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Initialize a v2 Helix project. Creates helix.toml, a .helix/ workspace directory, a .gitignore entry, and — for local projects — an examples/request.json scaffold.

Usage

helix init [OPTIONS] [SUBCOMMAND]
If you omit the subcommand in a TTY, the CLI prompts you to choose between local and enterprise.

Available sub-commands

Sub-commandDescription
localInitialize a local v2 development project.
enterpriseInitialize an V2 Cloud project linked to a cluster.

Top-level flags

FlagTypeDescriptionDefault
-p, --pathPathProject directory to initialize.Current directory

helix init local

FlagTypeDescriptionDefault
-n, --nameStringLocal instance name.dev
--portNumberHost port for the local gateway. The container always listens on 8080 internally.8080
--diskBooleanPersist local data with on-disk storage backed by a CLI-managed MinIO volume.false
Interactive local init prompts for the storage mode and defaults to in-memory.

helix init enterprise

FlagTypeRequiredDescriptionDefault
-n, --nameStringNoV2 Cloud instance name.production
--cluster-idStringYesV2 Cloud cluster ID. Find one with helix cluster list.
--gateway-urlURLNoRuntime gateway URL for dynamic queries. If omitted, run helix sync after init to fetch it.
helix init enterprise requires V2 Cloud authentication. Run helix auth login first.

What helix init produces

  • helix.toml — project configuration with one [local.<name>] or [enterprise.<name>] instance.
  • .helix/ — CLI-managed workspace state (ignored from git).
  • .gitignore — entries appended for .helix/, target/, and *.log.
  • examples/request.json (local only) — a runnable read request you can send with helix query:
{
  "request_type": "read",
  "query": {
    "queries": [
      {
        "Query": {
          "name": "node_count",
          "steps": [
            { "NWhere": { "Eq": ["$label", { "String": "User" }] } },
            "Count"
          ],
          "condition": null
        }
      }
    ],
    "returns": ["node_count"]
  },
  "parameters": {}
}

Examples

# Interactive init in the current directory (prompts in a TTY)
helix init

# Initialize a local project in a new directory
helix init --path ./my-helix-app local

# Local with a custom instance name and port
helix init local --name staging --port 9090

# Local with persistent on-disk storage by default
helix init local --disk

# V2 Cloud project linked to an existing cluster
helix init enterprise --cluster-id ec_01HX... --gateway-url https://gateway.example.com

Next steps after helix init local

helix run dev
helix query dev --file examples/request.json

Next steps after helix init enterprise

helix sync <instance>
helix query <instance> --file <request.json>