---
title: "vakna: unknown command, unknown flag or missing argument"
description: "Run vakna <command> --help and fix the command line it points to."
code: "usage"
generated: scripts/generate.ts
verified:
  cli: "0.0.0-mock"
  date: "2026-10-20"
---

Run `vakna <command> --help` and fix the command line it points to.

## What does a usage error mean?

The command line didn't parse: an unknown command or flag, a missing argument, or a value out of range. Nothing ran. The exit code is 2.

## What it looks like

```sh
$ vakna forkk api
```

```prints
vakna: unknown command "forkk"
hint: vakna fork --help  # did you mean fork?
```

Exit code 2.

```sh
$ vakna fork api --countt 5 -- go test ./...
```

```prints
vakna: unknown flag --countt
hint: vakna fork --help  # did you mean --count?
```

Exit code 2.

```sh
$ vakna fork api --count lots -- go test ./...
```

```prints
vakna: --count lots is not a whole number of boxes
hint: vakna fork --help
```

Exit code 2.

```sh
$ vakna run api-2
```

```prints
vakna: the mock can't open an interactive shell; give a command after --
hint: vakna run --help
```

Exit code 2.

```sh
$ vakna list --format yaml
```

```prints
vakna: unknown --format yaml
hint: vakna --help  # text or json
```

Exit code 2.

```sh
$ vakna create Api_1
```

```prints
vakna: "Api_1" is not a box name: 1 to 63 lowercase letters, digits and hyphens, starting with a letter and not ending with a hyphen
hint: vakna create --help
```

Exit code 2.

## As JSON

With `--format json` the error is one JSON line. Branch on its `code`, not on the message or the exit code.

```prints
{"v":1,"event":"error","code":"usage","message":"unknown command \"forkk\"","hint":"vakna fork --help  # did you mean fork?","docs":"https://vakna.com/docs/errors/usage","mocked":true}
```

## Commands that print it

[`vakna create`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/create), [`vakna list`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/list), [`vakna shell`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/shell), [`vakna run`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/run), [`vakna delete`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/delete), [`vakna health`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/health), [`vakna try`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/try), [`vakna fork`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/fork), [`vakna snapshot`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/snapshot), [`vakna suspend`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/suspend), [`vakna resume`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/resume), [`vakna attach`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/attach), [`vakna net allow`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/net-allow), [`vakna receipt`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/receipt), [`vakna status`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/status), [`vakna claim`](https://vakna.com/docs/commands/claim).