CLI Commands

Global Flags

These flags apply to all subcommands:

Flag	Description
--error-format <fmt>	Diagnostic output format: human (default), json, or short. See Diagnostics & Warnings
--no-config	Disable achronyme.toml loading. All values come from CLI flags and defaults

---

init — Create a new project

Scaffolds a new Achronyme project with achronyme.toml, source directory, and .gitignore.

ach init my-circuit
ach init my-app --template vm

Arguments

Argument	Description
<name>	Project name (must match [a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z0-9_-]*)

Flags

Flag	Description
--template <tpl>	Project template: circuit (default), vm, or prove

Templates

• circuit — A standalone circuit with public/witness declarations and assert_eq
• vm — A general-purpose program with print()
• prove — A mixed program with an inline prove {} block

Generated structure

my-circuit/
├── achronyme.toml
├── src/
│   └── main.ach
└── .gitignore

See Project Configuration for the achronyme.toml reference.

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run — Execute a program

Runs an Achronyme source file (.ach) or compiled binary (.achb).

ach run script.ach
ach run script.achb
ach run                # uses [project].entry from achronyme.toml

If <path> is omitted, the CLI resolves the entry file from [project].entry in achronyme.toml.

Flags

Flag	Description
--stress-gc	Run GC on every allocation (for testing). See Stress GC Mode
--max-heap <size>	Set maximum heap size (e.g., 256M, 1G, 512K). Raises HeapLimitExceeded if exceeded
--gc-stats	Print GC statistics to stderr after execution. See GC Statistics
--prove-backend <backend>	Backend for prove {} blocks: r1cs (default) or plonkish

Examples

ach run hello.ach
ach run hello.ach --prove-backend plonkish
ach run hello.ach --max-heap 256M --gc-stats
ach run                              # from project with achronyme.toml

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circuit — Compile a ZK circuit

Compiles an Achronyme circuit source file into R1CS/Plonkish constraints and generates a witness.

ach circuit circuit.ach --inputs "x=42,y=7"
ach circuit --inputs "x=42,y=7"    # uses entry from achronyme.toml

See Circuit Options for all available flags.

---

compile — Compile to bytecode

Compiles an Achronyme source file into a binary (.achb) that can be run with ach run.

ach compile script.ach --output script.achb
ach compile --output script.achb   # uses entry from achronyme.toml

Flags

Flag	Description
--output <path>	Output file path (optional — can be set in [build.output].binary in achronyme.toml)

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disassemble — Show bytecode

Disassembles an Achronyme source file or binary, showing the bytecode instructions.

ach disassemble script.ach
ach disassemble                    # uses entry from achronyme.toml

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repl — Interactive mode

Starts an interactive Read-Eval-Print loop. (Not yet implemented.)