The project graph is an interactive map of your project that opens in your web browser. It shows your project's main areas (modules), their files, and how they connect, coloured by how healthy each area is. In paqad-ai 1.91.1 the graph is a view inside the Paqad dashboard, so the command to use is paqad-ai dashboard.
paqad-ai graph still works, but only as an old shortcut: it starts the dashboard and opens it straight on the Graph view. It has been deprecated since version 1.22.0 and no longer appears in paqad-ai --help.
Open the graph
cd my-project
paqad-ai dashboardYour browser opens the dashboard at an address such as http://127.0.0.1:5372/#/dashboard. Choose Graph in the side menu, or go straight to /#/graph on the same address. The shortcut does the same in one step:
paqad-ai graphIt prints a line saying the graph has moved into the dashboard, then opens /#/graph. Press Ctrl+C in the terminal to stop the server.
The project must be onboarded first. If .paqad/ or .paqad/onboarding-manifest.json is missing, both commands stop with exit code 2 and tell you to run paqad-ai onboard. If Paqad is switched off for the project with paqad-ai disable, the dashboard does not start.
Options
paqad-ai dashboard and the graph shortcut accept the same options, except --read-only, which only dashboard has.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
--port <n> | Port to listen on. Default 5372. If it is taken, the next free port is used. |
--host <host> | Address to listen on. Default 127.0.0.1, which only your own machine can reach. |
--no-open | Print the address without opening a browser, for example over SSH. |
--no-watch | Turn off live reload when files in .paqad/ change. |
--quiet | Print only the address. |
--project-root <path> | Serve a project other than the current folder. |
--static-dir <path> | Serve a different copy of the web interface. Only needed when developing Paqad itself. |
--read-only | Dashboard only. Turns off every action that changes files, for shared screens or CI. |
Older guides list a --threshold option and port 5371 for graph. Both are gone in this release: the similarity threshold is set with a slider in the Graph view, and the server uses the dashboard's port.
What the graph shows
- Modules as the largest points, coloured by the selected overlay. Health is the default; you can also colour by defects, risk or complexity, or turn colouring off.
- Files grouped around their module. Chunks (the pieces of files in the RAG index) and symbols (exported functions, classes and constants) appear as you zoom in.
- Links showing which module contains which file, which files import which (worked out from JavaScript and TypeScript imports), and which pieces are similar in meaning.
- An AI activity overlay that highlights areas AI agents changed, using the verification receipts Paqad recorded.
Click any point to open a detail panel. Use the search bar to find modules, files and symbols: press / to focus it and n or N to move between matches. The Advanced / for engineers panel has switches for each layer and the similarity slider (starting at 0.75). When files in .paqad/ change, the graph reloads about half a second later and briefly shows a note that it was reloaded.
Similarity needs the RAG index
Similarity links and chunk points come from the optional RAG index. Without it, the rest of the graph still works, and the similarity controls are disabled with a message that the vector store is missing. To enable them, run paqad-ai rag init.
Who can reach it
By default the server listens only on 127.0.0.1, so other machines cannot connect. The graph itself only reads data. Other dashboard areas can edit settings, and those changes are accepted only from the same machine and the dashboard's own page. If you change --host to share the view on a network, use paqad-ai dashboard --read-only; the graph shortcut has no read-only option.