--classic

Use the legacy single-line reedline REPL instead of the interactive shell. Non-interactive subcommands are unaffected.

Syntax

--classic

Description

## Overview `--classic` selects the legacy reedline REPL as the interactive surface. The default interactive surface is the interactive shell, which renders a persistent input area, a scrollback pane, and a status line. The classic REPL is a single-line prompt with readline-style editing and minimal chrome. This flag exists for environments where the interactive shell is unsuitable (terminals without ANSI support, pipelines into other TUIs, or user preference for the older experience). ## Behavior - Active only when DeltaForge launches an interactive REPL. Non-interactive subcommands (`query`, `run`, `auth`, `health`, `demo-test`) ignore `--classic` because they never enter a REPL loop. - The dangerous-SQL confirmation path is implemented only in the classic REPL. Entering `DROP TABLE`, unqualified `DELETE` or `UPDATE`, or `TRUNCATE` at the classic prompt triggers a yes/no confirmation unless `--force` is set. - Session persistence (the JSONL scrollback under `~/.deltaforge/sessions/`) is a feature of the interactive shell. Classic mode does not write session files, so `--resume` has nothing to load under `--classic` and is ignored. - Slash commands (`/nodes`, `/use-node`, `/auto`, `/help`) are available in both surfaces. The set is identical; only the rendering differs. ## Compatibility - `--classic` plus `--resume` is a valid combination at parse time, but `--resume` is silently ignored because classic mode does not persist scrollback. - `--classic` plus `--force` is the canonical automation pair: legacy REPL for scripted input, confirmation bypass for destructive SQL.

Examples

# Launch the legacy reedline REPL
delta-forge-cli --classic

# Classic REPL with a named profile
delta-forge-cli --classic --profile production

# Classic REPL with confirmation bypass for a scripted destructive session
delta-forge-cli --classic --force

# Running a one-shot query is unaffected by --classic
delta-forge-cli --classic query 'SELECT 1'

Pitfalls

• `--resume` is ignored when `--classic` is set. Classic mode does not persist scrollback, so there is no JSONL file to rehydrate.
• The classic REPL is the only surface that prompts before dangerous SQL. Switching from the default interactive shell to classic adds a confirmation step that did not exist before; combine with `--force` in automation.

See Also

• CLI_REPL