skald docs generate

# Generate with custom paths
skald docs generate --config-path ./config --output-path ./dist/docs

# Using short flags
skald docs generate -c ./config -o ./dist/docs

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Commands

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Authentication

  • skald auth - Authenticate with your project API key
    • Prompts for API key and stores it securely in ~/.skald/config (macOS/Linux) or %USERPROFILE%\.skald\config (Windows)
    • Required: Must run this command before using any other commands

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Documentation Commands

  • skald docs init - Initialize documentation structure with example outline.yml
    • --config-path, -c <path> - Path to configuration directory (defaults to current directory)
  • skald docs generate - Generate documentation (requires authentication)
    • --config-path, -c <path> - Path to configuration file (defaults to current directory)
    • --output-path, -o <path> - Path to output directory (defaults to current directory)
    • Required files:
      • <config-path>/.skald/outline.yml - Outline configuration file (YAML format)
    • Optional files:
      • <config-path>/.skald/rules.md - Custom rules for documentation generation

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Memo Commands

  • skald memo add - Add a new memo from a file (requires authentication)
    • --title, -t <title> - Title of the memo (required)
    • --file-path, -f <path> - Path to the file containing memo content (required)
    • --tags <tags> - Comma-separated tags for the memo
    • --source <source> - Source of the memo (defaults to “cli”)
    • --reference-id <id> - External reference ID for the memo
  • skald memo write - Write a new memo using vi editor (requires authentication)
    • --tags <tags> - Comma-separated tags for the memo
    • --source <source> - Source of the memo (defaults to “cli”)
    • --reference-id <id> - External reference ID for the memo

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Chat Commands

  • skald chat ask <question> - Ask a question to your knowledge base (requires authentication)
    • Streams the response in real-time to the console

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Expected Directory Structure for Documentation

When running skald docs generate, your project should have: 
<config-path>/
└── .skald/
    ├── outline.yml     # Required: documentation outline (YAML format)
    └── rules.md        # Optional: custom generation rules

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YAML Outline Format

The outline.yml file uses the _docs key to define documentation files: 
api:
  _docs:
    - name: authentication.md
      title: Authentication
      description: API authentication guide
  reference:
    _docs:
      - name: user.md
        title: User API
        description: User endpoints
features:
  _docs:
    - name: features.md
      title: Features Overview
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