fmt

fix
Merge remote-tracking branch 'upstream/main' into upgrade-cli
2024-03-11 16:14:36 +01:00 · 2024-03-11 16:07:15 +01:00 · 2024-03-11 15:40:57 +01:00 · 2024-03-11 13:27:21 +00:00 · 2024-02-23 14:57:28 +01:00 · 2024-02-23 14:51:10 +01:00
178 changed files with 12856 additions and 5765 deletions
--- a/.dockerignore
+++ b/.dockerignore
@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+*.swo
+*.swp
+.dockerignore
+Dockerfile
+abra
+dist
+kadabra
+tags
--- a/.drone.yml
+++ b/.drone.yml
@ -3,45 +3,20 @@ kind: pipeline
 name: coopcloud.tech/abra
 steps:
  - name: make check
-    image: golang:1.17
+    image: golang:1.21
    commands:
      - make check

-  - name: make static
-    image: golang:1.17
-    ignore: true # until we decide we all want this check
-    environment:
-      STATIC_CHECK_URL: honnef.co/go/tools/cmd/staticcheck
-      STATIC_CHECK_VERSION: v0.2.0
-    commands:
-      - go install $STATIC_CHECK_URL@$STATIC_CHECK_VERSION
-      - make static
-
-  - name: make build
-    image: golang:1.17
-    commands:
-      - make build
-
  - name: make test
-    image: golang:1.17
+    image: golang:1.21
+    environment:
+      ABRA_DIR: "/root/.abra"
    commands:
+      - make build-abra
+      - ./abra help # show version, initialise $ABRA_DIR
      - make test
-
-  - name: notify on failure
-    image: plugins/matrix
-    settings:
-      homeserver: https://matrix.autonomic.zone
-      roomid: "IFazIpLtxiScqbHqoa:autonomic.zone"
-      userid: "@autono-bot:autonomic.zone"
-      accesstoken:
-        from_secret: autono_bot_access_token
    depends_on:
      - make check
-      - make build
-      - make test
-    when:
-      status:
-        - failure

  - name: fetch
    image: docker:git
@ -49,13 +24,12 @@ steps:
      - git fetch --tags
    depends_on:
      - make check
-      - make build
      - make test
    when:
      event: tag

  - name: release
-    image: golang:1.17
+    image: goreleaser/goreleaser:v1.18.2
    environment:
      GITEA_TOKEN:
        from_secret: goreleaser_gitea_token
@ -63,12 +37,29 @@ steps:
      - name: deps
        path: /go
    commands:
-      - curl -sL https://git.io/goreleaser | bash
+      - goreleaser release
    depends_on:
      - fetch
    when:
      event: tag

+  - name: publish image
+    image: plugins/docker
+    settings:
+      auto_tag: true
+      username: 3wordchant
+      password:
+        from_secret: git_coopcloud_tech_token_3wc
+      repo: git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/abra
+      tags: dev
+      registry: git.coopcloud.tech
+    when:
+      event:
+        exclude:
+          - pull_request
+    depends_on:
+      - make check
+
 volumes:
  - name: deps
    temp: {}
--- a/.e2e.env.sample
+++ b/.e2e.env.sample
@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-GANDI_TOKEN=...
-HCLOUD_TOKEN=...
-REGISTRY_PASSWORD=...
-REGISTRY_USERNAME=...
--- a/.envrc.sample
+++ b/.envrc.sample
@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 go env -w GOPRIVATE=coopcloud.tech

