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Use global flags to control CLI behavior consistently across commands, especially for telemetry and machine-readable output. Extension.js telemetry is intentionally anonymous and privacy-safe. It sends at most two event types (command_executed and command_failed) with three properties each (command, success, version).

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Global flag capabilities

CapabilityWhat it gives you
Telemetry controlDisable telemetry per-run, per-environment, or persistently
AI/help formattingReturn help output in readable or structured formats
Cross-command consistencyApply the same control flags to create, dev, start, preview, and build

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Global options

FlagDescriptionDefault
--no-telemetryDisable anonymous telemetry for a single command execution.telemetry enabled
--no-browserSkip browser launch. Applies to dev, start, and preview. Sets EXTENSION_CLI_NO_BROWSER=1.browser enabled
--ai-helpShow AI-assistant oriented help output.disabled
--format <pretty|json>Output format used with --ai-help.pretty

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Optional boolean flags

Flags documented as [boolean] (for example, --polyfill, --zip, --zip-source, --silent, --wait, --install) accept an explicit value, so you can enable or disable them without a separate --no-* flag:
  • A bare flag enables it: extension dev --polyfill
  • false, 0, no, and off disable it: extension dev --polyfill false
  • true, 1, and yes enable it: extension build --zip true
This is useful for overriding a default set in extension.config.* from the command line, or for passing a computed value in a script (extension build --zip "$SHOULD_ZIP").

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Telemetry opt-out options

You can disable telemetry in three ways (listed in precedence order): 
# 1. Environment variable (wins over everything else)
EXTENSION_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 extension dev
EXTENSION_TELEMETRY=0 extension dev            # back-compat

# 2. Per-run flag
extension build --browser=chrome,firefox --no-telemetry

# 3. Persistent consent command
extension telemetry disable
Set EXTENSION_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 in continuous integration (CI) when policy requires no telemetry across all runs.

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Practical examples

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Disable telemetry for a CI build

EXTENSION_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 extension build --browser=chrome,firefox
Use this when policy requires explicitly disabling telemetry for automation runs.

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Generate machine-readable help for tooling

extension dev --ai-help --format=json
Use this for AI tooling, wrappers, or scripts that parse command help output.

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Keep readable help output for local debugging

extension dev --ai-help --format=pretty
Use pretty mode when you want assistant-friendly output that still reads well in terminal sessions.

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Behavior notes

  • The CLI parses global flags before command-specific options.
  • See repository TELEMETRY.md and Telemetry and privacy for telemetry behavior and privacy details.
  • Use extension telemetry status to check the current consent state.
  • Command pages document command-specific flags separately.
  • You can combine global flags with command-specific options.
  • Automated tools (AI assistants and CI scripts) should read command readiness from dist/extension-js/<browser>/ready.json, not from terminal log parsing.

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Next steps