---
topic: cli-reference
source_keys:
  - context7-promptfoo-dev
  - context7-promptfoo-github
---

## Invocation

```bash
promptfoo <command> [options]     # global install
npx promptfoo@0.121.17 <command>    # one-off via npx
```

## Commands

### `init`

Scaffold a new project in the current directory.

```bash
promptfoo init
promptfoo init --example openai-mcp
```

Creates `promptfooconfig.yaml` with example prompts, providers, and test cases.

---

### `eval` (most common)

Run an evaluation.

```bash
promptfoo eval
promptfoo eval -c path/to/promptfooconfig.yaml
promptfoo eval --no-cache
promptfoo eval --max-concurrency 2
promptfoo eval --delay 3000
promptfoo eval -o results.json
```

| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| `-c <path>` | Config file path (default: `promptfooconfig.yaml`) |
| `--no-cache` | Disable response cache; forces fresh LLM calls |
| `--max-concurrency <n>` | Max parallel requests (default: provider-dependent) |
| `--delay <ms>` | Fixed delay between requests |
| `-o <path>` | Output path (`.html`, `.json`, `.csv`, `.yaml`) |
| `--format sarif` | Output in SARIF format (for security scanning) |

Exit code is non-zero when any assertion fails, making it suitable for CI gating.

---

### `view`

Open the most recent evaluation results in a local browser UI.

```bash
promptfoo view
```

---

### `share`

Upload results and get a shareable URL.

```bash
promptfoo share
```

---

### `cache clear`

Clear all cached LLM responses.

```bash
promptfoo cache clear
```

---

### `generate dataset`

Use an LLM to auto-generate test cases from a prompt template.

```bash
promptfoo generate dataset
promptfoo generate dataset --config path/to/config.yaml
promptfoo generate dataset --output generated_tests.yaml
promptfoo generate dataset --instructions "Consider edge cases related to international travel"
```

---

### `redteam generate`

Generate adversarial test cases for red-teaming.

```bash
promptfoo redteam generate
promptfoo redteam generate -c promptfooconfig.yaml
```

---

### `scan-model`

Scan model files for security vulnerabilities. Outputs results in SARIF format.

```bash
promptfoo scan-model ./models/ --strict --no-write --format sarif --output scan.sarif
```

---

### `auth`

Manage authentication (for sharing and cloud features).

```bash
promptfoo auth login
promptfoo auth logout
```

---

## Rate-limit management

```bash
promptfoo eval --max-concurrency 1 --delay 3000
```

Or in config:
```yaml
evaluateOptions:
  maxConcurrency: 2
  delay: 3000
```

Environment variable for backoff:
```bash
export PROMPTFOO_REQUEST_BACKOFF_MS=10000
export PROMPTFOO_RETRY_5XX=true
```