CLI Commands Reference¶

Complete reference for all PentLog commands. Use this guide to explore the full capabilities of PentLog.

Quick Reference Card¶

Session Management

create, shell, pause, resume, switch, sessions, status, reset
Analysis & Search

search, timeline, dashboard
Reporting

export, analyze, serve
Data Management

archive, import, freeze, recover

Session Management¶

`pentlog create`¶

Initialize a new engagement context.

pentlog create [flags]

Examples:

# Interactive mode (recommended)
pentlog create

# Create with specific client/engagement
pentlog create -c "ACME Corp" -e "Internal Pentest"

Flags:

Flag	Short	Description
`--client`	`-c`	Client name
`--engagement`	`-e`	Engagement name
`--phase`	`-p`	Phase (recon/exploit/post)

`pentlog shell`¶

Start a recorded shell session.

pentlog shell [flags]

Examples:

# Start recorded shell
pentlog shell

# Start with live sharing
pentlog shell --share

# Share on custom port
pentlog shell --share --share-port 8080

Flags:

Flag	Default	Description
`--share`	`false`	Enable live browser sharing
`--share-port`	`0`	Port for sharing server
`--share-bind`	`""`	Bind address for sharing

`pentlog switch`¶

Switch between phases or targets.

pentlog switch [target]

Examples:

# Interactive switch
pentlog switch

# Toggle to previous session
pentlog switch -

# Switch to specific phase
pentlog switch exploitation

`pentlog sessions`¶

List and manage recorded sessions.

pentlog sessions [flags]

Flags:

Flag	Short	Description
`--client`	`-c`	Filter by client
`--engagement`	`-e`	Filter by engagement
`--all`	`-a`	Show all sessions including archived

`pentlog status`¶

Show current tool and engagement status.

pentlog status

`pentlog reset`¶

Clear the current active engagement context.

pentlog reset

Caution

This clears the current context but does not delete any recorded sessions.

`pentlog pause`¶

Pause the current recording session.

pentlog pause

Description: Pause recording without exiting the shell. Useful for taking breaks during OSCP exams or before entering sensitive environments.

Requirements: - Must be run inside an active pentlog shell session

Examples:

# Inside pentlog shell
$ pentlog pause

⏸️  Session paused successfully!
   Time: 2026-03-12 23:21:38

   Recording is paused. The shell remains active.
   Run 'pentlog resume' to continue recording.

Notes: - Shell remains active (you can still run commands) - Pause marker written to session file with timestamp - Visual banner displays during replay - Use pentlog resume to continue recording

`pentlog resume`¶

Resume a paused recording session.

pentlog resume

Description: Resume recording from where the session was paused. Maintains single continuous session for clean evidence trails.

Requirements: - Must be run inside an active pentlog shell session - Session must be in paused state (have a .pause_marker file)

Examples:

# Inside pentlog shell
$ pentlog resume

▶️  Session resumed successfully!
   Time: 2026-03-12 23:25:15
   Paused for: 3m37s

   Recording is now active.

Notes: - Resume marker written to session file with timestamp - Shows duration of pause - Visual banner displays during replay

Analysis & Search¶

`pentlog search`¶

Search command history across all sessions.

pentlog search [query] [flags]

Examples:

# Interactive search TUI
pentlog search

# Search with query
pentlog search "nmap"

# Regex search
pentlog search "nmap.*-sV" --regex

# Boolean operators
pentlog search "sqlmap AND injection"
pentlog search "exploit OR payload"
pentlog search "scan NOT nmap"

# Filter by date
pentlog search "exploit" --after 20260115 --before 20260120

# Filter by client
pentlog search "exploit" --client ACME

Flags:

Flag	Short	Description
`--regex`	`-r`	Use regex pattern
`--after`		Date filter (DDMMYYYY)
`--before`		Date filter (DDMMYYYY)
`--client`	`-c`	Filter by client
`--engagement`	`-e`	Filter by engagement

`pentlog timeline`¶

Extract and browse command timeline.

pentlog timeline [session-id] [flags]

Examples:

# Interactive timeline browser
pentlog timeline

# Export to JSON
pentlog timeline 42 -o timeline.json

# Specific session
pentlog timeline 42

`pentlog dashboard`¶

Show interactive dashboard of pentest activity.

pentlog dashboard

Notes & Vulnerabilities¶

`pentlog note`¶

Manage session notes.

pentlog note add "note text"
pentlog note list [flags]

Examples:

# Add a note
pentlog note add "Found open port 8080"

# List notes for current session
pentlog note list

# List notes for specific session
pentlog note list --session 42

`pentlog vuln`¶

Manage vulnerability findings.

pentlog vuln list [flags]
pentlog vuln add [flags]

Examples:

# List vulnerabilities
pentlog vuln list

# Filter by severity
pentlog vuln list --severity high

Quick Vuln Entry

Use Ctrl+G during a shell session for instant vulnerability logging.

