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

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

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

# General tools
govard tool composer [command]
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.

⚙️ 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
govard config profile --json
govard config profile apply --framework laravel --framework-version 11
govard config auto   # Magento 2: inject settings into env.php

`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

🌐 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 ​

⚙️ Configuration Commands ​

govard extensions ​

govard blueprint cache ​

🩺 Diagnostics ​

govard doctor ​

🔁 Utility Commands ​

govard lock ​

govard self-update ​

govard upgrade ​

govard version ​

govard redis ​

govard varnish ​

🌐 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

⚙️ Configuration Commands

`govard extensions`

`govard blueprint cache`

🩺 Diagnostics

`govard doctor`

🔁 Utility Commands

`govard lock`

`govard self-update`

`govard upgrade`

`govard version`

`govard redis`

`govard varnish`

🌐 Global Flags