nself exec
nself exec — ɳSelf documentation.
Execute a command inside a running service container.
Synopsis
nself exec [flags] <SERVICE> [COMMAND...]Description
nself exec runs a command inside a running service container. It is a thin wrapper around docker compose exec with ɳSelf-aware defaults: if no command is given, it opens a sensible interactive shell for the service (psql for postgres, redis-cli for redis, /bin/sh for everything else).
The command supports piping, you can feed SQL files or other input through stdin using shell pipes. Allocate a pseudo-TTY by default for interactive sessions; pass --no-tty when piping input.
Flags
| Flag | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--user, -u | "" | Run the command as this user inside the container |
--workdir, -w | "" | Working directory inside the container |
--no-tty, -T | false | Disable pseudo-TTY allocation |
--env, -e | [] | Set environment variables (KEY=VALUE, repeatable) |
--help, -h | none | Show help |
Default Commands by Service
| Service | Default Command |
|---|---|
postgres | psql -U postgres |
redis | redis-cli |
| (all others) | /bin/sh |
Examples
# Open an interactive psql session
nself exec postgres
# Open redis-cli
nself exec redis
# Open a shell in the hasura container
nself exec hasura
# Run a specific command
nself exec postgres -- pg_dump mydb
# Run as root in nginx
nself exec -u root nginx /bin/bash
# Pipe a SQL file into psql (disable TTY for piping)
cat schema.sql | nself exec -T postgres psql
# Set environment variables
nself exec -e DEBUG=true functions /bin/sh
# Use a specific working directory
nself exec -w /app functions /bin/sh