sentinelayer-cli

0.8.11 verified Mon Apr 27 auth: no javascript

CLI tool for scaffolding Sentinelayer spec/prompt/guide artifacts and bootstrapping SENTINELAYER_TOKEN via browser auth. Current stable version 0.8.11. Release cadence is high (multiple releases per week). Key differentiators: non-interactive CI mode, BYOK token mode, GitHub auth integration, and multi-command support (auth, scan, omargate, audit). Requires Node.js ^20.0.0 or ^22.0.0. Compatible with Windows via 'sentinelayer-cli' binary due to 'sl' alias conflict with PowerShell's Set-Location. Includes compatibility aliases: create-sentinelayer, sentinel, sl.

Common errors

error Error: 'sl' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file. ↓

cause On Windows, 'sl' is a built-in PowerShell alias for Set-Location. Running 'sl' from cmd.exe or PowerShell with the alias may fail.

fix

Use 'sentinelayer-cli' or 'slc' instead of 'sl' on Windows. Or run 'sl' in a context where the package's binary is preferred.

error Error: The engine "node" is incompatible with this module. Expected version "^20.0.0 || ^22.0.0". Got "18.x.x" ↓

cause Node.js version is too old. Package requires Node.js >=20.0.0 or >=22.0.0.

fix

Upgrade Node.js using nvm, fnm, or download from nodejs.org. Run: nvm install 20.

error Error: Non-interactive mode requires SENTINELAYER_CLI_INTERVIEW_JSON environment variable to be set. ↓

cause The --non-interactive flag was provided but the environment variable is missing.

fix

Set SENTINELAYER_CLI_INTERVIEW_JSON with a valid JSON string before running the command.

error Error: Failed to open browser for auth. Could not find browser. ↓

cause The CLI tries to open a browser for auth but cannot detect one in the environment (e.g., headless CI).

fix

Use --skip-browser-open flag when running in headless CI. If managed auth needed, ensure a browser is available or use BYOK mode.

error Error: GitHub CLI not found. Please install 'gh' and login. ↓

cause The injectSecret feature requires gh CLI to set secrets, but it's not installed.

fix

Install GitHub CLI from https://cli.github.com/ and authenticate with 'gh auth login'.

Warnings

breaking Windows PowerShell 'sl' alias conflicts with built-in Set-Location. Using 'sl' will run Set-Location instead of sentinelayer-cli. ↓

fix Use 'sentinelayer-cli' or 'slc' alias instead of 'sl' on Windows PowerShell.

breaking Node.js engine requirement: ^20.0.0 || ^22.0.0. Older versions (e.g. 18.x) are unsupported and may throw engine check errors. ↓

fix Upgrade Node.js to v20 or v22, or use npx with an explicit Node version manager.

deprecated Legacy binary 'create-sentinelayer' may be removed in future versions; use 'sentinelayer-cli' primary binary. ↓

fix Switch to 'npx sentinelayer-cli@latest' instead of 'npx create-sentinelayer'.

gotcha In non-interactive mode, both SENTINELAYER_CLI_INTERVIEW_JSON and --non-interactive are required; missing either reverts to interactive prompts. ↓

fix Set the environment variable and pass the --non-interactive flag. Also use --skip-browser-open in headless CI.

gotcha Token injection to GitHub Actions secrets requires 'gh' CLI installed and authenticated. May fail silently if gh is missing. ↓

fix Ensure GitHub CLI (gh) is installed and logged in (gh auth login) before running with injectSecret:true.

breaking Agent leave events: prior to v0.8.11, CLI processes exiting via SIGINT/SIGTERM/crash did not emit 'agent_leave', causing dashboard to show stale agents as active. ↓

fix Upgrade to v0.8.11 or later. The fix added process-local tracking and flush handlers.

Install

npm install sentinelayer-cli

yarn add sentinelayer-cli

pnpm add sentinelayer-cli

Imports

default (CLI execution)
wrong
```
npx create-sentinelayer (works as alias but may not match docs exactly)
```
correct
```
npx sentinelayer-cli@latest <project-name>
```
Primary invocation via npx. The package is a CLI, not a library, so imports are not typical. Use npx or global install.
programmatic usage (Node.js API)
wrong
```
import { sentinelayer } from 'sentinelayer-cli'
```
correct
```
import { scaffold } from 'sentinelayer-cli'; // hypothetical – check current API
```
No documented programmatic API in v0.8.x. The package is CLI-only. Future versions may expose a library.
CommonJS require (not supported)
wrong
```
const sentinelayer = require('sentinelayer-cli')
```
correct
```
not supported – use npx or global install
```
Package is CLI-only and may not export a module. Use npx or install globally.

Quickstart

Scaffold a new project with sentinelayer-cli in interactive mode, then use non-interactive with environment variable for automation.

npx sentinelayer-cli@latest my-app
# Or with non-interactive JSON:
SENTINELAYER_CLI_INTERVIEW_JSON='{"projectName":"demo","projectDescription":"Secure code review bot","aiProvider":"openai","codingAgent":"copilot","authMode":"byok","generationMode":"detailed","audienceLevel":"developer","projectType":"greenfield","techStack":["TypeScript","Node.js"],"features":["auth"],"connectRepo":false,"injectSecret":false}' \
  npx sentinelayer-cli@latest demo --non-interactive --skip-browser-open