Command reference

Every Rank CLI command group and subcommand, with flags, short descriptions and realistic examples.

This is the full reference for the rank binary, organized by command group. Authentication and configuration commands (auth, config, env) have their own page — Authentication & config — and are summarized here for completeness.

Running rank with no arguments opens the interactive TUI. Add --no-tui to the long-running commands (pentest run, chat) for flat output suitable for CI.

auth

Manage the API token used to talk to Rank. Stored in ~/.rank-cli/credentials.

See Authentication & config for details.

config

Persistent CLI settings in ~/.rank-cli/settings.json.

rank config set defaultMode local
rank config set goBaseUrl https://aleex.aleex-rank.ai

env

API keys for tools that run locally, stored in ~/.rank-cli/env (0600).

rank env set SHODAN_API_KEY=abcdef123
rank env list

models

Browse the AI model catalog and manage which models are assigned to your account. A model must be assigned to your account before an agent can use it.

rank models list
rank models assign 12 18
rank models mine
rank models unassign 18

agents

Create and maintain pentest and general agents.

rank agents list --type pentest --phase 1
rank agents create -f agent.json
rank agents update 22 --instructions-file new-prompt.md
rank agents set-model 22 12
rank agents clone 22

tools

Local tool definitions (yours, executed on your machine) and assignment of tools to agents and phases.

rank tools list 22 --local
rank tools example --phase 1 --write tool.json
rank tools create -f tool.json
rank tools assign 91 22
rank tools phase-assign 91 --phase 1

A local tool JSON definition has these fields: name, description, command (with {param} placeholders), execution_mode (local, cloud or both), optional requires_api_key, optional bootstrap, and a JSON-schema parameters block. Tools created here are execution_mode: local. See Local vs cloud for how tools execute.

{
  "name": "shodan_search",
  "description": "Search host information on Shodan by IP.",
  "command": "shodan host {ip_address}",
  "execution_mode": "local",
  "requires_api_key": "SHODAN_API_KEY",
  "bootstrap": "shodan init {SHODAN_API_KEY}",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "object",
    "required": ["ip_address"],
    "properties": {
      "ip_address": { "type": "string", "description": "IP address to query." }
    }
  }
}

mcps

Manage MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers that expose extra tools to agents. Transports streamable_http and sse are supported, with auth none, bearer or api_key.

rank mcps create
rank mcps list
rank mcps assign 7 22

pentest

The full pentest lifecycle: create, assign agents, manage assets, run (cloud or local), monitor and review vulnerabilities.

pentest create flags

In automatic mode the default agents are auto-assigned across all phases when you create the pentest. In guided mode you assign agents yourself with rank pentest assign.

rank pentest create -n "ACME" -u https://acme.test -t web -m guided
rank pentest assets 42 add domain:api.acme.test --primary
rank pentest assign 42 --agents 12 18 --phase 1
rank pentest agents 42
rank pentest run 42                 # cloud + TUI
rank pentest run 42 --local         # local + TUI
rank pentest run 42 --no-tui        # flat output for CI
rank pentest status 42
rank pentest vulns 42

The --local and --cloud flags are mutually exclusive. Local runs require mode=guided — see Local vs cloud.

chat

Have a conversation with a general agent, in the cloud (default) or locally. General agents support long-running, multi-step autonomous tasks: in agentic mode the agent plans, chains tools, evaluates results and keeps working until the request is complete.

rank chat -p "Summary of the latest F5 BIG-IP CVE"
rank chat --agent recon_master -p "Generate candidate subdomains for acme.test" --local

usage

Inspect consumption and configure on-demand spending.

rank usage summary --month 2026-06
rank usage daily --period 7d
rank usage history --page 2
rank usage on-demand enable --limit 50

doctor

Diagnose the local environment for pentests by checking that required binaries are installed.

rank doctor
rank doctor --pentest 42
rank doctor --verbose

See the dedicated Doctor page for what it checks and how it reports missing binaries.

docs

Read the documentation embedded in the binary, rendered as markdown in the terminal.

rank docs getting-started
rank docs tools-create
rank docs --list
rank docs tools --raw
RANK_NO_PAGER=1 rank docs tools