Commands

Every Keel command, with examples.

Type these in the Keel shell (run keel), in the browser terminal (keel serve), or after keel in any terminal: today and keel today are the same.

Add --json to any command for machine-readable output. See JSON output.

Capture

owe

New “I owe” commitment.

Usage

owe <what> @who due:<when> [+client/project] [from:meeting|slack:<link>] [#tag]

Lands in the project you are working on unless you add +client/project.

Examples

owe send pricing deck @ravi due:thu
owe revised SOW @ravi due:mon +northwind/portal from:slack:https://acme.slack.com/archives/C1/p2
owe contract review @priya due:+3d #legal

wait

New “waiting on” commitment.

Usage

wait <what> @who due:<when> [+client/project] [from:meeting|slack:<link>] [#tag]

Examples

wait design files @meera due:fri
wait API keys @tom due:tomorrow +northwind/portal

in

Capture to the inbox, sort it later.

Usage

in <anything> [+client/project]

No person or date needed. Sort it later with triage.

Examples

in ask Ravi about the phase 2 budget
in check the contract renewal date +acme/website

meeting

Capture promises as they happen: > owe, < waiting, anything else is a note. Asks questions as it goes.

Usage

meeting [+client/project] ["title"]

Then type one line per item: > pricing deck to @ravi due:thu for something you owe, < design files from @meera due:fri for something you wait on, anything else is a note. An empty line ends the meeting and asks before saving.

Examples

meeting +acme/website "weekly sync"

Daily

today

Focus, due and late, waiting-on follow-ups, quiet projects.

Usage

today [+client]

Shows the project you are working on, your focus, what is due or late, follow-ups, the next three days and projects going quiet.

Examples

today
today +acme

focus

Pick today’s top 3.

Usage

focus <c42> [c51] [c60] | focus clear

Up to three. Everything else stays visible below the line.

Examples

focus c12 c15
focus clear

ls

List commitments or the inbox, with filters.

Usage

ls [owe|wait|overdue|done|inbox] [+client] [@who]

Examples

ls
ls owe
ls wait @meera
ls overdue +acme
ls inbox

show

Details and history of one item.

Usage

show <c42|p7|i3>

Examples

show c12
show p3
show i5

Close the loop

done

Mark a commitment done.

Usage

done <c42>

Examples

done c12

drop

Drop a commitment or inbox item.

Usage

drop <c42|i3>

Examples

drop c12
drop i5

renegotiate

Agree a new due date (counts differently from a silent slip).

Usage

renegotiate <c42> due:<when>

For a date you agreed with the other person. It counts differently from a silent slip in the weekly summary.

Examples

renegotiate c12 due:mon

nudge

Record that you followed up on a waiting-on item.

Usage

nudge <c42>

Records that you followed up on something you are waiting on.

Examples

nudge c15

set

Edit fields of a commitment or project.

Usage

set <c42|p7> [title:"..."] [due:<when>] [@who] [+client/project] [status:<status>] [slug:<new-slug>]

Examples

set c12 title:"send revised deck" due:fri
set c12 @priya +northwind/portal
set p3 status:paused
set p3 title:"Website v2" slug:site

Projects and context

switch

Change context; asks for a resume note on the way out. Asks questions as it goes.

Usage

switch <client/project> [where:"..." next:"..." unsure:"..."]

Asks three short questions about the project you are leaving (where you are, what is next, what you are unsure about), then shows the note you left on the one you are going to.

Examples

switch northwind/portal
switch acme/website where:"pricing page half done" next:"send deck"

park

Save a resume note and leave the project. Asks questions as it goes.

Usage

park [where:"..." next:"..." unsure:"..."] [+client/project]

Saves a resume note and leaves you in no project.

Examples

park
park where:"draft sent" next:"wait for feedback"

client

Add, rename, archive or delete clients. Asks questions as it goes.

Usage

client new|rename|archive|unarchive|delete <slug> ... | clients [--all]

Deleting shows what goes with the client and asks you to type its slug. --yes skips the question in scripts.

Examples

client new acme "Acme Corp"
clients
client rename acme "Acme Inc"
client rename acme slug:acme-inc
client archive acme
client delete acme

project

Add, list or delete projects (rename with set p7 title:”…” slug:…). Asks questions as it goes.

Usage

project new <client/slug> "<Name>" | project delete <p7> | projects [--all]

Examples

project new acme/website "Website rebuild"
projects
project delete p3

person

List people, set their names, merge duplicates.

Usage

person rename @ravi "Ravi Kumar" | person merge @rav @ravi | people

Examples

people
person rename @ravi "Ravi Kumar"
person merge @rav @ravi

Weekly

triage

Walk the inbox: turn each item into owe, wait, keep or drop. Asks questions as it goes.

Usage

triage

Walks the inbox one item at a time: turn it into an owe or wait, keep it, or drop it.

Examples

triage

review

Guided weekly review, about 30 minutes. Asks questions as it goes.

Usage

review

The Friday review: inbox, overdue items, follow-ups, resume notes, next week’s priorities, then the week summary.

Examples

review

summary

Kept, renegotiated, slipped, waiting, time per client.

Usage

summary [day|week|last] [+client]

Examples

summary
summary day
summary last +acme

Data and settings

export

Export everything as JSON (or Markdown to read). Your data is always yours.

Usage

export [--json|--md]

Examples

export > keel-backup.json
export --md > keel.md

import

Restore a JSON export into an empty database.

Usage

import <file.json>

Only into an empty database, so nothing is ever overwritten.

Examples

import keel-backup.json

theme

Pick the color theme.

Usage

theme [light|dark|auto]

Examples

theme
theme light
theme auto

help

Show all commands.

Usage

help

Examples

help
help --json

The keel program

These run in your terminal, outside the Keel shell.

keel

Open the Keel shell: type commands without the keel prefix, with Tab completion and history.

Usage

keel

Examples

keel
keel shell

keel serve

Open the same terminal in your browser, on this machine only.

Usage

keel serve [--port 4242]

Examples

keel serve

keel db

Show where your data lives, or sync it across devices.

Usage

keel db | keel db connect <address> | keel db disconnect

Examples

keel db
keel db connect libsql://keel-<you>.turso.io
keel db disconnect

keel completion

Print the shell completion script.

Usage

keel completion zsh|bash

Examples

echo 'eval "$(keel completion zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc

keel —version

Print the installed version.

Usage

keel --version

Examples

keel --version