Healthmd CLI

Health.md CLI User Guide

The standalone CLI connects directly to iPhone. The Health.md macOS app is not required.

healthmd on macOS / Linux / Windows
  ← authenticated encrypted Manual IP or Tailscale connection →
open Health.md iPhone app → HealthKit → protected spool
  → validated canonical JSON or production-generated files

The CLI listens on the computer; iPhone connects to the address entered in Direct CLI Access. HealthKit reads always happen on iPhone. The CLI cannot wake iOS reliably or bypass app activity, protected-data, permission, local-network, or quota controls.

Direct is the portable default. Do not add --backend mac-app: that adapter is reserved but unimplemented. The portable client supports Manual IP, including Tailscale addresses. Nearby is unsupported.

No public CLI/mobile pair is qualified yet. The 0.1.0-alpha.1 candidate source floors are iOS 3.0.3 for v1 exports and v3 typed queries, and Android 1.5.4 (versionCode 25) for v2 exports, all built from the exact candidate SHA. Android typed queries are not implemented. Use the exact mobile build named by release evidence; matching protocol or marketing versions alone is not proof.

Bounded commands

On macOS/Linux, run the unfamiliar CLI non-interactively:

NO_COLOR=1 TERM=dumb timeout 15 healthmd --version </dev/null
NO_COLOR=1 TERM=dumb timeout 30 healthmd direct devices </dev/null
NO_COLOR=1 TERM=dumb timeout 30 healthmd status </dev/null
NO_COLOR=1 TERM=dumb timeout 300 healthmd export --last 7 --raw --output week.json </dev/null

On Windows, use the automation host's process timeout. Pairing needs enough time for the user to scan the QR with Health.md's in-app Direct CLI scanner or enter the fallback code on iPhone.

Install or verify

No stable Homebrew formula, crates.io package, installer, or healthmd-cli/v<version> GitHub Release exists yet. Publishing this versioned skill makes the preview contract discoverable; it does not qualify or publish a portable CLI/mobile release pair. Do not invent an install URL or present the commands below as a supported release installation.

If you are an authorized preview tester with an exact candidate commit and matching mobile build from release evidence, build that checkout from source:

git clone https://github.com/CodyBontecou/health-md.git
cd health-md
git checkout <candidate-commit>
cd apps/cli
cargo install --locked --path crates/healthmd-cli
healthmd --version
healthmd --help

Otherwise, stop and use the released signed Mac helpers documented at https://healthmd.app/docs/guides/connect-agent/. Do not install the old helper from the Mac app or use the monorepo's apps/apple/scripts/healthmd wrapper for portable operation; those target the Swift compatibility client. Linux preview builds require an unlocked freedesktop Secret Service provider such as GNOME Keyring or KWallet. The CLI never falls back to plaintext credentials.

Pair once

NO_COLOR=1 TERM=dumb timeout 180 healthmd direct pair </dev/null

While it waits:

1. In foreground Health.md, open Sync → Direct CLI Access, tap Scan Pairing QR, and scan the displayed image. That in-app scan starts pairing automatically; do not ask for a second Pair tap or open the QR as a custom URL.
2. Keep Health.md foregrounded until stdout returns healthmd.direct_pairing_result with status: success for the intended iPhone.
3. If in-app scanning is unavailable, open Sync → Direct CLI Access, enable Manual IP, and enter the printed LAN/Tailscale address, port, and six-digit code.

The default port is 17647. If another port is saved on iPhone, pass it globally on every network command:

healthmd --port 18000 status
healthmd --port 18000 export --yesterday --raw --output yesterday.json

Pairing is one-time. Leave Direct CLI Access enabled and Health.md open for later commands. Use --device DEVICE_UUID when multiple iPhones are trusted.

Local trust commands do not contact iPhone:

healthmd direct devices
healthmd direct unpair DEVICE_UUID

Use healthmd direct reset-trust --confirm only to recover unusable local trust. It removes every local pairing; forget the paired CLI on each iPhone too.

