CLI
The Paseo CLI lets you manage agents from your terminal. It's the same interface exposed by the daemon's API, so anything you can do in the app you can do from the command line.
Agent orchestration: You can tell coding agents to use the Paseo CLI to spawn and manage other agents. Paseo recognizes the calling agent, so CLI-created workers get the same workspace and parent defaults as MCP-created workers.
Quick reference
paseo run "fix the tests" # Start an agent
paseo ls # List running agents
paseo attach <id> # Stream agent output
paseo send <id> "also fix linting" # Send follow-up task
paseo logs <id> # View agent timeline
paseo stop <id> # Stop an agent
Running agents
Use paseo run to start a new agent with a task:
paseo run "implement user authentication"
paseo run --provider codex "refactor the API layer"
paseo run --background "run the focused test suite"
paseo run --isolation worktree --base main "implement feature X"
paseo run --workspace <workspace-id> "review the current diff"
paseo run --output-schema schema.json "extract release notes"
paseo run --output-schema '{"type":"object","properties":{"summary":{"type":"string"}},"required":["summary"]}' "summarize release notes"
From a human shell, a bare paseo run creates a new local workspace for the current directory. Use --workspace <id> to add the agent to an existing workspace, or --isolation worktree to create a new workspace backed by an isolated git worktree.
When an existing Paseo agent runs the same command, Paseo recognizes it through PASEO_AGENT_ID. Without explicit placement, the new agent becomes its subagent in the same workspace. --workspace can place that subagent elsewhere without changing its parent.
Use --output-schema to return only matching JSON output. You can pass a schema file path or an inline JSON schema object. This mode cannot be used with --background.
By default, paseo run waits for completion. Use --background to return immediately while the agent keeps running.
Workspaces
Create a workspace independently when you want to prepare its files before starting an agent:
paseo workspace create --isolation local --path ~/dev/my-app --title main
paseo workspace create \
--isolation worktree \
--path ~/dev/my-app \
--mode branch-off \
--new-branch feature/auth \
--worktree-slug feature-auth \
--base main
paseo workspace create \
--isolation worktree \
--path ~/dev/my-app \
--mode checkout-branch \
--branch feature/existing \
--worktree-slug existing-copy
paseo workspace create \
--isolation worktree \
--path ~/dev/my-app \
--mode checkout-pr \
--pr-number 2186
Then list, use, or archive it:
paseo workspace ls
paseo run --workspace <workspace-id> "implement authentication"
paseo workspace archive <workspace-id>
Add --forge <name> to PR checkout when Paseo cannot infer the forge from the source checkout. See Git worktrees for setup hooks and services.
Listing agents
paseo ls # Running agents in current directory
paseo ls -a # Include completed/stopped agents
paseo ls -g # All directories
paseo ls -a -g --json # Full list as JSON
Streaming output
Use paseo attach to stream an agent's output in real-time:
paseo attach abc123 # Attach to agent (Ctrl+C to detach)
Agent IDs can be shortened, abc works if it's unambiguous.
Sending messages
Send follow-up tasks to a running or idle agent:
paseo send <id> "now run the tests"
paseo send <id> --image screenshot.png "what's wrong here?"
paseo send <id> --no-wait "queue this task"
Viewing logs
paseo logs <id> # Full timeline
paseo logs <id> -f # Follow (streaming)
paseo logs <id> --tail 10 # Last 10 entries
paseo logs <id> --filter tools # Only tool calls
Waiting for agents
Block until an agent finishes its current task:
paseo wait <id>
paseo wait <id> --timeout 60 # 60 second timeout
Useful in scripts or when one agent needs to wait for another.
Schedules
Run an agent on a cron schedule. The CLI also accepts simple cadence presets and compiles them to cron. See Schedules from the CLI for the full reference.
paseo schedule create --every 30m --cwd ~/dev/my-app "Continue the refactor and leave a note."
paseo schedule ls
paseo schedule pause <id>
Permissions
Agents may request permission for certain actions. Manage these from the CLI:
paseo permit ls # List pending requests
paseo permit allow <id> # Allow all pending for agent
paseo permit deny <id> --all # Deny all pending
Agent modes
Change an agent's operational mode (provider-specific):
paseo agent mode <id> --list # Show available modes
paseo agent mode <id> bypass # Set bypass mode
paseo agent mode <id> plan # Set plan mode
paseo agent detach <id> # Make a subagent top-level
Detaching is an explicit lifecycle action, not a creation flag. The agent keeps running; only its relationship to its parent changes.
Daemon management
paseo daemon start # Start the daemon
paseo daemon start --web-ui # Start and serve the bundled web UI
paseo daemon status # Check status
paseo daemon stop # Stop the daemon
Use PASEO_HOME to run multiple isolated daemon instances.
Connecting to a remote daemon
--host accepts either a local target (host:port, a unix socket, or a Windows pipe) or a pairing offer URL, the same https://app.paseo.sh/#offer=... link the mobile app uses for QR pairing. With an offer URL the CLI connects through the Paseo relay with end-to-end encryption, so you can drive a daemon on another machine without exposing it to the network.
Get an offer URL from the daemon you want to control:
paseo daemon pair --json # prints { url, qr, ... }
Use it from anywhere:
paseo ls --host 'https://app.paseo.sh/#offer=eyJ2IjoyLC...'
paseo run --host "$OFFER_URL" "fix the failing tests"
You can also set it once via PASEO_HOST instead of passing --host on every command.
Multi-agent workflows
The CLI is designed to be used by agents themselves. You can instruct an agent to spawn sub-agents for parallel work:
# Agent A spawns Agent B and waits for it
agent_id=$(paseo run --background --quiet --title api-agent "implement the API")
paseo wait "$agent_id"
paseo logs "$agent_id" --tail 5
Because Agent A's ID is present in the environment, Agent B is created as its subagent in the same workspace unless --workspace is specified.
Simple implement + verify loop:
# Requires jq
while true; do
paseo run --provider codex "make the tests pass" >/dev/null
verdict=$(paseo run --provider claude --output-schema '{"type":"object","properties":{"criteria_met":{"type":"boolean"}},"required":["criteria_met"],"additionalProperties":false}' "ensure tests all pass")
if echo "$verdict" | jq -e '.criteria_met == true' >/dev/null; then
echo "criteria met"
break
fi
done
This pattern enables hierarchical task decomposition, a lead agent can break down work, delegate to specialists, and synthesize results.
Output formats
Most commands support multiple output formats for scripting:
paseo ls --json # JSON output
paseo ls --format yaml # YAML output
paseo ls -q # IDs only (quiet)
Global options
--host <target>, connect to a different daemon (host:port, unix socket, orhttps://app.paseo.sh/#offer=...for relay). See Connecting to a remote daemon.--json, JSON output-q, --quiet, minimal output--no-color, disable colors