CLI Reference
CLI Reference
The rocketride command-line tool starts pipelines, streams files through them,
and manages the engine's file store — the same operations the
SDKs expose, from a terminal. It ships with both the
TypeScript and Python clients, so
installing either package puts rocketride on your path.
Python vs TypeScript CLI: Both packages ship a
rocketridecommand. The core commands (start,upload,status,stop,store) are available in both, but flag names differ in a few places and the Python CLI includes two additional commands (events,list) not present in TypeScript. Differences are called out inline below.
Install
Install either SDK to get rocketride on your path:
pip install rocketride — installs the CLI alongside the Python client.TypeScript SDKnpm install rocketride — installs the CLI alongside the Node.js client.Quick Start
The steps below assume you've installed one of the SDKs above. They take you from a fresh install to a running pipeline.
1. Point at an engine
Set your connection once with environment variables so you don't have to repeat them on every command:
# Local engine (default — no API key needed)
export ROCKETRIDE_URI=ws://localhost:5565
# RocketRide Cloud — generate an API key from the online editor
export ROCKETRIDE_URI=wss://api.rocketride.ai
export ROCKETRIDE_APIKEY=your-api-key
See Cloud or Self-hosting for engine setup.
2. Start a pipeline
Pass a .pipe file and watch events stream back live:
# TypeScript CLI
rocketride start --pipeline ./my-pipeline.pipe
# Python CLI
rocketride start ./my-pipeline.pipe
The CLI prints a task token at the start of the run — copy it, you'll use it in the next steps.
task token: ey...
3. Upload files through a pipeline
Use upload to push one or more files through an extraction or processing
pipeline:
# TypeScript CLI
rocketride upload --pipeline ./extract.pipe ./document.pdf
# Python CLI
rocketride upload --pipeline_path ./extract.pipe ./document.pdf
Or feed files into a task that's already running by passing its token:
rocketride upload --token <task-token> ./report-q1.pdf ./report-q2.pdf
4. Monitor progress
Use the token from step 2 to watch a long-running task in real time:
rocketride status --token <task-token>
Press Ctrl+C to stop watching — the task keeps running.
5. Stop a task
When you're done, or need to cancel early:
rocketride stop --token <task-token>
Connecting
Every command accepts connection options, which also read from the environment so you can set them once:
| Option | Env var | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
--uri <uri> | ROCKETRIDE_URI | ws://localhost:5565 | Engine endpoint (see Cloud / Self-hosting). |
--apikey <key> | ROCKETRIDE_APIKEY | - | API token for authentication. |
--pipeline <path> | ROCKETRIDE_PIPELINE | - | Default pipeline path for start/upload. Python CLI only. |
--token <token> | ROCKETRIDE_TOKEN | - | Default task token for token-bearing commands. Python CLI only. |
Against a Cloud endpoint use an https:///wss:// URI so the
connection is encrypted.
Commands
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
start | Start a new pipeline from a .pipe file and stream its events. |
upload | Send files through a pipeline (by --pipeline or an existing task token). |
status | Monitor a running task's status continuously. |
stop | Stop a running task. |
events | Stream all raw events from a running task. Python CLI only. |
list | List all active tasks. Python CLI only. |
store | File-store operations: dir, type, write, rm, mkdir, stat. |
start
Use start when you want to run a pipeline and watch its event stream live.
The command loads the pipeline, starts the engine task, and prints structured
events as they arrive — node status, lane data, errors, and completion.
# TypeScript CLI: pipeline path is a named flag
rocketride start --pipeline ./rag.pipe
# Python CLI: pipeline path is a positional argument
rocketride start ./rag.pipe
# Start with extra worker threads (useful for CPU-bound nodes)
rocketride start --pipeline ./rag.pipe --threads 8
# Attach to a pipeline that is already running (e.g. a long-lived webhook source)
rocketride start --token <task-token>
Key flags:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--pipeline <path> (TypeScript) / <path> positional (Python) | Path to the .pipe JSON file. |
--threads <n> | Number of worker threads. Default 4. |
--token <token> | Reuse an existing running task instead of starting a new one. |
upload
Use upload when you need to push one or more files through a pipeline. The
command starts a new pipeline task (or reuses one via --token), uploads each
file, and streams results back.
