CLI commands - KiwiFS — PocketBase for Knowledge

All commands use the kiwifs binary. Run kiwifs --help to list available commands, or kiwifs <command> --help for details on a specific command.

Core commands

serve — Start the KiwiFS server

Start the KiwiFS HTTP server and serve your knowledge base.

kiwifs serve [flags]

Flag	Short	Default	Description
`--root`	`-r`	`./knowledge`	Knowledge root directory
`--port`	`-p`	`3333`	HTTP port
`--host`		`0.0.0.0`	Bind address
`--search`		`sqlite`	Search engine: `sqlite` or `grep`
`--versioning`		`git`	Versioning strategy: `git`, `cow`, or `none`
`--auth`		`none`	Auth type: `none`, `apikey`, `perspace`, or `oidc`
`--api-key`			API key (required if `auth=apikey`)
`--oidc-issuer`			OIDC issuer URL
`--oidc-client-id`			OIDC client ID
`--async-commit`		`true`	Enable async batched commits
`--batch-window`		`200`	Async commit batch window in milliseconds
`--batch-max-size`		`50`	Max paths per batch
`--no-watch`		`false`	Disable fsnotify watcher

Protocol flags

Flag	Default	Description
`--nfs`	`false`	Enable userspace NFSv3 server
`--nfs-port`	`2049`	NFS port
`--nfs-allow`		CIDRs allowed to mount NFS
`--s3`	`false`	Enable S3-compatible API
`--s3-port`	`3334`	S3 port
`--webdav`	`false`	Enable WebDAV server
`--webdav-port`	`3335`	WebDAV port
`--space`		Register additional space (repeatable, format: `name=path`)

kiwifs serve --root ./my-docs --port 8080

init — Initialize a knowledge directory

Create a new knowledge directory with an optional template.

kiwifs init [flags]

Flag	Short	Default	Description
`--root`	`-r`	`./knowledge`	Directory to initialize
`--template`		`knowledge`	Template: `knowledge`, `wiki`, `runbook`, `research`, or `blank`

kiwifs init

Templates provide a starter directory structure with sample files. Use blank if you want an empty knowledge base.

mcp — Start MCP server

Start a Model Context Protocol server over stdio transport. Use this to connect KiwiFS to AI agents and LLM tools.

kiwifs mcp [flags]

Flag	Default	Description
`--root`		Knowledge root (in-process mode)
`--remote`		KiwiFS server URL (proxy mode)
`--api-key`		API key for remote server
`--space`	`default`	Space to scope to
`--http`	`false`	Enable Streamable HTTP transport (instead of stdio)
`--port`	`8181`	HTTP port (only with `--http`)

In-process (stdio)
Proxy mode
HTTP transport

Run KiwiFS directly within the MCP server process. Best for local development.

kiwifs mcp --root ./knowledge

Connect to a running KiwiFS server. Best for shared or remote setups.

kiwifs mcp --remote https://kiwi.example.com --api-key my-key

Serve MCP over Streamable HTTP instead of stdio.

kiwifs mcp --root ./knowledge --http --port 8181

mount — FUSE mount a remote KiwiFS

Mount a remote KiwiFS server as a local filesystem using FUSE.

kiwifs mount <mountpoint> [flags]

Flag	Default	Description
`--remote`		Remote KiwiFS server URL (required)
`--api-key`		API key (or `KIWIFS_API_KEY` env)
`--bearer`		Bearer token (or `KIWIFS_BEARER` env)
`--basic-user`		HTTP Basic auth username
`--basic-pass`		HTTP Basic auth password (or `KIWIFS_BASIC_PASS` env)
`--space`	`default`	Space name

kiwifs mount ~/mnt/kiwi --remote https://kiwi.example.com --api-key my-key

FUSE must be installed on your system. On macOS, install macFUSE. On Linux, install fuse3.

