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Command Line Interface (CLI)

The Loren CLI (loren-framework) is the command center for your development workflow. It automates environment setup, generates boilerplate code, and manages your sync servers.

Auto-Updater

The CLI actively monitors the npm registry. If a new version of the Loren Framework is released, you will receive a notification in your terminal upon running any command, prompting you to update.

Project Setup​

Commands used to create and configure your workspace.

loren init​

Scaffolds a completely new Loren project directory.

loren init MyNewGame
  • <name> (Required): The name of the folder and project to be generated.

Behavior:

  • Checks if the directory already exists to prevent accidental overwrites.
  • Prompts you to select your preferred sync tool (Rojo or Argon).
  • Generates your aftman.toml file.
  • Configures .vscode/settings.json for optimal Luau-LSP autocomplete.
  • Generates an initial sourcemap.json.

loren migrate​

Automates the migration of your project toolchain between Rojo and Argon.

loren migrate
Use Version Control

This command actively rewrites your aftman.toml and .vscode/settings.json files. We strongly recommend ensuring your working tree is clean and committed to Git before running this command in case you wish to revert the changes.

Behavior:

  • Detects your currently installed tool and prepares to swap to the alternative.
  • Prompts for user confirmation before proceeding.
  • Updates Aftman dependencies and installs the new tool globally.
  • Reconfigures VS Code autogenerate behavior to match the new tool.

Generators​

Commands designed to speed up your active development by eliminating boilerplate typing.

loren make​

Forges a new module with the standard Loren lifecycle boilerplate.

loren make service PlayerData
loren make controller UIHandler
  • <type> (Required): Must be either service or controller.
  • <name> (Required): The PascalCase name of the file to be created.
Auto-Refreshing

Running loren make automatically triggers a background sourcemap refresh. Your new module will instantly appear in your VS Code autocomplete suggestions without any extra steps.

loren inject​

Injects a pre-built module from your local templates folder into your active source tree.

loren inject shared Logger
  • <type> (Required): Must be service, controller, or shared.
  • <name> (Required): The exact name of the file or folder inside your loren_premade directory.

Behavior:

  • Scans loren_premade/<type> for the specified file or directory.
  • Copies the template cleanly into src/<type>.
  • Fails safely if the destination already contains a module with that name.

Package Management​

loren add​

Downloads a module repository directly from GitHub into your project.

# Standard installation
loren add evaera/roblox-lua-promise

# Installation with a custom folder alias
loren add Sleitnick/Signal LorenSignal
  • <user/repo> (Required): The target GitHub repository path.
  • [alias] (Optional): A custom name for the downloaded folder.
Default Naming

If you do not provide an [alias], Loren will attempt to parse a clean name automatically (e.g., stripping out common prefixes like roblox-lua-). The package will be placed inside the loren_packages directory.

Synchronization​

loren ignite​

Boots your local synchronization server.

loren ignite

Behavior:

  • Scans your project configuration to detect whether you are using Rojo or Argon.
  • Automatically executes the corresponding serve command attached to your terminal session.

loren refresh​

Forces a manual regeneration of the sourcemap.json file.

loren refresh
When to use this

You only need to run this command if you manually add, delete, or rename Lua files outside of the loren make command. If your VS Code Luau-LSP suddenly stops providing autocomplete suggestions for new files, running refresh will restore it.