Recipe CLI Reference

Complete command-line reference for the amplihack recipe subcommand group. All recipe commands execute workflow recipes using code-enforced step progression.

Global Options
amplihack recipe list
amplihack recipe run
amplihack recipe validate
amplihack recipe show
Exit Codes
Environment Variables

Global Options

Options that apply to all amplihack recipe commands.

amplihack recipe [GLOBAL_OPTIONS] <command> [OPTIONS]

Option	Description	Default
`--help`, `-h`	Show help message and exit	-
`--version`	Show recipe runner version	-
`--verbose`, `-v`	Enable verbose output	`false`
`--quiet`, `-q`	Suppress non-error output	`false`

Examples:

# Show recipe subcommand help
amplihack recipe --help

# Check recipe runner version
amplihack recipe --version
# Output: amplihack recipe runner 1.0.0

# Verbose mode shows detailed step execution
amplihack recipe --verbose list

amplihack recipe list

List all available workflow recipes discovered from standard recipe directories.

Synopsis

amplihack recipe list [OPTIONS]

Description

Scans recipe discovery paths and displays all available recipes with their descriptions. Recipe discovery order (later paths override earlier):

amplifier-bundle/recipes/ - Bundled recipes from Microsoft Amplifier
src/amplihack/amplifier-bundle/recipes/ - Package-embedded recipes
~/.amplihack/.claude/recipes/ - User-installed recipes
.claude/recipes/ - Project-specific recipes

Options

Option	Description	Default
`--format <format>`	Output format: `text`, `json`, `yaml`, `table`	`text`
`--long`, `-l`	Show extended details (path, steps, version)	`false`

Examples

# List all recipes (default format)
amplihack recipe list

Output:

Available recipes:
  default-workflow        22-step development workflow (requirements through merge)
  verification-workflow   Post-implementation verification and testing
  investigation           Deep codebase analysis and understanding
  code-review             Multi-perspective code review
  security-audit          Security-focused analysis pipeline
  refactor                Systematic refactoring with safety checks
  bug-triage              Bug investigation and root cause analysis
  ddd-workflow            Document-driven development (6 phases)
  ci-diagnostic           CI failure diagnosis and fix loop
  quick-fix               Lightweight fix for simple issues

Long format:

amplihack recipe list --long

Output:

Available recipes:

default-workflow (version 1.0)
  Description: 22-step development workflow (requirements through merge)
  Steps: 22
  Path: /home/user/.amplihack/.claude/recipes/default-workflow.yaml

verification-workflow (version 1.0)
  Description: Post-implementation verification and testing
  Steps: 8
  Path: /home/user/.amplihack/.claude/recipes/verification-workflow.yaml

...

JSON format:

amplihack recipe list --format json

Output:

{
  "recipes": [
    {
      "name": "default-workflow",
      "description": "22-step development workflow (requirements through merge)",
      "version": "1.0",
      "steps": 22,
      "path": "/home/user/.amplihack/.claude/recipes/default-workflow.yaml"
    },
    {
      "name": "verification-workflow",
      "description": "Post-implementation verification and testing",
      "version": "1.0",
      "steps": 8,
      "path": "/home/user/.amplihack/.claude/recipes/verification-workflow.yaml"
    }
  ]
}

Table format:

amplihack recipe list --format table

Output:

NAME                    DESCRIPTION                                              STEPS
default-workflow        22-step development workflow (requirements through merge)   22
verification-workflow   Post-implementation verification and testing                 8
investigation           Deep codebase analysis and understanding                    12
code-review             Multi-perspective code review                                6
security-audit          Security-focused analysis pipeline                           9
refactor                Systematic refactoring with safety checks                   10
bug-triage              Bug investigation and root cause analysis                    7
ddd-workflow            Document-driven development (6 phases)                      18
ci-diagnostic           CI failure diagnosis and fix loop                            5
quick-fix               Lightweight fix for simple issues                            4

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
`0`	Success - recipes found and listed
`1`	No recipes found in any discovery path

amplihack recipe run

Execute a workflow recipe with runtime context. Steps execute sequentially with code-enforced progression (models cannot skip steps).

