cli / commands / runhillclimb

hillclimb run

Start a run on a problem or a run-spec YAML.

Start a run on a problem or a run-spec YAML.

The search runs as a detached engine and the terminal comes straight back: hillclimb watch follows it, hillclimb stop --all ends it. --no-detach keeps it in this terminal instead (Ctrl-C stops it).

hillclimb run [OPTIONS] TARGET

Arguments

argumentwhat it is
TARGET— required

Options

optionwhat it does
--budget TEXTWall-clock budget, e.g. 2h / 30m.
--agent, --backend TEXTThe coding agent that runs the operators: claude-code | codex | pi | dummy (--backend is the old spelling).
--model TEXTModel the agent runs, e.g. sonnet / opus.
--climber TEXTThe climber (default: greedy): a bundled name, a directory holding climber.yaml, or one .py file; params via config climber.params. Repeat it (--climber greedy --climber gepa) for a mixed fleet: one search per climber on the problem, under one run, each tagged as an arm.
--holdout / --no-holdoutHidden selection holdout. Default: on.
--learning / --no-learningCross-search memory (cards/claims injection + distillation); off = memory-blind arm. Default: on.
--name TEXTRun name shown in the TUI.
--parallel-agents, --parallel-operators INTEGERConcurrent agents per search, one candidate each (--parallel-operators is the old spelling).
--parallel-searches INTEGER RANGEIndependent searches on the problem at once, each its own detached engine. Default: 1.
--detach / --no-detachRun as a detached engine (the default; hillclimb watch follows it) or in this terminal (Ctrl-C stops it). Default: on.
--n-replicates, --n-trials INTEGERSeeded runs per trial (the median is the trial's score; --n-trials is the old spelling).
--seed-from PATHIncumbent solution.py scored as the floor candidate.
--set TEXTAny config setting, dotted: --set climber.ref=openevolve --set learning.enabled=false.
--arm-set TEXTA setting for one arm of a mixed fleet, ARM:KEY=VALUE: --arm-set gepa:concurrency.parallel_agents=1 (applied after --set).
--experiment TEXTTag the search as one arm of an experiment (with --arm); names a mixed fleet's experiment.
--arm TEXTThe arm name (with --experiment).