> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.helix-db.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# helix restart

> For the complete documentation index optimized for AI agents, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt).

Restart a background local instance. If the container still exists, it is restarted in place. If the container has been removed (for example after `helix prune`), `helix restart` falls back to a fresh [`helix start`](/cli/command-reference/start).

Default local data is in-memory and is wiped by every restart. Disk-mode instances preserve data in their local MinIO volume.

## Usage

```bash theme={"languages":{"custom":["languages/helixql.json"]}}
helix restart [INSTANCE]
```

## Arguments

| Argument   | Description                                                                                                              |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `INSTANCE` | Local instance to restart. If omitted in a TTY with multiple instances, the CLI prompts. Defaults to `dev` when present. |

## Examples

```bash theme={"languages":{"custom":["languages/helixql.json"]}}
# Restart the default 'dev' instance
helix restart dev

# Restart with interactive picker
helix restart
```