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Fix the typedock CLI

The CLI is a thin client for the running app, installed as one symlink. Every way that symlink or the connection goes wrong is fixable from Settings ▸ Developer.

The typedock command isn’t found

The CLI ships inside the app, at Contents/Helpers/typedock. Installing it creates one symlink at /usr/local/bin/typedock that points into the app — which is why the CLI stays current across app updates.

  1. Install from Settings

    Open SettingsDeveloperCommand Line and click Install. Installing asks for your admin password.

  2. Open a new terminal

    In the fresh window, run a first command:

    It reports whether the app is running, its version, and whether it’s in menu-bar-only mode.

“TypeDock isn’t running.”

The CLI is a thin client: it drives the running app over a local socket, and the app is the single writer. No app, nothing to answer. Start TypeDock — menu-bar-only is enough, the window isn’t needed (that’s its normal menu bar life).

An old install left a stale symlink

A symlink from an old install can point at the wrong binary. TypeDock detects this and prints the fix right in the terminal. Two ways out:

  1. Repair from Settings

    The button in SettingsDeveloperCommand Line reads Install, Reinstall, or Repair depending on the link’s state. Repair fixes a broken or stale link in one click.

  2. Or relink by hand

    Point the symlink back at the binary inside the app:

“Rejected peer.” or “Bad token.”

The socket only accepts the genuine signed CLI, so a copy that doesn’t check out is refused with one of these. Reinstall the CLI from SettingsDeveloperCommand Line and run the command again.

--paste copies but doesn’t paste

If --pastelands the text on your clipboard but never pastes it, Accessibility isn’t granted — the command itself says so: it prints “Copied — press ⌘V (paste needs Accessibility)”.

The Mac permissions guide walks through granting it.

Check sync without leaving the terminal

typedock sync doctor is the same check as SettingsiCloudSync Diagnostics, in the terminal:

If sync is the thing that’s broken, start with the iCloud sync guide. The full command reference lives at typedock.app/developers.

Quick answers

The CLI is a thin client that drives the running app over a local socket, so the app has to be running — menu-bar-only is enough, the window isn't needed. Start TypeDock, or run the command without --no-launch so the CLI can start it for you.

Related guides

Still stuck?

A human answers support@caffeinatedcode.co. Say what you tried from this guide — it skips a whole round trip.

Last updated 2026-07-29