 # export PASSWORD_STORE_DIR=$(pwd)/../../autonomic/passwords/passwords/
-# export HCLOUD_TOKEN=$(pass show logins/hetzner/cicd/api_key)
-# export CAPSUL_TOKEN=...
-# export GITEA_TOKEN=...
+
+# export ABRA_DIR="$HOME/.abra_test"
+# export ABRA_TEST_DOMAIN=test.example.com
+# export ABRA_SKIP_TEARDOWN=1 # for faster feedback when developing tests
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 .e2e.env
 .envrc
 .vscode/
+/kadabra
 abra
 dist/
+tests/integration/.bats
 vendor/
--- a/.goreleaser.yml
+++ b/.goreleaser.yml
@ -1,38 +1,76 @@
 ---
-project_name: abra
 gitea_urls:
  api: https://git.coopcloud.tech/api/v1
  download: https://git.coopcloud.tech/
  skip_tls_verify: false
+
 before:
  hooks:
    - go mod tidy
-    - go generate ./...
+
 builds:
-  - env:
-      - CGO_ENABLED=0
+  - id: abra
+    binary: abra
    dir: cmd/abra
+    env:
+      - CGO_ENABLED=0
    goos:
      - linux
      - darwin
+    goarch:
+      - 386
+      - amd64
+      - arm
+      - arm64
+    goarm:
+      - 5
+      - 6
+      - 7
    ldflags:
      - "-X 'main.Commit={{ .Commit }}'"
      - "-X 'main.Version={{ .Version }}'"
+
+  - id: kadabra
+    binary: kadabra
+    dir: cmd/kadabra
+    env:
+      - CGO_ENABLED=0
+    goos:
+      - linux
+      - darwin
+    goarch:
+      - 386
+      - amd64
+      - arm
+      - arm64
+    goarm:
+      - 5
+      - 6
+      - 7
+    ldflags:
+      - "-X 'main.Commit={{ .Commit }}'"
+      - "-X 'main.Version={{ .Version }}'"
+
 archives:
  - replacements:
      386: i386
      amd64: x86_64
    format: binary
+
 checksum:
  name_template: "checksums.txt"
+
 snapshot:
  name_template: "{{ incpatch .Version }}-next"
+
 changelog:
  sort: desc
  filters:
    exclude:
+      - "^Merge"
+      - "^Revert"
      - "^WIP:"
+      - "^chore(deps):"
      - "^style:"
      - "^test:"
      - "^tests:"
-      - "^Revert"
--- a/AUTHORS.md
+++ b/AUTHORS.md
@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# authors
+
+> If you're looking at this and you hack on `abra` and you're not listed here,
+> please do add yourself! This is a community project, let's show some 💞
+
+- 3wordchant
+- cassowary
+- codegod100
+- decentral1se
+- frando
+- kawaiipunk
+- knoflook
+- moritz
+- p4u1
+- rix
+- roxxers
+- vera
+- yksflip
--- a/24
+++ b/24
@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+FROM golang:1.21-alpine AS build
+
+ENV GOPRIVATE coopcloud.tech
+
+RUN apk add --no-cache \
+  ca-certificates \
+  gcc \
+  git \
+  make \
+  musl-dev
+
+RUN update-ca-certificates
+
+COPY . /app
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+RUN CGO_ENABLED=0 make build
+
+FROM scratch
+
+COPY --from=build /app/abra /abra
+
+ENTRYPOINT ["/abra"]
--- a/15
+++ b/15
@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+Abra: The Co-op Cloud utility belt
+Copyright (C) 2022 Co-op Cloud <helo@coopcloud.tech>
+
+This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+(at your option) any later version.
+
+This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
--- a/66
+++ b/66
@ -1,57 +1,55 @@
-ABRA    := ./cmd/abra
-COMMIT  := $(shell git rev-list -1 HEAD)
-GOPATH  := $(shell go env GOPATH)
-LDFLAGS := "-X 'main.Commit=$(COMMIT)'"
+ABRA         := ./cmd/abra
+KADABRA      := ./cmd/kadabra
+COMMIT       := $(shell git rev-list -1 HEAD)
+GOPATH       := $(shell go env GOPATH)
+GOVERSION    := 1.21
+LDFLAGS      := "-X 'main.Commit=$(COMMIT)'"
 DIST_LDFLAGS := $(LDFLAGS)" -s -w"
+
 export GOPRIVATE=coopcloud.tech

-all: format check static build test
+# NOTE(d1): default `make` optimised for Abra hacking
+all: format check build-abra test

-run:
+run-abra:
 	@go run -ldflags=$(LDFLAGS) $(ABRA)

