> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://laminar.sh/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Manage Signals from the CLI
`lmnr-cli signal` creates, inspects, updates, and deletes [Signals](/docs/signals/introduction) from your terminal. **Keep a Signal's prompt and schema in your repo, ship changes from CI, or hand the surface to a coding agent** that can shell out.
`signal` ships in the standalone [`lmnr-cli`](/docs/platform/cli) npm package. You do not need the `@lmnr-ai/lmnr` SDK installed to use it.
## Install and authenticate
```bash theme={null}
# Run directly with npx (no install)
npx lmnr-cli@latest signal list
# Or install globally
npm install -g lmnr-cli
```
The CLI authenticates as you, the signed-in user, and resolves which project to target from the directory you run in. Run `setup` once per project:
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli setup
```
That logs you in and writes `.lmnr/project.json`, so every `signal` command in that directory (or any subdirectory) targets that project. Override per command with `--project-id `. See [Authenticate](/docs/platform/cli#authenticate) and [Directory-scoped projects](/docs/platform/cli#directory-scoped-projects).
The rest of this page assumes a global install. With `npx`, prefix each command with `npx lmnr-cli@latest`.
## Create a Signal
A Signal is a [prompt, a schema, a trigger, and filters](/docs/signals/introduction#anatomy-of-a-signal). At minimum `signal create` needs a name, `--prompt`, and `--schema`:
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli signal create "Refund requests" \
--prompt "Detect when the user asks for a refund. Extract the reason they gave." \
--schema '{"properties":{"reason":{"type":"string","description":"Refund reason"}}}'
```
```
Created signal "Refund requests".
Refund requests (50da5457-4b5d-4937-b834-4a73f50ce473)
prompt: Detect when the user asks for a refund. Extract the reason they gave.
fields: reason
trigger: root-span-finished
filters: {"value":"1000","column":"total_token_count","operator":"gt"}
mode: realtime
sample rate: none
status: active
```
The trigger defaults to `root-span-finished`, the filter to `total_token_count > 1000`, and the mode to `realtime`, so the Signal is already live on new traces. See [Triggers](/docs/signals/quickstart#triggers) and [Filters](/docs/signals/quickstart#filters) for how they work.
`--schema` takes a JSON Schema object:
* Field names must be identifiers: `^[a-zA-Z_][a-zA-Z0-9_]*$`.
* Field types are `string`, `number`, or `boolean`. For a fixed set of values, use `"type": "string"` with an `enum` array.
* Every field is required. `type` and `required` are filled in for you if you omit them.
To override the [trigger](/docs/signals/quickstart#triggers), [filters](/docs/signals/quickstart#filters), or mode from the CLI:
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli signal create "Fabricated tool data" \
--prompt "The agent presented information not supported by the tool results it received." \
--schema '{"properties":{
"failed_tool":{"type":"string","description":"The tool that failed"},
"severity":{"type":"string","enum":["low","high"],"description":"How bad it is"}}}' \
--trigger span-name --span-name agent.run --span-name worker.step \
--filter '{"column":"status","operator":"eq","value":"error"}' \
--mode realtime \
--sample-rate 25
```
```
Created signal "Fabricated tool data".
Fabricated tool data (0e5b6466-eeab-47f9-a5d4-6b2ff6c7a365)
prompt: The agent presented information not supported by the tool results it received.
fields: severity, failed_tool
trigger: span-name: agent.run, worker.step
filters: {"value":"error","column":"status","operator":"eq"}
mode: realtime
sample rate: 25
status: active
```
`--filter` takes JSON `{"column":"...","operator":"...","value":"..."}` and is repeatable. Columns: `total_token_count`, `status`, `span_names`. Pass it on create to replace the default.
`--span-name` is the trigger flag. `span_names` is a filter column: it matches a name anywhere in the trace.
Two more flags shape a new Signal:
* `--sample-rate <1-95>` evaluates only that percentage of matching traces. Omit it for no sampling.
* `--disabled` creates the Signal paused. Turn it on later with `signal update --no-disabled`.
Creating a Signal also creates a **Critical**-severity event alert subscribed to your email. Route it to Slack, change the severity, or add output-schema filters from the Signal's **Settings > Alerts** section. See [Alerts](/docs/signals/alerts).
## List and inspect Signals
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli signal list
```
```
ID Name Status Sample Trigger Filters Mode
50da5457-4b5d-4937-b834-4a73f50ce473 Refund requests active - root-span-finished 1 realtime
0e5b6466-eeab-47f9-a5d4-6b2ff6c7a365 Fabricated tool data active 25% span-name: agent.run, worker.step 1 realtime
```
Columns are truncated to fit your terminal width.
Pass a name to filter the list by case-insensitive substring, and `signal get` to see one Signal in full:
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli signal list refund
lmnr-cli signal get "Refund requests"
```
Every command that takes a `` accepts **either an id or a name**, so you rarely need to look up a uuid. An ambiguous name is an error listing the candidates rather than a silent pick, since `update` and `delete` change things:
```bash theme={null}
$ lmnr-cli signal get "Checkout"
ERROR: "Checkout" matches 2 signals: Checkout timeouts (80345fd4-…), Checkout failures (b8f0bbd5-…). Pass the id instead.
```
`signal get` renders the trigger and filters in the same syntax the flags accept, so its output is copy-pasteable into `signal update`.