Synopsis

amplihack recipe run <recipe> [OPTIONS]

Arguments

Argument	Description	Required
`<recipe>`	Recipe name or path to recipe YAML file	Yes

Description

Loads a recipe and executes each step in order:

Agent steps call AI agents via SDK adapter
Bash steps execute shell commands
Template variables in prompts/commands expand from context
Step outputs store in context for later steps
Steps with conditions may skip based on previous results

Execution continues until:

All steps complete successfully (exit 0)
A step fails (exit > 0)
User interrupts with Ctrl+C (exit 130)

Options

Option	Description	Default
`--context <json>`	Runtime context as JSON string	`{}`
`--context-file <path>`	Load context from JSON file	-
`--adapter <name>`	SDK adapter: `claude`, `copilot`, `cli`	Auto-detect
`--dry-run`	Show steps without executing	`false`
`--resume-from <step>`	Resume from specific step ID	-
`--stop-at <step>`	Stop after specific step ID	-
`--output <path>`	Write execution log to file	-
`--interactive`	Prompt for approval before each step	`false`

Examples

Basic execution:

amplihack recipe run default-workflow \
  --context '{"task_description": "Add user authentication", "repo_path": "."}'

Output:

[Recipe] default-workflow (22 steps)
[Step 1/22] clarify-requirements (agent: prompt-writer)
  Running: Analyze and clarify task requirements...
  ✓ Completed in 3.2s
  Output: context.clarified_requirements

[Step 2/22] design (agent: architect)
  Running: Design solution architecture...
  ✓ Completed in 8.7s
  Output: context.design_spec

[Step 3/22] create-branch (type: bash)
  Running: git checkout -b feat/user-auth
  ✓ Completed in 0.3s

...

[Step 22/22] merge (type: bash)
  Running: git merge --ff-only feat/user-auth
  ✓ Completed in 0.5s

Recipe completed successfully in 18m 32s

Load context from file:

# Create context file
cat > context.json <<EOF
{
  "task_description": "Add JWT authentication to API",
  "repo_path": "/home/user/myproject",
  "branch_name": "feat/jwt-auth"
}
EOF

# Run with context file
amplihack recipe run default-workflow --context-file context.json

Dry run mode:

amplihack recipe run verification-workflow --dry-run

Output:

[DRY RUN] verification-workflow (8 steps)
[Step 1/8] run-tests (type: bash)
  Would execute: cd . && python -m pytest tests/ -v
[Step 2/8] check-coverage (type: bash)
  Would execute: cd . && pytest --cov=. --cov-report=term
[Step 3/8] lint-check (agent: reviewer)
  Would run agent: amplihack:reviewer
  Prompt: Review code for style violations...

No changes made (dry run mode)

Resume from checkpoint:

# Initial run fails at step 15
amplihack recipe run default-workflow \
  --context '{"task_description": "Add rate limiting"}'
# ... fails at step 15: implement-logic

# Fix the issue, then resume from step 15
amplihack recipe run default-workflow \
  --context '{"task_description": "Add rate limiting"}' \
  --resume-from implement-logic

Partial execution:

# Run only steps 1-5 (stop before step 6)
amplihack recipe run default-workflow \
  --context '{"task_description": "Add caching"}' \
  --stop-at write-tests

Interactive mode:

amplihack recipe run security-audit --interactive

Output:

[Step 1/8] scan-dependencies (agent: security)
  Prompt: Scan package.json for vulnerable dependencies...

Continue? [y/n]: y
  ✓ Completed in 4.1s

[Step 2/8] check-auth (agent: security)
  Prompt: Review authentication implementation...

