See Init and config for shared conventions and environment variables.

The local router listens on http://127.0.0.1:4356 by default. It serves the supported model protocols and the configured upstream MCP aggregate; ACP agent adapters use their own stdio lifecycle. This section covers the daemon, request history, retained remote operations, and named remote contexts.

`bro serve`

Load a config, run migrations, and serve HTTP + control socket in the foreground

Usage: bro serve [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description
`-c, --config <CONFIG>`	Path to `bitrouter.yaml`. When omitted, the binary resolves in this order: `./bitrouter.yaml` → `$BITROUTER_HOME/bitrouter.yaml` → `~/.bitrouter/bitrouter.yaml` → zero-config in-memory defaults (`bro init` is the explicit way to scaffold a file)

Runs in the foreground — the form you want under a process supervisor or in a container:

bro serve -c ./bitrouter.yaml

`bro start`

Spawn bro serve as a detached background process

Usage: bro start [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description
`-c, --config <CONFIG>`	Path to `bitrouter.yaml` (passed through to the child)
`--log <LOG>`	Path to redirect the daemon's stdout/stderr to. Defaults to `bitrouter.log` inside the config file's directory (e.g. `~/.bitrouter/bitrouter.log`) so it lives alongside the socket and pid file rather than in the launcher's CWD

Daemonizes: writes a pidfile and detaches. stop/restart target the pidfile; reload hot-loads config changes without dropping in-flight connections.

`bro stop`

Send a stop command to a running daemon

Usage: bro stop [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description
`-c, --config <CONFIG>`	Path to `bitrouter.yaml` (used to locate the control socket). Resolves via the standard chain: `./bitrouter.yaml` → `$BITROUTER_HOME/bitrouter.yaml` → `~/.bitrouter/bitrouter.yaml`
`--socket <SOCKET>`	Explicit control socket path. Overrides the config-derived path

`bro restart`

stop then start — config path is passed through

Usage: bro restart [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description
`-c, --config <CONFIG>`	Path to `bitrouter.yaml`. When omitted, the binary resolves in this order: `./bitrouter.yaml` → `$BITROUTER_HOME/bitrouter.yaml` → `~/.bitrouter/bitrouter.yaml` → zero-config in-memory defaults (`bro init` is the explicit way to scaffold a file)
`--socket <SOCKET>`	Explicit control socket path. Overrides the config-derived path
`--log <LOG>`	Path to redirect the new daemon's stdout/stderr to. Defaults to `bitrouter.log` next to the config file

`bro reload`

Hot-reload the running daemon's config / routing table

Usage: bro reload [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description
`-c, --config <CONFIG>`	Path to `bitrouter.yaml` (used to locate the control socket)
`--socket <SOCKET>`	Explicit control socket path. Overrides the config-derived path

`bro operations`

Inspect a retained remote administration operation

Usage: bro operations <COMMAND>

`bro operations show`

Show one retained reload operation owned by this credential

Usage: bro operations show --instance <INSTANCE> <REQUEST_ID>

Argument	Description
`<REQUEST_ID>`	Reload request UUID returned by `bro reload`

Flag	Description
`--instance <INSTANCE>`	Daemon boot instance UUID returned with the operation

`bro status`

Report a running daemon's status (pid, listen address, model count). Prints running: no when no daemon is reachable. With --requests, reports what the router has actually done instead: settled requests (time, model, the provider that actually served, tokens, cost, latency, status) plus daemon state and a spend rollup scoped to every caller. Read straight from the metering store, so it works with no daemon running. JSON by default like every other command; --human renders the table.

Usage: bro status [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description
`-c, --config <CONFIG>`	Path to `bitrouter.yaml` (used to locate the control socket)
`--socket <SOCKET>`	Explicit control socket path. Overrides the config-derived path

Prints running: no when no daemon is reachable — safe to poll in scripts.

`bro requests`

Show recent settled requests and aggregate spend

Usage: bro requests [OPTIONS]

Flag	Description
`--limit <LIMIT>`	Maximum number of recent requests to return [default: 500]
`--since <SINCE>`	Inclusive RFC3339 lower bound. Requires `--until`
`--until <UNTIL>`	Exclusive RFC3339 upper bound. Requires `--since`
`--model <MODEL>`	Keep only requests resolved to this model id
`--provider <PROVIDER>`	Keep only requests served by this provider id
`-c, --config <CONFIG>`	Path to `bitrouter.yaml` (used to locate the local control socket)
`--socket <SOCKET>`	Explicit local control socket path

`bro context`

Manage named remote-control targets. Contexts store a token environment variable name, never the token value

Usage: bro context <COMMAND>

`bro context add`

Add a named remote target

Usage: bro context add --endpoint <ENDPOINT> --token-env <NAME> <NAME>

Argument	Description
`<NAME>`	Context name used by `--context`

Flag	Description
`--endpoint <ENDPOINT>`	HTTPS origin or endpoint ending in `/control/v1`. Plain HTTP is accepted only for loopback/SSH-forwarded endpoints
`--token-env <NAME>`	Environment variable containing this context's bearer token

`bro context list`

List configured remote targets

Usage: bro context list

`bro context show`

Show one remote target without reading its token

Usage: bro context show <NAME>

Argument	Description
`<NAME>`

`bro context remove`

Remove one remote target

Usage: bro context remove <NAME>

Argument	Description
`<NAME>`

Daemon lifecycle