docs/reference/commands.md

---
title:
  page: "IniClaw CLI Commands Reference"
  nav: "Commands"
description: "Full CLI reference for plugin and standalone IniClaw commands."
keywords: ["iniclaw cli commands", "iniclaw command reference"]
topics: ["generative_ai", "ai_agents"]
tags: ["openclaw", "openshell", "iniclaw", "cli"]
content:
  type: reference
  difficulty: technical_beginner
  audience: ["developer", "engineer"]
status: published
---

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  SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2025-2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
  SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
-->

# Commands

IniClaw provides two command interfaces.
The plugin commands run under the `openclaw iniclaw` namespace inside the OpenClaw CLI.
The standalone `iniclaw` binary handles host-side setup, deployment, and service management.
Both interfaces are installed when you run `npm install -g iniclaw`.

## Plugin Commands

### `openclaw iniclaw launch`

Bootstrap OpenClaw inside an OpenShell sandbox.
If IniClaw detects an existing host installation, `launch` stops unless you pass `--force`.

```console
$ openclaw iniclaw launch [--force] [--profile <profile>]
```

`--force`
: Skip the ergonomics warning and force plugin-driven bootstrap. Without this flag,
  IniClaw recommends using `openshell sandbox create` directly for new installs.

`--profile <profile>`
: Blueprint profile to use. Default: `default`.

### `iniclaw <name> connect`

Open an interactive shell inside the OpenClaw sandbox.
Use this after launch to connect and chat with the agent through the TUI or CLI.

```console
$ iniclaw my-assistant connect
```

### `openclaw iniclaw status`

Display sandbox health, blueprint run state, and inference configuration.

```console
$ openclaw iniclaw status [--json]
```

`--json`
: Output as JSON for programmatic consumption.

### `openclaw iniclaw logs`

Stream blueprint execution and sandbox logs.

```console
$ openclaw iniclaw logs [-f] [-n <count>] [--run-id <id>]
```

`-f, --follow`
: Follow log output, similar to `tail -f`.

`-n, --lines <count>`
: Number of lines to show. Default: `50`.

`--run-id <id>`
: Show logs for a specific blueprint run instead of the latest.

### `/iniclaw` Slash Command

The `/iniclaw` slash command is available inside the OpenClaw chat interface for quick actions:

| Subcommand | Description |
|---|---|
| `/iniclaw status` | Show sandbox and inference state |

## Standalone Host Commands

The `iniclaw` binary handles host-side operations that run outside the OpenClaw plugin context.

### `iniclaw onboard`

Run the interactive setup wizard.
The wizard creates an OpenShell gateway, registers inference providers, builds the sandbox image, and creates the sandbox.
Use this command for new installs and for recreating a sandbox after changes to policy or configuration.

```console
$ iniclaw onboard
```

The first run prompts for your NVIDIA API key and saves it to `~/.iniclaw/credentials.json`.

### `iniclaw list`

List all registered sandboxes with their model, provider, and policy presets.

```console
$ iniclaw list
```

### `iniclaw deploy`

Deploy IniClaw to a remote GPU instance through [Brev](https://brev.nvidia.com).
The deploy script installs Docker, NVIDIA Container Toolkit if a GPU is present, and OpenShell on the VM, then runs the iniclaw setup and connects to the sandbox.

```console
$ iniclaw deploy <instance-name>
```

### `iniclaw <name> connect`

Connect to a sandbox by name.

```console
$ iniclaw my-assistant connect
```

### `iniclaw <name> status`

Show sandbox status, health, and inference configuration.

```console
$ iniclaw my-assistant status
```

### `iniclaw <name> logs`

View sandbox logs.
Use `--follow` to stream output in real time.

```console
$ iniclaw my-assistant logs [--follow]
```

### `iniclaw <name> destroy`

Stop the NIM container and delete the sandbox.
This removes the sandbox from the registry.

```console
$ iniclaw my-assistant destroy
```

### `iniclaw <name> policy-add`

Add a policy preset to a sandbox.
Presets extend the baseline network policy with additional endpoints.

```console
$ iniclaw my-assistant policy-add
```

### `iniclaw <name> policy-list`

List available policy presets and show which ones are applied to the sandbox.

```console
$ iniclaw my-assistant policy-list
```

### `openshell term`

Open the OpenShell TUI to monitor sandbox activity and approve network egress requests.
Run this on the host where the sandbox is running.

```console
$ openshell term
```

For a remote Brev instance, SSH to the instance and run `openshell term` there, or use a port-forward to the gateway.

### `iniclaw start`

Start auxiliary services, such as the Telegram bridge and cloudflared tunnel.

```console
$ iniclaw start
```

Requires `TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN` for the Telegram bridge.

### `iniclaw stop`

Stop all auxiliary services.

```console
$ iniclaw stop
```

### `iniclaw status`

Show the sandbox list and the status of auxiliary services.

```console
$ iniclaw status
```

### `iniclaw setup-spark`

Set up IniClaw on DGX Spark.
This command applies cgroup v2 and Docker fixes required for Ubuntu 24.04.
Run with `sudo` on the Spark host.