CLI reference

Commands

Command	What it does
`kernic`	Open Studio, the visual editor
`kernic wizard`	Walk through it in the terminal instead
`kernic create <name> [--vibe <id>]`	Create a new system non-interactively
`kernic list`	List saved systems
`kernic show <name>`	Full spec + swatches
`kernic palette <name>`	Just the swatches
`kernic studio [name]`	Local visual editor in your browser
`kernic export <name> -f <format>`	Output tokens to stdout
`kernic context <name> -o ./`	Write DESIGN.md, W3C tokens.json and shadcn.json into a project
`kernic apps`	Every project using a system, and what has fallen behind
`kernic mcp`	MCP server for coding tools
`kernic delete <name>`	Remove a system

Pass any of these to --vibe:

ID	Look
`retro`	70s & 80s
`tech`	Modern SaaS
`corporate`	Clean & trustworthy
`neon`	Stripe-style gradient fintech
`minimal`	Clean monochrome
`soft-pastel`	Gentle & friendly
`fun`	Loud solid color-blocks
`earthy`	Organic & warm

Format (-f)	Output
`css`	Plain CSS custom properties + Google Fonts imports
`tailwind`	Tailwind v4 @theme block
`json`	The raw kernic system file
`fonts`	Google Fonts @import statements
`dtcg`	W3C Design Tokens, 2025.10
`design-md`	DESIGN.md, in Google's spec, for coding agents
`shadcn`	A shadcn registry:style item for npx shadcn add
`all`	Every format, written with -o ./design-system

kernic ships an MCP server so agents can query your systems live:

shell

claude mcp add kernic -- npx kernic mcp

Tools exposed: list_systems · get_system · get_tokens · list_vibes.