Skip to main content
dotbot is controlled entirely from the terminal. Every command operates on the current working directory, which must contain (or will receive) a .bot/ directory. The commands below cover installation management, project initialisation, workflow lifecycle, enterprise registry integration, and health monitoring.

​
dotbot help

Prints the full command list with short descriptions. 
dotbot help

​
dotbot init

Adds dotbot to the current project by creating the .bot/ directory tree with the MCP server, web UI, autonomous runtime, agents, skills, and the chosen workflow. Safe to run on an existing project — existing workspace data (tasks, sessions, product docs, plans) is preserved. 
dotbot init
dotbot init -Force
dotbot init -Workflow kickstart-via-jira
dotbot init -Stack dotnet-blazor,dotnet-ef
dotbot init -Workflow kickstart-via-jira -Stack dotnet-blazor
​
-Force
switch
Reinitialises an existing .bot/ directory. Framework files are overwritten but all workspace data (tasks, sessions, product docs, plans) is preserved. Use this after running dotbot update to upgrade in-project framework files.
​
-Workflow
string
Name of the workflow to install. Can be a built-in workflow name (e.g. kickstart-via-jira) or a registry-qualified name (e.g. myorg:custom-workflow). Multiple workflows can be added after init using dotbot workflow add.
​
-Stack
string
Comma-separated list of tech stacks to install (e.g. dotnet-blazor,dotnet-ef). Stacks add technology-specific skills, hooks, verification scripts, and MCP tools. Stacks are applied in dependency order — dotnet-blazor automatically includes dotnet if it declares extends: dotnet. Settings deep-merge in apply order: default → workflows → stacks.

​
dotbot list

Lists all available built-in workflows and stacks, plus any content from installed registries. 
dotbot list

​
dotbot run

Runs or reruns a named workflow that is already installed in the project. Each workflow maintains its own task queue and can be stopped and restarted independently. 
dotbot run kickstart-via-jira
dotbot run default
​
<workflow>
string
required
The name of an installed workflow to run. Use dotbot workflow list to see all installed workflow names.

​
dotbot workflow add

Adds a new workflow to a project that was already initialised with dotbot init. Useful when a team wants to layer additional pipelines (e.g. a release workflow) on top of an existing installation. 
dotbot workflow add kickstart-via-jira
dotbot workflow add myorg:release-pipeline
​
<name>
string
required
Workflow name, either a built-in name or a registry-qualified name in the form registry-alias:workflow-name.

​
dotbot workflow remove

Removes an installed workflow from the project. Removes the workflow’s directory from .bot/workflows/ but does not delete workspace data. 
dotbot workflow remove kickstart-via-jira
​
<name>
string
required
Name of the installed workflow to remove.

​
dotbot workflow list

Lists all workflows currently installed in the project. 
dotbot workflow list

​
dotbot registry add

Links an enterprise extension registry so that its workflows, stacks, tools, and skills become available via dotbot init and dotbot workflow add. Registries are git repositories (GitHub, Azure DevOps, GitLab) or local paths containing a registry.yaml manifest. Version compatibility and authentication failures are validated at add time. 
dotbot registry add myorg https://github.com/myorg/dotbot-extensions.git
dotbot registry add myorg C:\repos\myorg-dotbot-extensions
​
<name>
string
required
Short alias used to reference the registry (e.g. myorg). Qualify workflow names with this alias when installing: myorg:custom-workflow.
​
<source>
string
required
Git URL or local filesystem path to the registry root. The directory must contain a registry.yaml manifest.

​
dotbot registry update

Pulls the latest content from one or all registered registries. 
dotbot registry update          # Update all registries
dotbot registry update myorg    # Update a single registry
​
[name]
string
Optional registry alias. If omitted, all registered registries are updated.

​
dotbot registry list

Lists all registered registries and their available content (workflows, stacks, tools, skills). 
dotbot registry list

​
dotbot doctor

Runs project health diagnostics. Scans for stale worktree locks, orphaned git worktrees, settings integrity violations, missing CLI dependencies, and task queue health issues. 
dotbot doctor
Run dotbot doctor after a crash or unexpected stop to identify stale locks before retrying a workflow.

​
dotbot status

Reports the current dotbot installation status: installed version, project initialisation state, active provider, and registered registries. 
dotbot status

​
dotbot update

Updates the global dotbot installation to the latest version. 
dotbot update
This updates the global installation, not a specific project. After updating, run dotbot init -Force in each project to upgrade the in-project .bot/ framework files. Workspace data is always preserved.