Tina4 CLI Reference#

The Tina4 CLI is a single binary that manages all four backend languages. It detects your project language, manages runtimes, compiles SCSS, watches files for dev-reload, and delegates to the language-specific CLI.

Installation#

macOS (Homebrew):

bash

brew install tina4stack/tap/tina4

Linux / macOS (install script):

bash

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tina4stack/tina4/main/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell):

powershell

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tina4stack/tina4/main/install.ps1 | iex

Verify:

bash

tina4 --version

All available commands:

Usage: tina4 <COMMAND>Commands:  doctor    Check installed languages and tools  install   Install a language runtime (python, php, ruby, nodejs)  init      Scaffold a new Tina4 project: tina4 init <language> <path>  serve     Start the server with file watcher and SCSS compilation  scss      Compile SCSS files from src/scss/ to src/public/css/  migrate   Run database migrations (delegates to language CLI)  test      Run tests (delegates to language CLI)  routes    List registered routes (delegates to language CLI)  generate  Generate scaffolding: model, route, migration, middleware  ai        Detect AI coding tools and install framework context/skills  upgrade   Upgrade a v2 Tina4 project to v3 structure  update    Self-update the tina4 binary  books     Download the Tina4 book into the current directory

Commands#

tina4 doctor#

Check which languages and tools are installed on your machine.

bash

tina4 doctor

Example output:

Tina4 Doctor - Environment Check  Language     Status     Version              Pkg Mgr      Version  ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────  Python       ✓          3.13.5               ✓ uv         0.8.19  PHP          ✓          8.5.4                ✓ composer   2.9.5  Ruby         ✓          4.0.1                ✓ bundler    4.0.8  Node.js      ✓          24.9.0               ✓ npm        11.6.0  Tina4 CLIs  ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────  ✓ tina4python      Python       installed  ✓ tina4php         PHP          installed  ✓ tina4ruby        Ruby         installed  ✓ tina4nodejs      Node.js      installed

Shows installed languages, their versions, package managers, and whether the language-specific Tina4 CLIs are available.

tina4 install#

Install a language runtime.

bash

tina4 install <language>

Argument	Description
`python`	Install Python runtime
`php`	Install PHP runtime
`ruby`	Install Ruby runtime
`nodejs`	Install Node.js runtime

tina4 init#

Scaffold a new Tina4 project.

bash

tina4 init <language> <path>

Argument	Description
`language`	`python`, `php`, `ruby`, or `nodejs`
`path`	Project directory (absolute or relative)

Creates the standard Tina4 project structure:

my-app/  src/    routes/        # Route handlers    orm/           # ORM models    templates/     # Twig templates    public/        # Static files (CSS, JS, images)    scss/          # SCSS source files  migrations/      # Database migration files  .env             # Environment variables

tina4 serve#

Start the development server with file watcher and SCSS compilation.

bash

tina4 serve [options]

Option	Description
`-p, --port <PORT>`	Port number. Defaults: Python 7145, PHP 7146, Ruby 7147, Node.js 7148
`--host <HOST>`	Host address (default: 0.0.0.0)
`--dev`	Force dev server even if a production server is available
`--production`	Install and use the best production server for the detected language

The CLI auto-detects your project language from the project files. It watches for file changes, recompiles SCSS, and reloads the server.

Production servers per language:

Python: Hypercorn (ASGI)
PHP: Tina4's built-in server
Ruby: Puma
Node.js: Node's built-in HTTP server

tina4 scss#

Compile SCSS files to CSS.

bash

tina4 scss [options]

Option	Description
`-i, --input <DIR>`	Input directory (default: `src/scss`)
`-o, --output <DIR>`	Output directory (default: `src/public/css`)
`-m, --minify`	Minify the output
`-w, --watch`	Watch for changes and recompile

tina4 migrate#

Run database migrations. Delegates to the language-specific CLI.

bash

tina4 migrate                          # Run pending migrationstina4 migrate --create <description>   # Create a new migration file

Option	Description
`--create <NAME>`	Create a new migration file with this description

Migration files are created in the migrations/ directory with sequential numbering.

tina4 test#

Run tests. Delegates to the language-specific CLI.

bash

tina4 test

tina4 routes#

List all registered routes. Delegates to the language-specific CLI.

bash

tina4 routes

Shows the HTTP method, path, and handler for every route in your project.

tina4 generate#

Generate scaffolding for common project components.

bash

tina4 generate <what> <name>

Argument	Description
`model`	Generate an ORM model class
`route`	Generate a route file
`migration`	Generate a migration file
`middleware`	Generate a middleware class

Examples:

bash

tina4 generate model Usertina4 generate route api/productstina4 generate migration create_users_tabletina4 generate middleware AuthCheck

tina4 ai#

Detect AI coding tools and install framework context files.

bash

tina4 ai [options]

Option	Description
`--all`	Install context for ALL known AI tools (not just detected ones)
`--force`	Overwrite existing context files

This detects tools like Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and installs CLAUDE.md, .cursorrules, or other context files that help AI assistants understand your Tina4 project.

tina4 update#

Upgrade a v2 Tina4 project to the v3 structure.

bash

tina4 update

Restructures your project to follow the v3 conventions (src/routes, src/orm, src/templates, etc.).

tina4 update#

Self-update the tina4 binary to the latest version.

bash

tina4 update

tina4 books#

Download the Tina4 book into the current directory.

bash

tina4 books

Downloads the complete documentation book for your detected language.

Environment Variables#

The .env file in your project root configures the framework:

bash

PROJECT_NAME="My Project"VERSION=1.0.0TINA4_LOG_LEVEL=ALLDATABASE_NAME=sqlite3:data.dbTINA4_SECRET=your-secret-keyTINA4_LOCALE=en

All Tina4 frameworks read from the same .env format. The tina4 init command creates a default .env with sensible values.