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CFDL

Install the CLI

The cfdl binary compiles, validates, and runs models: cfdl compile · validate · parse · run · pack list.

  • compile and validate take the model's folder or its model.cfdl.
  • run takes --config <run.json>, --as-of <date>, --rate <r> and --pack <name> for a pack's domain metrics.
  • pack list --path <dir> lists the packs in a directory; --path is required.
  • The global --json flag prints diagnostics as JSON. It changes diagnostics only: the IR and results are always JSON files at --out.

Homebrew

brew install cfdl-dev/tap/cfdl

Prebuilt binaries

Download the binary for your platform from the releases page, place it on your PATH, and (macOS/Linux) make it executable. Each release carries a SHA256SUMS.txt to check the download against.

  • macOS Apple Silicon: cfdl-darwin-arm64
  • macOS Intel: cfdl-darwin-x64
  • Linux x64: cfdl-linux-x64
  • Windows x64: cfdl-windows-x64.exe
chmod +x ~/bin/cfdl

Getting the packs

The four domain packs — energy, cre, credit and opco — are built into the binary, so use pack resolves with no flag and no download:

cfdl compile my-model --out my-model/ir.json

A packs/ directory in the working directory is used automatically and takes precedence over the built-in packs. --packs <dir> names another directory. With neither, the built-in packs are used. A --packs path that does not exist, or a directory with no pack in it, is refused with E4004_MISSING_PACK naming the path, so a mistyped path never runs the built-in pack in place of your own.

The packs also ship as a cfdl-packs-<version>.tar.gz release asset if you want to read or fork one.

Verify

Put a first model in my-model/model.cfdl:

version 0.1
model "first-model"
time calendar monthly from 2026-01 for 12

entity asset borrower : Asset.Financial

stream lease.rent on entity asset.borrower inflow currency USD {
  schedule every month from 2026-01 to 2026-12
  amount = 1000
}
Open in playground

Then:

cfdl --version
cfdl validate my-model
cfdl compile my-model --out my-model/ir.json
cfdl run my-model/ir.json --out my-model/results.json --rate 0.08

validate prints nothing when the model is sound; run writes the results document, with model.total of 12,000 and an NPV at 8%.

Next: Getting started · CLI usage in the Language guide