Definition
What is the muse CLI?
The muse CLI is the command line tool that runs Muse Code. You install it, authenticate once with muse login, and then run muse inside a project to start a session. It holds your credentials, and every graphical client for Muse Code, including Helicon, drives this CLI rather than replacing it.
Last updated · Markdown version
The commands that matter
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| muse | Starts an interactive session in the current directory |
| muse login | Authenticates you. Credentials stay with the CLI |
| muse serve | Starts a protocol host that other applications can drive |
| muse --version | Confirms the install is present and reachable |
Why a GUI still needs it
A client like Helicon has no model, no account and no credentials. It starts muse serve and speaks the protocol to it, which means the agent, the subscription and the login are all the CLI's. If muse --version does not answer, the GUI has nothing to talk to.
Where credentials live
With the CLI, from your own muse login. Helicon never stores or handles them, which is the answer to the most common security question about wrapper clients.
Source: Authentication and billing (Muse Code docs)
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the CLI if I use a GUI?
Yes. Every Muse Code GUI drives the CLI. It is a requirement, not an alternative.
What does muse serve do?
It starts a host that speaks the Muse Code Session Protocol over JSON-RPC, which is how applications drive a session properly.
Where does muse login store credentials?
With the CLI itself. Clients like Helicon read nothing and store nothing.
Keep reading
- Download Muse CodeMuse Code ships from Meta as the muse CLI. Install it with one command on Windows, macOS or Linux, run muse login, then add Helicon, a free desktop app for it.
- muse servemuse serve starts a Muse Code protocol host that applications can drive over stdio. What it is for, and how a GUI uses one host per workspace.
- the Muse Code Session ProtocolMSP is the JSON-RPC protocol that applications use to drive a Muse Code session over stdio, instead of parsing terminal output. What it carries and why it matters.
- Fix: muse CLI not foundHelicon needs a working, logged in muse CLI. Here is how to check which install it is looking at on Windows, macOS, Linux and WSL2, and how to fix each case.
- the Agent Client ProtocolACP is a general protocol that lets editors talk to any conforming coding agent. How it differs from a Muse Code specific protocol, and what gets lost in the bridge.
- an ADEAn ADE is the workspace you supervise coding agents from, the way an IDE is the workspace you write code in. What belongs in one and what does not.
Same Muse Code. Same subscription. Better interface.
Free and MIT licensed. Windows installer, Apple Silicon, Intel and universal macOS DMGs, and a web build against a daemon you run.