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

# complior daemon

> Background daemon management — start, stop, and status.

```bash theme={null}
complior daemon <subcommand> [flags]
```

The daemon is a background process that runs the TypeScript engine, file watcher, MCP server, and HTTP API. The TUI and CLI communicate with the daemon via HTTP.

## Subcommands

### `daemon start`

Start the background daemon.

```bash theme={null}
complior daemon start [--watch] [--port <N>]
```

| Flag         | Description                         | Default |
| ------------ | ----------------------------------- | ------- |
| `--watch`    | Enable file watcher for auto-rescan | on      |
| `--port <N>` | HTTP API port                       | 3578    |

<Tip>
  `complior daemon` without subcommand is equivalent to `complior daemon start --watch`.
</Tip>

The daemon writes a PID file to `.complior/daemon.pid`:

```json theme={null}
{
  "pid": 12345,
  "port": 3578,
  "started_at": "2026-03-28T14:00:00Z"
}
```

### `daemon status`

Show running daemon status.

```bash theme={null}
complior daemon status
```

```
Daemon: running (PID 12345, port 3578)
Uptime: 2h 15m
Last scan: 2026-03-28T14:30:00Z
Agents: 3
Score: 72/100
```

### `daemon stop`

Stop the running daemon.

```bash theme={null}
complior daemon stop
```

Sends SIGTERM, waits 5 seconds, then SIGKILL if needed.

## Auto-launch

When you run `complior` (TUI), it automatically:

1. Checks for a running daemon via `.complior/daemon.pid`
2. If found → connects to it (won't kill on TUI exit)
3. If not found → starts a new daemon (auto-managed)

This means you rarely need to manage the daemon manually.

## File watcher

With `--watch` enabled, the daemon monitors your project for file changes:

* **Debounce:** 200ms after last change
* **Trigger:** Auto-rescan → score update → SSE notification
* **Scope:** Files matching scan patterns (not `node_modules`, `.git`, etc.)

The file watcher is the core of the **compliance gate** — every code change triggers an immediate compliance check.