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Retina provides flexible output options to control report format, destination, and verbosity. These options help you integrate Retina into different workflows, from interactive development to automated CI/CD pipelines.

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Output format

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--format
string
default:"md"
Specifies the output format for generated reports.Available formats:
  • md - Markdown (default)
  • json - JSON structured data
  • txt - Plain text
  • html - HTML web-based report
Short form: -f
retina run --format json
retina run -f html

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Format details

Human-readable format with:
  • Structured headings and sections
  • Code snippets with syntax highlighting
  • Issue severity indicators
  • File paths with line numbers
  • Suggestions for fixing issues
Best for: Documentation, GitHub issues, code reviews
retina run --format md
retina run -f md
Default output file: retina-report.md
Machine-readable structured data with:
  • Complete issue details
  • File paths and line numbers
  • Categories and severity levels
  • Stack traces and metadata
  • Summary statistics
Best for: CI/CD integration, automated processing, custom tooling
retina run --format json
retina run -f json
Default output file: retina-report.json
Simple text format with:
  • Linear issue listing
  • File paths and line numbers
  • Basic formatting
  • No special characters
Best for: Email reports, plain text editors, legacy systems
retina run --format txt
retina run -f txt
Default output file: retina-report.txt
The text alias also works: retina run -f text
Interactive web-based report with:
  • Clickable navigation
  • Syntax-highlighted code snippets
  • Filterable issue list
  • Summary dashboard
  • Responsive design
Best for: Team sharing, presentations, browser-based viewing
retina run --format html
retina run -f html
Default output file: retina-report.html
The web alias also works: retina run -f web

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Output destination

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--output
string
Specifies the output file path for the generated report.If not specified, defaults to retina-report.<format> in the scanned plugin directory.Short form: -o
retina run --output custom-report.md
retina run -o /reports/analysis.json

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Output path behavior

  • Relative paths are resolved from the current working directory
  • Absolute paths are used as-is
  • Parent directories are created automatically if they don’t exist
  • Existing files are overwritten without confirmation

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Examples

# Save to specific file in current directory
retina run --output my-analysis.md

# Save to absolute path
retina run --output /tmp/reports/plugin-check.json

# Save to relative path with subdirectory
retina run --output reports/latest.html

# Combine with format option
retina run --format json --output dist/analysis.json
When using --console-only, the --output option is ignored since no file is generated.

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Console output

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--console-only
boolean
Outputs analysis results to the console only without generating a report file.Short form: -c
retina run --console-only
retina run -c

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Console-only behavior

  • Summary statistics are displayed in the terminal
  • Issue count and affected file count are shown
  • No report file is generated
  • --output option is ignored
  • Exit code still indicates success (0) or failure (1)

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Use cases

Quick checks without generating files:
retina run --console-only --no-progress
Check exit code for pass/fail:
if retina run -c; then
  echo "No issues found"
else
  echo "Issues detected"
  exit 1
fi
Fast feedback during development:
retina run -c
Avoid creating report files in environments with limited storage:
retina run --console-only

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Report simplification

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--simple
boolean
Generates a simplified report without code snippets and fix suggestions.Simple reports include only:
  • File path
  • Line number
  • Issue category
  • Severity level
  • Error message
Short form: -s
retina run --simple
retina run -s

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Simple vs. standard reports

Standard report includes:
  • File path and line number
  • Issue category and severity
  • Error message
  • Code snippet showing the problematic code
  • Contextual information
  • Suggestions for fixing the issue
  • Related documentation links
Simple report includes:
  • File path and line number
  • Issue category and severity
  • Error message only

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Use cases for simple reports

Reduce report file size for projects with many issues:
retina run --simple --format json
Easier to parse programmatically:
retina run --simple --format json --output results.json
Quick high-level overview without details:
retina run --simple --console-only

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Configuration file

In retina.yml: 
simpleReport: true
CLI --simple flag overrides the simpleReport configuration file setting.

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Progress output

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--no-progress
boolean
Disables progress indicators during analysis.
retina run --no-progress

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Progress output includes:

  • File scanning progress
  • Analyzer execution status
  • Issue detection count (live updates)
  • Completion percentage

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When to disable progress

Progress output may clutter logs:
retina run --no-progress --console-only
Clean output when redirecting to files:
retina run --no-progress > analysis.log 2>&1
Avoid progress characters in automated scripts:
retina run --no-progress --format json --output report.json

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Combined examples

retina run --format md --output report.md

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Default behavior

When no output options are specified: 
retina run
Defaults to:
  • Format: Markdown (md)
  • Output: retina-report.md in the scanned directory
  • Progress: Enabled
  • Simple: Disabled (full report with code snippets)
  • File generation: Enabled (not console-only)

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Format extensions

Retina automatically uses the correct file extension based on format:
FormatExtension
md.md
json.json
txt.txt
html.html
If you specify a custom output file with --output, make sure the file extension matches your chosen format for proper handling by other tools.

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