-install:
+run-kadabra:
+	@go run -ldflags=$(LDFLAGS) $(KADABRA)
+
+install-abra:
 	@go install -ldflags=$(LDFLAGS) $(ABRA)

-build-dev:
-	@go build -ldflags=$(LDFLAGS) $(ABRA)
+install-kadabra:
+	@go install -ldflags=$(LDFLAGS) $(KADABRA)

-build:
-	@go build -ldflags=$(DIST_LDFLAGS) $(ABRA)
+build-abra:
+	@go build -v -ldflags=$(DIST_LDFLAGS) $(ABRA)
+
+build-kadabra:
+	@go build -v -ldflags=$(DIST_LDFLAGS) $(KADABRA)
+
+build: build-abra build-kadabra
+
+build-docker-abra:
+	@docker run -it -v $(PWD):/abra golang:$(GOVERSION) \
+		bash -c 'cd /abra; ./scripts/docker/build.sh'
+
+build-docker: build-docker-abra

 clean:
 	@rm '$(GOPATH)/bin/abra'
+	@rm '$(GOPATH)/bin/kadabra'

 format:
 	@gofmt -s -w .

 check:
-	@test -z $$(gofmt -l .) || (echo "gofmt: formatting issue - run 'make format' to resolve" && exit 1)
-
-static:
-	@staticcheck $(ABRA)
+	@test -z $$(gofmt -l .) || \
+	(echo "gofmt: formatting issue - run 'make format' to resolve" && exit 1)

 test:
 	@go test ./... -cover -v

 loc:
 	@find . -name "*.go" | xargs wc -l
-
-loc-author:
-	@git ls-files -z | \
-		xargs -0rn 1 -P "$$(nproc)" -I{} sh -c 'git blame -w -M -C -C --line-porcelain -- {} | grep -I --line-buffered "^author "' | \
-   	sort -f | \
-   	uniq -ic | \
-   	sort -n
-
-int-core:
-	@docker run \
-		-v $$(pwd):/src \
-		--env-file .e2e.env \
-		debian:bullseye-slim \
-		sh -c "\
-			apt update && apt install -y wget curl git; echo ""; echo ""; \
-			git config --global user.email 'e2e@coopcloud.tech'; \
-			git config --global user.name 'e2e'; \
-			cd /src/tests/integration && bash core.sh -- --dev \
-		"
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@ -1,75 +1,13 @@
-# abra
-
-> https://coopcloud.tech
+# `abra`

 [![Build Status](https://build.coopcloud.tech/api/badges/coop-cloud/abra/status.svg?ref=refs/heads/main)](https://build.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/abra)
 [![Go Report Card](https://goreportcard.com/badge/git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/abra)](https://goreportcard.com/report/git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/abra)
+[![Go Reference](https://pkg.go.dev/badge/coopcloud.tech/abra.svg)](https://pkg.go.dev/coopcloud.tech/abra)

 The Co-op Cloud utility belt 🎩🐇

-`abra` is a command-line tool for managing your own [Co-op Cloud](https://coopcloud.tech). It can provision new servers, create apps, deploy them, run backup and restore operations and a whole lot of other things. Please see [docs.coopcloud.tech](https://docs.coopcloud.tech) for more extensive documentation.
+<a href="https://github.com/egonelbre/gophers"><img align="right" width="150" src="https://github.com/egonelbre/gophers/raw/master/.thumb/sketch/adventure/poking-fire.png"/></a>

-## Quick install
+`abra` is the flagship client & command-line tool for Co-op Cloud. It has been developed specifically for the purpose of making the day-to-day operations of [operators](https://docs.coopcloud.tech/operators/) and [maintainers](https://docs.coopcloud.tech/maintainers/) pleasant & convenient. It is libre software, written in [Go](https://go.dev) and maintained and extended by the community 💖

