CLI Commands

This is the canonical CLI reference for Govard.

Aliases and Shortcuts

Root Lifecycle Shortcuts

Shortcut	Equivalent
`govard up`	`govard env up`
`govard down`	`govard env down`
`govard restart`	`govard env restart`
`govard ps`	`govard env ps`
`govard logs`	`govard env logs`

Command Aliases

Alias	Full Command
`govard boot`	`govard bootstrap`
`govard cfg`	`govard config`
`govard dbg`	`govard debug`
`govard gui`	`govard desktop`
`govard diag`	`govard doctor`
`govard ext`	`govard extensions`
`govard prj`	`govard project`
`govard rmt`	`govard remote`
`govard sh`	`govard shell`
`govard snap`	`govard snapshot`

`govard tool` Aliases

Alias	Full Command
`govard tool mr`	`govard tool magerun`

`govard sync` Aliases

--from is an alias for --source
--to is an alias for --destination
-e, --environment remains a supported source-environment option

🌿 Environment Commands

`govard init`

Detect the project framework and generate .govard.yml.

bash

govard init
govard init --framework magento2
govard init --framework custom
govard init --migrate-from warden

When migrating from Warden, govard init --migrate-from warden maps WARDEN_TABLE_PREFIX to Govard's table_prefix field for Magento 2, Magento 1, and OpenMage projects.

`govard bootstrap`

Run bootstrap flows for clone or fresh-install setups.

bash

govard bootstrap
govard bootstrap --clone --environment staging --yes
govard bootstrap --framework magento2 --fresh --framework-version 2.4.9
govard bootstrap -e staging --no-pii --no-noise

Mode selection:

--fresh + --framework + --framework-version — fresh install via scaffolder
--clone + --environment — rsync the whole source from a remote server

Source selection:

-e, --environment — source remote name; accepts standard names (staging, production, dev) and any custom identifier (qa, preprod, demo, client-uat)
--remote — alias for --environment
--db-dump — import database from a local SQL file path

Privacy & performance filters:

Flag	Effect
`-N, --no-noise`	Exclude ephemeral data (logs, sessions, cache tags, cron history)
`-S, --no-pii`	Exclude sensitive data (customers, orders, admin users, passwords)
`--delete`	Delete destination files not present on source
`--no-compress`	Disable rsync compression
`-X, --exclude`	Custom rsync exclude patterns (repeatable)
`--no-db`	Skip database import
`--no-media`	Skip media sync
`--media [mode]`	Media sync mode (`none`, `minimal`, `optimized`, `all`)
`--no-composer`	Skip `composer install`
`--no-admin`	Skip admin user creation (Magento 2 only)
`--no-stream-db`	Use local temp file for DB transfer
`--no-up`	Skip starting local containers before bootstrap steps

For Magento projects with table_prefix set, DB privacy filters target prefixed table names automatically.

Magento special flags:

Plan & confirmation:

--plan — print plan and exit without executing
-y, --yes — skip interactive confirmation (CI/non-interactive)

`govard env`

Project lifecycle and Docker Compose wrapper.

bash

govard env up
govard env start
govard env stop
govard env restart
govard env down
govard env ps
govard env logs php -f
govard env pull
govard env build
govard env cleanup

govard env up flags:

Flag	Effect
`--pull`	Pull images before starting
`--fallback-local-build`	Build missing images locally
`--remove-orphans`	Remove orphaned containers
`--quickstart`	Fastest startup path
`--update-lock`	Auto-update `govard.lock` on mismatches
`--no-tuning`	Skip framework auto-configuration prompts

Files re-rendered on env up:

~/.govard/compose/<project-hash>.yml
~/.govard/nginx/<project>/default.conf
~/.govard/apache/<project>/httpd.conf
~/.govard/nginx/<project>/mage-run-map.conf

govard env down flags:

-v, --volumes — remove volumes
--rmi local — remove local images

`govard svc`

Manage global services (proxy, Mailpit, PHPMyAdmin, Portainer).

bash

govard svc up
govard svc restart --no-trust
govard svc logs --tail 50
govard svc sleep
govard svc wake

Portainer is accessible at https://portainer.govard.test Default login: admin / AdminGovard123$

`govard domain`

Manage extra local domains for the current project.

bash

govard domain add brand-b.test
govard domain remove brand-b.test
govard domain list

`govard status`

List running Govard environments across the workspace.

bash

govard status

`govard desktop`

Launch the Wails desktop app.

bash

govard desktop
govard desktop --dev
govard desktop --background

See Desktop App for details.

