Project & Integrity

Commands for initializing a project and managing its integrity.

init

Initializes a new Prompt Lockbox project in the specified directory. This command creates the prompts/ and .plb/ directories, along with the plb.toml and .plb.lock configuration files.
PATH
string
default:"."
The directory to initialize the project in. Defaults to the current directory.

status

Displays a table showing the lock status and integrity of all prompts in the project. The output shows whether prompts are Locked, Unlocked, TAMPERED, or MISSING.

lock

Validates and locks a prompt to ensure its integrity. This records the prompt’s secure hash in the .plb.lock file.
IDENTIFIER
string
required
The name, ID, or file path of the prompt to lock.

unlock

Unlocks a previously locked prompt, allowing it to be edited. This removes its entry from the .plb.lock file.
IDENTIFIER
string
required
The name, ID, or file path of the prompt to unlock.

verify

Verifies the integrity of all locked prompts against the lockfile. Ideal for use in CI/CD pipelines.
This command will exit with a non-zero status code if any locked prompt is found to be tampered with or missing, causing a CI/CD job to fail.

lint

Validates all prompts in the project for schema compliance, correct syntax, and consistency.

Prompt Management

Commands for creating, viewing, and managing individual prompts.

list

Lists all prompts in a table format.
--wide, -w
boolean
Displays a wider table with more details, including intended model and default inputs.

show

Displays the full metadata and template content for a single prompt.
IDENTIFIER
string
required
The name, ID, or file path of the prompt to display.

create

Interactively creates a new prompt file, or creates template files in bulk.
--bulk <INTEGER>, -b <INTEGER>
integer
If specified, creates a number of blank prompt template files non-interactively.
When run without options, plb create starts an interactive wizard to guide you through creating a single, detailed prompt.

run

Renders a prompt with provided parameters and displays the final output.
IDENTIFIER
string
required
The name, ID, or path of the prompt to run.Options:
--var <KEY=VALUE>, -v <KEY=VALUE>
string
Pre-sets a template variable. Can be used multiple times.
--edit, -e
boolean
Opens your system’s default text editor to fill in all required prompt inputs.
--execute
boolean
After rendering, sends the prompt to the configured AI provider and displays the response.

version

Creates a new, version-bumped copy of a prompt. Defaults to a minor bump.
IDENTIFIER
string
required
The name, ID, or file path of the prompt to display.Options:
--major, -M
boolean
Performs a major version bump (e.g., 1.2.0 -> 2.0.0).
--patch, -P
boolean
Performs a patch version bump (e.g., 1.2.0 -> 1.2.1).

tree

Displays a hierarchical tree of prompts based on their namespace.

Searching & Indexing

Commands for building search indexes and finding prompts.

index

Builds a search index for all prompts to enable advanced search methods.
--method <METHOD>
string
default:"hybrid"
The indexing method to use. Choices are hybrid or splade.
A command group for searching prompts using different methods. Subcommands (METHOD)
  • fuzzy: Lightweight search. No index required.
  • hybrid: Balanced keyword and semantic search.
  • splade: State-of-the-art sparse vector search.
QUERY
string
required
The search query string.Options:
--limit <INTEGER>, -l <INTEGER>
integer
default:"10"
Number of results to return.
--alpha <FLOAT>
float
default:"0.5"
(Hybrid only) Balances between semantic (1.0) and keyword (0.0) search.

AI Features

AI-powered commands for automating prompt engineering tasks.

prompt document

Automatically generates a description and tags for one or more prompts using an AI.
IDENTIFIERS...
string[]
required
One or more prompt names, IDs, or paths to document.Options:
--all, -a
boolean
Document all prompts in the project. Overrides any specific identifiers.

prompt improve

Gets an AI-powered critique and suggested improvements for a prompt.
IDENTIFIERS...
string[]
required
The name, ID, or path of the prompt to improve.Options:
--note <TEXT>
string
A specific note to the AI on how to improve the prompt.
--apply
boolean
Directly applies the AI’s suggestions without asking for confirmation.
This concludes the CLI command reference for plb. For additional help, use plb <command> --help, or explore related guides in our documentation to deepen your understanding and streamline your workflow.