Continue? [y/n]: n
  Aborted by user

Recipe stopped at step 2/8

Save execution log:

amplihack recipe run default-workflow \
  --context '{"task_description": "Add webhooks"}' \
  --output execution-log.json

Log format:

{
  "recipe": "default-workflow",
  "start_time": "2026-02-14T10:30:00Z",
  "end_time": "2026-02-14T10:48:32Z",
  "duration_seconds": 1112,
  "status": "completed",
  "steps": [
    {
      "id": "clarify-requirements",
      "type": "agent",
      "agent": "amplihack:prompt-writer",
      "start_time": "2026-02-14T10:30:01Z",
      "duration_seconds": 3.2,
      "status": "completed",
      "output": "Store in context.clarified_requirements"
    }
  ]
}

Specify adapter:

# Force Claude Agent SDK
amplihack recipe run default-workflow --adapter claude \
  --context '{"task_description": "Add monitoring"}'

# Use GitHub Copilot SDK
amplihack recipe run default-workflow --adapter copilot \
  --context '{"task_description": "Add monitoring"}'

# Generic CLI adapter (fallback)
amplihack recipe run default-workflow --adapter cli \
  --context '{"task_description": "Add monitoring"}'

Run recipe from file path:

# Absolute path
amplihack recipe run /home/user/custom-recipes/my-workflow.yaml \
  --context '{"target": "src/api"}'

# Relative path
amplihack recipe run ../shared-recipes/api-workflow.yaml \
  --context '{"target": "src/api"}'

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
`0`	Success - all steps completed
`1`	Recipe validation failed
`2`	Missing required context variable
`3`	Step execution failed
`4`	Agent not found
`5`	Adapter not available
`130`	Interrupted by user (Ctrl+C)

amplihack recipe validate

Validate a recipe YAML file without executing it. Checks syntax, structure, agent references, and template variables.

Synopsis

amplihack recipe validate <file> [OPTIONS]

Arguments

Argument	Description	Required
`<file>`	Path to recipe YAML file	Yes

Description

Performs comprehensive validation:

YAML syntax - Parses file as valid YAML
Required fields - Checks name and steps are present
Step structure - Validates each step has required fields
Unique IDs - Ensures step IDs are unique within recipe
Agent references - Verifies agents exist in agent directories
Template variables - Checks {{variables}} are defined in context
Conditions - Validates step conditions are valid Python expressions
Dependencies - Detects circular dependencies in step conditions

Options

Option	Description	Default
`--strict`	Treat warnings as errors	`false`
`--format <format>`	Output format: `text`, `json`	`text`

Examples

Valid recipe:

amplihack recipe validate my-workflow.yaml

Output:

Validating my-workflow.yaml...
  [OK] Valid YAML syntax
  [OK] Required fields present (name, steps)
  [OK] All step IDs unique
  [OK] Template variables resolve against context
  [OK] Agent references valid (architect, builder, tester)
  [OK] No circular dependencies

Recipe "my-workflow" is valid (5 steps)

Invalid recipe:

amplihack recipe validate broken-recipe.yaml

Output:

Validating broken-recipe.yaml...
  [OK] Valid YAML syntax
  [OK] Required fields present
  [FAIL] Step ID "test" appears 2 times (must be unique)
  [FAIL] Agent reference "amplihack:unknown-agent" not found
  [WARN] Context variable "{{missing_var}}" used but not defined

Recipe validation failed with 2 errors, 1 warning

Strict mode:

amplihack recipe validate my-recipe.yaml --strict

Warnings become errors in strict mode. Returns exit code 1 if any warnings or errors found.

