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CLI Commands ​

Novadesk ships several executables, each with its own command-line interface. This page covers every supported argument so you can automate, script, or integrate Novadesk into your own workflows.

Table of Contents ​

Quick overview ​

Tool Purpose
Novadesk.exe The desktop widget runtime
nwm Widget development tool (init / run / build)
ndpkg_installer.exe Package installer for .ndpkg widget bundles
manage_novadesk.exe The management UI

Novadesk.exe ​

Novadesk.exe is the main desktop runtime. It enforces single-instance execution via a Windows mutex, which shapes how CLI arguments behave:

  • No running instance → a new instance starts. Any --enable-* / --disable-* settings and script paths are applied at startup.
  • Instance already running → supported commands are forwarded to the existing instance via Windows messaging.

Non-flag arguments (paths that don't start with -) are always treated as widget script paths to load.

First time? Start here.

If you just installed Novadesk and want to load a widget, the simplest command is:

bash
Novadesk.exe "C:\path\to\my-widget\index.js"

This works whether Novadesk is already running or just starting up.

--exit #
Novadesk.exe CLI

USAGE

Novadesk.exe --exit

Gracefully shuts down the running Novadesk instance. All three flag styles are equivalent:

bash
Novadesk.exe /exit
Novadesk.exe -exit
Novadesk.exe --exit

The command is forwarded to the existing instance and triggers a clean shutdown.

--list-scripts #
Novadesk.exe CLI

USAGE

Novadesk.exe --list-scripts

Outputs all currently loaded widget script paths from the running instance.

bash
# Print to stdout
Novadesk.exe --list-scripts

# Save to a file
Novadesk.exe --list-scripts-file "C:\temp\novadesk-scripts.txt"

Useful in automation scripts when you need to capture which widgets are running.

FLAGS

--list-scripts
Print loaded script paths to stdout
--list-scripts-file <path>
Write loaded script paths to a file instead
--refresh #
Novadesk.exe CLI

USAGE

Novadesk.exe --refresh <path>

Reloads one or all widget scripts in the running instance without restarting everything.

bash
# Refresh a single widget
Novadesk.exe --refresh "C:\path\to\widget\index.js"

# Refresh everything
Novadesk.exe --refresh-all

FLAGS

--refresh <path>
Reload a specific widget script
--refresh-all
Reload all loaded widget scripts
--unload #
Novadesk.exe CLI

USAGE

Novadesk.exe --unload <path>

Removes a specific widget from the running instance. The widget stops immediately and is not reloaded on the next startup.

bash
Novadesk.exe --unload "C:\path\to\widget\index.js"

FLAGS

--unload <path>
Remove a specific widget script from the running instance
--load #
Novadesk.exe CLI

USAGE

Novadesk.exe --load <path>

Adds one or more widget scripts to the running instance. You can repeat --load for multiple widgets, or pass paths directly as positional arguments:

bash
# Using the flag (repeatable)
Novadesk.exe --load "C:\path\to\widgetA\index.js"
Novadesk.exe --load "C:\path\to\widgetA\index.js" --load "C:\path\to\widgetB\index.js"

# Positional shorthand — no flag needed
Novadesk.exe "C:\path\to\widgetA\index.js" "C:\path\to\widgetB\index.js"

FLAGS

--load <path>
Load a widget script into the running instance. Can be repeated.
<path>
Positional shorthand — paths without a leading flag are treated as --load
--enable-hardware-acceleration #
Novadesk.exe CLI

USAGE

Novadesk.exe --enable-hardware-acceleration

Saves the hardware acceleration setting to settings.json.

bash
Novadesk.exe --enable-hardware-acceleration
Novadesk.exe --disable-hardware-acceleration

Requires restart

The change is saved immediately, but only fully takes effect after restarting Novadesk. The Manage UI will prompt you when you toggle this through the settings panel.