Check readiness

NO_COLOR=1 TERM=dumb timeout 30 healthmd status </dev/null

Read the JSON:

• backend == "direct" and mac_app == "bypassed": standalone path is active.
• iphone.connected == true: the intended iPhone authenticated.
• iphone.app_active == true: new work can begin.
• iphone.protected_data_available == true: protected export data is accessible.
• iphone.can_trigger_raw_exports == true: raw and extract are ready.
• iphone.can_trigger_exports == true: generated files are ready.
• iphone.active_job_id: another job may already own the service.
• direct_cli.paired == true: direct trust exists.

The direct status destination is intentionally unselected. File mode uses the explicit --destination; it never uses a Mac app bookmark.

Strict raw export

Choose exactly one range: --yesterday, --last N, --from/--to, or --all.

healthmd export --yesterday --raw --output yesterday.json
healthmd export --last 7 --raw --output week.json
healthmd export --from 2026-07-01 --to 2026-07-07 --raw --output range.json
healthmd export --all --raw --output complete-health-corpus.json

Without --output, validated health JSON streams to stdout. Prefer a protected output file. Strict raw returns healthmd.raw_result v1 with public schema-v7 healthmd.health_data documents and temporarily requests lossless records without changing saved iPhone settings.

Complete-empty is success. Missing, failed, cancelled, unsupported, skipped, or partial capture yields partial_success and a nonzero exit unless --allow-partial is explicit. That flag changes only exit status; diagnostics remain.

Canonical extraction

Use extract for selected health objects:

healthmd extract --category Sleep --last 7 --output sleep.json
healthmd extract --metric workouts --last 14 --object workouts --output workouts.json
healthmd extract --metric workouts --last 14 \
  --object records --detail lossless --output workout-records.json
healthmd extract --category Sleep --last 7 --format jsonl --output sleep.jsonl

Extraction requires --metric, --category, a category-implying --object, or --all-metrics. Repeatable --object and --field /JSON/POINTER narrow output. Summary is default; archive/record selectors imply lossless. The canonical source is currently apple_health only.

JSON returns canonical documents or honest projections plus a receipt. JSONL writes its receipt to stderr, or OUTPUT.receipt.json with --output. Never interpret omitted fields as zero. Incomplete extraction emits no retained data unless --allow-partial is explicit.

Production-generated files

On macOS, Linux, or Windows, use an existing absolute non-symlink destination:

mkdir -p "$HOME/Documents/HealthVault"
healthmd export --yesterday --destination "$HOME/Documents/HealthVault"
healthmd export --last 7 --category Sleep --detail summary \
  --destination "$HOME/Documents/HealthVault"
healthmd export --yesterday --use-iphone-settings \
  --destination "$HOME/Documents/HealthVault"

The iPhone uses production JSON/CSV/Markdown/ZIP/data-dictionary/roll-up/individual-record/Daily Note/provider exporters. The CLI validates manifests, digests, paths, symlinks, destination identity, and restart-safe overwrite/append/Markdown merge commits.

Default requested-date jobs keep saved formats, subfolder, templates, filenames, write mode, and Daily Note behavior while suppressing roll-ups and summary-only mode. Metric/category/detail selectors replace only that job's acquisition scope. --use-iphone-settings mirrors all saved behavior and cannot combine with selectors.

--profile PROFILE_ID runs a saved iPhone export profile by its stable UUID: the profile's frozen settings and destination replace both live settings and per-job selectors. It cannot combine with --use-iphone-settings or metric/category selectors; an unknown UUID fails with a typed profile_not_found error and never falls back to live settings. Read the UUID from the app's Export tab profile picker (healthmd profiles list is planned, not shipped):

healthmd export --last 7 --profile 11111111-2222-4333-8444-555555555555 \
  --destination "$HOME/Documents/HealthVault"

The equivalent MCP generated-file export arguments are settings_policy: "profile" plus profile_reference: { "profileID": UUID } under the same scope-exclusivity rules.

Protocol v1 treats the destination as an opaque immutable label on iPhone. The receiving host validates and durably binds the native absolute path before sending the request.