Reporting¶

`pentlog export`¶

Generate reports from recorded sessions.

pentlog export [client] [flags]

Examples:

# Interactive export
pentlog export

# Export specific client/engagement
pentlog export ACME -e internal-pentest

# Export with AI analysis
pentlog export --analyze

# Export full report
pentlog export --analyze --full-report

# Specific format
pentlog export --format html
pentlog export --format markdown

Flags:

Flag	Short	Description
`--client`	`-c`	Client name
`--engagement`	`-e`	Engagement name
`--phase`	`-p`	Phase to export
`--format`	`-f`	Output format (markdown/html)
`--output`	`-o`	Output file path
`--analyze`		Run AI analysis
`--full-report`		Full AI analysis (vs summarized)

`pentlog analyze`¶

Analyze a report with AI.

pentlog analyze <report-file> [flags]

Examples:

# Analyze existing report
pentlog analyze report.md

# Full analysis
pentlog analyze report.md --full-report

`pentlog serve`¶

Start HTTP server to view HTML reports.

pentlog serve [flags]

Examples:

# Interactive server
pentlog serve

# Specific port
pentlog serve --port 8080

# Don't auto-open browser
pentlog serve --no-open

Flags:

Flag	Default	Description
`--port`	`0`	Server port (0 = auto)
`--no-open`	`false`	Don't open browser

Replay & Export¶

`pentlog replay`¶

Replay recorded sessions.

pentlog replay [session-id] [flags]

Examples:

# Interactive replay selection
pentlog replay

# Replay specific session
pentlog replay 42

# Replay at 2x speed
pentlog replay 42 -s 2.0

# Replay at half speed
pentlog replay 42 -s 0.5

Flags:

Flag	Short	Description
`--speed`	`-s`	Playback speed multiplier

`pentlog gif`¶

Convert sessions to animated GIF.

pentlog gif [session-id] [flags]

Examples:

# Interactive GIF creation
pentlog gif

# Convert specific session
pentlog gif 42

# Custom speed (5x faster)
pentlog gif 42 -s 5

# Custom output
pentlog gif 42 -o demo.gif

# Specific resolution
pentlog gif --resolution 1080p

Flags:

Flag	Short	Description
`--speed`	`-s`	Playback speed multiplier
`--output`	`-o`	Output filename
`--resolution`	`-r`	720p or 1080p
`--cols`		Terminal columns
`--rows`		Terminal rows

Data Management¶

`pentlog archive`¶

Archive old sessions with optional encryption.

pentlog archive [client] [flags]

Examples:

# Interactive archive
pentlog archive

# Archive specific client
pentlog archive ACME

# Archive old sessions (30+ days)
pentlog archive ACME --days 30

# Archive and delete originals
pentlog archive ACME --days 30 --delete

# Archive specific phase
pentlog archive ACME -e internal -p recon

# List archives
pentlog archive list

Flags:

Flag	Short	Description
`--engagement`	`-e`	Filter by engagement
`--phase`	`-p`	Filter by phase
`--days`	`-d`	Archive sessions older than N days
`--delete`		Delete original files after archiving
`--encrypt`		Encrypt with password

`pentlog import`¶

Restore archived sessions.

pentlog import <archive> [flags]

Examples:

# Import archive
pentlog import archive.zip

# Import with password
pentlog import encrypted.zip --password mysecret

# Import to specific context
pentlog import archive.zip -c ACME -e Q1

# Preview contents
pentlog import list archive.zip

# Skip confirmation
pentlog import archive.zip -y

Flags:

Flag	Short	Description
`--client`	`-c`	Import to client
`--engagement`	`-e`	Import to engagement
`--phase`	`-p`	Import to phase
`--password`		Decryption password
`--overwrite`		Overwrite existing
`--yes`	`-y`	Skip confirmation

`pentlog freeze`¶

Generate SHA256 hashes for integrity verification.

pentlog freeze [flags]

Examples:

# Generate hashes for all sessions
pentlog freeze

# Hash specific client
pentlog freeze -c ACME

# Output to specific file
pentlog freeze -o hashes.txt

Flags:

