CLI & Updating
FlightDeck is mostly a full-screen app, but it also has a handful of command-line subcommands for setup, maintenance, and updates.
Subcommands
| Command | What it does | In a repo? |
|---|---|---|
flightdeck | Launch the TUI | required |
flightdeck --version / -V | Print the version | no |
flightdeck --help / -h | Print usage | no |
flightdeck update | Self-update from the latest GitHub Release | no |
flightdeck setup-update | Ensure update.check = true | required |
flightdeck setup-status | Write reusable status integrations to .flightdeck/integrations/ | required |
flightdeck setup-notifications | Ensure notifications are enabled; print tuning guidance | required |
flightdeck connect [name] | The terminal UI attached to a paired worker or another FlightDeck (--pair <addr>, --list, --observe). See Quickstart: Worker | no |
flightdeck worker <start|stop|restart|enable|disable|status|pair|devices|revoke|logs> | Run and manage a headless worker. See Worker in Depth | no |
flightdeck doctor | Verify Podman and agent images are ready | required |
flightdeck image build [agent] | Build/rebuild an agent's container image | required |
Isolated runs
flightdeck --isolated # or: flightdeck -I
A throwaway run: one fresh agent session in the current directory, with no
worktrees, no other projects and nothing written to the project. No
.flightdeck/config.toml, .gitignore entry or state.json is created, and the
session carries a permanent ISOLATED badge. Use it to poke at a repository or
try FlightDeck without leaving a trace. The Desktop app accepts the same flag.
It can't be combined with a subcommand (flightdeck -I doctor is an error).
Updating FlightDeck
Update notice
FlightDeck tells you when a newer release is out. It's on by default, checks GitHub Releases at most once a day in the background (cached per user, never blocking startup), and only ever shows an unobtrusive status-bar hint — it never auto-updates. Ensure it's enabled with:
flightdeck setup-update # sets update.check = true
Disable it any time by setting check = false under [update].
Applying an update
How you update depends on how you installed:
flightdeck update # installer-script installs, self-replace in place
flightdeck update checks the latest GitHub Release and replaces the binary if
a newer version exists. It works from any directory and does not require a repo.
Windows
On Windows a running .exe cannot be replaced, so flightdeck update checks
for a newer release and then hands the install to a separate PowerShell window.
That window waits until every FlightDeck process (the app, workers) has closed,
lists the ones still running, and then runs the PowerShell installer for that
release. Close the window to cancel. Like on macOS and Linux, this only works for
installs done with the PowerShell installer; anything else is told to re-run it.
Setup helpers
The setup-* subcommands are convenience helpers that write config or
integration files and print guidance:
setup-status— generates standalone lifecycle hooks for agent sessions launched outside FlightDeck (see Working with Agents).setup-notifications— re-enables notifications for a project and explains delivery per platform (see Notifications).setup-update— turns the daily update check back on.