CLI Reference

The Impresent CLI is a standalone binary that works with local files and cloud storage. No Node.js required.

Global Options

These options apply to all commands:

Option	Description
`--help`, `-h`	Show help for a command
`--version`, `-v`	Show CLI version
`--config <path>`	Use a custom config file
`--quiet`, `-q`	Suppress non-error output
`--verbose`	Show detailed output

Authentication Commands

`impresent login`

Authenticate with the Impresent server and store your API key locally.

impresent login

Opens a browser window for authentication. After successful login, your API key is stored in ~/.impresent/credentials.

Options:

Option	Description
`--server <url>`	Use a custom server URL
`--key <api-key>`	Provide an API key directly (non-interactive)

`impresent logout`

Remove stored credentials.

impresent logout

`impresent whoami`

Display the currently authenticated user and server.

impresent whoami

Output:

Logged in as: user@example.com
Server: https://api.impresent.dev

Deck Commands

`impresent create <name>`

Create a new presentation from a template.

impresent create quarterly-review

Options:

Option	Description
`--template`, `-t`	Template to use (default: `minimal`)
`--output`, `-o`	Output directory (default: current directory)

Examples:

# Create with corporate template
impresent create sales-deck --template corporate

# Create in a specific directory
impresent create pitch --output ./presentations

`impresent render <file>`

Render a presentation to HTML, PDF, or PowerPoint.

impresent render presentation.md

Options:

Option	Description
`--format`, `-f`	Output format: `html`, `pdf`, `pptx` (default: `html`)
`--output`, `-o`	Output file path
`--template`, `-t`	Override template from frontmatter
`--watch`, `-w`	Watch for changes and re-render

Examples:

# Render to PDF
impresent render deck.md --format pdf

# Custom output path
impresent render deck.md --format pptx --output ./output/final.pptx

# Watch mode
impresent render deck.md --watch

`impresent serve <file>`

Start a local development server with hot-reload preview.

impresent serve presentation.md

Options:

Option	Description
`--port`, `-p`	Server port (default: `3000`)
`--host`	Host to bind to (default: `localhost`)
`--open`	Open browser automatically

Examples:

# Custom port
impresent serve deck.md --port 8080

# Open browser automatically
impresent serve deck.md --open

`impresent push [file]`

Upload a local deck to cloud storage.

impresent push presentation.md

If no file is specified, pushes all .md files in the current directory that have Impresent frontmatter.

Options:

Option	Description
`--slug`	Override the deck slug (default: filename)
`--force`	Overwrite existing deck without confirmation

Examples:

# Push with custom slug
impresent push deck.md --slug q3-results

# Force overwrite
impresent push deck.md --force

`impresent pull <slug>`

Download a cloud deck to a local file.

impresent pull quarterly-review

Options:

Option	Description
`--output`, `-o`	Output file path (default: `<slug>.md`)
`--force`	Overwrite existing local file

Examples:

# Custom output path
impresent pull q3-results --output ./decks/q3.md

`impresent list`

List your cloud decks.

impresent list

Options:

Option	Description
`--json`	Output as JSON
`--limit`, `-n`	Maximum number of results

Output:

SLUG              TITLE                    UPDATED
quarterly-review  Q3 2024 Review           2 hours ago
sales-pitch       Enterprise Sales Deck    3 days ago
onboarding        New Hire Onboarding      1 week ago

Template Commands

`impresent templates`

List available templates.

impresent templates

Options:

Option	Description
`--json`	Output as JSON

Output:

NAME        DESCRIPTION                              TYPE
minimal     Clean, lots of whitespace                built-in
dark        Dark background, high contrast           built-in
corporate   Professional, muted blues/grays          built-in
creative    Bold colors, modern typography           built-in
my-brand    Custom company branding                  custom

`impresent templates add <path>`

Upload a custom template to your account.

impresent templates add ./my-template/

The path should be a directory containing:

template.yaml - manifest file
theme.css - Marp theme CSS
scaffold.md - optional starter content
assets/ - optional directory with images

Configuration Commands

`impresent config`

Show current configuration.

impresent config

`impresent config set <key> <value>`

Set a configuration value.

impresent config set defaults.template corporate

Available settings:

Key	Description
`server.url`	API server URL
`defaults.template`	Default template for new decks
`defaults.format`	Default render format

`impresent config reset`

Reset configuration to defaults.

impresent config reset

Configuration Files

`~/.impresent/config.yaml`

Global configuration:

server:
  url: https://api.impresent.dev
defaults:
  template: minimal
  format: html

`~/.impresent/credentials`

API key storage (do not commit to version control):

api_key: imp_a1b2c3d4e5f6...

Exit Codes

Code	Description
`0`	Success
`1`	General error
`2`	Invalid arguments
`3`	Authentication required
`4`	Network error
`5`	File not found