🛠️ Development Commands

`govard shell`

Open a shell in the application container.

bash

govard shell
govard shell --no-tty

PHP frameworks → php container at /var/www/html
Node-first frameworks (Next.js, Emdash) → web container at /app

`govard debug`

Manage Xdebug status and sessions.

bash

govard debug status
govard debug on
govard debug off
govard debug shell

Requests route to php-debug only when the XDEBUG_SESSION cookie matches stack.xdebug_session.

`govard test`

Run project test tools inside the application container.

bash

govard test phpunit
govard test phpstan
govard test mftf
govard test integration

`govard custom`

Run custom commands from .govard/commands or ~/.govard/commands.

bash

govard custom list
govard custom hello
govard custom deploy -- --dry-run

`govard project`

Browse and manage known projects.

bash

govard project list
govard project list --orphans
govard project open billing
govard project delete demo
govard project delete --yes demo

CAUTION

govard project delete removes persistent database volumes by default. Project source code is never deleted.

Deletion process:

Runs pre-delete lifecycle hooks
Executes docker compose down -v (removes containers + volumes)
Unregisters proxy domains
Removes project from registry (projects.json)
Runs post-delete hooks

🔗 Remote, Sync, and Data Commands

`govard remote`

Manage named remotes for sync, deploy, shell, and database workflows.

bash

govard remote add staging --host staging.example.com --user deploy --path /var/www/app
govard remote copy-id staging
govard remote test staging
govard remote exec staging -- ls -la
govard remote audit tail --status failure --lines 50

For home-relative remote paths, quote the value:

bash

govard remote add staging --host staging.example.com --user deploy --path '~/public_html'

Key features:

Capabilities: files, media, db, deploy
Auth methods: keychain, ssh-agent, keyfile
Production write protection by default
Audit logs: ~/.govard/remote.log

→ Full guide: Remotes and Sync

`govard sync`

Synchronize files, media, or databases between local and named remotes.

bash

govard sync --source staging --destination local --full --plan
govard sync --from staging --to local --media
govard sync -s prod --file --path app/etc/config.php
govard sync --db --no-noise --no-pii

Auto-selects staging remote if no --source is provided, falling back to dev. When --media is used without a mode, Govard defaults it to optimized.

Key flags:

Flag	Effect
`-s, --source` / `--from`	Source environment
`-d, --destination` / `--to`	Destination environment
`--file`, `--media`, `--db`, `--full`	Scope selection
`--plan`	Print plan and exit
`-I, --include`	Rsync include pattern (repeatable)
`-X, --exclude`	Rsync exclude pattern (repeatable)
`-m, --media [mode]`	Media sync scope (`none`, `minimal`, `optimized`, `all`); bare `--media` defaults to `optimized`
`-N, --no-noise`	Exclude ephemeral data
`-P, --no-pii`	Exclude sensitive data

`govard db`

Database utilities for local and remote-backed workflows.

bash

govard db connect
govard db dump
govard db dump -e staging --local
govard db query "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM sales_order"
govard db info
govard db top
govard db import --file backup.sql --drop
govard db import --stream-db -e staging --drop
govard db clone-volume warden_magento2_dbdata

`govard deploy`

Run deploy lifecycle hooks for the current project.

bash

govard deploy

`govard snapshot`

Manage local and remote snapshots for DB and media.

bash

govard snapshot create
govard snapshot create -e staging
govard snapshot list
govard snapshot list -e staging
govard snapshot restore latest
govard snapshot pull latest -e staging
govard snapshot push before-deploy -e prod

`govard open`

Open common browser targets.

bash

govard open app
govard open admin
govard open mail
govard open db
govard open db --pma
govard open db --client
govard open db -e staging

`govard tunnel`

Manage public tunnels (requires cloudflared).

bash

govard tunnel start
govard tunnel status
govard tunnel stop

::: important IMPORTANT The cloudflared binary must be installed separately. Install via the official Cloudflare repository or GitHub releases. :::

🔧 Tool Commands

Run framework CLIs inside project containers:

bash

govard tool magento [command]    # Magento 2
govard tool magerun [command]    # Magento 1 / Magento 2 (Shortcut: mr)
govard tool artisan [command]    # Laravel
govard tool drush [command]      # Drupal
govard tool symfony [command]    # Symfony
govard tool shopware [command]   # Shopware
govard tool cake [command]       # CakePHP
govard tool wp [command]         # WordPress
govard tool prestashop [command] # PrestaShop

# General tools
govard tool composer [command]
govard tool php [command]        # Run the PHP CLI directly (e.g. editor/IDE integrations)
govard tool npm [command]
govard tool yarn [command]
govard tool npx [command]
govard tool pnpm [command]
govard tool grunt [command]

For node-first frameworks, package-manager commands run in the web container at /app.

govard tool php requires the current directory to be the project root. For editor/IDE integrations (see below), use govard vscode instead.

