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Global Options

These flags are available on every APX command.

Flags

Flag Shorthand Type Default Description
--quiet -q bool false Suppress non-essential output
--verbose bool false Enable verbose output with additional detail
--json bool false Format output as JSON (supported by most commands)
--no-color bool false Disable colored terminal output
--config string apx.yaml Path to the APX configuration file

--quiet

Suppresses informational messages, leaving only errors and the primary output. Useful in CI pipelines where you only want actionable output.

apx lint --quiet
apx release prepare proto/payments/ledger/v1 --version v1.0.0 -q

--verbose

Enables additional diagnostic output, including resolved tool paths, config values, and intermediate steps.

apx lint --verbose
apx gen go --verbose

--quiet and --verbose are mutually exclusive. If both are set, --quiet wins.

--json

Formats output as JSON for machine consumption. Supported by commands that produce structured data:

apx --json show proto/payments/ledger/v1
apx --json search payments
apx --json config validate
apx --json release inspect
apx --json release history proto/payments/ledger/v1
apx --json semver suggest --against HEAD^
apx --json inspect identity proto/payments/ledger/v1
apx --json explain go-path proto/payments/ledger/v1

Note

--json is a persistent flag on the root command. It can be placed before or after the subcommand: apx --json show ... or apx show --json ... both work.

--no-color

Disables ANSI color codes in terminal output. Automatically enabled when stdout is not a TTY (e.g. piped output or CI environments).

apx lint --no-color
apx release prepare --no-color proto/payments/ledger/v1 --version v1.0.0

--config

Specifies a custom path to the APX configuration file. Defaults to apx.yaml in the current directory.

apx lint --config /path/to/custom/apx.yaml
apx config validate --config staging-apx.yaml

This is useful when: - Running APX from a directory other than the repo root - Managing multiple configurations (e.g. staging vs production) - Testing config changes without modifying the default file

Exit Codes

Code Meaning
0 Success
1 General error
6 Configuration validation error

The exit code 6 is returned specifically by apx config validate when the configuration is invalid, allowing CI scripts to distinguish config errors from other failures.

Environment Variables

Variable Equivalent flag Description
APX_CONFIG --config Path to configuration file
APX_VERBOSE --verbose Enable verbose output
APX_QUIET --quiet Suppress non-essential output
APX_JSON --json Format output as JSON
HTTP_PROXY / HTTPS_PROXY — Proxy settings for network operations
NO_COLOR --no-color Disable color output (standard convention)