Run Flags
| Flag | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--model <provider/model> | from TOML | Override the model (e.g. anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514) |
--skill <path> | from TOML | Override the skill file path |
--workdir <path> | from TOML or cwd | Override the working directory |
--timeout <seconds> | 120 | Request timeout |
--max-tokens <int> | 0 (unlimited) | Cap cumulative token usage for the run (exit code 4 if exceeded) |
--dry-run | false | Show resolved context without calling the LLM |
--verbose / -v | false | Print debug info (model, timing, tokens, retries) to stderr |
--json | false | Wrap output in a JSON envelope with metadata |
-p / --prompt <string> | (none) | Inline prompt used as the user message; takes precedence over stdin |
--agents-dir <path> | (auto-discover) | Override agent search directory |
User Message Precedence
The user message sent to the LLM is resolved in this order:
-p/--promptflag — If provided with a non-empty, non-whitespace value, it is used as the user message.- Piped stdin — If
-pis absent or empty/whitespace-only, piped stdin is used. - Built-in default — If neither
-pnor stdin provides content, the default message"Execute the task described in your instructions."is used.
When -p is provided alongside piped stdin, the piped stdin is silently ignored. An empty or whitespace-only -p value is treated as absent and falls through to stdin, then the default.
Example:
axe run my-agent -p "Summarize the README"