CLI Reference

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Global Flags
l8k discover
l8k generate
l8k deploy
l8k validate
l8k preset list
l8k preset update
l8k sosreport
l8k schema
l8k version
Exit Codes
See Also

The Launch Kit binary is invoked as l8k and exposes a set of subcommands. l8k --help and l8k <subcommand> --help print labelled flag groups identical to the sections below.

Global Flags

Available on all subcommands:

Flag	Description
`--output <string>`	Output format: `text` (default, human-readable) or `json` (structured for automation, see Automation and CI/CD).
`-y, --yes`	Auto-confirm all prompts. Implied by `--output json`.
`-q, --quiet`	Suppress informational output.
`--log-level <string>`	Log level: `debug`, `info`, `warn`, `error`.
`--log-file <string>`	Write logs to file instead of stderr.
`-h, --help`	Show help.

l8k discover

Probes cluster hardware and writes a cluster-config.yaml.

Flag	Description
`--kubeconfig <string>`	Path to kubeconfig file (falls back to `$KUBECONFIG`).
`--user-config <string>`	Base config to merge with discovered hardware. If `--save-cluster-config` is omitted, the file is updated in place.
`--save-cluster-config <string>`	Output path for the discovered cluster configuration. Defaults to `--user-config` if set, otherwise `./cluster-config.yaml`.
`--network-operator-namespace <string>`	Override the Network Operator namespace (default: `nvidia-network-operator`).
`--network-operator-release <string>`	Pin discovery to a Network Operator release line. Supported: `25.10`, `26.1`, `26.4`.
`--node-selector <string>`	Filter nodes for discovery by label. Default: `feature.node.kubernetes.io/pci-15b3.present=true` (Mellanox NICs).
`--image-pull-secrets <strings>`	Image pull secret names for NicClusterPolicy (comma-separated).
`--enabled-plugins <string>`	Comma-separated list of plugins to enable (default: `network-operator`).

l8k generate

Renders Kubernetes manifests from a cluster configuration and a profile selection. Optionally deploys them.

Profile Selection

Flag	Description
`--user-config <string>`	Cluster configuration file. Auto-detected from `./cluster-config.yaml` (or the installed default) if omitted.
`--for <preset>`	Generate for a hardware preset without running discovery. Requires `--node-selector`. See Cluster Topology Presets.
`--fabric <string>`	Fabric type: `ethernet` or `infiniband`. Auto-defaults from the cluster’s unanimous `linkType` (Unit 5 fabric probe) when not supplied.
`--deployment-type <string>`	Deployment type: `sriov`, `rdma_shared`, or `host_device`. Auto-defaults to `sriov` when not supplied.
`--multirail`	Enable multirail deployment. Auto-defaults to `true`. Opt out with `--multirail=false` (YAML cannot express explicit-false).
`--spectrum-x <RA-version>`	Enable Spectrum-X. Value is the SPC-X RA version: `RA2.1` or `RA2.2`. Implies ethernet fabric, sriov deployment, and multirail.
`--multiplane-mode <string>`	Multiplane mode: `swplb`, `hwplb`, `uniplane`, or `none`. Required with `--spectrum-x`; auto-defaulted from east-west PF deviceID when omitted (CX7/BF3 → `uniplane`, CX8 → `swplb`, CX9 → `hwplb`). `none` requires `--number-of-planes 1`.
`--number-of-planes <int>`	Number of planes: `1`, `2`, or `4`. Required with `--spectrum-x`; auto-defaulted from deviceID (CX7/BF3 → 1, CX8 → 2, CX9 → 4).
`--network-operator-release <string>`	Pin to a Network Operator release line. Supported: `25.10`, `26.1`, `26.4`. Auto-defaulted under `--spectrum-x` (`RA2.1` → `26.1`; `RA2.2` → `26.4`). See Overview.
`--groups <a,b,...>`	Restrict output to the named source groups (comma-separated, matched case-sensitively against `clusterConfig[].identifier`). Mutually exclusive with `--gpu-type`. Empty match is a validation error. See Heterogeneous Clusters.
`--gpu-type <string>`	Restrict output to source groups whose `gpuType` matches (case-insensitive). Mutually exclusive with `--groups`. See Heterogeneous Clusters.
`--node-selector <string>`	Node selector for the synthesized `clusterConfig` when `--for` is used (e.g., `key=value,key2=value2`). Required with `--for`.

Output and Deployment

Flag	Description
`--save-deployment-files <string>`	Output directory for generated YAML files (default: `./deployment`).
`--deploy`	Apply generated manifests to the cluster.
`--dry-run`	Preview deployment without applying (requires `--deploy`).
`--kubeconfig <string>`	Path to kubeconfig (required with `--deploy`; falls back to `$KUBECONFIG`).

Customization

Flag	Description
`--enable-doca-driver`	Enable DOCA driver deployment.
`--workload-manifest <string>`	Path to a custom workload manifest. Launch Kit patches network annotations, resource requests, and node affinity. See Generate Workflow.
`--image-pull-secrets <strings>`	Image pull secret names for NicClusterPolicy (comma-separated). Propagates to per-group NicNodePolicy sub-specs.
`--network-operator-namespace <string>`	Override the Network Operator namespace.
`--pod-namespace <string>`	Namespace for pods and network resources.
`--enabled-plugins <string>`	Comma-separated list of plugins to enable (default: `network-operator`).

l8k deploy

Applies previously generated manifests to the cluster in dependency order (NicClusterPolicy first, then per-group NicNodePolicy, then networks and workloads).

Flag	Description
`--kubeconfig <string>`	Path to kubeconfig (falls back to `$KUBECONFIG`).
`--deployment-files <string>`	Directory containing the manifests to apply (default: `./deployment`).
`--dry-run`	Preview what would be applied without changing the cluster.

l8k validate

Verifies a deployment matches the selected Network Operator release: compares the deployed Helm chart’s appVersion with the version expected by networkOperator.selectedRelease in cluster-config.yaml, then confirms every YAML manifest under --deployment-files is present in the cluster (skipping example workloads). Exits 4 on any missing manifest or version mismatch. See Validate Workflow for full details.

Flag	Description
`--kubeconfig <string>`	Path to kubeconfig (falls back to `$KUBECONFIG`).
`--user-config <string>`	Cluster config file (default: `./cluster-config.yaml`). Read for `networkOperator.selectedRelease` and operator namespace.
`--deployment-files <string>`	Directory containing the manifests to verify (default: `./deployment`).

l8k preset list

Lists locally available cluster topology presets.

l8k preset list

l8k preset update

Downloads the latest presets from a Git repository.

Flag	Description
`--repo <string>`	Git repository URL.
`--branch <string>`	Branch or tag to fetch from (default: `main`).
`--dir <string>`	Subdirectory within the repo containing presets.

See Cluster Topology Presets for usage.

l8k sosreport

Collects diagnostic data from the cluster.

Flag	Description
`--kubeconfig <string>`	Path to kubeconfig (falls back to `$KUBECONFIG`).
`--output-dir <string>`	Directory to save the sosreport (default: `./sosreport`).

See Troubleshooting for analysis guidance.

l8k schema

Outputs a JSON description of l8k’s capabilities — supported commands, fabrics, deployment types, exit codes, and output formats. Used by AI agents and automation tooling to discover l8k capabilities programmatically. See Automation and CI/CD.

l8k schema

l8k version

Prints the version. Supports --output json for structured output.

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success.
1	General error.
2	Validation error (invalid flags or configuration).
3	Cluster error (API unreachable, discovery failed).
4	Deployment error (apply failed).
5	Partial success (discovery completed but deployment failed).