Vigil Help Articles

Command reference for the active Vigil registry, organized by category with examples, syntax, safety notes, and technical contracts.

Executive summary

Vigil is Starlit Digital's local safety and evidence layer for repository automation. The official project homepage is sltd.ca/vigil. Source, release, and project context live in the Vigil GitHub repository. Built with ❤️ by Starlit Digital.

Vigil terminal showing ready project status and verify JSON evidence — Vigil in action: local readiness checks followed by machine-readable verification evidence for humans and agents.

Safety model: Vigil is a policy and evidence layer. It is not an operating-system sandbox.

Total commands87

Generated2026-08-22

SourceActive command registry

Automation#

Command	Source	Access	Purpose
`hooks:doctor`	Core command	Read-only	Inspect Vigil hook paths, ownership, and backups.
`hooks:install`	Core command	Writes files/state	Install Vigil Git hook shims into the current repository.
`hooks:pre-commit`	Core command	Read-only	Run pre-commit checks from Vigil config.
`hooks:pre-push`	Core command	Read-only	Run pre-push checks from Vigil config.
`hooks:uninstall`	Core command	Writes files/state	Restore chained hooks or remove Vigil-managed hooks.
`init:ci`	Core command	Conditional write	Generate GitHub Actions helper workflows from loaded checks.

Checks#

Command	Source	Access	Purpose
`checks:command-catalog`	Core command	Read-only	Audit the active command catalog for malformed entries.
`checks:public-assumptions`	Core command	Read-only	Scan public Vigil source for product-specific assumptions.
`checks:public-parity`	Core command	Read-only	Check public source stays inside configured public boundaries.
`checks:staged-sensitive`	Core command	Read-only	Scan staged files for common secret patterns before commit.
`checks:tracked-assistant-artifacts`	Core command	Read-only	Detect tracked local AI and editor instruction artifacts.
`checks:workspace-hygiene`	Core command	Read-only	Detect local OS, editor, backup, and temporary artifacts.
`deps:inventory`	Core command	Read-only	Inventory common dependency manifests and lockfiles.
`verify`	Core command	Read-only	Run the public readiness proof set.

Config#

Command	Source	Access	Purpose
`config:init`	Core command	Conditional write	Generate or write a starter JSON config.
`config:migrate`	Core command	Conditional write	Migrate config files to the current schema.
`config:repair`	Core command	Writes files/state	Interactively repair missing or broken config fields.
`config:report`	Core command	Read-only	Report effective redacted configuration and discovery details.
`config:schema`	Core command	Read-only	Print the supported JSON config schema summary.
`config:template`	Core command	Read-only	Print a versioned starter config for a selected profile.
`config:validate`	Core command	Read-only	Validate the effective JSON config.
`settings:show`	Core command	Read-only	Alias for config:report.

Core#

Command	Source	Access	Purpose
`advanced`	Core command	Read-only	Show every command and advanced option.
`apply`	Core command	Writes files/state	Verify and execute an unchanged reviewed plan.
`check`	Core command	Conditional write	Run the normal project checks.
`doctor`	Core command	Read-only	Check local readiness for using Vigil.
`explain`	Core command	Read-only	Explain a command's source, access, and usage.
`fix`	Core command	Read-only	Suggest safe next actions.
`guards:summary`	Core command	Read-only	Summarize read-only and mutating command coverage.
`help`	Core command	Read-only	Show command help and contracts.
`learn`	Core command	Read-only	Learn one Vigil feature at a time.
`list`	Core command	Read-only	List core and loaded pack commands.
`next`	Core command	Read-only	Prioritize next local setup and verification actions.
`plan`	Core command	Conditional write	Create a digest-bound plan for configured local checks.
`resources:catalog`	Core command	Read-only	List public local diagnostic resources.
`self-heal:plan`	Core command	Read-only	Suggest safe repairs for local configuration and setup.
`sentry`	Core command	Conditional write	Interactively review a workflow plan in Sentry Mode.
`sentry:apply`	Core command	Conditional write	Execute a Sentry-reviewed workflow plan.
`sentry:state`	Core command	Read-only	Print an agent-readable Sentry safety state.
`status`	Core command	Read-only	Summarize config, pack, Git, and command readiness.
`support:bundle`	Core command	Writes files/state	Write or preview a redacted local diagnostic bundle.
`tools:catalog`	Core command	Read-only	List public tools and command contracts.
`version`	Core command	Read-only	Print Vigil version and build metadata.
`workflow:local`	Core command	Conditional write	Preview or run configured local preflight checks.

