cli reference
every el command. run el with no arguments for the same list.
on this page
picks#
| command | what it does |
|---|---|
el get [--all] [--json] | elements picked for this agent session: new ones, else the latest |
el watch [--json] | stream this session's pending picks as they arrive |
el take [--ids a,b] | pending picks (or those ids) as prompt context, marked sent; the prompt on stdin |
el clear [--ids a,b] | drop this session's pending picks (or just those) |
tabs and sessions#
| command | what it does |
|---|---|
el open <url> | open a tab assigned to this session |
el tabs | tabs assigned to this session |
el sessions | connected agent sessions |
el status | hub and browser status, your plan, and remote sessions (this machine's code, and who is asking) |
el link <host> [ssh options] | agents on another machine pick from this browser, over ssh, until ctrl-c (Pro, Max). see other machines |
el allow <host | code> | let a machine on your account pick from this browser (Pro, Max), as the browser's allow does; also undoes a deny |
el deny <host | code> | keep a machine out of this browser; also takes back an allow |
el read#
el read [pick-id] [--json]prints what a picked element says: its visible text in reading order and every form control with its label and state (values, checked, selected, disabled, required), as it was when you picked it. passwords, payment fields and one-time codes are never read, and card- and ssn-shaped numbers are masked. when a pick's text was cut at 300 characters, the pick says so and points here.
el snapshot#
el snapshot [pick-id] [--selector <css> [--tab <id>]] [-o file.html] [--text [--part <n>]] [--motion]saves a picked element (or a selector in a tab your session owns) as one self-contained html file in ~/.element/snapshots/ that renders it offline. a pick's stored snapshot is reused.
--textprints the agent's text form to stdout: images become gray placeholders, fonts are listed, unused css is left out. past about 60 KB it comes in parts;--part <n>picks one.--motioncaptures fresh, keeping the page's animations moving, as share links do.-o file.htmlwrites somewhere else.
el share#
el share [pick-id] [--selector <css> [--tab <id>]] [--expires 1d|7d|30d|never] [--private [--allow a@b.com,@company.com]] [--json] [--no-motion]publishes a snapshot as a link for people and agents and prints the view and agent urls. needs you to be signed in; lifetimes and monthly counts follow your plan (see links and expiry). --no-motion skips motion capture. --private (Pro, Max) makes a private link that only you and the emails or @domains after --allow can open.
el fetch and el access#
el fetch <link> [--json | --html] el access <link> [--private | --unlisted] [--allow a,b] [--remove a,b] [--approve email] [--deny email] [--json]
el fetch reads a share link the way an agent should: markdown by default, the full json or the snapshot html. it sends your account key to share.elmts.dev (and nowhere else), so private links your account is allowed into open. el access shows who can open your link and who asked, and changes it with the flags.
account#
| command | what it does |
|---|---|
el login [--no-browser] | sign in with github or google: prints a code and opens the browser to confirm it |
el whoami [--json] | the account you're signed in as and its plan; picks up plan changes right away |
el logout | sign out on this computer (signing out on the websites leaves it signed in) |
el license [<key>] | show the plan, or activate a license key (--remove drops it) |
github and google reach the same account when they confirm the same email. in the browser, one sign-in covers elmts.dev, support and share links. signing in here stores a key in ~/.element/license. it's checked offline and refreshed automatically (on hub start and every 6 hours), which is also how plan changes arrive.
setup#
| command | what it does |
|---|---|
el install [--claude] [--opencode] [--pi] [--codex] [--cursor] [--muse] [--all-agents] [--cmux] [--dir <dir>] [--ref <code> | --no-ref] | register the native host with your browsers and set up agents (and remove the element skill older versions wrote); --cmux stores cmux's socket password so chips can be typed there; --ref keeps the ad or creator code you came from and counts your install and first pick against it, --no-ref (or ELEMENT_NO_COUNTS=1 on any el run) stores and sends nothing and is remembered in ~/.element/no-counts (delete it to undo) |
el uninstall | remove the native host and element's agent plugins, hooks and old skills |
files and environment#
~/.element/: the hub's socket,hub.log, screenshots (shots/), snapshots and your license key.ELEMENT_SHARE_URL/el share --server: another share server.ELEMENT_ACCOUNTS_URL/el login --server: another accounts server.