> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zerooperators.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# CLI overview

> Every zo command, organised by when you'd reach for it.

ZO ships twelve user-facing CLI commands, plus 24 [slash commands](https://github.com/SamPlvs/zero-operators/blob/main/docs/COMMANDS.md) for use inside Claude Code sessions.

## The canonical pipeline

```bash theme={null}
zo init <project>           # 1. Scaffold memory, target, plan skeleton
zo draft -p <project>       # 2. Plan Architect drafts plan.md
zo preflight <plan.md>      # 3. Validate before spending compute
zo build <plan.md>          # 4. Launch the agent team
zo continue <project>       # 5. Resume a paused project
```

This is the ordering ZO assumes. Each command is designed for a specific point in the project lifecycle.

## Commands

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="zo init" icon="circle-plus" href="/cli/init">
    Scaffold a new project, memory files, target file, plan skeleton, delivery repo. Conversational by default; `--no-tmux` for headless.
  </Card>

  <Card title="zo draft" icon="pen" href="/cli/draft">
    Launch the Plan Architect + scouts to draft `plan.md` against the schema. Confirms each section before writing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="zo preflight" icon="circle-check">
    Local-only validation before `zo build`: CLI availability, plan validity, agent definitions, memory round-trip, Docker, GPU.
  </Card>

  <Card title="zo build" icon="rocket" href="/cli/build">
    Launch the agent team. Smart mode detection (fresh / continue / re-decompose on plan edit). The flagship command.
  </Card>

  <Card title="zo continue" icon="forward">
    Resume a paused project. Shorthand for `zo build` against the project's known plan. Supports `--repo` for cross-machine.
  </Card>

  <Card title="zo status" icon="circle-info">
    Print the current `STATE.md` for a project. Phase, blockers, next steps, active agents.
  </Card>

  <Card title="zo experiments" icon="flask">
    Inspect the Phase 4 experiment registry. Subcommands: `list`, `show <id>`, `diff <a> <b>`.
  </Card>

  <Card title="zo gates" icon="circle-stop">
    Inspect or toggle gate mode (supervised / auto / full-auto). Per-project.
  </Card>

  <Card title="zo migrate" icon="truck">
    Migrate legacy project state (top-level `memory/{project}/`) into the portable `.zo/` layout in the delivery repo.
  </Card>

  <Card title="zo watch-training" icon="chart-line">
    Live training-metrics dashboard. Rich Live panel with progress bar, metrics table, sparkline. Auto-launched during Phase 4.
  </Card>

  <Card title="zo report" icon="file-pen">
    Run an Opus report-lead in an isolated worktree, *concurrent* with a live model session. Verifies results, writes the LaTeX report; consolidates back safely. See [concurrent sessions](/concepts/memory-and-continuity#concurrent-sessions-zo-report).
  </Card>

  <Card title="zo consolidate" icon="code-merge">
    Fold a finished report session's memory + artifacts back into the project. Runs automatically on last-session-close; use it to merge sooner.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Global options

Every command accepts these:

| Option      | Purpose                                                           |
| ----------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--help`    | Branded help with sectioned headers (USAGE, DESCRIPTION, OPTIONS) |
| `--version` | Print `zo` version                                                |

Most project-aware commands also accept:

| Option            | Purpose                                                                                                                 |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `-p`, `--project` | Project name (lookups against `targets/` or `.zo/config.yaml`)                                                          |
| `--repo`          | Path to delivery repo containing `.zo/`. Use when running outside the delivery repo's cwd, especially on a new machine. |
| `--gate-mode`     | `supervised` / `auto` / `full-auto`. See [phases & gates](/concepts/phases-and-gates#gate-modes).                       |
| `--no-tmux`       | Disable interactive tmux flow. Falls through to headless / CI-friendly behaviour where applicable.                      |

`zo build` and `zo continue` additionally accept the **cost-saving flags**:

| Option                 | Purpose                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--low-token`          | Activate the cost-saving preset (Sonnet lead, max-iterations 2, full-auto gates, no headlines, earlier auto-compaction). See [low-token mode](/concepts/low-token-mode).                                              |
| `--lead-model`         | Override the lead orchestrator model (`opus`/`sonnet`/`haiku`). Composes with `--low-token`.                                                                                                                          |
| `--max-iterations N`   | Hard cap on Phase-4 experiment iterations. Wins over plan-level `## Experiment Loop` and the low-token preset.                                                                                                        |
| `--no-headlines`       | Skip the end-of-session Haiku bullet summary (\~1 small call per run).                                                                                                                                                |
| `--bypass-permissions` | Auto-approve Claude Code tool-call permission prompts. Implied by `--gate-mode full-auto`. Works in both tmux and headless modes. See [build → Permission prompts](/cli/build#permission-prompts-bypass-permissions). |

## Modes of operation

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Conversational (default)">
    `init`, `draft`, and `build` launch a tmux pane with a Claude Code session. Useful for the first run of a project, the agents inspect the host, ask clarifying questions, and confirm decisions before writing.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Headless (--no-tmux)">
    Skip the conversational layer. Useful for CI, scripts, and reproducible re-runs. `zo init --no-tmux` takes flags for every decision the conversational flow would ask about (`--branch`, `--existing-repo`, `--base-image`, `--gpu-host`, `--data-path`, `--layout-mode`).
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Discovering details

```bash theme={null}
zo --help                # top-level, banner + QUICK START + commands
zo build --help          # per-command, DESCRIPTION + OPTIONS
zo experiments --help    # subcommand groups, lists subcommands
zo experiments list --help
```

The help system is branded and sectioned (the Mintlify search box at the top of this page works on the same content).

## Slash commands

Inside a running Claude Code session, ZO provides 24 slash commands organised into eight categories: project, memory, gates, observe, document, agents, engineering, utility. See the [full command reference](https://github.com/SamPlvs/zero-operators/blob/main/docs/COMMANDS.md) (will be migrated into Mintlify in a follow-up).

## Where to next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="zo init" icon="circle-plus" href="/cli/init">
    The first command you'll run.
  </Card>

  <Card title="zo build" icon="rocket" href="/cli/build">
    The flagship command.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>