--- sidebar_position: 2 --- # CLI The Wails CLI has a number of commands that are used for managing your projects. All commands are run in the following way: `wails ` ## init `wails init` is used for generating projects. | Flag | Description | Default | | :------------------- | :------------------------------------- | :------------------------- | | -n "project name" | Name of the project. **Mandatory**. | | | -d "project dir" | Project directory to create | Name of the project | | -g | Initialise git repository | | | -l | List available project templates | | | -q | Suppress output to console | | | -t "template name" | The project template to use. This can be the name of a default template or a URL to a remote template hosted on github. | vanilla | | -ide | Generate IDE project files | | | -f | Force build application | false | Example: `wails init -n test -d mytestproject -g -ide vscode -q` This will generate a a project called "test" in the "mytestproject" directory, initialise git, generate vscode project files and do so silently. More information on using IDEs with Wails can be found [here](/docs/guides/ides). ### Remote Templates Remote templates (hosted on GitHub) are supported and can be installed by using the template's project URL. Example: `wails init -n test -t https://github.com/leaanthony/testtemplate` A list of community maintained templates can be found [here](/docs/community/templates) :::warning Attention **The Wails project does not maintain, is not responsible nor liable for 3rd party templates!** If you are unsure about a template, inspect `package.json` and `wails.json` for what scripts are run and what packages are installed. ::: ## build `wails build` is used for compiling your project to a production-ready binary. | Flag | Description | Default | | :------------------- | :-------------------------------------- | :------------------------- | | -clean | Cleans the `build/bin` directory | | | -compiler "compiler"| Use a different go compiler to build, eg go1.15beta1 | go | | -ldflags "flags" | Additional ldflags to pass to the compiler | | | -nopackage | Do not package application | | | -o filename | Output filename | | | -s | Skip building the frontend | | | -f | Force build application | false | | -tags "extra tags" | Build tags to pass to compiler (quoted and space separated) | | | -upx | Compress final binary using "upx" | | | -upxflags | Flags to pass to upx | | | -v int | Verbosity level (0 - silent, 1 - default, 2 - verbose) | 1 | | -webview2 | WebView2 installer strategy: download,embed,browser,error | download | For a detailed description of the `webview2` flag, please refer to the [Windows](/docs/guides/windows) Guide. If you prefer to build using standard Go tooling, please consult the [Manual Builds](/docs/guides/manual-builds) guide. Example: `wails build -clean -o myproject.exe` :::info UPX on Apple Silicon There are [issues](https://github.com/upx/upx/issues/446) with using UPX with Apple Silicon. ::: :::info UPX on Windows Some Antivirus vendors false positively mark `upx` compressed binaries as virus, see [issue](https://github.com/upx/upx/issues/437). ::: ## doctor `wails doctor` will run diagnostics to ensure that your system is ready for development. Example: ``` Wails CLI v2.0.0-beta Scanning system - Please wait (this may take a long time)...Done. System ------ OS: Windows 10 Pro Version: 2009 (Build: 19043) ID: 21H1 Go Version: go1.17 Platform: windows Architecture: amd64 Dependency Package Name Status Version ---------- ------------ ------ ------- WebView2 N/A Installed 93.0.961.52 npm N/A Installed 6.14.15 *upx N/A Installed upx 3.96 * - Optional Dependency Diagnosis --------- Your system is ready for Wails development! ``` ## dev `wails dev` is used to run your application in a "live development" mode. This means: - The application is compiled and run automatically - A watcher is started and will trigger a rebuild of your dev app if it detects changes to your go files - A webserver is started on `http://localhost:34115` which serves your application (not just frontend) over http. This allows you to use your favourite browser development extensions - All application assets are loaded from disk. If they are changed, the application will automatically reload (not rebuild). All connected browsers will also reload - A JS module is generated that provides the following: - Javascript wrappers of your Go methods with autogenerated JSDoc, providing code hinting - TypeScript versions of your Go structs, that can be constructed and passed to your go methods - A second JS module is generated that provides a wrapper + TS declaration for the runtime | Flag | Description | Default | | :------------------- | :-------------------------------------- | :------------------------- | | -assetdir "./path/to/assets" | Serve assets from the given directory instead of using the provided asset FS | Value in `wails.json` | | -browser | Opens a browser to `http://localhost:34115` on startup | | | -compiler "compiler"| Use a different go compiler to build, eg go1.15beta1 | go | | -e | Extensions to trigger rebuilds (comma separated) | go | | -reloaddirs | Additional directories to trigger reloads (comma separated) | Value in `wails.json` | | -ldflags "flags" | Additional ldflags to pass to the compiler | | | -tags "extra tags" | Build tags to pass to compiler (quoted and space separated) | | | -loglevel "loglevel"| Loglevel to use - Trace, Debug, Info, Warning, Error | Debug | | -noreload | Disable automatic reload when assets change | | | -v | Verbosity level (0 - silent, 1 - standard, 2 - verbose) | 1 | | -wailsjsdir | The directory to generate the generated Wails JS modules | Value in `wails.json` | | -debounce | The time to wait for reload after an asset change is detected | 100 (milliseconds) | | -devserverurl "url" | Use 3rd party dev server url, EG Vite | "http://localhost:34115" | | -appargs "args" | Arguments passed to the application in shell style | | | -platform "platform" | Platform/Arch to target | `runtime.GOOS` | If the `assetdir`, `reloaddirs`, `wailsjsdir`, `debounce` or `devserverurl` flags are provided on the command line, they are saved in `wails.json`, and become the defaults for subsequent invocations. Example: `wails dev -assetdir ./frontend/dist -wailsjsdir ./frontend/src -browser` This command will do the following: - Build the application and run it (more details [here](/docs/guides/manual-builds) - Generate the Wails JS modules in `./frontend/src` - Watch for updates to files in `./frontend/dist` and reload on any change - Open a browser and connect to the application There is more information on using this feature with existing framework scripts [here](/docs/guides/application-development#live-reloading). ## generate ### template Wails uses templates for project generation. The `wails generate template` command helps scaffold a template so that it may be used for generating projects. | Flag | Description | | :------------------- | :------------------------------------------- | | -name | The template name (Mandatory) | | -frontend "path" | Path to frontend project to use in template | For more details on creating templates, consult the [Templates guide](/docs/guides/templates). ## update `wails update` will update the version of the Wails CLI. | Flag | Description | | :------------------- | :-------------------------------------- | | -pre | Update to latest pre-release version | | -version "version" | Install a specific version of the CLI | ## version `wails version` will simply output the current CLI version.