# TypeScript CLI: uses --pipeline
rocketride upload --pipeline ./extract.pipe ./invoice.pdf
# Python CLI: uses --pipeline_path (underscore)
rocketride upload --pipeline_path ./extract.pipe ./invoice.pdf
# Upload multiple files concurrently (TypeScript CLI)
rocketride upload --pipeline ./extract.pipe ./docs/*.pdf --max-concurrent 4
# Feed files into an already-running task
rocketride upload --token <task-token> ./report-q1.pdf ./report-q2.pdf
Key flags:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--pipeline <path> (TypeScript) / --pipeline_path <path> (Python) | Path to the .pipe file. Required unless --token is given. |
--token <token> | Send files to an existing task instead of starting a new one. |
--max-concurrent <n> | Maximum number of files to upload in parallel. Default 5. TypeScript CLI only. |
status
Use status to watch a running task in real time — useful for long-running
ingestion jobs or pipelines processing many files.
# Watch task progress
rocketride status --token <task-token>
The command prints node status events, timing, and any errors as they arrive.
Press Ctrl+C to stop watching (the task continues running).
stop
Use stop to terminate a running task. This sends a stop signal to the engine,
which cleanly shuts down the pipeline run.
rocketride stop --token <task-token>
The token is printed by start and upload at the beginning of the run, and
by status. Save it if you need to stop a long-running pipeline later.
events
Use events to stream all raw events from a running task to your terminal or a
log file — useful when debugging pipeline internals or monitoring detailed node
output beyond what status shows.
# Stream all events
rocketride events --token <task-token>
# Filter to specific event types
rocketride events --token <task-token> DETAIL,SUMMARY
# Stream all events and write them to a log file
rocketride events --token <task-token> ALL --log ./debug.log
Key flags:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
[event_types] | Optional positional. Comma-separated list: DETAIL, SUMMARY, OUTPUT, ALL. Defaults to all event types. |
--log <file> | Write all events to a file in addition to stdout. |
Available in the Python CLI only.
list
Use list to display all active tasks for your account — handy when you have
multiple pipelines running and need to find a task token.
rocketride list
rocketride list --json
Key flags:
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--json | Output results as JSON instead of human-readable text. |
Available in the Python CLI only.
store
Use store to inspect or write files in the engine's built-in file store. This
is useful for debugging pipeline outputs or seeding input data.
# List the root of the file store
rocketride store dir /
# List a subdirectory
rocketride store dir /pipeline-outputs
# Print the contents of a file
rocketride store type /pipeline-outputs/result.json
# Write a local file into the store
rocketride store write /pipeline-inputs/source.txt --file ./local-source.txt
# Write inline content without a local file
rocketride store write /pipeline-inputs/prompt.txt --content "Summarize this document"
# Delete a file from the store
rocketride store rm /pipeline-outputs/old-result.json
# Create a directory in the store
rocketride store mkdir /pipeline-outputs/archive
# Print metadata for a file or directory
rocketride store stat /pipeline-outputs/result.json
Sub-commands:
| Sub-command | Description |
|---|---|
dir <path> | List directory contents at <path>. |
type <path> | Print the contents of the file at <path>. |
write <path> --file <local> | Upload <local> to the store at <path>. |
write <path> --content <text> | Write inline text to the store at <path>. |
rm <path> | Delete a file from the store. |
mkdir <path> | Create a directory in the store. |
stat <path> | Print metadata (size, type, modified time) for <path>. |
Related
- TypeScript SDK · Python SDK: the same operations, in code.
- WebSocket protocol: what the CLI sends to the engine.
- Cloud · Self-hosting: where the engine runs.