---
title: "CLI Reference"
description: "Command-line options for Strix"
---

## Basic Usage

```bash
strix --target <target> [options]
```

## Options

<ParamField path="--target, -t" type="string" required>
  Target to test. Accepts URLs, repositories, local directories, domains, or IP addresses. Can be specified multiple times.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--mount" type="string">
  Bind-mount a local directory into the sandbox (read-only) instead of copying it in file-by-file. Use this for large repositories that are too big to stream into the container. Can be specified multiple times.

  Strix copies local `--target` directories into the sandbox one file at a time, which stalls on very large trees. When a local target exceeds the copy limit (see `STRIX_MAX_LOCAL_COPY_MB`, default 1024 MB) Strix exits early and asks you to re-run with `--mount`.

  <Note>
    The mount is read-only to protect your source from accidental modification. This is not a hard security boundary: a root process inside the container can remount it writable, so treat `--mount` as "scan my own code", not as isolation from untrusted code.
  </Note>

  <Note>
    The size pre-flight only covers local directory targets. Remote repositories (cloned at scan time) are not size-checked.
  </Note>
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--instruction" type="string">
  Custom instructions for the scan. Use for credentials, focus areas, or specific testing approaches.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--instruction-file" type="string">
  Path to a file containing detailed instructions.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--scan-mode, -m" type="string" default="deep">
  Scan depth: `quick`, `standard`, or `deep`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--scope-mode" type="string" default="auto">
  Code scope mode: `auto` (enable PR diff-scope in CI/headless runs), `diff` (force changed-files scope), or `full` (disable diff-scope).
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--diff-base" type="string">
  Target branch or commit to compare against (e.g., `origin/main`). Defaults to the repository's default branch.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--non-interactive, -n" type="boolean">
  Run in headless mode without TUI. Ideal for CI/CD.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--config" type="string">
  Path to a custom config file (JSON) to use instead of `~/.strix/cli-config.json`.
</ParamField>

## Examples

```bash
# Basic scan
strix --target https://example.com

# Authenticated testing
strix --target https://app.com --instruction "Use credentials: user:pass"

# Focused testing
strix --target api.example.com --instruction "Focus on IDOR and auth bypass"

# CI/CD mode
strix -n --target ./ --scan-mode quick

# Force diff-scope against a specific base ref
strix -n --target ./ --scan-mode quick --scope-mode diff --diff-base origin/main

# Multi-target white-box testing
strix -t https://github.com/org/app -t https://staging.example.com

# Large local repository — bind-mount instead of copying it in
strix --mount ./huge-monorepo
```

## Exit Codes

| Code | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| 0 | Scan completed, no vulnerabilities found |
| 2 | Vulnerabilities found (headless mode only) |