> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.docwriter.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Command line

> Launch DocWriter and control the local server.

```text theme={null}
docwriter [options] [directory]
```

| Option             | Meaning                                                     |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| `-p, --port <n>`   | HTTP port. The default is 7723 or the next free port.       |
| `--host [address]` | Bind address. A bare flag uses 0.0.0.0.                     |
| `--no-open`        | Do not open a browser.                                      |
| `-w, --watch`      | Reload supported files after an external change.            |
| `--restart`        | Start a replacement server after a crash.                   |
| `--root <dir>`     | Workspace root. The positional directory does the same job. |
| `--new-session`    | Clear the saved provider session at startup.                |
| `--api-key <key>`  | Set the Anthropic key for the current process.              |
| `--model <name>`   | Set the legacy Claude default model alias.                  |
| `--version`        | Print the installed version.                                |

## Common examples

```sh theme={null}
docwriter ~/writing/book
docwriter --watch ~/writing/paper
docwriter --no-open --port 9000 ~/writing/notes
docwriter --host 0.0.0.0 ~/writing/shared
```

The provider and model header controls are the normal way to select among Claude, OpenAI, Codex, Cursor, and Pi. The `--api-key` and `--model` flags remain Claude specific.

## Environment

Useful environment values include `DOCWRITER_ROOT`, `DOCWRITER_DEFAULT_MODEL`, `DOCWRITER_NEW_SESSION`, `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`, and provider keys described in [Connect a provider](/connect-provider).