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Documentation Index

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shell.aurora — aliased as aurora — is Aurora Shell’s unified command center. Every management operation is exposed as a flag, making it easy to re-render the diagnostics banner, inspect system info, pull updates, open your settings file, lock the terminal, or manage your Aurora account, all from a single entry point.

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Usage

shell.aurora <flag> [args]
# or using the alias:
aurora <flag> [args]

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--display

Re-renders the diagnostics banner by calling Show-Aurora(). Use this any time you want to redraw the banner without opening a new shell session. Syntax 
shell.aurora --display
Example 
aurora --display
Output — The full Aurora ASCII header, centered to your terminal width, followed by the live telemetry bar (version, CPU usage, free disk, battery, and date), and a rainbow separator line.

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--sys

Prints low-level hardware and OS information. The exact output differs by platform. Syntax 
shell.aurora --sys

aurora --sys
# Runs: sw_vers && sysctl -n machdep.cpu.brand_string
macOS output example 
ProductName:    macOS
ProductVersion: 14.5
BuildVersion:   23F79
Apple M3 Pro
Windows output example 
CsName         WindowsVersion  OsArchitecture
------         --------------  --------------
DESKTOP-AURORA 2009            64-bit

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--update [branch]

Downloads and runs the latest installer script from GitHub. Defaults to the main branch; pass a branch name as a second argument to target a specific branch (e.g., dev). Syntax 
shell.aurora --update [branch]
Examples 
# Update from the main branch
aurora --update

# Update from the dev branch
aurora --update dev
Side effects — Runs the full installer in-place, which re-creates ~/.aurora-shell_files/, regenerates the theme file, and sources the new theme into ~/.zshrc (macOS) or $PROFILE (Windows). Your existing PIN and configuration values are preserved.

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--config

Opens the Aurora Shell settings file in your system’s default editor. Syntax 
shell.aurora --config
Platform behavior
PlatformEditorFile path
macOSXcode (fallback: $EDITOR or vi)~/.aurora-shell_files/aurora-shell_settings
WindowsNotepad$HOME\.aurora-shell_files\aurora-shell_settings.ps1
Example 
aurora --config
The settings file contains variables such as AURORA_VER, AURORA_HDR_MODE, AURORA_HDR_VAL, AURORA_USER_BDAY, and AURORA_ID. Edit and save the file, then open a new shell session (or run aurora --display) for changes to take effect.

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--lock

Re-engages the terminal lock screen and, on successful authentication, re-renders the diagnostics banner via Show-Aurora(). Syntax 
shell.aurora --lock
Example 
aurora --lock
Side effects — The terminal is cleared and the Aurora security prompt ([AUTH] Key:) is shown. Entering the correct PIN (stored in macOS Keychain) unlocks the session and redraws the banner. Incorrect entries print DENIED and loop back to the prompt.

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--uninstall

Removes the Aurora Shell installation directory and scrubs the source line from your shell profile. Syntax 
shell.aurora --uninstall
Example 
aurora --uninstall
This operation is irreversible without reinstalling. It permanently deletes ~/.aurora-shell_files/ (macOS) or $HOME\.aurora-shell_files\ (Windows) and removes the source / dot-source line from ~/.zshrc (macOS) or $PROFILE (Windows).

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--account <subcommand>

Manages your Aurora account, which syncs your profile, plugins, and linked service credentials across machines. Syntax 
shell.aurora --account <subcommand> [--fast]
aurora --account <subcommand>

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Subcommands

SubcommandDescription
--createCreate a new Aurora account
--loginSign in and apply your cloud profile to this machine
--logoutClear the local session and restore the system to its pre-login state
--linkLink a service credential (AWS, GitHub, OpenAI, Anthropic, or Ollama) to your account
--whoamiDisplay the currently signed-in username, plugins, and linked services
--usersList all registered accounts (owner only)
Examples 
# Create a new account
aurora --account --create

# Sign in
aurora --account --login

# Sign in without running installations (fast mode)
aurora --account --login --fast

# Sign out and restore system state
aurora --account --logout

# Sign out quickly (restore configs only, skip uninstalls)
aurora --account --logout --fast

# Link an AWS credential
aurora --account --link

# Check who is signed in
aurora --account --whoami

# List all users (owner only)
aurora --account --users
--login behavior — On sign-in, Aurora fetches your cloud profile and:
  1. Takes a full snapshot of your current shell configs and installed packages.
  2. Installs oh-my-zsh and any plugins recorded in your profile.
  3. Exports linked service keys (e.g., OPENAI_API_KEY, AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID) as environment variables.
--logout behavior — Restores the system to the pre-login snapshot by diffing and uninstalling any Homebrew formulae, casks, npm global packages, pip packages, pipx packages, gem packages, Cargo crates, and Aurora binaries that were added during the session. Shell config files are also restored. Pass --fast to skip uninstalls and only restore config files.

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Default Behavior (no flags)

When shell.aurora (or aurora) is called with no flags, it displays a numbered interactive menu and prompts for a selection: 
🌌 Aurora Command Center
---------------------------------------
🚀 [1] lock   : Re-engage terminal lock
🔑 [2] pass   : Change your password
🔄 [3] update : Pull latest from GitHub
❓ [4] help   : Show this manual
---------------------------------------
Select an option (1-4):
The interactive menu is provided by the legacy shell.aurora shell function defined in older theme files. The flag-based interface documented above is the current interface generated by the Aurora Shell theme engine.

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