JSON output:

amplihack recipe validate my-recipe.yaml --format json

Output:

{
  "valid": false,
  "errors": [
    {
      "type": "duplicate_step_id",
      "step_id": "test",
      "message": "Step ID 'test' appears 2 times (must be unique)"
    },
    {
      "type": "invalid_agent",
      "agent": "amplihack:unknown-agent",
      "message": "Agent reference 'amplihack:unknown-agent' not found"
    }
  ],
  "warnings": [
    {
      "type": "undefined_variable",
      "variable": "missing_var",
      "message": "Context variable '{{missing_var}}' used but not defined"
    }
  ]
}

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
`0`	Success - recipe is valid
`1`	Validation failed (errors found)
`2`	File not found or not readable

amplihack recipe show

Display detailed information about a recipe including metadata, context variables, and step-by-step breakdown.

Synopsis

amplihack recipe show <recipe> [OPTIONS]

Arguments

Argument	Description	Required
`<recipe>`	Recipe name or path to recipe YAML file	Yes

Description

Shows complete recipe details:

Metadata (name, description, version, author)
File path
Context variable definitions
Full step list with prompts, agents, commands
Step dependencies and outputs

Options

Option	Description	Default
`--format <format>`	Output format: `text`, `json`, `yaml`, `table`	`text`
`--steps-only`	Show only step list (omit metadata)	`false`

Examples

Show full recipe details:

amplihack recipe show default-workflow

Output:

Recipe: default-workflow
Description: 22-step development workflow (requirements through merge)
Version: 1.0
Author: amplihack
Path: /home/user/.amplihack/.claude/recipes/default-workflow.yaml

Context Variables:
  task_description (required): Description of what to implement
  repo_path (optional, default="."): Repository root path
  branch_name (optional): Override branch name

Steps (22):
  1. clarify-requirements (agent: prompt-writer)
     Prompt: |
       Analyze and clarify the following task:
       {{task_description}}

       Rewrite as unambiguous, testable requirements.
     Output: clarified_requirements

  2. design (agent: architect)
     Prompt: |
       Design a solution for:
       {{task_description}}

       Requirements:
       {{clarified_requirements}}
     Uses: clarified_requirements
     Output: design_spec

  3. create-branch (type: bash)
     Command: git checkout -b {{branch_name}}

  ...

  22. merge (type: bash)
      Command: git merge --ff-only {{branch_name}}
      Condition: tests_pass && ci_success

Show steps only:

amplihack recipe show default-workflow --steps-only

Output:

Steps (22):
  1. clarify-requirements (agent: prompt-writer)
  2. design (agent: architect)
  3. create-branch (type: bash)
  4. write-tests (agent: tester)
  ...
  22. merge (type: bash)

JSON format:

amplihack recipe show default-workflow --format json

Output:

{
  "name": "default-workflow",
  "description": "22-step development workflow (requirements through merge)",
  "version": "1.0",
  "author": "amplihack",
  "path": "/home/user/.amplihack/.claude/recipes/default-workflow.yaml",
  "context": {
    "task_description": {
      "required": true,
      "default": "",
      "description": "Description of what to implement"
    },
    "repo_path": {
      "required": false,
      "default": ".",
      "description": "Repository root path"
    },
    "branch_name": {
      "required": false,
      "default": null,
      "description": "Override branch name"
    }
  },
  "steps": [
    {
      "id": "clarify-requirements",
      "type": "agent",
      "agent": "amplihack:prompt-writer",
      "prompt": "Analyze and clarify the following task:\n{{task_description}}\n\nRewrite as unambiguous, testable requirements.",
      "output": "clarified_requirements"
    }
  ]
}

YAML format:

amplihack recipe show default-workflow --format yaml

Returns the original recipe YAML content.

Table format:

amplihack recipe show default-workflow --format table

Output:

STEP  ID                      TYPE   AGENT/COMMAND                     OUTPUT
1     clarify-requirements    agent  amplihack:prompt-writer           clarified_requirements
2     design                  agent  amplihack:architect               design_spec
3     create-branch           bash   git checkout -b {{branch_name}}   -
4     write-tests             agent  amplihack:tester                  test_files
5     implement-logic         agent  amplihack:builder                 implementation
6     review-code             agent  amplihack:reviewer                review_feedback
7     run-tests               bash   pytest tests/ -v                  test_results
8     commit-changes          bash   git commit -m "..."               -
...

