Full Command Reference

Full Command Reference

This is the detailed command map. For the fastest terminal lookup, use binman.1.

Install

binman install TARGET [--entry COMMAND] [--workdir DIR]
                    [--venv] [--req FILE] [--python INTERPRETER]
                    [--name NAME] [--link] [--force] [--system]
binman install --from DIR [--link] [--force]
binman install --manifest FILE [--force]

TARGET may be a file, directory, or URL. --from scans executable files in one directory; it is not a recursive “copy absolutely everything” button. Remote targets are downloaded into a temporary directory. BinMan does not cryptographically verify remote content before installation.

Uninstall

binman uninstall NAME
binman uninstall --dry-run NAME

App names remove the managed payload and shim. Command names remove the installed file. Automatic snapshots are created only when BINMAN_AUTO_BACKUP=1 is enabled.

Verify and List

binman verify
binman list
binman --reindex list

Verify checks paths, executable bits, app entries, and shims; it does not run the software or validate dependencies. List reads the inventory, prefers an app record over a same-named shim, and may report unknown versions when no supported marker exists. BINMAN_INCLUDE_APPS=1 exposes app directories in a plain list.

Scripts and Update

binman scripts
binman update ./tool.sh
binman update ./MyApp

scripts reads the cached repository at ~/.local/share/binman/source/Scripts; self-update refreshes that cache. update sets force mode and routes through the normal installer. The current help text mentions update --git, but the public parser does not wire that option yet.

Doctor

binman doctor [APP]
binman doctor --all [--python INTERPRETER]
binman doctor --dry-run APP
binman doctor --fix-path

See Applications, Manifests, and Python.

Recovery

binman backup [OPTIONS]
binman restore ARCHIVE
binman rollback
binman prune-rollbacks
binman bundle [OUTPUT]

See Backups and Recovery for archive scope and safety.

Analyze and New

binman analyze [--top N] [--root DIR]
binman new NAME [--app] [--lang LANGUAGE] [--dir DIRECTORY] [--venv]

analyze reports df, large directories, and large files while skipping virtual kernel filesystems. It does not delete anything. new is fast scaffolding for Bash, Python, Node, TypeScript, Go, Rust, Ruby, and PHP; use the Wizard for descriptions, authorship, Git, and containers.

Docker

See Docker and Podman.

Test, sudo, version, and help

binman test stress --quick
binman sudo COMMAND [ARGS...]
binman --version
binman --help

The stress harness creates temporary fixtures and exercises installs, app shims, manifests, uninstall, PATH handling, odd filenames, backup, restore, and related paths. TUI-specific paths need a real terminal.

sudo is an explicit privilege boundary. It does not make every operation safe; it merely runs the requested command with elevated privileges.