copytree-reference.md

CopyTree CLI Reference

CopyTree packages a project as structured context for an AI agent.

copytree [path] [options]      # copy, using a file reference by default
copytree <command> [options]

With no destination option the export is written to a temporary file and a file reference is copied to the clipboard, so pasting into an agent hands over a file to read rather than inline context.

Authoring a .copytreeignore

copytree ignore context .    # a content-free inventory and the active rules
# create or edit .copytreeignore
copytree ignore check .      # validate the rules and show what they remove
copytree plan .              # preview the exact final export

Commands

Command	Summary
copytree ignore <subcommand>	Author, validate and start a .copytreeignore
copytree config <subcommand>	Inspect, validate or migrate configuration
copytree cache <subcommand>	Inspect or manage caches
copytree debug <subcommand>	Developer diagnostics
copytree copy	Explicit form of the default copy operation
copytree plan	Preview selected files without reading contents
copytree inspect	Inspect structure, rules, profile and budgets
copytree explain	Explain why paths are included or excluded
copytree ignore context	Build context for authoring .copytreeignore
copytree ignore check	Validate ignore rules and show their effect
copytree ignore init	Print or write a conservative starter file
copytree config show	Inspect effective configuration with provenance
copytree config validate	Validate configuration against the schema
copytree config migrate	Convert legacy ~/.copytree configuration into a data file
copytree cache status	Report cache contents and location
copytree cache clear	Remove cached entries
copytree cache gc	Remove expired entries and stale reference files
copytree doctor	Check CopyTree, clipboard, Git and converters
copytree completion	Generate shell completion code
copytree debug profile	Capture CPU and/or heap profiles
copytree help	Show help for CopyTree or one of its commands

copytree copy

Explicit form of the default copy operation

Export a project as structured context. With no destination option the export is written to a temporary file and a file reference is copied to the clipboard, so pasting into an agent hands over a file to read rather than inline context.

copytree copy [path] [options]
copytree [path] [options]   # the command name is optional

Argument	Meaning	Default
path	Directory, file, or GitHub URL	.

Destination

Option	Meaning	Notes
-o, --output <file>	Write the export to a file (- means stdout)	conflicts: --stdout, --clipboard, --reference
--stdout	Write the export to stdout	conflicts: --output, --clipboard, --reference
-y, --clipboard	Copy the export text itself, not a file reference	conflicts: --output, --stdout, --reference
--reference	Copy a file reference to the clipboard (this is the default)	conflicts: --output, --stdout, --clipboard
--reveal	Reveal the written file in the OS file manager	advanced; requires: --output or --reference

Content

Option	Meaning	Notes
--format <type>	Output format: xml, markdown, json, ndjson, sarif, tree	default: xml
--no-content	Include structure and metadata, but not file bodies
--line-numbers	Add line numbers to text bodies	advanced
--binary <policy>	Binary/document policy: default, omit, comment, placeholder, base64	advanced; default: default
--git-status	Attach Git status to selected files	advanced
--metadata	Include optional rich metadata where the format supports it	advanced
--no-metadata	Omit optional metadata; required schema metadata is kept	advanced
--instructions <name>	Include a named instruction block	advanced
--no-instructions	Omit instruction blocks	advanced
--reproducible	Omit timestamps and normalise volatile metadata	advanced

Selection

Option	Meaning	Notes
--profile <name>	Use a file-selection profile (.copytree-.yml)
--no-profile	Skip automatic project-profile discovery
--scope <path>	Traverse only this literal path	repeatable
--include <glob>	Include only matching paths; narrows the profile include set	repeatable
-x, --exclude <pattern>	Add a Git-style exclusion rule	repeatable
--force-include <glob>	Override ordinary excludes and the size gate	repeatable
--ext <extension>	Keep only this extension (ts or .ts)	advanced; repeatable
--max-depth <n>	Limit traversal depth from the project root	advanced
--no-tests	Exclude conventional test paths	advanced
-m, --modified	Select working-tree changes	advanced; conflicts: --staged, --changed
--staged	Select staged changes	advanced; conflicts: --modified, --changed
-c, --changed <ref>	Select files changed since a Git reference	advanced; conflicts: --modified, --staged
--dedupe	Remove content-identical files after loading	advanced
--scope-include-ignored	Let --scope entries override the ignore rules that would exclude them	advanced
--scope-include-default-excluded	Let --scope entries override built-in exclusions (node_modules). .git never	advanced

