CLI Client

Para includes a terminal client built with Go and Bubble Tea. It lets you import local directories into Para and browse your content from the terminal.

Installation

Build from Source

Requires Go 1.24 or later.

cd cli
go build -o para .

Move the binary to your PATH:

mv para /usr/local/bin/para

Configuration

Create ~/.config/para/para.yml with your server URL and API key:

server: https://para.example.com
api_key: para_abc123def456...

Creating an API Key

1. Go to Preferences (from the account dropdown)
2. Scroll to API Keys
3. Enter a name and optional expiration date
4. Click Generate
5. Copy the key immediately — it is only shown once

Flag Overrides

Flags take precedence over the config file:

para --server https://other.example.com --api-key para_xyz789...

Import Command

Import a local directory as a ParaItem:

para import /path/to/directory

How It Works

1. The directory name becomes the ParaItem title
2. Markdown files (.md) become Notes — the filename (without .md) becomes the title, the file content becomes the note body
3. All other files are uploaded as Files with their original names
4. Subdirectories become Explorer directories, preserving the full tree structure
5. Hidden files and directories (starting with .) are skipped

Merge Mode

If a ParaItem with the same title already exists, the import merges into it:

• Existing directories are reused (matched by name)
• New directories are created as needed
• Notes and files with duplicate names get a suffix (e.g., "readme - 2", "readme - 3")

Options

Examples

# Import with interactive category selection
para import ~/projects/my-project

# Import as a specific category
para import ~/projects/my-project --category project

# Import with a custom server
para import ~/notes --server http://localhost:3000 --api-key para_abc123...

Output

After importing, a summary is displayed:

Importing my-project...
Created ParaItem: my-project
  Directories: 3 created, 0 skipped
  Notes:       12 created
  Files:       5 created

TUI Browser

Run para with no arguments to launch the interactive terminal browser:

para

Keyboard Shortcuts

List View

The main screen shows all your ParaItems with their category. Use Tab to filter by category.

Explorer View

Press Enter on a ParaItem to see its Explorer contents — directories, notes, and files.