Command install

Command: install

Onboard a repository in one step: write config, create the database, and run the first index + embedding pass.

Synopsis

columbus install [flags]

Description

Mints a stable project_id, writes .columbus.json in the current directory and excludes it from git via .git/info/exclude (local-only, never committed), creates the database in your OS data dir keyed by project_id — not in your repo — and runs a full index, embedding each symbol and file on-device. Run once per project. Re-running is safe: it reuses the existing project_id.

Flags

Flag	Description
--no-embed	Skip embeddings (metadata-only index; search falls back to keyword)

Plus global flags (--json, --llm, --no-color). See Output Modes.

Example

$ columbus install
Installed columbus project proj_2fd171eebe922fad
  config:   /your/project/.columbus.json
  data dir: ~/Library/Application Support/columbus
  indexed:  4 files, 7 symbols, 7 embedded

Embeddings need an onnxruntime shared library. Without one, install still succeeds with a metadata-only index and a warning; search degrades to keyword. See Installation.

Exit codes

0 success · 1 runtime error · 2 usage error. See Exit Codes.

See also

Configuration · Command: reindex · Command: uninstall & purge · Quick Start