# Using Saer day to day

Source: https://saer.app/docs/everyday-use
Updated: 2026-10-29

**Short answer.** Once installed and signed in, you can return to any project and run a full scan. You do not need to reinstall Saer or accept the terms every time. Read the evidence, make a small change, then scan again.

## Open the interactive terminal

Open Saer:

```
$ ~/.local/bin/saer
```

The workspace guides you through discover, explore, build and verify. Tab completes commands and the up arrow recalls your previous command. Use `/project` followed by a folder path to switch projects without leaving Saer.

Run `/scan`, then `/overview` for coverage and next steps. Explore `/tokens colour`, `/components button` and `/component Button` for values, usage, variants and contracts. `/recommend` followed by your UI task finds existing candidates. Inspect their props and data requirements before reuse.

Use `/check src/App.tsx` for a file or `/changes` for changed lines, then `/report` for the complete HTML report. Interactive scans keep you in the terminal; `/report` opens the browser when you choose. `/ci main` runs a full comparison against a local base branch. Read [CI checks](https://saer.app/docs/ci) before wiring it into a workflow.

`/status` checks access, `/docs` opens this guide, `/feedback` shares an idea and `/bug` reports a problem. `/help` lists commands and `/exit` returns to your shell. `/scan` never silently falls back to the free preview. `/free` is the explicit offline preview.

Feedback commands open a browser form; you review and send the message yourself. They do not upload reports, code or logs. Run `saer update` to refresh the signed launcher and engine together. Your sign-in and project connections are preserved.

## Act on the next useful change

The full scan, `/overview`, local reference and agent overview share evidence-led next actions. Follow the relevant finding or review the local proposal linked from `/report`. Existing systems get an adoption plan; projects with no established token declarations can get a review-only foundation starter. Proposed choices, observed colours and unknown evidence stay distinct.

Ask your connected agent to adapt only approved choices, then run project tests and Saer's changed-line checks. No export, cloud upload or repeated connection is required. A later scan does not count unadopted suggestions as part of your system, and your edits or review notes are preserved.

## Return to a project

Open Terminal in your project folder. In Finder, you can drag the project folder into Terminal after typing `cd `, then press Return. Run the command below. You can also pass an absolute project path after `scan`.

Run another full scan:

```
$ ~/.local/bin/saer scan --full
```

The report opens in your browser. Each scan refreshes the output in `.saer/`; save a copy outside that folder before scanning if you want to keep an earlier report. `--full` refuses to run without premium access rather than producing a free preview.

## Investigate a finding

1. Start with exact findings. Open the cited source file and check the declared token and the context where it applies.
2. Decide whether the existing token or component is appropriate for that part of the interface. Saer reports evidence; it does not know every design intention.
3. Make a small change yourself or ask your agent to make it. Review the change and run your project’s usual checks.
4. Run the full scan again and compare the relevant finding. Keep experimental suggestions and unknowns separate from confirmed problems.

Read [the report guide](https://saer.app/docs/reading-the-report) for exact findings, inferences, unknowns and human decisions. A zero count is not a claim of complete accessibility or design-system consistency.

## Work with your coding agent

Follow [agent setup](https://saer.app/docs/agents) once per project. Ask the agent to inspect existing components and tokens before implementing, check its changes, and refresh the scan afterwards. You can also give it `.saer/reference.md` directly. Review its suggestions before applying them.

## Choose where reports go

Scan without opening a browser:

```
$ ~/.local/bin/saer scan --full --no-open
```

To save a separate snapshot, pass `--output` followed by an absolute folder path. Relative output paths are resolved against the scanned project. `--json` prints a machine-readable summary. These options do not change your source files.

## Audit a public website

From your project folder, run the command below with a website you are allowed to audit. Replace the example URL with the site you want to inspect. Saer fetches public HTML and CSS; this cannot recover private source components or replace a repository scan.

Audit a public website:

```
$ ~/.local/bin/saer audit-url https://example.com --pages 3
```

The terminal prints the output location. Scans are read-only, but website audits make network requests. See [SaerBot](https://saer.app/bot) for crawler behaviour.

## Update, check access or give feedback

Update Saer and check your sign-in:

```
$ ~/.local/bin/saer update
$ ~/.local/bin/saer whoami
```

Use [your beta page](https://saer.app/beta) to manage access and [send feedback](https://saer.app/feedback) to report bugs, ask questions or suggest improvements. Include what you tried, what you expected and what happened. Do not paste credentials or private source code.