HEM CLI

The command-line interface for the Hedonistic Method (HEM) -- an AI-native creation methodology for governing agent-driven software projects. HEM provides structured governance, quality measurement, project validation, and multi-engine orchestration from your terminal.

Install

npm install -g @hedonistic-io/hem

Or with a project-local install:

npm install --save-dev @hedonistic-io/hem
npx hem --help

Commands

Project Setup

# Initialize a new HEM project in the current directory
hem init

# Initialize with a specific profile
hem init --profile saas-product

# Initialize in a target directory
hem init ./my-project

# Guided first-time setup wizard
hem wizard

Daily Workflow

# Project health dashboard
hem status
hem status --json

# Calculate the Hedonistic Index (quality score)
hem measure
hem measure quick
hem measure --json

# Run governance validation checks
hem validate
hem validate --json

Signing and Verification

# Sign a file with your HEM key
hem sign file ./COMPACT.md

# Verify a signed file
hem sign verify ./COMPACT.md.sig

# Manage signing keys
hem sign keys
hem sign generate

Estimation and Calibration

# View or adjust estimates
hem estimate

# Record actuals against estimates
hem estimate actuals

# View calibration data
hem estimate calibration

# Harvest calibration entries from completed tasks
hem estimate harvest

AI Engine Orchestration

# List available AI engines (Claude, Codex, Gemini, etc.)
hem engines
hem engines available

# Launch a sub-agent on a specific engine
hem launch claude "Implement the auth module"

Skills

# List available HEM skills
hem skills list

# Show details for a specific skill
hem skills info build

Changelog Management

# Show the changelog
hem changelog show

# Add an entry
hem changelog add

# Show the latest version entry
hem changelog latest

Shell Completions

# Generate completions for your shell
hem completions fish
hem completions zsh
hem completions bash

# Auto-install completions
hem completions install

MCP Server

# Start the HEM MCP server (stdio transport)
hem serve

Active Monitoring

# Run the steering watchdog (continuous governance monitoring)
hem watch
hem watch --json

Additional Commands

# Manage tasks
hem tasks list|add|complete|actuals|focus|progress

# Manage compacts (project contracts)
hem compact show|create|vision|scope|criteria|complete

# Generate role-scoped briefs
hem brief show|export --role steward --budget 4000

# Session memory management
hem memory list|show|append|distill

# Multi-project management
hem projects list|add|remove|switch|scan

# Profile management
hem profile show|list|set|info

# Escalation checks
hem escalation check|thresholds

# One-shot steering analysis
hem steer analyze|prompt|check

# Lint governance documents
hem lint compact|tasks|accord|amendment

# Rejection tracking
hem reject list|create|resolve|summary

# Knowledge base
hem knowledge list|search|show|stages|add|corroborate

# Archive management
hem archive list|show|search|export

# Template rendering
hem template list|show|render

# Version info
hem version

How It Works

HEM CLI wraps @hedonistic-io/hem-core, which provides:

• Profile system -- per-project behavior profiles (saas-product, hardware, open-source, etc.)
• Hedonistic Index -- a composite quality score measuring session health, steering quality, agent performance, and outcome quality
• Governance validation -- checks for COMPACT.md, TASKS.md, proper git workflow, and method compliance
• Estimation calibration -- track estimate-vs-actual ratios and improve future estimates
• Multi-engine orchestration -- launch and manage agents across Claude, Codex, Gemini, Copilot, and more
• Cryptographic signing -- sign and verify governance documents

Quality Priority

HEM enforces a strict quality priority in all work:

1. Correctness
2. Security
3. Simplicity
4. Maintainability
5. Performance

The Method

The Hedonistic Method is a universal creation methodology built for AI-native development. It covers the full project lifecycle from genesis through integration, with structured governance that scales from solo projects to multi-agent orchestration.

Learn more at the method repository.

License

MIT - Hedonistic IO LLC