Data commands

import — Import data from external sources

Import data from databases, files, or third-party services into your knowledge base.

kiwifs import [flags]

Flag	Short	Default	Description
`--from`			Source type (see list below)
`--root`	`-r`	`./knowledge`	Knowledge root
`--dsn`			Database connection string
`--table`			Table or collection name
`--query`			Custom SQL query
`--file`			Path to data file
`--prefix`			Path prefix in KiwiFS
`--columns`			Comma-separated fields to include
`--id-column`			Column to use as filename
`--limit`			Max records to import
`--dry-run`		`false`	Preview without writing

Supported sources

Category	Sources
Databases	`postgres`, `mysql`, `sqlite`, `mongodb`, `firestore`, `dynamodb`, `redis`, `elasticsearch`
Files	`csv`, `json`, `jsonl`, `yaml`, `excel`
Services	`notion`, `airtable`, `gsheets`, `obsidian`, `confluence`

kiwifs import --from postgres --dsn "postgres://user:pass@localhost/mydb" \
  --table articles --id-column slug --prefix articles/

Use --dry-run first to preview which files will be created before writing anything.

export — Export knowledge base

Export your knowledge base as JSONL or CSV.

kiwifs export [flags]

Flag	Short	Default	Description
`--root`	`-r`	`./knowledge`	Knowledge root
`--format`		`jsonl`	Output format: `jsonl` or `csv`
`--output`	`-o`	stdout	Output file
`--path`			Scope to subdirectory
`--columns`			Comma-separated frontmatter fields
`--include-content`		`false`	Include full markdown body
`--include-links`		`false`	Include outgoing/incoming links
`--include-embeddings`		`false`	Include vector embeddings
`--limit`		`0`	Max files (0 = unlimited)

kiwifs export --format jsonl -o knowledge.jsonl

See the data export guide for full details on output formats and the REST API.

query — Run a DQL query

Run a Dataview Query Language (DQL) query against your knowledge base.

kiwifs query "<query>" [flags]

Flag	Short	Default	Description
`--root`	`-r`	`./knowledge`	Knowledge root

kiwifs query "TABLE title, status FROM 'concepts' WHERE status = 'draft'"

aggregate — SQL-style aggregation

Run aggregation queries against frontmatter fields.

kiwifs aggregate [flags]

Flag	Short	Description
`--root`	`-r`	Knowledge root
`--group`		Frontmatter field to group by
`--calc`		Aggregation functions: `count`, `avg`, `sum`, `min`, `max` (with field, e.g. `avg:priority`)

kiwifs aggregate --root ./knowledge --group status --calc count --calc avg:priority

Maintenance commands

analytics — Knowledge health dashboard

Display a dashboard summarizing the health and statistics of your knowledge base.

kiwifs analytics [flags]

Flag	Short	Default	Description
`--root`	`-r`		Knowledge root

kiwifs analytics --root ./knowledge

lint — Validate knowledge base

Check your knowledge base for issues such as broken links, missing frontmatter, or invalid YAML.

kiwifs lint [flags]

Flag	Short	Default	Description
`--root`	`-r`		Knowledge root

kiwifs lint --root ./knowledge

janitor — Full health scan

Run a comprehensive health scan that combines linting, analytics, and cleanup suggestions.

kiwifs janitor [flags]

Flag	Short	Default	Description
`--root`	`-r`		Knowledge root

kiwifs janitor --root ./knowledge

reindex — Rebuild search indexes

Rebuild all search indexes from scratch. Useful after bulk imports or if search results seem stale.

kiwifs reindex [flags]

Flag	Short	Default	Description
`--root`	`-r`		Knowledge root

kiwifs reindex --root ./knowledge

Reindexing locks writes briefly. Run this during low-traffic periods on production servers.

view — Manage computed views

Create and manage computed views that aggregate data from your knowledge base.

kiwifs view [subcommand] [flags]

Flag	Short	Default	Description
`--root`	`-r`		Knowledge root

kiwifs view --root ./knowledge

Backup and restore

backup — Push to git remote

Push your knowledge base to a git remote for backup.

kiwifs backup [flags]

Flag	Short	Description
`--root`	`-r`	Knowledge root
`--remote`		Git remote URL (overrides config)
`--branch`		Branch to push

kiwifs backup --root ./knowledge --remote git@github.com:org/knowledge.git

restore — Clone from git remote

Clone a knowledge base from a git remote.

kiwifs restore [flags]

Flag	Default	Description
`--from`		Git remote URL (required)
`--to`		Local directory (required)
`--branch`		Branch to check out

kiwifs restore --from git@github.com:org/knowledge.git --to ./knowledge

REST API

CLI

Documentation Index

​Core commands

​Data commands

​Maintenance commands

​Backup and restore

Core commands

Data commands

Maintenance commands

Backup and restore