Command line

desk with no arguments opens the board. The subcommands below do something else first, or instead.

Command	What it does
`desk`	Opens the board.
`desk --version`, `desk version`	Prints `desk <version>` and exits.
`desk demo`	Opens a made-up board with nothing of yours read or written. See The demo.
`desk peer …`	Talks to the infra Claude of a running desk.
`desk servers import-asbru …`	Turns Ásbrú’s SSH connections into a servers file.
`desk mcp …`	Internal: the MCP server desk gives its Claude sessions.
`desk demo-infra <socket>`	Internal: the demo’s scripted infra Claude.
askpass	Internal: ssh’s password prompt, when desk runs ssh.

Anything else after desk is ignored, and the board opens.

desk –version

desk --version
# desk 2026.11.03

A release says its date. A build between releases says dev-<commit> (with -dirty if it had local changes), or dev when it can’t tell. The nightly packages say the date and commit, like 2026.11.04~git1a2b3c4.

desk demo

desk demo

Makes a new temporary folder, points the board, settings, state, sockets, organizations and HOME at it, and opens the board there in a window titled desk demo. It prints the folder on stderr: desk demo: in /tmp/desk-demo-….

desk peer

How a Claude session hands server work to desk’s infra Claude. desk’s card sessions use it on their own; any Claude Code session (or you) can run it while desk is open. desk’s bundled Claude Code plugin teaches Claude Code to use it.

Its help text, as desk peer prints it:

desk peer: talk to the infrastructure Claude of a running desk. The user watches
everything in desk; every server change still waits for the user's approval.

  desk peer                                list orgs and sessions (this text too)
  desk peer tell ORG [--from NAME]         give context (markdown on stdin or --text):
                                          what the service is, its DB schema, configs
  desk peer suggest ORG --cmd CMD --why WHY  propose a command for it to consider
  desk peer do ORG [--from NAME]           hand over a task (stdin or --text), e.g. a deploy:
                                          steps, versions, healthchecks, how to roll back
  desk peer wait [--from NAME] [--timeout S]  block until a question or task result arrives
                                          (run it in the background and run it again after each event)
  desk peer answer ID [--from NAME]        answer question ID (stdin or --text)

NAME defaults to the current directory's name. ORG is an org from the list (case-insensitive);
its Claude tab opens if needed. Context is information for it, not orders.

Subcommand	Arguments	What it does
(none), `list`		Lists the running desk’s organizations and their infra tabs (idle or working, their panes), then the help.
`help`		Prints the help.
`tell ORG`	text on stdin or `--text`	Gives the infra Claude context. It gets it with its next question or task.
`suggest ORG`	`--cmd CMD --why WHY`	Proposes a command for it to consider.
`do ORG`	text on stdin or `--text`	Hands over a task. It starts right away, or queues if that Claude is busy.
`wait`	`--timeout S`	Blocks until a question or a task’s result arrives, and prints it. Without one in time: `nothing in Ns`.
`answer ID`	text on stdin or `--text`	Answers the infra Claude’s question `ID`.

Flag	Meaning
`--from NAME`	Who’s talking. Default: the current folder’s name. A card’s sessions use the card’s key, so its work goes to that card’s own infra tab.
`--text TEXT`	The text, in place of stdin.
`--cmd CMD`, `--why WHY`	`suggest`’s command and reason.
`--timeout S`	`wait`’s limit, in seconds.

Flags may come before or after ORG or ID. A missing ORG, ID or text exits with code 2. When no desk is running, it says desk is not running. Ask the user to start desk, then try again.

desk servers import-asbru

desk servers import-asbru [-org DIR] [-group PATH] [FILE]

Reads Ásbrú Connection Manager’s connections and writes them as a servers file.

Argument	Meaning
`-org DIR`	Add them to this organization folder’s servers file (made if it has none). Without it, the file is printed on stdout.
`-group PATH`	Only the hosts in this Ásbrú group, as a path: `Prod/Web`. Groups below it become `#@ group` paths relative to it.
`FILE`	The Ásbrú file to read. Default: `$ASBRU_CFG/asbru.yml`, else `~/.config/asbru/asbru.yml`. An export works too.

desk servers import-asbru -org ~/Work/Acme -group Prod   # add Prod's hosts to Acme's servers file
desk servers import-asbru > ssh_config                   # or just print the file

It reports on stderr the hosts it skipped (skipped …) and how many it added (N servers added to …). Passwords are never imported. Close Ásbrú first: it writes its file when it closes. More in Import from Ásbrú.

Internal commands

desk runs itself for these. You don’t need them, but you may see them in a process list.

desk mcp <socket> <groups>: the MCP server of an infra tab’s Claude. <groups> are the tool groups the organization’s desk.toml enables (secrets, nagios, metrics). With card=<id> in place of the groups, it serves a card session’s read-only desk tools (alerts, tickets, link, ci, ci_log). desk writes these into the sessions’ --mcp-config itself.
desk demo-infra <socket>: the demo’s scripted infra Claude, started by the demo’s infra workspace.
askpass: when desk runs ssh, it sets SSH_ASKPASS to itself and DESK_ASKPASS to a socket. ssh then runs desk "<prompt>", which asks the running desk for the password and prints it.