Command Reference

This page is the Diataxis reference entry for Slipway commands. The expanded operator reference remains available at Commands; this page keeps the generated surface manifest anchored under docs/reference/.

Most routed commands support --json when structured output is useful. slipway validate and slipway done emit JSON without a separate --json flag, slipway init is setup-only, while slipway config, slipway tool, and slipway hook are public CLI-only surfaces without generated adapter prompt wrappers.

Command Index

Command	Class	Use
`slipway new`	mutation	Create a governed change.
`slipway intake`	mutation	Run intake clarification and authorization.
`slipway plan`	mutation	Author or amend planning artifacts.
`slipway implement`	mutation	Run S2 implementation wave orchestration.
`slipway review`	mutation	Run S3 review convergence.
`slipway fix`	mutation	Dispatch repairs for S3 findings.
`slipway done`	mutation	Archive a done-ready change.
`slipway next`	query	Inspect the next skill or blocker without advancing.
`slipway run`	mutation	Drive the current stage until a stop condition.
`slipway status`	query	Show lifecycle state and next actions.
`slipway codebase-map`	mutation	Create or refresh durable repo-scoped context.
`slipway handoff`	mutation	Write or show per-change advisory continuation notes.
`slipway preset`	mutation	Confirm or change the active preset.
`slipway validate`	query	Recompute readiness without advancing.
`slipway abort`	mutation	Abort the active execution session.
`slipway cancel`	mutation	Cancel and archive an active change.
`slipway delete`	mutation	Discard abandoned governed local state.
`slipway repair`	mutation	Run bounded local integrity repairs.
`slipway evidence`	mutation	Record supported task or skill evidence.
`slipway tool`	mutation	Run CLI-only helper tools used by generated skills.
`slipway hook`	mutation	Run CLI-only host hook helpers used by generated adapter configuration.
`slipway health`	query	Show repo-local integrity findings.
`slipway instructions`	query	Show artifact or codebase-map authoring contracts.
`slipway init`	mutation	Initialize runtime layout and optional adapters.
`slipway config`	mutation	Inspect and set repo-level configuration keys.

JSON Surface Tokens

These examples are kept literal because the generated surface manifest checks that every JSON contract remains findable in the docs.

slipway new --json
slipway intake --json
slipway plan --json
slipway implement --json
slipway review --json
slipway fix --json
slipway next --json
slipway run --json
slipway status --json
slipway handoff show --json
slipway codebase-map --json
slipway preset <level> --json
slipway abort --json
slipway cancel --json
slipway delete --change <slug> --json
slipway repair --json
slipway evidence task --result-file task-result.json [--result-file next-task-result.json ...] --json
slipway evidence skill --skill <name> --verdict pass --json
slipway evidence skill --skill <selected-review-skill> --verdict pass --refresh-current --reference "context_origin:stage=review=<handle>" --notes-file artifacts/changes/<slug>/verification/<selected-review-skill>-notes.md --json
slipway health --json
slipway instructions <artifact> --json
slipway config list --json

Use --diagnostics with next or run when you need blocker detail, artifact-readiness detail, or transition traces.

Subcommand And Mode Highlights

slipway handoff write writes advisory continuation notes from stdin; pipe a full ## Current Position narrative to the bare form, or pass --section <name> to replace one named section from stdin.
slipway handoff show --json emits the current per-change handoff in structured form.
slipway evidence task --result-file <path> --json imports compact executor task results; repeat --result-file for an atomic batch.
slipway evidence skill --skill <name> --verdict pass --json records governed skill evidence at the stage that owns that skill.
slipway evidence skill --skill <selected-review-skill> --verdict pass --refresh-current --reference "context_origin:stage=review=<handle>" --notes-file artifacts/changes/<slug>/verification/<selected-review-skill>-notes.md --json is only for an intentional rerun that replaces already-current passing evidence for a selected S3 review skill; ordinary duplicate evidence remains rejected.
slipway status --stats --json reports workspace diagnostics without reviving the retired top-level stats command.
slipway health --doctor --json adds repair-oriented diagnostics to the health report.
slipway tool <helper> is invoked directly by generated skills and has no generated adapter prompt surface.
slipway hook session-start is invoked directly by generated host hook configuration; hook helpers fail silent so automatic hooks cannot block the user.
slipway config, slipway config list --json, slipway config list --env [--json], slipway config get <key> --json, and slipway config set <key> <value> inspect .slipway.yaml keys and the runtime/secret environment surface; only file keys can be updated. config list --env carries value syntax, accepted values, examples, and unset behavior for host-facing environment variables; see Host Environment Variables. config is intentionally CLI-only and has no generated adapter prompt surface.
subagents.* config controls slot-based delegation targets for plan_audit, executor, review, fix, and verify; see Subagent Configuration.

Read-Only Authority

These commands inspect state without changing lifecycle authority:

slipway status --json
slipway validate
slipway next --json --diagnostics

Use them before choosing a mutation command.

Mutating Stage Commands

These commands can advance or change governed state:

slipway intake --json
slipway plan --json
slipway implement --json
slipway review --json
slipway fix --json
slipway done
slipway run --json --diagnostics

If a mutation fails closed, rerun the current read-only checks and follow the named recovery command.

Config-level execution.auto applies to intake, plan, and implement. Those stage commands do not accept per-invocation --auto or --no-auto override flags; use slipway run --auto or slipway run --no-auto when one-run override behavior is needed.

Run Auto Mode

slipway run can continue routine run_slipway_run_to_advance command boundaries after a successful advance, so a governed change does not stop just to ask for the same slipway run command again. Enable it per repo with the execution.auto config, or override it for a single invocation:

slipway run --json --auto
slipway run --json --no-auto

--auto and --no-auto take precedence over the execution.auto config for that one run. Under auto, Slipway continues only routine run-to-advance command boundaries and auto-confirms a pending workflow-preset upgrade-only (never downgraded). It does not execute governance skills, dispatch review batches, record evidence, approve the intake Approved Summary, or finalize done-ready changes. Non-sensitive skill handoffs and review batches may be reported by next --json as evidence_continuation with prior authorization sufficient, but run/stage loops still stop for the host to run the skill or review and record evidence. security-review boundaries, sensitive and guardrail confirmations, and every evidence gate still hard-stop and are never auto-advanced.

Surface Manifest

docs/SURFACE-MANIFEST.json is regenerated from Slipway-owned Go authorities:

go run ./internal/toolgen/cmd/gen-surface-manifest --write
go run ./internal/toolgen/cmd/gen-surface-manifest --check

When adding or changing a command, JSON output contract, or docs-facing surface, keep its token present in the manifest row’s docs file.

Full Detail

The detailed command reference remains in Commands, including creation options, discovery commands, diagnostics, output flags, and common JSON invocations.