Command line

Everything in the TUI is also available from the shell. That matters for scripts, automation, and tools that need stable output.

Host commands

bast hosts list --sort group
bast hosts show production_web
bast hosts add "Production web" --hostname prod.example.com --user deploy --group Work/Production --tag web
bast hosts edit production_web --notes "Primary application server"
bast hosts favorite production_web
bast hosts hide old_server
bast hosts known-host remove production_web
bast hosts delete production_web

Host edits are patches: fields you omit stay unchanged. Flags like --clear-group, --clear-notes, and --clear-identity remove values on purpose.

Run bast hosts <command> --help for the full option list per command.

Key commands

bast keys list
bast keys generate work --algorithm ed25519
bast keys import work --private ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
bast keys comment work --comment "Work laptop"
bast keys public work
bast keys install work --host production_web
bast keys export work --directory ~/Desktop --yes
bast keys delete work --yes

Run bast keys <command> --help for command-specific usage.

JSON mode

Pass --json anywhere in the command for machine-readable output. It disables prompts, so pair it with flags like --yes for destructive actions:

bast hosts list --json
bast --json hosts show Production_web
bast keys generate automation --no-passphrase --json

Success looks like {"ok":true,"data":...}. Errors go to stderr with a non-zero exit code. Commands that need an interactive SSH session or passphrase entry reject --json with interactive_required.

Prompts and confirmations

Commands prompt for missing input and sensitive confirmations when attached to a terminal. Pass --yes to explicitly approve deletion, known-host removal, or private-key export in unattended use. Pass --no-input to never prompt (fields must be provided via flags).