CLI

June 4, 2026 · View on GitHub

Two CLI surfaces ship with Hollow. They are not redundant — each one fits a different use case.

Tool	Talks to	Needs tty	Best for
`hollow cli …`	host command socket	no	scripts, CI, automation
`hollow-cli`	OSC over tty	yes	prompt hooks, in-shell UI

Both are documented individually:

Native hollow cli … — the recommended path
Python hollow-cli — OSC transport client

The native subcommand wins on every axis that matters for scripts: it does not need a tty, it does not need shell integration sourced, and it is the fastest option when a Hollow window is already running. Use it for any host-side automation.

The Python client exists for shell-built-in use cases that have no host-side executable available (some WSL, SSH, and PowerShell flows). See Shell integration for the higher-level overview and HTP protocol for the wire format.

Choosing between them

Scenario	Use
A Python or PowerShell script in CI	`hollow cli …`
A bash script running inside Hollow	`hollow-cli` (OSC) or `hollow cli`
A prompt hook that reports cwd	`hollow-cli` (or the shipped `shell-integration/` snippets)
A Lua plugin that drives Hollow	the `hollow.term` API directly
An automated test that talks to Hollow	`hollow cli …`
SSH from a remote box into the host	neither — neither is reachable