Budgets and ordering

Option	Meaning	Notes
--size-gate <size>	Per-file gate decided from stat() before opening	advanced; default: 256KB
--no-size-gate	Disable the context size gate (not the hard safety ceiling)	advanced
--max-total-size <size>	Limit selected file bytes
--max-files <count>	Limit selected file count, applied after sorting
--max-chars <count>	Limit emitted content characters, cut at line boundaries
--sort <by>	Selection order: path, size, modified, name, extension, depth	advanced; default: path
--order <direction>	Sort direction: asc or desc	advanced; default: asc

Security and failure policy

Option	Meaning	Notes
--secrets <policy>	Secret policy: redact, fail, off	advanced; default: redact
--redaction <style>	Redaction marker style: typed, generic, hash	advanced; default: typed
--secrets-report <file>	Write a structured findings report (- for stdout)	advanced
--fail-empty	Fail when no files are selected	advanced
--fail-on-truncation	Fail when a budget omits or truncates requested content	advanced
--fail-on-fs-errors	Fail when filesystem work degrades after retries	advanced
--strict	Enable every applicable policy-failure check	advanced
--no-transform-cache	Bypass the transformation cache	advanced

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Conflicts

• Exactly one destination: --reference, --clipboard, --stdout or --output.
• Exactly one Git mode: --modified, --staged or --changed.
• --reveal requires --output or --reference.
• --quiet and --verbose cannot be combined.

Examples

copytree
copytree src --stdout --format markdown
copytree . --include "**/*.ts" --exclude "docs/" --max-total-size 2MB
copytree . -o context.md

Machine output: copytree-feedback@1

copytree plan

Preview selected files without reading contents

The side-effect-free answer to "what will CopyTree select, in what order, and which budgets will bind". Reads directory entries, file metadata, and the ignore, profile and configuration files needed to decide. Never reads candidate file contents.

copytree plan [path] [options]

Argument	Meaning	Default
path	Project root	.

Report

Option	Meaning	Notes
--format <type>	Plan report format: text, json, ndjson	default: text
--explain	Include excluded entries and decision provenance
--all	Include every candidate entry, not only selected ones	conflicts: --summary
--summary	Emit the summary only	conflicts: --all
-o, --output <file>	Save the plan report
--fail-empty	Exit with a policy failure on an empty plan	advanced
--fail-on-truncation	Exit with a policy failure when stat-based budgets omit files	advanced
--reproducible	Omit timestamps so the report can be compared byte for byte	advanced

Selection

Option	Meaning	Notes
--profile <name>	Use a file-selection profile (.copytree-.yml)
--no-profile	Skip automatic project-profile discovery
--scope <path>	Traverse only this literal path	repeatable
--include <glob>	Include only matching paths; narrows the profile include set	repeatable
-x, --exclude <pattern>	Add a Git-style exclusion rule	repeatable
--force-include <glob>	Override ordinary excludes and the size gate	repeatable
--ext <extension>	Keep only this extension (ts or .ts)	advanced; repeatable
--max-depth <n>	Limit traversal depth from the project root	advanced
--no-tests	Exclude conventional test paths	advanced
-m, --modified	Select working-tree changes	advanced; conflicts: --staged, --changed
--staged	Select staged changes	advanced; conflicts: --modified, --changed
-c, --changed <ref>	Select files changed since a Git reference	advanced; conflicts: --modified, --staged
--scope-include-ignored	Let --scope entries override the ignore rules that would exclude them	advanced
--scope-include-default-excluded	Let --scope entries override built-in exclusions (node_modules). .git never	advanced

Budgets and ordering

Option	Meaning	Notes
--size-gate <size>	Per-file gate decided from stat() before opening	advanced; default: 256KB
--no-size-gate	Disable the context size gate (not the hard safety ceiling)	advanced
--max-total-size <size>	Limit selected file bytes
--max-files <count>	Limit selected file count, applied after sorting
--max-chars <count>	Limit emitted content characters, cut at line boundaries
--sort <by>	Selection order: path, size, modified, name, extension, depth	advanced; default: path
--order <direction>	Sort direction: asc or desc	advanced; default: asc

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Conflicts

• --summary and --all cannot be combined.

