self

The self command provides subcommands for managing the squirrel CLI itself: installation, updates, diagnostics, and settings.

Subcommands

• install - Bootstrap local installation
• update - Check and apply updates
• completion - Generate shell completions
• doctor - Run health checks
• version - Show version information
• settings - Manage CLI settings
• uninstall - Remove squirrel from system

install

Bootstrap the local installation by creating necessary directories and symlinking the binary.

Usage

squirrel self install

Options

Output

Installed v0.1.0
  Binary: ~/.local/share/squirrel/releases/0.1.0/squirrel
  Symlink: ~/.local/bin/squirrel

If ~/.local/bin is not in your $PATH, the command will show:

Add to your shell profile:
  export PATH="~/.local/bin:$PATH"

What it Does

• Creates ~/.squirrel/ for settings
• Creates ~/.local/share/squirrel/releases/ for cached releases
• Creates symlink at ~/.local/bin/squirrel
• Registers installation for update checks

update

Check for and apply updates to the CLI.

Automatic updates

You usually don’t need this command. With auto_update enabled (the default), squirrel updates itself: any CLI run checks for a new release in the background (at most hourly), and when one is found a detached background process downloads it, verifies its SHA-256 checksum, and switches over silently. Your next run prints a one-line notice:

✓ squirrel auto-updated v0.0.42 → v0.0.43

The running process is never interrupted - the new version takes effect on the next run. Turn this off with:

squirrel self settings set auto_update false

With auto-update off you still get an update notification box (unless notifications is also off), and squirrel self update applies updates manually.

Automatic updates only run for managed installs (installed via the install script, npm, or self install). If you copied the binary somewhere yourself, squirrel tells you how to update instead of touching your setup.

Usage

squirrel self update [options]

Options

Examples

Check for Updates

squirrel self update --check

Output if update available:

Update available: v0.2.0
Run 'squirrel self update' to install

Output if up to date:

Already on latest version (0.1.0)

Install Update

squirrel self update

Output:

Updated to v0.2.0
See release notes: https://github.com/squirrelscan/repo/releases/tag/v0.2.0

Dismiss Update Notification

squirrel self update --dismiss

This dismisses the update notification until the next version is released. A dismissed version is also skipped by automatic updates.

Update Channels

squirrel has two update channels configured via settings:

• stable - Production releases (recommended)
• beta - Pre-release versions with latest features

Change channel:

squirrel self settings set channel beta

completion

Generate shell completion scripts for bash, zsh, or fish.

Usage

squirrel self completion <shell>

Arguments

Examples

Bash

Add to ~/.bashrc:

eval "$(squirrel self completion bash)"

Zsh

Add to ~/.zshrc:

eval "$(squirrel self completion zsh)"

Fish

Add to ~/.config/fish/config.fish:

squirrel self completion fish | source

What it Provides

Completions include:

• Command names
• Subcommand names
• Option flags
• File paths for relevant arguments

doctor

Run health checks on your installation.

Usage

squirrel self doctor

Output

Running health checks...

[OK] Binary: Executable found at ~/.local/bin/squirrel
[OK] Version: 0.1.0
[OK] Permissions: Binary is executable
[OK] Config: Valid squirrel.toml found
[WARN] Cache: 125MB of cached data at ~/.local/share/squirrel
[OK] Settings: Valid settings at ~/.squirrel/settings.json

Passed: 5 | Warnings: 1 | Failed: 0

What it Checks

• Binary installation and permissions
• Config file validity
• Settings file validity
• Cache size and location
• Update status

Exit Codes

version

Show version information about the CLI.

Usage

squirrel self version [options]

Options

Examples

Human-Readable

squirrel self version

Output:

squirrel v0.1.0
  Channel: stable
  Platform: darwin-arm64
  Bun: 1.1.38

JSON Output

squirrel self version --json

Output:

{
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "channel": "stable",
  "platform": "darwin-arm64",
  "bun_version": "1.1.38"
}

settings

Manage CLI settings stored at ~/.squirrel/settings.json or .squirrel/settings.json (local project).

Subcommands

• show - Display settings
• set - Update a setting

settings show

Display current settings.

Usage

squirrel self settings show [options]

Options

Examples

Effective Settings (default)

Shows merged settings with source tracking:

squirrel self settings show

Output:

Effective Settings:

  channel                  = stable       (default)
  auto_update              = true         (user)
  notifications            = true         (local)
  log_level                = info         (default)  (read-only)

User:  ~/.squirrel/settings.json
Local: /path/to/project/.squirrel/settings.json

User Settings Only

squirrel self settings show --user

Output:

User Settings (~/.squirrel/settings.json):

  channel              = stable
  auto_update          = true
  user_feedback_email  = you@example.com

Local Settings Only

squirrel self settings show --local

Output:

Local Settings (/path/to/project/.squirrel/settings.json):

  notifications        = false

settings set

Update a setting value.

Usage

squirrel self settings set <key> <value> [options]

Arguments

Options

Available Settings

Examples

Switch to Beta Channel

squirrel self settings set channel beta

Output:

Set channel = beta (user)
  Written to: ~/.squirrel/settings.json

Disable Update Notifications

squirrel self settings set notifications false

Set Local Project Setting

squirrel self settings set notifications false --local

This creates .squirrel/settings.json in the current directory and sets the value there.

uninstall

Remove squirrel from your system.

Usage

squirrel self uninstall [options]

Options

Examples

Interactive Uninstall

squirrel self uninstall

Output:

This will remove:
  - Symlink at ~/.local/bin/squirrel
  - Cached releases at ~/.local/share/squirrel

User settings at ~/.squirrel/settings.json will be preserved.
Use --purge to also remove settings.

Continue? [y/N]

Uninstall with Settings

squirrel self uninstall --purge

This removes:

• Binary symlink
• Cached releases
• User settings

Force Uninstall (No Prompt)

squirrel self uninstall --force

What Gets Removed

Related

• Configuration - Project config file options
• CLI Reference - All CLI commands