🧩 Editor Integration Commands

`govard vscode setup`

Writes (or merges into) the VSCode settings needed to run PHP tooling inside the project's container instead of the host:

bash

# Run from inside a project (or any subdirectory of one)
govard vscode setup
#   -> .vscode/settings.json: intelephense.environment.phpVersion, phpstan.paths,
#                             phpunit.paths (if vendor/bin/phpunit exists),
#                             and (if vendor/bin/phpcs exists) phpcs.standard + phpcs.autoConfigSearch=false
#   -> .vscode/launch.json:   a "Listen for Xdebug (Govard)" configuration (port 9003)

# Run once, applies to every Govard project
govard vscode setup --global
#   -> creates ~/.govard/bin/govard-php, govard-php-cs-fixer, and govard-phpcs wrapper scripts
#   -> user settings.json: php.validate.executablePath, phpstan.binCommand,
#                          php-cs-fixer.executablePath, phpcs.executablePath, phpunit.command

Settings reflect the project's last-used profile (e.g. an upgrade profile pinning a newer PHP version) if one is registered, rather than always the base .govard.yml — so intelephense.environment.phpVersion matches whatever's actually running.

The PHPCS coding standard is auto-detected from composer.json (magento/magento-coding-standard -> Magento2, wp-coding-standards/wpcs -> WordPress, drupal/coder -> Drupal), falling back to PSR12. phpcs.autoConfigSearch is disabled because it would otherwise auto-detect a phpcs.xml/.dist ruleset and pass its host absolute path as --standard, which the container can't read.

If vendor/bin/phpstan exists but the project has no phpstan.neon/.dist/dist.neon of its own, setup sets phpstan.options to a --level=0 default (--autoload-file=vendor/autoload.php plus app/code+app/design for Magento 2 or app+src otherwise — the same convention govard test phpstan already falls back to) so PHPStan has something to analyze. This intentionally lives in .vscode/settings.json, not a generated phpstan.neon at the project root — that file is normally git-tracked and not ours to create. As soon as the project gets its own config, re-running setup removes phpstan.options again so it can never override the project's real rules — the project's config always wins.

phpunit.command (recca0120.vscode-phpunit) needs no wrapper script — it's a template the extension tokenizes itself, so it's set directly to govard vscode phpunit ${phpunitargs}. This gives you the Testing sidebar (run/rerun individual tests) without installing PHPUnit on the host. Debugging an individual test through this extension isn't wired up yet — it would need Xdebug environment variables forwarded into the docker exec call.

Each setting group requires a specific VSCode extension (Intelephense, PHPStan, PHP CS Fixer, PHPCS, PHPUnit, PHP Debug). If one isn't installed, setup warns and asks whether to install it now via code --install-extension — accept and the corresponding setting is still wired up in that same run. Pass --yes to install everything missing without asking (useful for scripting); with no TTY attached and no --yes, missing extensions are skipped without prompting.

Existing keys and unrelated launch.json configurations are preserved — only the keys Govard manages are added or overwritten. Note: settings.json is parsed as plain JSON, so any comments in it are dropped when rewritten.

`govard vscode <tool>`

The underlying tool runners that the settings written by setup point to:

bash

govard vscode php [args]
govard vscode composer [args]
govard vscode phpstan [args]       # vendor/bin/phpstan
govard vscode php-cs-fixer [args]  # vendor/bin/php-cs-fixer
govard vscode phpcs [args]         # vendor/bin/phpcs
govard vscode phpunit [args]       # vendor/bin/phpunit, with memory_limit=-1

Unlike govard tool, these resolve the project by walking up from the current directory to find the nearest .govard.yml — editors often invoke tooling with a working directory that isn't the workspace root (e.g. the active file's directory), so an exact cwd match isn't reliable.

⚙️ Configuration Commands

bash

govard config get stack.php_version
govard config set stack.php_version 8.4
govard config set table_prefix demo_
govard config profile              # Show recommended profile for current framework
govard config profile --json      # Output profile as JSON
govard config profile apply       # Apply recommended profile to .govard.yml
govard config auto                # Magento 2: inject settings into env.php

`govard config profile`

Display the recommended runtime profile for the detected framework.

bash

govard config profile
govard config profile --json

Output includes detected framework, recommended PHP version, database, cache, search, and other service configurations.

`govard config profile switch`

Switch to a different environment profile. Profiles allow running the same project with different runtime configurations (e.g., PHP 8.2 for production testing, PHP 8.3 for development).

bash

govard config profile switch upgrade
govard config profile switch staging
govard config profile switch          # Interactive selection

Profile files are stored as .govard.<name>.yml in the project root. The selected profile is persisted per-project in ~/.govard/projects.json.

