generated: '2026-09-07'
method: searched
source: >-
  https://docs.dagger.io/cli/reference/ (command surface, fetched 2026-09-07) and
  https://docs.dagger.io/cli/install (install methods, quoted verbatim)
provider: Dagger
providerId: dagger
name: dagger
description: >-
  The Dagger CLI is the primary human and CI entry point to the engine. It starts
  a session, installs and runs modules, exposes the GraphQL API, and shells out to
  Dagger Cloud. It is not a thin wrapper over a REST API — it is how the engine is
  driven.
docs: https://docs.dagger.io/cli/reference/
install:
- method: script
  platforms: [macOS, Linux]
  command: >-
    curl -fsSL https://dl.dagger.io/dagger/install.sh | DAGGER_VERSION=1.0.0-beta.11 BIN_DIR=/usr/local/bin sh
  note: Verbatim from https://docs.dagger.io/cli/install
- method: script
  platforms: [Windows]
  command: >-
    iwr -useb https://dl.dagger.io/dagger/install.ps1 | iex; Install-Dagger -DaggerVersion 1.0.0-beta.11 -AddToPath
  note: PowerShell 7+. Verbatim from https://docs.dagger.io/cli/install
- method: homebrew
  platforms: [macOS]
  command: brew install dagger/tap/dagger
  tap: https://github.com/dagger/homebrew-tap
- method: winget
  platforms: [Windows]
  command: winget install Dagger.Cli
- method: nix
  platforms: [Linux, macOS]
  repo: https://github.com/dagger/nix
  note: >-
    The org publishes a nix repo; the exact flake invocation is not quoted here
    because the install page does not state one.
version_pinning:
  note: >-
    "Homebrew and winget carry the latest stable release only, which may differ
    from the version this documentation covers." A specific engine release can be
    selected with `export DAGGER_X_RELEASE=v1.0.0-beta.11` or the flag
    `--x-release=v1.0.0-beta.11`.
  finding: >-
    The current docs install DAGGER_VERSION=1.0.0-beta.11 while the GitHub release
    train's latest tag is v0.21.9 (2026-08-26). Two lines are live at once — the
    0.21.x stable engine and the 1.0.0-beta.N line the docs now target. A
    consumer following the install page does not get the version the Releases
    page calls latest.
commands:
- name: activity
  description: Show recent activity (runs, traces, etc.) for this workspace
  group: observability
- name: agent
  description: Compose installed agent modules and access an interactive prompt
  group: agents
- name: api
  description: Direct access to the GraphQL API for advanced automation
  group: api
  note: >-
    This is the CLI door onto the same surface described by
    openapi/dagger-graphql-api-openapi.yml and graphql/dagger-schema.graphqls.
- name: check
  description: Verify your project — tests, linters, type checks, security scans, etc.
  group: workflows
- name: cloud
  description: Manage Dagger Cloud services and integrations
  group: cloud
- name: generate
  description: Generate derived files for your project — code, SDKs, types, docs, etc.
  group: workflows
- name: install
  description: Add a module into your workspace
  group: modules
- name: installed
  description: Display currently installed modules
  group: modules
- name: llm
  description: Configure LLM provider settings and authentication
  group: agents
- name: module
  description: Author and configure modules, manage dependencies
  group: modules
- name: sdk
  description: Install and manage SDKs
  group: modules
- name: search
  description: Locate modules available for installation
  group: modules
  note: Backs discovery against the Daggerverse index at https://daggerverse.dev/
- name: settings
  description: Manage module configuration values
  group: modules
- name: setup
  description: Verify Dagger is properly configured
  group: workspace
- name: uninstall
  description: Remove a module from your workspace
  group: modules
- name: up
  description: Run your project's services for local development
  group: workflows
- name: update
  description: Refresh installed module state
  group: modules
- name: version
  description: Display the current Dagger version
  group: workspace
- name: workspace
  description: Inspect or configure workspace settings
  group: workspace
command_count: 19
key_flows:
- name: Call the API directly
  steps:
  - dagger api
  note: >-
    Equivalent to POSTing to http://127.0.0.1:$DAGGER_SESSION_PORT/query with the
    session token; see skills/.
- name: Adopt a community module
  steps:
  - dagger search <term>
  - dagger install <module ref>
  - dagger installed
- name: Run project checks
  steps:
  - dagger check
  note: Cloud Checks (dagger.io/changelog, early access) triggers this on git events.
withdrawn:
- name: dagger mcp
  note: >-
    Present in earlier releases (PR #9935); NOT in the current CLI reference —
    fetched https://docs.dagger.io/cli/reference/ on 2026-09-07 and found no
    occurrence of "dagger mcp". Recorded so a reader does not chase a command
    that has left the surface. Dagger's live MCP surface is container-use; see
    mcp/dagger-mcp.yml.