CLI

The exponential CLI signs a machine in, runs sessions from the terminal and turns a server into a device that runs your team’s sessions.

Install

curl -fsSL https://exponential.at/install.sh | sh
# self-hosted
curl -fsSL https://exponential.at/install.sh | EXP_INSTANCE=https://issues.example.com sh

Linux (x86_64, arm64) and macOS (Apple Silicon). The script checks the binary’s checksum, installs it to ~/.local/bin/exponential, turns on auto-update, signs you in, installs the daemon as a service and prints the machine’s readiness (the same block as exponential doctor). The web app’s Add device dialog gives you the same command with a one-time install token (EXP_INSTALL_TOKEN=expi_…), which skips the approval step.

variable	effect
EXP_INSTANCE	your instance’s URL
EXP_INSTALL_TOKEN	one-time expi_… token from Add device (15 minutes)
EXP_TOKEN	sign in with an API key (expu_…, Settings → Security)
EXP_DEVICE_LABEL	the machine’s name
EXP_NO_DAEMON=1 / EXP_NO_AUTOUPDATE=1	skip the daemon service / auto-update
EXP_INSTALL_DIR	install somewhere other than ~/.local/bin

You also need git and a coding agent: Claude Code on your PATH, or Codex (the machine downloads its own pinned build).

Sign in

exponential login prints a code and a link to <instance>/auth/device; approve it in any signed-in browser. It works the same over SSH. Signing in does not make the machine a device: only the daemon does (exponential status tells you which).

Run as a daemon

exponential daemon install writes a systemd user unit (Linux, with lingering turned on where allowed, else it prints sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER) or a launchd agent (macOS). The machine then appears under Devices, and sessions started on it from any client run there with the same launcher as the desktop app. Its name, sharing, agent logins, launch defaults and updates are all in Device settings on every client. A restarted daemon claims its unfinished sessions back.

Other devices

--device <name|id> on code or run starts the session on another of your devices (it must be online); --follow tails it. sessions log streams a transcript from the device that ran it over eNet, end-to-end encrypted.

exponential devices
exponential code EXP-42 --device "build box" --agent claude --follow
exponential sessions message 1a2b3c4d "Use the staging database instead"

Updating

Auto-update is on unless you opted out: commands check once a day, the daemon every 15 minutes and restarts between turns. exponential update updates now; exponential update --auto off turns it off. Release notes: Changelog.

Commands

command	does
login [--instance <url>] [--install-token <t>] [--no-browser]	Sign in (device code, approved in any browser)
logout	Sign out and drop local credentials
whoami	Show the signed-in account
status	Account + device + daemon + tooling summary
doctor	Check git and the agent CLIs
code <ISSUE> [options]	Start a session on an issue
run <prompt> [options]	Run a team’s saved prompt
devices [--team <team-id>]	Your devices: online, agents, running sessions
sessions [--device <d>] [--status <s>] [--agents]	Sessions, newest first
sessions show|log|message|stop|end <id> Inspect, tail (--follow), message, interrupt or end one
mcp list|connect|set-secret|disconnect	Team MCP servers + your connection to each
motion import|compile|decompile|check|render <file>	eUI Motion: convert, validate and preview animations
daemon [--foreground] [--label <name>]	Run the device daemon (runs the sessions queued here)
daemon install|uninstall|status	Manage the systemd/launchd service
update [--auto on|off]	Self-update now, or switch auto-update
uninstall [--yes]	Remove the daemon service and delete this binary
version	Print the CLI version

Full usage

These blocks are the CLI’s own help text (exponential help, exponential sessions help, …).

exponential — Exponential from your terminal

Usage: exponential <command> [options]

Commands:
  login [--instance <url>] [--install-token <t>] [--no-browser]
                                          Sign in (device code, approved in any browser)
  logout                                  Sign out and drop local credentials
  whoami                                  Show the signed-in account
  status                                  Account + device + daemon + tooling summary
  doctor                                  Check git and the agent CLIs
  code <ISSUE> [options]                  Start a session on an issue
  run <prompt> [options]                  Run a team's saved prompt
  devices [--team <team-id>]              Your devices: online, agents, running sessions
  sessions [--device <d>] [--status <s>] [--agents]
                                          Sessions, newest first
  sessions show|log|message|stop|end <id> Inspect, tail (--follow), message, interrupt or end one
  mcp list|connect|set-secret|disconnect  Team MCP servers + your connection to each
  motion import|compile|decompile|check|render <file>
                                          eUI Motion: convert, validate and preview animations
  daemon [--foreground] [--label <name>]  Run the device daemon (runs the sessions queued here)
  daemon install|uninstall|status         Manage the systemd/launchd service
  update [--auto on|off]                  Self-update now, or switch auto-update
  uninstall [--yes]                       Remove the daemon service and delete this binary
  version                                 Print the CLI version

Options for code/run:
  --agent claude|codex      --model <m>   --effort <e>
  --detach                  (headless; steer it from the web)
  --device <label|id>       start it on ANOTHER device instead (see `devices`);
                            with --account <profile> and --follow (tail it)
Options for run:
  --team <team-id>
  --prompt <text>           (appended to the prompt's body in the session's
                             first message)
Environment:
  EXP_INSTANCE, EXP_TOKEN (API key expu_… from Settings → Security, or a session
  token; non-interactive login), EXP_INSTALL_TOKEN (one-time expi_… token from
  the web's Add device dialog), EXP_LOG=debug

sessions

Usage: exponential sessions [<command>]

  [list] [--device <label|id>] [--status queued|running|idle|ended] [--agents] [--limit n]
                         Threads you can see, newest first (--agents: your agent conversations)
  show <id>              One session: status, device, branch, its thread's issues
  log <id> [--follow]    Print the transcript (--follow keeps streaming a live session)
  message <id> <text…>   Message a session; an idle one wakes up (`-` reads stdin)
  stop <id>              Interrupt the session's current turn (it stays, idle)
  end <id>               End the session (and its sub-sessions)

<id> = the session UUID, or a unique prefix of a thread's or agent's.

mcp

Usage: exponential mcp <command> [--team <team-id|slug>]

  list                  Your teams' MCP servers and your connection to each
  connect <server>      Connect an OAuth server (opens the web settings page)
  set-secret <server>   Store your key for a server that takes one (read from
                        stdin, never argv)
  disconnect <server>   Delete your credential for a server

<server> is a server name or id. Credentials are held by the server for you
(every device, remote starts, triggers); owners add servers under
Settings → MCP servers.

motion

Convert, check and preview Motion animations (the dialect is in the Motion reference).

Usage: exponential motion <command> <file> [options]

Commands:
  import <file.json|file.lottie> [--out f.json]   Lottie/dotLottie → validated Lottie (images inlined)
  compile <file> [--out f.json]                   Dialect → Lottie
  decompile <file> [--out f.json]                 Lottie/dotLottie → dialect
  check <file>                                    Validate a dialect or Lottie file
  render <file> [--frame N | --at ms] [--size WxH] [--out f.png]
  render <file> --gif [--fps N] [--size WxH] [--out f.gif]