Examples

copytree plan .
copytree plan . --explain
copytree plan . --format json

Machine output: copytree-plan@1

copytree inspect

Inspect structure, rules, profile and budgets

Understand a project and the CopyTree environment. Reads no ordinary file contents; configuration, profile and ignore files are read because they are the subject.

copytree inspect [path] [options]

Argument	Meaning	Default
path	Project root	.

Report

Option	Meaning	Notes
--view <name>	summary, tree, extensions, rules, profile, budgets or all	default: summary
--depth <n>	Limit rendered tree depth	default: 4
--all-paths	List all candidate paths rather than aggregates
--format <type>	Report format: text, markdown, json	default: text
-o, --output <file>	Save the report
--without-copytreeignore	Show the candidate state before .copytreeignore is applied	advanced

Selection

Option	Meaning	Notes
--profile <name>	Use a file-selection profile (.copytree-.yml)
--no-profile	Skip automatic project-profile discovery
--scope <path>	Traverse only this literal path	repeatable
--include <glob>	Include only matching paths; narrows the profile include set	repeatable
-x, --exclude <pattern>	Add a Git-style exclusion rule	repeatable
--force-include <glob>	Override ordinary excludes and the size gate	repeatable
--ext <extension>	Keep only this extension (ts or .ts)	advanced; repeatable
--max-depth <n>	Limit traversal depth from the project root	advanced
--no-tests	Exclude conventional test paths	advanced
-m, --modified	Select working-tree changes	advanced; conflicts: --staged, --changed
--staged	Select staged changes	advanced; conflicts: --modified, --changed
-c, --changed <ref>	Select files changed since a Git reference	advanced; conflicts: --modified, --staged
--scope-include-ignored	Let --scope entries override the ignore rules that would exclude them	advanced
--scope-include-default-excluded	Let --scope entries override built-in exclusions (node_modules). .git never	advanced

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Examples

copytree inspect .
copytree inspect . --view rules
copytree inspect . --format json

Machine output: copytree-inspect@1

copytree explain

Explain why paths are included or excluded

A complete decision trace for one or more root-relative paths, naming the rule, its source file and its line wherever a file-based rule decided the outcome.

copytree explain <entry...> [options]

Argument	Meaning	Default
entry	Root-relative paths to trace	—

Report

Option	Meaning	Notes
--root <path>	Project root	default: .
--format <type>	Report format: text, json	default: text
-o, --output <file>	Save the report	advanced

Selection

Option	Meaning	Notes
--profile <name>	Use a file-selection profile (.copytree-.yml)
--no-profile	Skip automatic project-profile discovery
--scope <path>	Traverse only this literal path	repeatable
--include <glob>	Include only matching paths; narrows the profile include set	repeatable
-x, --exclude <pattern>	Add a Git-style exclusion rule	repeatable
--force-include <glob>	Override ordinary excludes and the size gate	repeatable
--ext <extension>	Keep only this extension (ts or .ts)	advanced; repeatable
--max-depth <n>	Limit traversal depth from the project root	advanced
--no-tests	Exclude conventional test paths	advanced
-m, --modified	Select working-tree changes	advanced; conflicts: --staged, --changed
--staged	Select staged changes	advanced; conflicts: --modified, --changed
-c, --changed <ref>	Select files changed since a Git reference	advanced; conflicts: --modified, --staged
--scope-include-ignored	Let --scope entries override the ignore rules that would exclude them	advanced
--scope-include-default-excluded	Let --scope entries override built-in exclusions (node_modules). .git never	advanced

Budgets and ordering

Option	Meaning	Notes
--size-gate <size>	Per-file gate decided from stat() before opening	advanced; default: 256KB
--no-size-gate	Disable the context size gate (not the hard safety ceiling)	advanced
--max-total-size <size>	Limit selected file bytes
--max-files <count>	Limit selected file count, applied after sorting
--max-chars <count>	Limit emitted content characters, cut at line boundaries
--sort <by>	Selection order: path, size, modified, name, extension, depth	advanced; default: path
--order <direction>	Sort direction: asc or desc	advanced; default: asc

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Examples

copytree explain docs/README.md --root .
copytree explain src/index.ts tests/index.test.ts --root .

