CLI Reference

Mahlif provides a command-line interface for format conversion and plugin management.

mahlif <command> [options]

Commands

Command	Description
convert	Convert between formats
stats	Show score statistics
encoding	Convert file encoding
sibelius	Sibelius plugin management

---

convert

Convert a Mahlif XML file to another format.

mahlif convert <input> <output> [options]

Arguments

Argument	Description
input	Source file (.mahlif.xml)
output	Destination file (.ly, .plg)

Options

Option	Description
--dry-run	Show what would be done without writing files

Supported Conversions

From	To	Extension
Mahlif XML	LilyPond	.ly
Mahlif XML	Sibelius Plugin	.plg

Examples

# Convert to LilyPond
mahlif convert score.mahlif.xml score.ly

# Convert to Sibelius import plugin
mahlif convert score.mahlif.xml import_score.plg

# Preview conversion
mahlif convert score.mahlif.xml score.ly --dry-run

See also: LilyPond, Sibelius

---

encoding

Convert a file between text encodings.

mahlif encoding <target> <file> [options]

Arguments

Argument	Description
target	Target encoding (utf8, utf16, utf16le, utf16be, latin1, ascii)
file	Input file

Options

Option	Description
-o, --output	Output file (default: overwrite input)
-s, --source	Source encoding (default: auto-detect)

Examples

# Convert UTF-16 file to UTF-8
mahlif encoding utf8 score.mahlif.xml

# Convert with explicit output file
mahlif encoding utf8 score.mahlif.xml -o score_utf8.mahlif.xml

# Convert with explicit source encoding
mahlif encoding utf8 score.mahlif.xml -s utf16le

---

stats

Display statistics about a Mahlif XML score.

mahlif stats <file> [options]

Arguments

Argument	Description
file	Mahlif XML file to analyze

Options

Option	Description
--json	Output as JSON
--verbose, -v	Show per-staff breakdown

Example Output

Score: Symphony No. 5
Composer: Beethoven

Staves: 12
Bars: 502
Notes: 15,234
Chords: 2,891
Rests: 4,102
Dynamics: 347
Slurs: 892
Hairpins: 156
Text: 89

JSON Output

mahlif stats score.mahlif.xml --json

{
  "title": "Symphony No. 5",
  "composer": "Beethoven",
  "staves": 12,
  "bars": 502,
  "notes": 15234,
  ...
}

---

sibelius

Sibelius plugin management commands.

mahlif sibelius <subcommand> [options]

Subcommands

Subcommand	Description
install	Install plugins to Sibelius
build	Build plugins from source
check	Lint ManuScript files
format	Format ManuScript files
list	List available plugins
show-plugin-dir	Show plugin directory

See Sibelius for detailed documentation.

---

sibelius install

Install plugins to Sibelius plugin directory. By default, installs only the MahlifExport plugin.

mahlif sibelius install [plugins...] [options]

Arguments

Argument	Description
plugins	Plugin names to install (default: MahlifExport)

Options

Option	Description
--dry-run	Show what would be done without installing

Examples

# Install MahlifExport plugin (default)
mahlif sibelius install

# Install a specific plugin
mahlif sibelius install Cyrus

# Install multiple plugins
mahlif sibelius install MahlifExport Cyrus

# Preview installation
mahlif sibelius install --dry-run

---

sibelius build

Build ManuScript plugins from source.

mahlif sibelius build [plugins...] [options]

Arguments

Argument	Description
plugins	Plugin names or paths (optional, defaults to all)

Options

Option	Description
--install	Install directly to Sibelius plugin directory
--hardlink	Create hardlinks in Sibelius directory (for development)
--dry-run	Show what would be done without writing files
--quiet, -q	Suppress output

Examples

# Build all plugins to dist/
mahlif sibelius build

# Build and install
mahlif sibelius build --install

# Build specific plugin with hardlinks
mahlif sibelius build MahlifExport --hardlink

# Preview build
mahlif sibelius build --dry-run

---

sibelius check

Lint ManuScript plugin files for errors and style issues.

mahlif sibelius check [files...] [options]

Arguments

Argument	Description
files	Files to check (optional, defaults to all source plugins)

Options

Option	Description
--fix	Automatically fix trailing whitespace (MS-W002)
--dry-run	Show what would be fixed without modifying files
--quiet, -q	Only show errors, not warnings

Examples

# Check all plugins
mahlif sibelius check

# Check specific file
mahlif sibelius check path/to/plugin.plg

# Fix trailing whitespace
mahlif sibelius check --fix

# Preview fixes
mahlif sibelius check --fix --dry-run

See Sibelius § ManuScript Linter for error codes.

---

sibelius format

Auto-format ManuScript plugin files.

mahlif sibelius format [files...] [options]

Arguments

Argument	Description
files	Files to format (optional, defaults to all source plugins)

Options

Option	Description
--check	Check if files are formatted (don't modify)
--diff	Show diff of what would change

Examples

# Format all plugins
mahlif sibelius format

# Check formatting without modifying
mahlif sibelius format --check

# Show what would change
mahlif sibelius format --diff

See Sibelius § ManuScript Formatter for formatting rules.

---

sibelius list

List available plugins in the package.

mahlif sibelius list

Example Output

Available plugins:
  MahlifExport
  MahlifImport

---

sibelius show-plugin-dir

Show the Sibelius plugin directory for your platform.

mahlif sibelius show-plugin-dir

Example Output

/Users/username/Library/Application Support/Avid/Sibelius/Plugins

Returns exit code 1 if Sibelius plugin directory cannot be detected.