Command-line reference

The NexusScript executable compiles models and produces artifacts. It is independent of Nexus Forge and Nexus Build. Run it from a terminal with Nexus on PATH.

Option	Meaning
/input=<file>	Entry model for single-artifact or single-template mode
/output=<path>	Output file, or output directory in manifest mode
/format=json	JSON output; default when no template/manifest is used
/format=sqlite	SQLite database output; requires an output filename and SQLite runtime
/template=<file>	Render the model's JSON through a Mustache template
/manifest=<file>	Compile declared models and render declared templates/source templates
/validate	Apply each model's declared dialect before producing output
/dialect-root=<directory>	Fallback catalog for relative dialect paths
/help	Show command-line help

Paths containing spaces must be quoted according to the invoking shell. The examples use forward slashes. Commands return a nonzero exit status on failure. Diagnostics go to stderr; stdout is available for the artifact.

Single model

NexusScript /input=Catalog.nxscript
NexusScript /input=Catalog.nxscript /validate /output=Catalog.json
NexusScript /input=Catalog.nxscript /format=sqlite /output=Catalog.sqlite
NexusScript /input=Catalog.nxscript /template=Catalog.mustache /output=Catalog.txt

Omitting output writes JSON or rendered text to stdout. SQLite requires a file. Template mode uses JSON internally and cannot be combined with a non-JSON format. /validate is a switch, not an option taking a Boolean value. Without a declared dialect, it has no additional domain rules to apply.

Manifest

NexusScript /manifest=Publish.NexusManifest.nxscript /output=generated /validate

Supply the appropriate dialect catalog as described in Manifests when the declared language is not beside the manifest.

Manifest mode requires output and is mutually exclusive with input, template, and an explicitly supplied format. It validates the manifest and optionally validates its models through /validate. It stops at failure without removing files successfully produced earlier in the invocation.

Path resolution

Input, output, template, and manifest command-line paths are relative to the process's working directory. Inside documents, dependency paths are relative to the document that declares them. Inside manifests, model/template sources are relative to the manifest, and template outputs are below the output root.

A relative dialect is searched beside its declaring document first, then in the explicitly supplied dialect root. The dialect root is not a general module search path.

Target selections and external values

The standalone CLI currently supplies neither a target-selection flag nor application-specific external-value handlers. It compiles an unselected model. Use a consuming tool's documented target options, or the native API, when a model requires selected variants or external read/result handling. There is no /format=live stream output.