Machine output: copytree-explain@1

copytree ignore context

Build context for authoring .copytreeignore

A safe, compact, content-free project inventory an agent can use to author .copytreeignore. The candidate baseline deliberately excludes .copytreeignore itself, so the areas you might want to exclude — docs, tests, examples, fixtures — are all visible.

copytree ignore context [path] [options]

Argument	Meaning	Default
path	Project root	.

Report

Option	Meaning	Notes
--format <type>	Report format: markdown, text, json	default: markdown
--depth <n>	Tree expansion depth	default: 4
--all-paths	Include every candidate path
--scope <path>	Limit context to a literal subtree	repeatable
-o, --output <file>	Save the report	conflicts: --reference
--reference	Write a temporary report and copy its file reference	conflicts: --output
--include-current-rules	Include full current .copytreeignore decision detail	advanced
--no-hints	Disable deterministic role hints	advanced

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Examples

copytree ignore context .
copytree ignore context . --format json

Machine output: copytree-ignore-context@1

copytree ignore check

Validate ignore rules and show their effect

Validate .copytreeignore syntax and semantics, then show exactly what it removes. Read-only: the file is never rewritten.

copytree ignore check [path] [options]

Argument	Meaning	Default
path	Project root	.

Report

Option	Meaning	Notes
--format <type>	Report format: text, json	default: text
--strict	Treat warnings as a policy failure
--show-removed	List every removed path
--show-kept	List every retained path
--rule <lineOrPattern>	Focus on one rule, by line number or pattern
-o, --output <file>	Save the report

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Examples

copytree ignore check .
copytree ignore check . --strict

Machine output: copytree-ignore-check@1

copytree ignore init

Print or write a conservative starter file

Generate a starting point for .copytreeignore. Prints to stdout by default; writing requires --write, and replacing an existing file additionally requires --force.

copytree ignore init [path] [options]

Argument	Meaning	Default
path	Project root	.

Template

Option	Meaning	Notes
--template <name>	empty or source	default: empty
--write	Write /.copytreeignore
--force	Permit replacing an existing file	requires: --write
--format <type>	gitignore (plain rules) or annotated (with comments)	default: annotated

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Conflicts

• --force requires --write.

Examples

copytree ignore init .
copytree ignore init . --template source --write

copytree config show

Inspect effective configuration with provenance

copytree config show [options]

Report

Option	Meaning	Notes
--section <name>	Show one section only
--format <type>	Report format: text, json	default: text
--sources	Show where each effective value came from
--show-secrets	Reveal security-sensitive values; requires a TTY, or --force	advanced
--force	Permit --show-secrets when stdout is redirected	advanced

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Examples

copytree config show
copytree config show --format json --sources

Machine output: copytree-config@1

copytree config validate

Validate configuration against the schema

copytree config validate [options]

Report

Option	Meaning	Notes
--strict	Treat warnings as failures
--format <type>	Report format: text, json	default: text

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Examples

copytree config validate
copytree config validate --format json

Machine output: copytree-config-validation@1

copytree config migrate

Convert legacy ~/.copytree configuration into a data file

Reads the legacy ~/.copytree/*.{js,json} configuration and writes the equivalent config.yaml in the platform configuration directory. Prints the result by default; writing requires --write. The legacy directory is never modified.

copytree config migrate [options]

Migration

Option	Meaning	Notes
--write	Write the data configuration file
--force	Permit replacing an existing data configuration file	requires: --write
--format <type>	Report format: text, json	default: text

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Conflicts

• --force requires --write.

Examples

copytree config migrate
copytree config migrate --write

Machine output: copytree-config-migration@1

copytree cache status

Report cache contents and location

copytree cache status [options]

Report

Option	Meaning	Notes
--format <type>	Report format: text, json	default: text

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Examples

copytree cache status

Machine output: copytree-cache@1

copytree cache clear

Remove cached entries

copytree cache clear [options]

Categories

Option	Meaning	Notes
--transformations	Only the transformation cache
--references	Only the temporary reference files (clear needs this explicitly)
--format <type>	Report format: text, json	default: text

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Examples

copytree cache clear
copytree cache clear --transformations

Machine output: copytree-cache@1

copytree cache gc

Remove expired entries and stale reference files

copytree cache gc [options]