-```bash
-curl https://install.abra.autonomic.zone | bash
-```
-
-Or using the latest release candidate (extra experimental!):
-
-```bash
-curl https://install.abra.autonomic.zone | bash -s -- --rc
-```
-
-Source for this script is in [scripts/installer/installer](./scripts/installer/installer).
-
-## Hacking
-
-### Getting started
-
-Install [direnv](https://direnv.net), run `cp .envrc.sample .envrc`, then run `direnv allow` in this directory. This will set coopcloud repos as private due to [this bug.](https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/coopcloud.tech/issues/20#issuecomment-8201). Or you can run `go env -w GOPRIVATE=coopcloud.tech` but I'm not sure how persistent this is.
-
-Install [Go >= 1.16](https://golang.org/doc/install) and then:
-
- `make build` to build
- `./abra` to run commands
- `make test` will run tests
- `make install` will install it to `$GOPATH/bin`
- `go get <package>` and `go mod tidy` to add a new dependency
-
-Our [Drone CI configuration](.drone.yml) runs a number of sanity on each pushed commit. See the [Makefile](./Makefile) for more handy targets.
-
-Please use the [conventional commit format](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/en/v1.0.0/) for your commits so we can automate our change log.
-
-### Versioning
-
-We use [goreleaser](https://goreleaser.com) to help us automate releases. We use [semver](https://semver.org) for versioning all releases of the tool. While we are still in the public alpha release phase, we will maintain a `0.y.z-alpha` format. Change logs are generated from our commit logs. We are still working this out and aim to refine our release praxis as we go.
-
-For developers, while using this `-alpha` format, the `y` part is the "major" version part. So, if you make breaking changes, you increment that and _not_ the `x` part. So, if you're on `0.1.0-alpha`, then you'd go to `0.1.1-alpha` for a backwards compatible change and `0.2.0-alpha` for a backwards incompatible change.
-
-### Making a new release
-
- Change `ABRA_VERSION` to match the new tag in [`scripts`](./scripts/installer/installer) (use [semver](https://semver.org))
- Commit that change (e.g. `git commit -m 'chore: publish next tag x.y.z-alpha'`)
- Make a new tag (e.g. `git tag -a x.y.z-alpha`)
- Push the new tag (e.g. `git push && git push --tags`)
- Wait until the build finishes on [build.coopcloud.tech](https://build.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/abra)
- Deploy the new installer script (e.g. `cd ./scripts/installer && make`)
- Check the release worked, (e.g. `abra upgrade; abra -v`)
-
-### Fork maintenance
-
-#### `godotenv`
-
-We maintain a fork of [godotenv](https://github.com/Autonomic-Cooperative/godotenv) for two features:
-
-1. multi-line env var support
-2. inline comment parsing
-
-You can upgrade the version here by running `go get github.com/Autonomic-Cooperative/godotenv@<commit>` where `<commit>` is the
-latest commit you want to pin to. We are aiming to migrate to YAML format for the environment configuration, so this should only
-be a temporary thing.
-
-#### `docker/client`
-
-A number of modules in [pkg/upstream](./pkg/upstream) are copy/pasta'd from the upstream [docker/docker/client](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/docker/docker/client). We had to do this because upstream are not exposing their API as public.
+Please see [docs.coopcloud.tech/abra](https://docs.coopcloud.tech/abra) for help on install, upgrade, hacking, troubleshooting & more!
--- a/cli/app/app.go
+++ b/cli/app/app.go
@ -4,37 +4,34 @@ import (
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-// AppCommand defines the `abra app` command and ets subcommands
-var AppCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:      "app",
-	Usage:     "Manage apps",
-	Aliases:   []string{"a"},
-	ArgsUsage: "<app>",
-	Description: `
-This command provides all the functionality you need to manage the life cycle
-of your apps. From initial deployment, day-2 operations (e.g. backup/restore)
-to scaling apps up and spinning them down.
-`,
+var AppCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:        "app",
+	Aliases:     []string{"a"},
+	Usage:       "Manage apps",
+	ArgsUsage:   "<domain>",
+	Description: "Functionality for managing the life cycle of your apps",
 	Subcommands: []*cli.Command{
-		appNewCommand,
-		appConfigCommand,
-		appRestartCommand,
-		appDeployCommand,
-		appUpgradeCommand,
-		appUndeployCommand,
-		appBackupCommand,
-		appRestoreCommand,
-		appRemoveCommand,
-		appCheckCommand,
-		appListCommand,
-		appPsCommand,
-		appLogsCommand,
-		appCpCommand,
-		appRunCommand,
-		appRollbackCommand,
-		appSecretCommand,
-		appVolumeCommand,
-		appVersionCommand,
-		appErrorsCommand,
+		&appBackupCommand,
+		&appCheckCommand,
+		&appCmdCommand,
+		&appConfigCommand,
+		&appCpCommand,
+		&appDeployCommand,
+		&appErrorsCommand,
+		&appListCommand,
+		&appLogsCommand,
+		&appNewCommand,
+		&appPsCommand,
+		&appRemoveCommand,
+		&appRestartCommand,
+		&appRestoreCommand,
+		&appRollbackCommand,
+		&appRunCommand,
+		&appSecretCommand,
+		&appServicesCommand,
+		&appUndeployCommand,
+		&appUpgradeCommand,
+		&appVersionCommand,
+		&appVolumeCommand,
 	},
 }
--- a/cli/app/backup.go
+++ b/cli/app/backup.go
@ -1,77 +1,296 @@
 package app

