Reference
CLI
Every flag of the jinion command, and the environment variables it reads.
jinion [options]
jinion serve [--port <port>] [--stdio] [--origin <origin>]...
jinion mcpRun it in the folder you want to work in. Without options, it starts a new conversation with the model and account you used last.
Flags
| Flag | Does | Example |
|---|---|---|
-c, --continue | Opens the last conversation in this folder | jinion -c |
-m, --model <model> | Uses this model for the run: an alias such as opus or sonnet, or a full id | jinion -m sonnet |
-e, --effort <level> | Uses this effort for the run: low, medium, high, xhigh or max | jinion -e high |
--theme <light|dark> | Skips detecting the terminal's background | jinion --theme light |
--debug | Writes a log of the session to ~/.jinion/logs; prints its path on exit | jinion --debug |
--demo | Plays a scripted session without a model | jinion --demo |
--attach | Shows the conversations of the jinion serve running in this folder | jinion --attach |
-v, --version | Prints the version | jinion -v |
-h, --help | Shows the help | jinion -h |
--model and --effort apply to one run. To change the default, use /model in a session.
jinion serve
jinion serve runs Jinion without a screen, so that other apps can drive it. It takes the same flags as jinion,
such as --demo or -m, and these:
| Flag | Does | Example |
|---|---|---|
--port <port> | Serves on this port; a free one when left out | jinion serve --port 4747 |
--stdio | Serves the program that started it, over stdin and stdout | jinion serve --stdio |
--origin <origin> | Lets in a web page from this origin, such as a desktop app's; repeat for more | jinion serve --origin app://jinion |
Without --stdio, it serves on 127.0.0.1, so only your machine reaches it, and it prints the address:
$ jinion serve
jinion serves ~/code/shop at ws://127.0.0.1:53942
Clients find its token in ~/.jinion/servers/38262.json, which only you can read. jinion --attach shows it here; ctrl+c stops it.A client needs the token from that file to connect. In the same folder, jinion --attach finds it on its own and
shows the conversations the server holds; ctrl+c leaves them running. ctrl+c in jinion serve stops it, saving its
conversations as jinion does when you quit.
jinion mcp
jinion mcp gives another agent, such as Codex, Claude Code or Cursor, your team's decisions and the project map, as
an MCP server over stdin and stdout. The agent starts it; you add it once, as
Codex, Claude Code and Cursor shows:
codex mcp add jinion -- npx -y @jinion/cli mcpEnvironment variables
| Variable | Does | Default |
|---|---|---|
JINION_MODEL | Same as --model | Your last /model pick, else opus |
JINION_EFFORT | Same as --effort | The model's default |
JINION_THEME | Same as --theme | Detected |
JINION_DEBUG | 1 does the same as --debug | Off |
JINION_HOME | Where Jinion keeps its data | ~/.jinion |
Flags win over environment variables, and both win over the saved choice.
Examples
Start where you left off yesterday:
jinion -cA quick question with a fast model:
jinion -m haikuKeep data for a separate setup apart, such as a test account:
JINION_HOME=~/.jinion-test jinion