Logseq CLI

Logseq CLI

Overview

Use logseq to inspect and edit graph entities, run Datascript queries, and control graph/server lifecycle.

Quick start

• Run logseq --help to see top-level commands and global flags.
• Run logseq <command> --help to see command-specific options.
• Use --graph to target a specific graph.
• Omit --output for human output. Set --output json or --output edn only when machine-readable output is required.

Command groups (from logseq --help)

• Graph Inspect and Edit:
• list node, list page, list tag, list property, list task, list asset
• upsert block, upsert page, upsert tag, upsert property, upsert task, upsert asset
• remove block, remove page, remove tag, remove property
• query, query list, show, search block|page|property|tag
• Graph Management:
• graph list|create|switch|remove|validate|info|export|import|backup list|backup create|backup restore|backup remove
• server list|cleanup|start|stop|restart
• doctor
• sync status|start|stop|upload|download|remote-graphs|ensure-keys|grant-access|config set|get|unset
• Authentication: login|logout
• Utilities: agent bridge, completion, debug, example, skill

Global options

• --config Path to cli.edn (default <root-dir>/cli.edn)
• --graph Graph name
• --root-dir Path to CLI root dir (default ~/logseq)
• --timeout-ms Request timeout in ms (default 10000)
• --output Output format (human, json, edn)
• --profile Enable stage timing profile output to stderr
• --verbose Enable verbose debug logging to stderr

Command option policy

• Do not memorize or hardcode command options in this skill.
• Before running any command, always check live options with:
• logseq <command> --help
• logseq <command> <subcommand> --help

Task command preference

• If a user request is task-related, prefer task-scoped commands first.
• Use list task, upsert task, and other ... task commands before block/page-level alternatives.
• Only fall back to upsert block/list page style workflows when task commands cannot satisfy the requested operation.
• For any task state, create/update the task with upsert task --status <status> and keep status markers out of --content.
• If the same task block also needs additional tags, use explicit tag association separately, for example upsert block --id <task-block-id> --update-tags '["AI-GENERATED" "CLI"]'.

Examples policy

• Do not maintain long static command examples in this skill.
• Use logseq example as the source of truth for runnable examples.
• Before proposing runnable commands, always inspect live examples with:
  • logseq example
  • logseq example <command-or-prefix...>
  • logseq example <command-or-prefix...> --help
• Prefer exact selectors when possible (for example, logseq example upsert page).
• Use prefix selectors when grouped examples are needed (for example, logseq example upsert).
• Replace placeholder ids/uuids in retrieved examples with real entities from the target graph.
• Use logseq list ..., logseq show ..., or logseq query ... first to discover valid ids/uuids.
• For graph transfer flows, keep graph export --file and graph import --input paths consistent.
• Quote --content values with single quotes in shell examples, for example --content 'Block content', so markdown backticks are not interpreted by the shell.

Structured block writes

• When writing multi-item or hierarchical content, prefer a block tree instead of packing everything into one block.
• Preserve the source structure as sibling and child blocks. Each logical bullet, row, or subsection should usually become its own block.
• Reserve --content for true single-block writes or targeted updates to one existing block.
• If the user asks to write notes, lists, outlines, imported data, or any content that already has structure, do not flatten it into one long --content string.

Tag association semantics

• For block or page tag association, prefer explicit CLI tag options such as --update-tags and --remove-tags.
• upsert block supports --update-tags in both create mode and update mode.
• --update-tags expects an EDN vector.
• Tag values may be tag title/name strings, db/id, UUID, or :db/ident values.
• String tag values may include a leading #, but they should still be passed inside --update-tags.
• If the user asks to tag a block or page, prefer explicit tag association.
• Tags must already exist and be public. If needed, create the tag first with upsert tag --name "<TagName>".

Anti-patterns and correct usage

Task status in block content

• Anti-pattern: store task state in content, for example --content 'DONE Implemented and verified ...' with upsert block.
• Correct usage: store task state as structured task data with upsert task --status <status> and keep content free of TODO, DOING, DONE, or other status markers.
• Example:
  1. logseq upsert task --graph "Lambda RTC" --target-page "May 4th, 2026" --content 'Some content here' --status done --output json
  2. If tags are needed, use the returned block id: logseq upsert block --graph "Lambda RTC" --id <returned-block-id> --update-tags '["AI-GENERATED" "CLI" "db-sync"]'

Hashtags in content instead of tag association

• Anti-pattern: treat content hashtags as tag association, for example --content 'Summary #AI-GENERATED'.
• Correct usage: keep tags in explicit tag options, for example upsert block --update-tags '["AI-GENERATED"]'.

Comma-separated tag lists

• Anti-pattern: pass tag updates as a comma-separated string, for example --update-tags "AI-GENERATED,CLI".
• Correct usage: pass an EDN vector, for example --update-tags '["AI-GENERATED" "CLI"]'.

Missing or private tags

• Anti-pattern: retry the same tag association command after a tag association failure without checking tag state.
• Correct usage: verify the tag exists and is public; create it first when needed with upsert tag --name "<TagName>".

Tips

• query list returns both built-ins and custom-queries from cli.edn.
• agent bridge starts/reuses db-worker-node, listens to db-worker-node events, scans routable tasks on startup and each event, starts one in-process master Codex session, and dispatches matched task/comment requests to that session.
• show --id accepts either one db/id or an EDN vector of ids.
• remove block --id also accepts one db/id or an EDN vector.
• upsert block enters update mode when --id or --uuid is provided.
• Always verify command flags with logseq --help and logseq <...> --help before execution.
• If logseq reports that it doesn’t have read/write permission for root-dir, then check filesystem permissions or set LOGSEQ_CLI_ROOT_DIR.
• In sandboxed environments, graph create may print a process-scan warning to stderr; if command status is ok, the graph is still created.