 import (
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"io/ioutil"
-	"os"
-	"os/exec"
-	"path"
-	"strings"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var backupAllServices bool
-var backupAllServicesFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "all",
-	Value:       false,
-	Destination: &backupAllServices,
-	Aliases:     []string{"a"},
-	Usage:       "Backup all services",
+var snapshot string
+var snapshotFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
+	Name:        "snapshot, s",
+	Usage:       "Lists specific snapshot",
+	Destination: &snapshot,
 }

-var appBackupCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:      "backup",
-	Usage:     "Backup an app",
-	Aliases:   []string{"b"},
-	Flags:     []cli.Flag{backupAllServicesFlag},
-	ArgsUsage: "<service>",
+var includePath string
+var includePathFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
+	Name:        "path, p",
+	Usage:       "Include path",
+	Destination: &includePath,
+}
+
+var resticRepo string
+var resticRepoFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
+	Name:        "repo, r",
+	Usage:       "Restic repository",
+	Destination: &resticRepo,
+}
+
+var appBackupListCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "list",
+	Aliases: []string{"ls"},
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		snapshotFlag,
+		includePathFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	Usage:        "List all backups",
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)

-		if c.Args().Get(1) != "" && backupAllServices {
-			internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("cannot use '<service>' and '--all' together"))
-		}
-
-		abraSh := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, app.Type, "abra.sh")
-		if _, err := os.Stat(abraSh); err != nil {
-			if os.IsNotExist(err) {
-				logrus.Fatalf("%s does not exist?", abraSh)
-			}
+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		sourceCmd := fmt.Sprintf("source %s", abraSh)
-
-		execCmd := "abra_backup"
-		if !backupAllServices {
-			serviceName := c.Args().Get(1)
-			if serviceName == "" {
-				internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("no service(s) target provided"))
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipe.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipe.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
-			execCmd = fmt.Sprintf("abra_backup_%s", serviceName)
 		}

-		bytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(abraSh)
+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
-		if !strings.Contains(string(bytes), execCmd) {
-			logrus.Fatalf("%s doesn't have a %s function", app.Type, execCmd)
+
+		targetContainer, err := internal.RetrieveBackupBotContainer(cl)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		sourceAndExec := fmt.Sprintf("%s; %s", sourceCmd, execCmd)
-		cmd := exec.Command("bash", "-c", sourceAndExec)
-		if err := internal.RunCmd(cmd); err != nil {
+		execEnv := []string{fmt.Sprintf("SERVICE=%s", app.Domain)}
+		if snapshot != "" {
+			logrus.Debugf("including SNAPSHOT=%s in backupbot exec invocation", snapshot)
+			execEnv = append(execEnv, fmt.Sprintf("SNAPSHOT=%s", snapshot))
+		}
+		if includePath != "" {
+			logrus.Debugf("including INCLUDE_PATH=%s in backupbot exec invocation", includePath)
+			execEnv = append(execEnv, fmt.Sprintf("INCLUDE_PATH=%s", includePath))
+		}
+
+		if err := internal.RunBackupCmdRemote(cl, "ls", targetContainer.ID, execEnv); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

