CLI

npm install -g instruction-md

Offline, no account needed

Command	What it does
`instruction validate <file>`	refuse or accept, with the specification's own messages and a stable code for each; exit 1 on refusal. Advisories (a `Must:` that is read as prose, an unused parameter) are shown and never refuse; `--strict` fails on warnings too
`instruction init <name> --template agent`	a starting document that shows rules with reasons, variants, the reply's shape and reviewer notes
`instruction deliver <file> name=value`	the exact bytes a model receives, for a context
`instruction fmt <file> --write`	conservative formatting; never touches machinery bodies
`instruction digest <file>`	the authored digest, excluding the signature line
`instruction render <file> --full`	HTML for a static site
`instruction test <dir>`	run a fixtures directory, for your own conformance suite
`instruction eval <file>`	run the document's `:::!eval` cases against Claude with your own credentials; `--dry-run` shows what each case would send and calls no model

Against the registry

Command	What it does
`instruction login`	device-flow sign-in; the token is stored in your config directory
`instruction list`, `get`, `pull`	find and fetch
`instruction push <file> --publish`	create or update a draft, and publish it
`instruction publish <id> --tag v2 --refs latest,stable`	publish the current draft and move refs
`instruction refs <id> set stable <ver>`	move a ref, which is how you roll back
`instruction diff <id> <from> <to>`	unified and block-level diff
`instruction watch <uri> --out FILE`	follow a ref, keeping the last good version
`instruction audit export <id> --format csv`	the audit trail, never content
`instruction revoke <id> <ver>`	withdraw a version; consumers hold

In CI

Set INSTRUCTION_MD_TOKEN for a non-interactive token and use --json for machine-readable output. Exit codes: 1 error, 3 transport, 4 not found, 5 forbidden, 6 nothing applied.

jobs:
  publish:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with: { node-version: 22 }
      - run: npm i -g instruction-md
      - run: instruction validate RUNBOOK.md
      - run: instruction push RUNBOOK.md --to ${{ vars.INSTRUCTION_ID }} --publish --message "${{ github.sha }}" --json
        env:
          INSTRUCTION_MD_URL: https://instruction.md/mcp
          INSTRUCTION_MD_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.INSTRUCTION_MD_TOKEN }}

Add --sign-with key.json to publish with your own key rather than the platform's. See signing and trust.