FLAGS

--enable-hardware-acceleration
Turn hardware acceleration on
--disable-hardware-acceleration
Turn hardware acceleration off
--enable-debugging #
Novadesk.exe CLI

USAGE

Novadesk.exe --enable-debugging

Enables or disables the DevTools inspector. Takes effect immediately on the running instance.

bash
Novadesk.exe --enable-debugging
Novadesk.exe --disable-debugging

FLAGS

--enable-debugging
Enable the DevTools inspector
--disable-debugging
Disable the DevTools inspector
--enable-logging #
Novadesk.exe CLI

USAGE

Novadesk.exe --enable-logging

Toggles log output. Takes effect immediately on the running instance.

bash
Novadesk.exe --enable-logging
Novadesk.exe --disable-logging

FLAGS

--enable-logging
Turn console and log output on
--disable-logging
Turn console and log output off
--enable-save-log-to-file #
Novadesk.exe CLI

USAGE

Novadesk.exe --enable-save-log-to-file

Enables or disables saving log output to a file. Takes effect immediately on the running instance.

bash
Novadesk.exe --enable-save-log-to-file
Novadesk.exe --disable-save-log-to-file

FLAGS

--enable-save-log-to-file
Write logs to %AppData%\Novadesk\logs.log
--disable-save-log-to-file
Stop writing logs to file
--new-instance #
Novadesk.exe CLI

USAGE

Novadesk.exe --new-instance

Forces a completely new Novadesk process, bypassing the single-instance check. Useful for testing widgets in isolation.

bash
Novadesk.exe --new-instance
Novadesk.exe --new-instance "C:\path\to\widget\index.js"

nwm — Novadesk Widget Maker ​

nwm is the command-line development tool for creating, running, and packaging widgets.

Typical workflow

bash
nwm init my-widget   # scaffold a new project
cd my-widget
nwm run              # launch it in Novadesk for live development
nwm build            # package it for distribution when done
init #
nwm CLI

USAGE

nwm init <widget-name>

Scaffolds a new widget project from the default template in the current directory.

bash
nwm init my-widget

Creates a my-widget/ folder with an index.js entry point and a meta.json pre-filled with the widget name.

FLAGS

<widget-name> <name>
Name of the widget folder and project to create
run #
nwm CLI

USAGE

nwm run

Loads the widget in the current directory into a running (or freshly started) Novadesk instance. Run this from inside your widget folder.

bash
nwm run
build #
nwm CLI

USAGE

nwm build

Packages the widget in the current directory into a distributable .ndpkg file placed in a dist/ folder.

bash
nwm build

The output is a self-contained installer bundle that users can open directly with ndpkg_installer.exe. Build behavior — version stamping, excluded files, and bundled addons — is controlled by the widget's meta.json.

--version #
nwm CLI

USAGE

nwm --version

Prints the installed nwm version.

bash
nwm -v
nwm --version

FLAGS

-v
Short alias for --version
--version
Print the installed nwm version
--help #
nwm CLI

USAGE

nwm --help

Prints the usage summary with all available commands.

bash
nwm -h
nwm --help

FLAGS

-h
Short alias for --help
--help
Print the usage summary

ndpkg_installer.exe ​

A standalone GUI installer for .ndpkg widget packages. Can be opened by double-clicking a .ndpkg file or invoked from the command line.

<package-path> #
ndpkg_installer.exe CLI

USAGE

ndpkg_installer.exe <path-to-package.ndpkg>

Installs a widget package. Passing the path skips the file picker:

bash
ndpkg_installer.exe "C:\path\to\widget.ndpkg"

If no path is provided, a file picker opens for the user to select a .ndpkg manually.

The installer automatically detects whether Novadesk is in portable mode (a settings.json next to the executable) or installed mode (writing to Documents\Novadesk\) and installs to the correct location.

FLAGS

<path> <*.ndpkg> OPTIONAL
Path to the .ndpkg file to install. Opens a file picker if omitted.

manage_novadesk.exe ​

The Novadesk management UI — the tray application that lists loaded widgets, manages settings, and monitors logs. Normally opened without arguments.

--request-close #
manage_novadesk.exe CLI

USAGE

manage_novadesk.exe --request-close

Sends a close message to an already-running Manage window and exits.

bash
manage_novadesk.exe --request-close

Used internally by ndpkg_installer.exe during package installation to safely close the Manage UI before copying files. You can also use it in scripts that need to dismiss the Manage window programmatically.