CLI Reference

The AxonOS Launcher CLI builds and deploys AxonOS on headless GPU servers. This page documents every command. For an overview, see The AxonOS Launcher.

Quick start

bash

axonos list                                       # list available applications
axonos generate                                   # generate a Dockerfile (default config)
axonos build --password "$AXONOS_VNC_PASSWORD"    # build the image
axonos build --password "$AXONOS_VNC_PASSWORD" && axonos deploy --gpu   # build + deploy with GPU

`axonos list`

bash

axonos list

Lists all available applications with their status (enabled / disabled).

`axonos generate`

Generate a Dockerfile from a configuration.

bash

axonos generate                              # default configuration
axonos generate --config my-config.json      # from a config file
axonos generate --output Dockerfile.custom   # custom output path

Flag	Description
`--config <file>`	Use a saved JSON configuration
`--output <file>`	Write the generated Dockerfile to a specific path

`axonos build`

Build the Docker image.

bash

axonos build                                       # default settings
axonos build --password mySecurePassword           # custom VNC password
axonos build --image axonos:custom --password pw   # custom image tag
axonos build --dockerfile Dockerfile.custom        # build a specific Dockerfile
axonos build --config my-config.json --password pw # build from a config

Flag	Description
`--password <pw>`	VNC + sudo password baked into the image (recommended)
`--image <tag>`	Image tag to build (default `axonos:latest`)
`--dockerfile <file>`	Build from a specific Dockerfile
`--config <file>`	Build from a saved JSON configuration

`axonos deploy`

Run a container from a built image.

bash

axonos deploy --gpu                                       # with GPU support (recommended)
axonos deploy                                             # without GPU
axonos deploy --image axonos:custom --name my-axonos --gpu
axonos deploy --ports-only                                # VNC ports only, no IPFS

Flag	Description
`--gpu`	Enable GPU acceleration (`--gpus all`)
`--image <tag>`	Image to deploy
`--name <name>`	Container name
`--ports-only`	Publish VNC ports only (skip IPFS ports)

`axonos config`

Save and load build configurations.

bash

axonos config save --file my-config.json   # save the current configuration
axonos config load --file my-config.json   # load a configuration

Configuration file format

json

{
  "applications": {
    "jupyterlab": true,
    "r_rstudio": true,
    "spyder": false,
    "ugene": true
  },
  "ollama_models": ["gemma4:31b", "granite3.2-vision"],
  "username": "aXonian",
  "password": "REPLACE_WITH_STRONG_PASSWORD",
  "image_tag": "axonos:latest",
  "gpu_enabled": true
}

GUI mode

bash

axonos --gui

Launches the point-and-click customizer on systems with a display. See The AxonOS Launcher.

Default config = faster builds

When your configuration matches the defaults, the launcher builds from the stock Dockerfile instead of generating a custom one — a meaningfully faster path.