Categories

Option	Meaning	Notes
--transformations	Only the transformation cache
--references	Only the temporary reference files (clear needs this explicitly)
--retention-days <n>	Reference-file retention window	advanced; default: 7
--format <type>	Report format: text, json	default: text

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Examples

copytree cache gc

Machine output: copytree-cache@1

copytree doctor

Check CopyTree, clipboard, Git and converters

Diagnostic only: doctor reports, and repairs nothing. Every check names what it looked at and what to do when it fails.

copytree doctor [options]

Report

Option	Meaning	Notes
--format <type>	Report format: text, json	default: text

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Examples

copytree doctor
copytree doctor --format json

Machine output: copytree-doctor@1

copytree completion

Generate shell completion code

Completions are generated from the same command schema as the parser and the help.

copytree completion <shell> [options]

Argument	Meaning	Default
shell	bash, zsh, fish, powershell	—

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Examples

copytree completion zsh
copytree completion bash > /etc/bash_completion.d/copytree

copytree debug profile

Capture CPU and/or heap profiles

A developer diagnostic. Performance profiling is deliberately absent from copy help: "profile" everywhere else in CopyTree means a file-selection profile.

copytree debug profile [path] [options]

Argument	Meaning	Default
path	Project root	.

Profiling

Option	Meaning	Notes
--type <kind>	cpu, heap or all	default: cpu
--output-dir <dir>	Where to write profiles and the report	default: .profiles

Feedback

Option	Meaning	Notes
-q, --quiet	Suppress progress and successful completion feedback	conflicts: --verbose
-v, --verbose	Show selection counts, limits, destination, size and duration	conflicts: --quiet
--debug	Alias for --log-level debug	advanced
--log-level <level>	Severity floor: error, warn, info, debug	advanced; default: info
--log-format <format>	Feedback rendering: text, or newline-delimited json	advanced; default: text
--no-color	Disable ANSI colour	advanced

Examples

copytree debug profile . --type cpu
copytree debug profile . --type all

copytree help

Show help for CopyTree or one of its commands

copytree help [command...] [options]

Argument	Meaning	Default
command	Command path	—

Report

Option	Meaning	Notes
--format <type>	text, or the versioned machine-readable command schema as json	default: text
--all	Include advanced options

Examples

copytree help plan
copytree help --format json

Machine output: copytree-command-schema@1

Migration

Deprecated spellings still parse, and each one names its replacement on stderr.

Deprecated	Replacement
--folder-profile (copy)	--profile
--no-folder-profile (copy)	--no-profile
--profile-dir (copy)	copytree debug profile --output-dir
--filter (copy)	--include
--display (copy)	--stdout
--stream (copy)	--stdout
--dry-run (copy)	copytree plan
--head (copy)	--max-files
--char-limit (copy)	--max-chars
--include-binary (copy)	--binary base64
--with-line-numbers (copy)	--line-numbers
--only-tree (copy)	--no-content
--with-git-status (copy)	--git-status
--as-reference (copy)	--reference
--sort-order (copy)	--order
--always (copy)	--force-include
--scope-include-config-excluded (copy)	--scope-include-default-excluded
--explain (copy)	copytree plan --explain
--secrets-guard (copy)	--secrets redact
--no-secrets-guard (copy)	--secrets off
--secrets-redact-mode (copy)	--redaction
--fail-on-secrets (copy)	--secrets fail

Removed

Removed	Replacement	Why
--info	--metadata	Optional metadata is included by default; --no-metadata omits it.
--show-size	--metadata	Sizes are part of the optional metadata, included by default.
--min-size <size>	—	Filter by size with a plan report, or use --size-gate for the per-file gate.
--max-size <size>	--size-gate	The per-file gate is --size-gate; the whole-run budget is --max-total-size.
--no-cache	--no-transform-cache	Cache control is now scoped to the subsystem it affects.
--no-validate	copytree config validate	Configuration validation is owned by the config command.

Exit codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success, including a valid empty selection
1	Operational failure: I/O, formatting, Git, converters
2	Usage or configuration error
3	A requested policy check failed
130	Cancelled by SIGINT

Machine output and JSON feedback carry a stable symbolic code alongside the exit code.