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Max

CLI Overview

Max organises its commands into three levels based on what you’re operating on. Understanding these levels is the key to using the CLI fluently.

The node hierarchy

Max organises data in a three-level hierarchy. Each level is a node, and each node has an address:

Global (@)
└── Workspace (e.g. "my-project")
    └── Installation (e.g. "linear-1", "github-prod")

Every command runs against a node at one of these levels. Max resolves which node from your current directory, or you can target one explicitly with -t. See Targeting for the full details.

Global commands

max -g ... or max -t max://@ ...

Available from anywhere. These manage workspaces and global configuration.

CommandDescription
max init <dir>Create a new workspace
max install --collection <source>Install a connector collection
max -g lsList all workspaces
max -g statusGlobal health overview
max -g llm-bootstrapGenerate agent context document

The -g flag forces global context regardless of your current directory.

Workspace commands

max -t <workspace> ...

Available when you’re inside a workspace directory (one initialised with max init), or when you target a workspace with -t.

CommandDescription
max connect <source>Connect a new data source
max lsList installations
max statusWorkspace health and installations
max schema <source>View entity schema for a connector
max sync <installation>Sync an installation
max search <installation> <EntityType>Search within an installation

At the workspace level, commands like sync and search take an installation name as an argument. You’re telling Max “within this workspace, sync that installation.”

Installation commands

max -t <workspace>/<installation> ...

Available when you target a specific installation with -t, or when your current directory is inside an installation:

CommandDescription
max search <EntityType>Search entities (no installation argument needed)
max syncSync this installation
max statusInstallation health and connector info
max schemaView entity schema

At the installation level, you don’t need to pass the installation name - it’s already resolved from your target.

You can also navigate directly into an installation directory:

Terminal window
cd my-project/.max/installations/linear-1
max search LinearIssue --limit 5
# Equivalent to: max -t my-project/linear-1 search LinearIssue --limit 5

How context resolution works

Max determines your level by looking at your current directory, similar to how npm finds the nearest package.json. See Targeting - Default resolution for the full explanation with examples.

You can always override context with -t or -g.

Getting help

Every command supports --help:

Terminal window
max --help              # List all available commands
max search --help       # Search command options
max install --help      # Install command options

The available commands change based on your context. Running max --help inside a workspace shows workspace-level commands; running it outside shows global commands.

What’s next