After switching, run govard env up to apply the new environment. You'll be prompted for confirmation when a profile change requires restarting containers.

`govard config profile clear`

Reset to the default profile (no profile active).

bash

govard config profile clear

`govard extensions`

Initialize .govard/* extension scaffolding.

bash

govard extensions init
govard extensions init --force

`govard blueprint cache`

Manage the remote blueprint registry cache.

bash

govard blueprint cache list
govard blueprint cache clear

🩺 Diagnostics

`govard doctor`

Run startup diagnostics with actionable remediation.

bash

govard doctor
govard doctor --fix
govard doctor --json
govard doctor --pack
govard doctor trust

Checks include: Docker, Compose, ports, disk sanity, Govard home, compose directory health, SSH agent, and outbound connectivity.

--fix — Automatically detect and repair common issues
trust — Install Root CA into system trust store + browser NSS

🔁 Utility Commands

`govard lock`

Generate or validate govard.lock snapshots for environment drift detection.

bash

govard lock generate
govard lock check
govard lock diff
govard lock generate --file .govard/govard.lock

`govard self-update`

Download release artifacts, verify checksums, and replace binaries atomically.

bash

govard self-update

`govard upgrade`

Native framework upgrade pipeline.

bash

govard upgrade --version 2.4.8-p4     # Magento 2
govard upgrade --version 11            # Laravel
govard upgrade --version 7             # Symfony
govard upgrade --version 6.7           # WordPress
govard upgrade --version 11 --dry-run  # Preview steps

Flags:

Flag	Effect
`--version`	Target version (required)
`--dry-run`	Show steps without executing
`--no-db-upgrade`	Skip DB migrations
`--no-env-update`	Skip profile update and container restart
`-y, --yes`	Auto-confirm all prompts

`govard version`

bash

govard version

`govard redis`

Smart shortcut for Redis/Valkey management.

bash

govard redis cli
govard redis flush
govard redis info

`govard varnish`

Smart shortcut for Varnish management.

bash

govard varnish purge
govard varnish status

`govard rabbitmq`

Smart shortcut for RabbitMQ management.

bash

govard rabbitmq status
govard rabbitmq queues
govard rabbitmq cli list_exchanges

🌐 Global Flags

All commands support:

-h, --help — Show help

← Getting Started | Configuration →

CLI Commands ​

Aliases and Shortcuts ​

Root Lifecycle Shortcuts ​

Command Aliases ​

govard tool Aliases ​

govard sync Aliases ​

🌿 Environment Commands ​

govard init ​

govard bootstrap ​

govard env ​

govard svc ​

govard domain ​

govard status ​

govard desktop ​

🛠️ Development Commands ​

govard shell ​

govard debug ​

govard test ​

govard custom ​

govard project ​

🔗 Remote, Sync, and Data Commands ​

govard remote ​

govard sync ​

govard db ​

govard deploy ​

govard snapshot ​

govard open ​

govard tunnel ​

🔧 Tool Commands ​

🧩 Editor Integration Commands ​

govard vscode setup ​

govard vscode <tool> ​

⚙️ Configuration Commands ​

govard config profile ​

govard config profile switch ​

govard config profile clear ​

govard extensions ​

govard blueprint cache ​

🩺 Diagnostics ​

govard doctor ​

🔁 Utility Commands ​

govard lock ​

govard self-update ​

govard upgrade ​

govard version ​

govard redis ​

govard varnish ​

govard rabbitmq ​

🌐 Global Flags ​

CLI Commands

Aliases and Shortcuts

Root Lifecycle Shortcuts

Command Aliases

`govard tool` Aliases

`govard sync` Aliases

🌿 Environment Commands

`govard init`

`govard bootstrap`

`govard env`

`govard svc`

`govard domain`

`govard status`

`govard desktop`

🛠️ Development Commands

`govard shell`

`govard debug`

`govard test`

`govard custom`

`govard project`

🔗 Remote, Sync, and Data Commands

`govard remote`

`govard sync`

`govard db`

`govard deploy`

`govard snapshot`

`govard open`

`govard tunnel`

🔧 Tool Commands

🧩 Editor Integration Commands

`govard vscode setup`

`govard vscode <tool>`

⚙️ Configuration Commands

`govard config profile`

`govard config profile switch`

`govard config profile clear`

`govard extensions`

`govard blueprint cache`

🩺 Diagnostics

`govard doctor`

🔁 Utility Commands

`govard lock`

`govard self-update`

`govard upgrade`

`govard version`

`govard redis`

`govard varnish`

`govard rabbitmq`

🌐 Global Flags