Container Use provides a comprehensive CLI for managing isolated development environments. All commands follow the pattern: 
container-use {command} [options] [arguments]
Shorthand: The cu command is an alias for container-use and can be used interchangeably.

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Global Options

These options can be used with any command:
  • --help, -h - Show help for a command
  • --version - Show version information
  • --debug - Enable debug output

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Commands

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container-use list

List all environments and their status. 
container-use list
Options:
  • --no-trunc - Don’t truncate output
  • --quiet, -q - Only show environment IDs
Output example: 
ID              TITLE                     CREATED       UPDATED
frontend-work   React UI Components       5 mins ago    1 min ago
backend-api     FastAPI User Service      3 mins ago    2 mins ago

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container-use log

View the commit history and commands executed in an environment. 
container-use log {environment-id}
Options:
  • --patch, -p - Show patch output with diffs
Example: 
container-use log fancy-mallard
# Shows full history with commands and file changes

container-use log fancy-mallard --patch
# Shows history with patch diffs

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container-use diff

Show the code changes made in an environment compared to its base branch. 
container-use diff {environment-id}
Example: 
container-use diff fancy-mallard
# Shows full diff output

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container-use checkout

Check out an environment’s branch locally to explore in your IDE. 
container-use checkout {environment-id}
Options:
  • --branch, -b - Specify branch name to checkout
Example: 
container-use checkout fancy-mallard
# Switches to branch 'cu-fancy-mallard'

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container-use terminal

Open an interactive terminal session inside the environment’s container. 
container-use terminal {environment-id}
Example: 
container-use terminal fancy-mallard
# Opens interactive shell in container

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container-use merge

Merge an environment’s work into your current branch, preserving commit history. 
container-use merge {environment-id}
Options:
  • --delete, -d - Delete environment after successful merge
Example: 
git checkout main
container-use merge fancy-mallard
# Merges environment changes into current branch

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container-use apply

Apply an environment’s changes as staged modifications without commits. 
container-use apply {environment-id}
Options:
  • --delete, -d - Delete environment after successful apply
Example: 
git checkout main
container-use apply fancy-mallard
# Stages all changes for you to commit

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container-use delete

Delete an environment and clean up its resources. 
container-use delete {environment-id}
Options:
  • --all - Delete all environments
Example: 
container-use delete fancy-mallard
# Deletes the specified environment

container-use delete --all
# Deletes all environments

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container-use watch

Monitor environment activity in real-time as agents work. 
container-use watch
Example: 
container-use watch
# Shows live updates from all active environments

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container-use config

Manage default environment configurations. 
container-use config {subcommand}
Configuration Management:
  • show [environment-id] - Display current configuration
  • import {environment-id} - Import configuration from an environment
Base Image:
  • base-image set {image} - Set default base image
  • base-image get - Show current base image
  • base-image reset - Reset to default base image
Setup Commands:
  • setup-command add {command} - Add setup command
  • setup-command remove {command} - Remove setup command
  • setup-command list - List setup commands
  • setup-command clear - Clear all setup commands
Install Commands:
  • install-command add {command} - Add install command
  • install-command remove {command} - Remove install command
  • install-command list - List install commands
  • install-command clear - Clear all install commands
Environment Variables:
  • env set {key} {value} - Set environment variable
  • env unset {key} - Unset environment variable
  • env list - List environment variables
  • env clear - Clear all environment variables
Secrets:
  • secret set {key} {value} - Set secret
  • secret unset {key} - Unset secret
  • secret list - List secrets
  • secret clear - Clear all secrets
Agent Integration:
  • agent [agent] - Configure MCP server for specific agent (claude, goose, cursor, etc.)
Example: 
container-use config show
# Shows current configuration

container-use config base-image set python:3.11
# Sets Python 3.11 as default base image

container-use config setup-command add "pip install -r requirements.txt"
# Adds pip install as setup command

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container-use version

Display Container Use version information. 
container-use version

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container-use stdio

Start Container Use as an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for agent integration. 
container-use stdio
Note: This command is typically used in agent configuration files, not run directly by users.

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container-use completion

Generate shell completion scripts. 
container-use completion {shell}
Supported shells: bash, zsh, fish, powershell Example: 
container-use completion bash > /etc/bash_completion.d/container-use
# Installs bash completion

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Environment IDs

Environment IDs are randomly generated two-word identifiers like fancy-mallard or clever-dolphin. You can use:
  • Full ID: fancy-mallard
  • Partial ID: fancy (if unique)
  • Branch name: cu-fancy-mallard

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Exit Codes

  • 0 - Success
  • 1 - General error
  • 2 - Command syntax error
  • 3 - Environment not found
  • 4 - Operation cancelled

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Examples

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Basic Workflow

# 1. List environments
container-use list

# 2. Review changes
container-use diff clever-dolphin

# 3. Check out locally
container-use checkout clever-dolphin

# 4. Accept work
container-use merge clever-dolphin

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Debugging Workflow

# 1. See what agent did
container-use log problematic-env

# 2. Enter container to debug
container-use terminal problematic-env

# 3. Fix issues...

# 4. Apply changes
container-use apply problematic-env

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Monitoring Workflow

# 1. Start watching
container-use watch

# 2. Agent works in background...

# 3. See specific environment
container-use log active-env