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
`0`	Success - recipe found and displayed
`1`	Recipe not found

Exit Codes

Summary of all exit codes used by recipe CLI commands.

Code	Meaning	Commands
`0`	Success	All commands
`1`	General error	All commands
`2`	Invalid arguments or missing file	`validate`, `run`
`3`	Step execution failed	`run`
`4`	Agent not found	`run`
`5`	Adapter not available	`run`
`130`	Interrupted by user (Ctrl+C)	`run`

Check exit code in shell:

amplihack recipe run my-recipe --context '{...}'
echo $?  # Prints exit code

Use exit codes in scripts:

#!/bin/bash
set -e  # Exit on any error

if amplihack recipe run default-workflow --context '{...}'; then
  echo "Recipe succeeded"
  notify-user "Deployment complete"
else
  exit_code=$?
  echo "Recipe failed with code: $exit_code"
  notify-user "Deployment failed"
  exit $exit_code
fi

Environment Variables

Environment variables that affect recipe CLI behavior.

AMPLIHACK_RECIPE_PATH

Additional directories to search for recipes (colon-separated list).

export AMPLIHACK_RECIPE_PATH="/opt/company-recipes:/home/user/my-recipes"
amplihack recipe list  # Includes recipes from both directories

Discovery order with AMPLIHACK_RECIPE_PATH:

Built-in recipes
User recipes (~/.amplihack/.claude/recipes/)
Directories in AMPLIHACK_RECIPE_PATH (left to right)
Project recipes (.claude/recipes/)

AMPLIHACK_ADAPTER

Default SDK adapter when --adapter is not specified.

export AMPLIHACK_ADAPTER=copilot
amplihack recipe run default-workflow --context '{...}'  # Uses copilot adapter

Valid values: claude, copilot, cli, auto

AMPLIHACK_VERBOSE

Enable verbose output for all recipe commands.

export AMPLIHACK_VERBOSE=1
amplihack recipe list  # Shows detailed discovery process

Equivalent to passing --verbose flag to each command.

AMPLIHACK_DRY_RUN

Enable dry-run mode by default.

export AMPLIHACK_DRY_RUN=1
amplihack recipe run my-recipe --context '{...}'  # Previews without executing

Override with explicit flag:

export AMPLIHACK_DRY_RUN=1
amplihack recipe run my-recipe --dry-run=false --context '{...}'  # Actually executes

See also:

Recipe CLI How-To Guide - Task-oriented usage examples
Recipe Runner Overview - Architecture and YAML format
Creating Custom Recipes - Recipe development guide

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Recipe CLI Reference

Contents

Global Options

amplihack recipe list

Synopsis

Description

Options

Examples

Exit Codes

amplihack recipe run

Synopsis

Arguments

Description

Options

Examples

Exit Codes

amplihack recipe validate

Synopsis

Arguments

Description

Options

Examples

Exit Codes

amplihack recipe show

Synopsis

Arguments

Description

Options

Examples

Exit Codes

Exit Codes

Environment Variables

AMPLIHACK_RECIPE_PATH

AMPLIHACK_ADAPTER

AMPLIHACK_VERBOSE

AMPLIHACK_DRY_RUN

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Recipe CLI Reference

Contents

Global Options

amplihack recipe list

Synopsis

Description

Options

Examples

Exit Codes

amplihack recipe run

Synopsis

Arguments

Description

Options

Examples

Exit Codes

amplihack recipe validate

Synopsis

Arguments

Description

Options

Examples

Exit Codes

amplihack recipe show

Synopsis

Arguments

Description

Options

Examples

Exit Codes

Exit Codes

Environment Variables

AMPLIHACK_RECIPE_PATH

AMPLIHACK_ADAPTER

AMPLIHACK_VERBOSE

AMPLIHACK_DRY_RUN