### Machine-readable output
Every subcommand takes `--json`, which prints structured JSON to stdout while human-facing messages go to stderr. That keeps pipes clean for scripts and coding agents:
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli signal get "Refund requests" --json
```
```json wrap theme={null}
{
"id": "50da5457-4b5d-4937-b834-4a73f50ce473",
"projectId": "0cce3ee3-d6bb-437d-a2fa-bbfd72a935e2",
"name": "Refund requests",
"prompt": "Detect when the user asks for a refund. Extract the reason they gave.",
"structuredOutput": {
"type": "object",
"required": ["reason"],
"properties": {
"reason": {
"type": "string",
"description": "Refund reason"
}
}
},
"sampleRate": null,
"disabled": false,
"createdAt": "2026-08-17T11:01:12.951925Z",
"trigger": { "type": "rootSpanFinished" },
"filters": [
{
"value": "1000",
"column": "total_token_count",
"operator": "gt"
}
],
"mode": "realtime"
}
```
```bash theme={null}
# Every Signal that is not currently active
lmnr-cli signal list --json | jq '.[] | select(.disabled) | .name'
```
## Update a Signal
`signal update` is a **partial patch: any flag you omit keeps its stored value.** Changing the prompt cannot clear your sampling, reactivate a paused Signal, or alter when it fires.
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli signal update "Refund requests" --prompt "Detect refund asks only, ignore complaints."
```
Switching a Signal to batch processing leaves its trigger and filters untouched:
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli signal update "Refund requests" --mode batch
```
Everything you can set on create, you can change:
```bash theme={null}
# Change when it fires
lmnr-cli signal update "Refund requests" --trigger span-name --span-name agent.run
# Replace the whole filter set (--filter always replaces, never appends)
lmnr-cli signal update "Refund requests" \
--filter '{"column":"total_token_count","operator":"gt","value":"5000"}'
# Run on every trace it fires for
lmnr-cli signal update "Refund requests" --no-filters
# Sampling on, then off
lmnr-cli signal update "Refund requests" --sample-rate 10
lmnr-cli signal update "Refund requests" --no-sampling
# Pause, then resume
lmnr-cli signal update "Refund requests" --disabled
lmnr-cli signal update "Refund requests" --no-disabled
```
A paused Signal stops evaluating new traces and rejects backfills, but keeps its existing events and clusters. See [Pause and resume a Signal](/docs/signals/quickstart#pause-and-resume-a-signal).
An update with no flags is an error rather than a silent no-op:
```bash theme={null}
$ lmnr-cli signal update "Refund requests"
ERROR: Nothing to update. Pass at least one of --prompt, --schema, --trigger, --filter,
--no-filters, --mode, --sample-rate, --no-sampling, --disabled, --no-disabled.
```
## Delete a Signal
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli signal delete "Refund requests"
```
```
Deleted signal "Refund requests" (844258b2-b786-435b-924a-3884d518c36a), its triggers, alerts, and events.
```
Deletion is permanent and cascades: the Signal's triggers, its alerts, and every signal event it ever produced are removed. To stop a Signal without losing its history, pause it with `signal update --disabled` instead.
## Reference
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli signal [command]
```
Shared by every `signal` subcommand:
```
--project-id Target project id. Defaults to the linked .lmnr/project.json
--base-url Base URL for the Laminar API. Defaults to https://api.lmnr.ai or LMNR_BASE_URL
--port Port for the Laminar API. Defaults to 443 or LMNR_HTTP_PORT
--json Output structured JSON to stdout
```
### signal create
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli signal create [options]
```
```
Arguments:
name Signal name (unique per project, max 255 chars)
Options:
--prompt LLM instruction describing what to detect in a trace (required)
--schema Payload schema as JSON (required)
--trigger root-span-finished | span-name. Omitted → root-span-finished
--span-name Span name to trigger on (repeatable). Requires --trigger span-name
--filter Filter as JSON (repeatable, ANDed). Omitted → the default >1000 tokens
--mode batch | realtime. Omitted → realtime
--sample-rate Evaluate only this percent of matching traces (1-95)
--disabled Create the signal paused
```
### signal update
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli signal update [options]
```
```
Arguments:
signal Signal id or name
Options:
--prompt Replace the LLM instruction
--schema Replace the payload schema (same shape as create)
--trigger Change when it is evaluated: root-span-finished | span-name
--span-name Span name to trigger on (repeatable). Requires --trigger span-name
--filter Replace ALL filters with these (repeatable, same syntax as create)
--no-filters Clear all filters (run on every trace it fires for)
--mode batch | realtime
--sample-rate Set the sampling percent (1-95)
--no-sampling Clear sampling (evaluate every matching trace)
--disabled Pause the signal
--no-disabled Resume the signal
```
### signal list, get, delete
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli signal list [name] # name filters by case-insensitive substring
lmnr-cli signal get # signal is an id or a name
lmnr-cli signal delete
```
Every command has examples in its own help text:
```bash theme={null}
lmnr-cli signal --help
lmnr-cli signal create --help
lmnr-cli signal update --help
```
## What's next
How a Signal reads a whole trace and turns it into structured events.
Write your first Signal in the UI and run it over historical traces.
Fire Slack or email notifications on the events your Signal produces.
The rest of `lmnr-cli`: setup, SQL queries, datasets, and debug sessions.