CLI

The Colonnes CLI is built into the desktop app. You do not need Bun, Node.js, or source code access to use it.

What you can do

  • Open a .col file
  • Open a file and jump directly to a calendar day, a space, or an item
  • Print a calendar day, a space, or an item

Important notes

  • The result appears in the app window, not in the terminal.
  • Printing through CLI currently supports receipt_printer mode only.
  • If the app is already open on another file, Colonnes may ask for confirmation before printing.
  • To print a specific item, you need its item ID.

Find an item ID

In the app:

  1. Right-click the item.
  2. Open Infos item.
  3. Copy the item ID.

Platform examples

macOS

"/Applications/Colonnes.app/Contents/MacOS/Colonnes" "/Users/you/Documents/todos.col"
"/Applications/Colonnes.app/Contents/MacOS/Colonnes" open "/Users/you/Documents/todos.col" --item YOUR_ITEM_ID
"/Applications/Colonnes.app/Contents/MacOS/Colonnes" print item --file "/Users/you/Documents/todos.col" YOUR_ITEM_ID

Windows

"C:\Program Files\Colonnes\Colonnes.exe" "C:\Users\You\Documents\todos.col"
"C:\Program Files\Colonnes\Colonnes.exe" open "C:\Users\You\Documents\todos.col" --item YOUR_ITEM_ID
"C:\Program Files\Colonnes\Colonnes.exe" print item --file "C:\Users\You\Documents\todos.col" YOUR_ITEM_ID

Linux

colonnes "/home/you/Documents/todos.col"
colonnes open "/home/you/Documents/todos.col" --item YOUR_ITEM_ID
colonnes print item --file "/home/you/Documents/todos.col" YOUR_ITEM_ID

If colonnes is not in your PATH, replace it with the full path to the app executable.

Common commands

Open a file:

colonnes "/path/to/file.col"

Open a file on today in calendar view:

colonnes open "/path/to/file.col" --calendar -d 0

Open a file on a specific day:

colonnes open "/path/to/file.col" --calendar --date 2026-06-12

Open a file on a space:

colonnes open "/path/to/file.col" --space root

Open a file on an item:

colonnes open "/path/to/file.col" --item YOUR_ITEM_ID

Print today from the calendar:

colonnes print calendar --file "/path/to/file.col" -d 0

Print a space:

colonnes print space --file "/path/to/file.col" root

Print an item:

colonnes print item --file "/path/to/file.col" YOUR_ITEM_ID

Optional print overrides

Use a specific print option:

colonnes print item --file "/path/to/file.col" --option selection_tickets_recursive YOUR_ITEM_ID

Supported print options:

  • task_tickets
  • task_tickets_recursive
  • selection_tickets
  • selection_tickets_recursive

Troubleshooting

If nothing seems to happen:

  • Check that the app window opened or came to the front.
  • Check the toast message in the app.
  • Make sure the file path is correct.
  • Make sure the item ID or space ID exists.
  • Make sure receipt printer mode is configured in the app before using print.