Packaging#

Command	Source	Access	Purpose
`completion`	Core command	Read-only	Generate shell completion for Bash, Zsh, or Fish.
`manpage`	Core command	Read-only	Generate the vigil(1) manual page.
`manpage:generate`	Core command	Read-only	Generate the vigil(1) manual page.
`manpage:install`	Core command	Writes files/state	Install the vigil(1) manual page.

Packs#

Command	Source	Access	Purpose
`a11y:ci`	Pack: a11y-adapters	Read-only	Run the configured accessibility adapter set for CI.
`a11y:inventory`	Pack: a11y-adapters	Read-only	List locally available accessibility tools.
`a11y:lighthouse`	Pack: a11y-adapters	Read-only	Run Lighthouse accessibility checks.
`a11y:pa11y`	Pack: a11y-adapters	Read-only	Run Pa11y against a route.
`a11y:playwright`	Pack: a11y-adapters	Read-only	Run Playwright accessibility tests.
`a11y:smoke`	Pack: a11y-adapters	Read-only	Run fast accessibility smoke checks with available local tools.
`checks:dependency-security`	Pack: dependency-adapters	Read-only	Run public dependency and scanner adapters.
`checks:release-policy`	Pack: release-policy	Read-only	Check generic release readiness.
`composer:validate`	Pack: dependency-adapters	Read-only	Run Composer manifest validation.
`deploy:verify`	Pack: deploy-verify	Read-only	Verify a configured public endpoint.
`deps:why`	Pack: dependency-adapters	Read-only	Find package references in supported dependency manifests.
`extensions:doctor`	Core command	Read-only	Validate loaded pack manifests.
`extensions:list`	Core command	Read-only	List loaded pack manifests.
`files:iterate`	Pack: file-iterator	Read-only	Iterate over repository files matching a glob.
`github:init-ci`	Pack: github-cicd	Conditional write	Generate a GitHub Actions workflow from Vigil preflight checks.
`history:diagnose`	Pack: repo-health	Read-only	Alias for repository health diagnostics.
`javascript:quality`	Pack: dependency-adapters	Read-only	Run public JavaScript quality adapters.
`npm:audit`	Pack: dependency-adapters	Read-only	Run npm audit.
`php:lint`	Pack: dependency-adapters	Read-only	Run PHP syntax checks.
`phpstan:analyse`	Pack: dependency-adapters	Read-only	Run PHPStan analysis.
`readme:check`	Pack: scribe	Read-only	Check Scribe managed README block freshness.
`readme:generate`	Pack: scribe	Writes files/state	Generate Scribe managed README block.
`repo:health`	Pack: repo-health	Read-only	Report lightweight Git history diagnostics.
`security:gitleaks`	Pack: security-adapters	Read-only	Run local secret scanner.
`tests:affected`	Pack: test-adapters	Read-only	List likely tests for changed files.
`tests:history`	Pack: test-adapters	Read-only	Summarize JUnit test history.

Plugins#

Command	Source	Access	Purpose
`plugins:conformance`	Core command	Conditional write	Validate an external executable against the plugin protocol.
`plugins:doctor`	Core command	Read-only	Verify plugin digests, trust, compatibility, and handshakes.
`plugins:index:verify`	Core command	Read-only	Verify a signed plugin index against local publisher trust.
`plugins:install`	Core command	Writes files/state	Install and trust a local or signed-index plugin executable.
`plugins:list`	Core command	Read-only	List locked plugins and local trust state.
`plugins:publishers`	Core command	Read-only	List trusted and revoked plugin publisher keys.
`plugins:remove`	Core command	Writes files/state	Remove and locally revoke a locked plugin.
`plugins:revoke-publisher`	Core command	Writes files/state	Locally revoke a trusted plugin publisher key.
`plugins:trust-publisher`	Core command	Writes files/state	Trust an Ed25519 plugin publisher key.
`plugins:update`	Core command	Writes files/state	Update a locked plugin from a local file or signed index.

Setup#

Command	Source	Access	Purpose
`init`	Core command	Conditional write	Alias for setup:wizard.
`setup`	Core command	Conditional write	Plan or apply first-run Vigil configuration setup.
`setup:wizard`	Core command	Conditional write	Run the interactive setup wizard.