---
title: "First commit"
description: "Install the CLI, connect a project, and publish your first files."
---

<!-- Generated from apps/cli/README.md and knowledge --help. -->

Requires Node 24 and Git. From this repository, run `npm install`, then use
`npm exec -- knowledge --help`, or run
`node /absolute/path/to/knowledge/apps/cli/bin/knowledge.mjs` from any directory.
For the examples below, put `apps/cli/bin` on PATH. This workspace package is
not published to npm yet.

Create a project in the web app, then visit `/cli` on that same server. Select
the project and create a credential. It permits reading and publishing in that
project for at most 24 hours. The server rechecks the original sign-in session
and account membership on every request. Sign out that session to revoke its
delegated credentials; account removal and session-secret rotation also end
access. Per-token management and unattended service credentials are subsequent
work. Credentials stay out of the checkout and out of Git subprocess environments.

```sh
# Paste the credential without echoing it or placing it in shell history.
read -r -s KNOWLEDGE_TOKEN
export KNOWLEDGE_TOKEN

knowledge clone PROJECT_ID research --url https://your-knowledge-server.example
cd research
# Create or copy your documents into this directory.
knowledge status
knowledge add notes.md reports/
knowledge diff --cached
knowledge commit -m "Add research and source reports"
knowledge log
knowledge show HEAD:notes.md
```

To attach a directory containing files to an **empty** project, use
`knowledge init --project PROJECT_ID --url URL` there, then add and commit.
For a project with history, clone first so deletions and edits have a known base.
The initial version requires project creation through the web app.