Command-line reference¶

compare-my-stocks has two CLI surfaces:

python -m compare_my_stocks — the main application (Qt GUI by default; can run headless).
python -m compare_my_stocks.gui.config_gui — the standalone config editor.

The installed Windows executable (compare-my-stocks.exe) accepts the same flags as python -m compare_my_stocks.

`python -m compare_my_stocks`¶

python -m compare_my_stocks [OPTIONS]

All flags are optional. With no flags the app launches the Qt main window using ~/.compare_my_stocks/data/myconfig.yaml.

Console / logging¶

Flag	Effect
`--console`	Keep the terminal attached so startup logs are visible. Useful while configuring.
`--noconsole`	Hide the console window even when launched from a terminal.
`--debug`	Set log level to DEBUG (verbose).
`--trace`	Enable TRACE-level logs (more verbose than `--debug`).

--console is purely about the OS-level console window on Windows. Both --debug and --trace change what is logged regardless of where it goes; combine with --console to see it live.

Log files always land in ~/.compare_my_stocks/log.txt (and error.log).

Mode¶

Flag	Effect
`--nogui`	Run headless: no Qt window, no WebAgg server. Generates the default graph from `DefaultParams` and exits. Used by smoke tests.
`--noprompt`	Disable interactive prompts. Specifically: `TransactionHandlers.IB.PromptOnQueryFail` and `Sources.IBSource.PromptOnConnectionFail` are forced to `False`, and the first-run IB baseline prompt is skipped.

--noprompt is the right flag for CI / scripted runs even with the GUI — it ensures the app never blocks on a modal dialog.

Tutorial¶

Flag	Effect
`--tutorial`	Run the guided UI tour on startup.
`--tutorial-auto`	Auto-advance tutorial steps without requiring clicks. Implies `--tutorial`.

Config file¶

Flag	Effect
`--config-file PATH`	Absolute path to a `myconfig.yaml` to use instead of the default. Overrides the `COMPARE_STOCK_CONFIG_FILE` environment variable.

To change the whole data directory (caches, statements, groups, …), set COMPARE_STOCK_PATH instead — --config-file only redirects the YAML.

IB baseline¶

Flag	Effect
`--generate-ib-statement`	On startup, fetch open positions from IB and (over)write `IBStatement.SrcFile` as a baseline statement. Bypasses the one-time first-run prompt and the file-existence check. Requires a live IB connection.

Use this if you want to script the "seed open positions from IB" step that the app normally offers as a one-time prompt on first run.

Deprecated / no-op¶

Flag	Status
`--ibconsole`	No-op. Was the IB sidecar console flag; this branch runs IB in-process. Kept so old scripts/shortcuts don't error.

Environment variables¶

These are read by the app on import, before any flag parsing.

Variable	Effect
`COMPARE_STOCK_PATH`	Overrides the default data dir (`~/.compare_my_stocks`). Caches, `myconfig.yaml`, `groups.json`, `graphs.json`, logs all live under it.
`COMPARE_STOCK_CONFIG_FILE`	Absolute path to a `myconfig.yaml`. `--config-file` takes precedence.
`QT_SCALE_FACTOR`	Standard Qt knob. The app sets this automatically based on screen size unless `Running.TryToScaleDisplay` is `false` in config — set it yourself only to override the auto-detected value.

Common invocations¶

# Normal launch
python -m compare_my_stocks

# Debug a startup issue
python -m compare_my_stocks --console --debug

# Headless smoke test (CI-friendly)
python -m compare_my_stocks --nogui --noprompt

# Use an alternate config without touching ~/.compare_my_stocks
python -m compare_my_stocks --config-file C:\work\altconfig.yaml

# Point the whole data dir somewhere else (tests, parallel installs)
$env:COMPARE_STOCK_PATH = "$HOME\.compare_my_stocks_test"
python -m compare_my_stocks

# Seed an IB Activity Statement from currently-open positions
python -m compare_my_stocks --generate-ib-statement

# Run the guided tour on first launch
python -m compare_my_stocks --tutorial

# Auto-advance tour (for screencasts / demos)
python -m compare_my_stocks --tutorial-auto

`python -m compare_my_stocks.gui.config_gui`¶

Standalone config editor — same tabs that are reachable via the main window's Config/Help… button, but launched as its own process. Includes a Tutorial / Actions tab where the tutorial and the "Generate IB Statement now" button live (those two require the running main app, so they are disabled in standalone mode).

python -m compare_my_stocks.gui.config_gui [--config PATH]

Flag	Effect
`--config PATH`	Path to the `myconfig.yaml` to edit. Default: `~/.compare_my_stocks/myconfig.yaml`. The file must already exist (the editor will not create it).

Exit code 2 if the config file is missing.

Single-instance behaviour¶

The main app holds a Windows mutex (Global\CompareMyStocks_SingleInstance) — launching a second copy shows a "Already Running" dialog and exits with code 1. The config GUI is not mutex-guarded; you can run it alongside the main app.