Colin CLI Guide

Colin CLI Guide

Colin is a context compiler that transforms interconnected documents into compiled outputs for AI agents.

Core Commands

colin run

Compile a project. Run from a directory with colin.toml:

colin run              # Compile current project
colin run --quiet      # Suppress progress output
colin run --no-cache   # Force recompile everything
colin run --output ./dist  # Override output directory

colin update

Update outputs from their source project. Run from an output directory (one with .colin-manifest.json):

colin update                    # Update current directory
colin update ~/.claude/skills/my-skill  # Update specific output
colin update --no-cache         # Force full rebuild

colin skills update

Update all Colin-managed skills in a directory:

colin skills update             # Update ~/.claude/skills
colin skills update ./my-skills # Update custom directory

colin init

Create a new Colin project:

colin init           # Initialize in current directory
colin init ./new-project  # Initialize in new directory

colin clean

Remove stale files from output:

colin clean          # Clean output/ only
colin clean --all    # Clean output/ and .colin/compiled/

MCP Server Management

colin mcp add

Add an MCP server to your project:

# HTTP server
colin mcp add sentry https://mcp.sentry.dev/sse

# Stdio server
colin mcp add github uvx mcp-server-github

# With environment variables
colin mcp add airtable npx airtable-mcp -e AIRTABLE_API_KEY=xxx

colin mcp list

List configured MCP servers:

colin mcp list

colin mcp test

Test connection to an MCP server:

colin mcp test github

colin mcp remove

Remove an MCP server:

colin mcp remove github

Common Workflows

Create and install a skill:

cd my-skill-project
colin run --output ~/.claude/skills/my-skill

Update all installed skills:

colin skills update

Iterate on a skill:

# Edit source files, then:
colin update ~/.claude/skills/my-skill