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FlowDeck CLI includes a powerful interactive mode that provides a terminal-based IDE experience. Launch it with flowdeck -i to get a persistent development environment with keyboard shortcuts, log streaming, and a status bar.

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Launching Interactive Mode

cd ~/Projects/MyApp
flowdeck -i
On first run, the interactive mode will guide you through a setup assistant to configure your workspace, scheme, and target.

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Example Session

Clean Shot2025 12 17at18 39 48@2x

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Status Bar

The bottom of the terminal displays a persistent status bar showing:
  • Project name and git branch
  • Current scheme
  • Target (simulator or device)
  • Build configuration (Debug/Release)
  • App status (Idle, Building, Running, Error)

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Keyboard Shortcuts

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Execution Commands

KeyAction
BBuild the project
RBuild and Run in the selected simulator or device
KClean build artifacts
URun Tests menu
XStop running app
LToggle log/test viewer (available when an app is running)

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Configuration Commands

KeyAction
SSelect scheme
TSelect target (simulator/device)
CSelect configuration (Debug/Release)
DShow devices and simulators
PPlatform management menu
OXcode menu (open, clean caches, clean derived-data)
FFlowDeck options
WSave current configuration to file
MSwitch to other workspaces in your folder or subfolders
KeyAction
HShow help
QQuit interactive mode
Page UpScroll output up
Page DownScroll output down
↑ / ↓Command history

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Features

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Log Streaming

Press L to toggle real-time OSLog streaming from your running app. Logs appear in the main output area while the status bar remains fixed at the bottom.

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Test Selection

When you press U to run tests, you can choose:
  • All Tests - Run the complete test suite for the selected Scheme
  • Recent Tests - Re-run tests from your current session
  • Specific Tests - Pick individual test classes or methods

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Scheme & Target Selection

Press S or T to interactively select from available schemes, simulators, or connected devices. Your selection is saved for future sessions.

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State Persistence

Interactive mode saves your configuration to your home holder to avoid having to configure the CLI every time.
  • Workspace path
  • Selected scheme
  • Selected simulator/device
  • Build configuration
  • Log streaming preference
  • Recent tests
This state persists across sessions, so you can quit and resume without reconfiguring.

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Saving Configuration to a file

You can store your current configuration, use the W shortcut to use it via CLI commands. You can directly run commands with a pre-defined configuration by passing the --config option 
flowdeck build --config your_config.json

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Tips

Use ESC during a build or test run to cancel the operation.

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Exiting

Press Q (when no command is running) to exit interactive mode. Your terminal will be restored to its normal state.

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Getting Help

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In Interactive Mode

Press H at any time to display the help screen with all available commands and shortcuts. You can also find quick access to online dodumentation

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Command Line Help

# Show all CLI options
flowdeck --help

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Common Issues

The setup assistant runs when FlowDeck can’t find a valid workspace or scheme. Make sure your project has a .xcworkspace or .xcodeproj file and run the setup again with S to select a scheme.
Make sure the terminal window is focused and no command is currently running. Some shortcuts are disabled during builds or test runs.
Press L to enable log streaming. Logs only appear when an app is running on a simulator. Physical device logs require Console.app.
Run flowdeck build outside interactive mode to see full error output, or check your Xcode signing settings.

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Documentation