Flag	Short	Description
`--client`	`-c`	Filter by client
`--engagement`	`-e`	Filter by engagement
`--output`	`-o`	Output file

`pentlog recover`¶

Recover crashed or stale sessions.

pentlog recover [flags]

Examples:

# Interactive recovery
pentlog recover

# List crashed sessions
pentlog recover --list

# Recover specific session
pentlog recover --recover 42

# Recover all crashed
pentlog recover --recover-all

# Mark stale as crashed
pentlog recover --mark-stale

# Clean orphaned entries
pentlog recover --clean-orphans

Flags:

Flag	Description
`--list`	List crashed/stale sessions
`--recover`	Recover specific session ID
`--recover-all`	Recover all crashed sessions
`--mark-stale`	Mark stale sessions as crashed
`--clean-orphans`	Remove orphaned entries

`pentlog share`¶

Share sessions in real-time.

pentlog share [session-id] [flags]

Examples:

# Share current live session
pentlog shell --share

# Share recorded session
pentlog share 42

# Custom port
pentlog share 42 --port 8080

# Check status
pentlog share status

# Stop sharing
pentlog share stop

Flags:

Flag	Default	Description
`--port`	`0`	Server port
`--bind`	`""`	Bind address

Utilities¶

`pentlog setup`¶

Verify dependencies and configure PentLog.

pentlog setup [flags]

Examples:

# Full setup
pentlog setup

# Configure AI only
pentlog setup ai

`pentlog version`¶

Show version information.

pentlog version

`pentlog update`¶

Update to the latest version.

pentlog update [flags]

Flags:

Flag	Description
`--dry-run`	Check for updates without installing

`pentlog completion`¶

Generate shell completion scripts.

pentlog completion

Follow the interactive prompts to install completions for Bash or Zsh.

Global Flags¶

These flags work with any command:

Flag	Short	Description
`--config`		Path to config file
`--verbose`	`-v`	Enable verbose output
`--help`	`-h`	Show help
`--version`	`-V`	Show version

Keyboard Shortcuts¶

Inside `pentlog shell`¶

Hotkey	Action
`Ctrl+N`	Add quick note
`Ctrl+G`	Add vulnerability

Global Shortcuts¶

Key	Action
`?`	Show keyboard shortcuts help
`/`	Focus search

Environment Variables¶

Variable	Description
`PENTLOG_CONFIG`	Path to config file
`PENTLOG_HOME`	Base directory (default: `~/.pentlog`)
`PENTLOG_DEBUG`	Enable debug logging

Exit Codes¶

Code	Meaning
`0`	Success
`1`	General error
`2`	Invalid usage
`3`	Not found
`4`	Permission denied
`5`	Already exists

CLI Commands Reference¶

Quick Reference Card¶

Session Management¶

pentlog create¶

pentlog shell¶

pentlog switch¶

pentlog sessions¶

pentlog status¶

pentlog reset¶

pentlog pause¶

pentlog resume¶

Analysis & Search¶

pentlog search¶

pentlog timeline¶

pentlog dashboard¶

Notes & Vulnerabilities¶

pentlog note¶

pentlog vuln¶

Reporting¶

pentlog export¶

pentlog analyze¶

pentlog serve¶

Replay & Export¶

pentlog replay¶

pentlog gif¶

Data Management¶

pentlog archive¶

pentlog import¶

pentlog freeze¶

pentlog recover¶

Live Sharing¶

pentlog share¶

Utilities¶

pentlog setup¶

pentlog version¶

pentlog update¶

pentlog completion¶

Global Flags¶

Keyboard Shortcuts¶

Inside pentlog shell¶

Global Shortcuts¶

Environment Variables¶

Exit Codes¶

`pentlog create`¶

`pentlog shell`¶

`pentlog switch`¶

`pentlog sessions`¶

`pentlog status`¶

`pentlog reset`¶

`pentlog pause`¶

`pentlog resume`¶

`pentlog search`¶

`pentlog timeline`¶

`pentlog dashboard`¶

`pentlog note`¶

`pentlog vuln`¶

`pentlog export`¶

`pentlog analyze`¶

`pentlog serve`¶

`pentlog replay`¶

`pentlog gif`¶

`pentlog archive`¶

`pentlog import`¶

`pentlog freeze`¶

`pentlog recover`¶

`pentlog share`¶

`pentlog setup`¶

`pentlog version`¶

`pentlog update`¶

`pentlog completion`¶

Inside `pentlog shell`¶