 		return nil
 	},
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
+}
+
+var appBackupDownloadCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "download",
+	Aliases: []string{"d"},
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		snapshotFlag,
+		includePathFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	Usage:        "Download a backup",
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
+
+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipe.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipe.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		targetContainer, err := internal.RetrieveBackupBotContainer(cl)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		execEnv := []string{fmt.Sprintf("SERVICE=%s", app.Domain)}
+		if snapshot != "" {
+			logrus.Debugf("including SNAPSHOT=%s in backupbot exec invocation", snapshot)
+			execEnv = append(execEnv, fmt.Sprintf("SNAPSHOT=%s", snapshot))
+		}
+		if includePath != "" {
+			logrus.Debugf("including INCLUDE_PATH=%s in backupbot exec invocation", includePath)
+			execEnv = append(execEnv, fmt.Sprintf("INCLUDE_PATH=%s", includePath))
+		}
+
+		if err := internal.RunBackupCmdRemote(cl, "download", targetContainer.ID, execEnv); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		remoteBackupDir := "/tmp/backup.tar.gz"
+		currentWorkingDir := "."
+		if err = CopyFromContainer(cl, targetContainer.ID, remoteBackupDir, currentWorkingDir); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		fmt.Println("backup successfully downloaded to current working directory")
+
+		return nil
+	},
+}
+
+var appBackupCreateCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "create",
+	Aliases: []string{"c"},
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		resticRepoFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	Usage:        "Create a new backup",
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
+
+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipe.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipe.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		targetContainer, err := internal.RetrieveBackupBotContainer(cl)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		execEnv := []string{fmt.Sprintf("SERVICE=%s", app.Domain)}
+		if resticRepo != "" {
+			logrus.Debugf("including RESTIC_REPO=%s in backupbot exec invocation", resticRepo)
+			execEnv = append(execEnv, fmt.Sprintf("RESTIC_REPO=%s", resticRepo))
+		}
+
+		if err := internal.RunBackupCmdRemote(cl, "create", targetContainer.ID, execEnv); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	},
+}
+
+var appBackupSnapshotsCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "snapshots",
+	Aliases: []string{"s"},
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		snapshotFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	Usage:        "List backup snapshots",
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
+
+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipe.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipe.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		targetContainer, err := internal.RetrieveBackupBotContainer(cl)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		execEnv := []string{fmt.Sprintf("SERVICE=%s", app.Domain)}
+		if snapshot != "" {
+			logrus.Debugf("including SNAPSHOT=%s in backupbot exec invocation", snapshot)
+			execEnv = append(execEnv, fmt.Sprintf("SNAPSHOT=%s", snapshot))
+		}
+
+		if err := internal.RunBackupCmdRemote(cl, "snapshots", targetContainer.ID, execEnv); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	},
+}
+
+var appBackupCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "backup",
+	Aliases:   []string{"b"},
+	Usage:     "Manage app backups",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
+	Subcommands: []*cli.Command{
+		&appBackupListCommand,
+		&appBackupSnapshotsCommand,
+		&appBackupDownloadCommand,
+		&appBackupCreateCommand,
+	},
 }
--- a/cli/app/check.go
+++ b/cli/app/check.go
@ -1,53 +1,81 @@
 package app

 import (
-	"os"
-	"path"
-	"strings"
-
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
+	recipePkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var appCheckCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:      "check",
-	Usage:     "Check if app is configured correctly",
-	Aliases:   []string{"c"},
-	ArgsUsage: "<service>",
+var appCheckCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "check",
+	Aliases: []string{"chk"},
+	Usage:   "Ensure an app is well configured",
+	Description: `
+This command compares env vars in both the app ".env" and recipe ".env.sample"
+file.
+
+The goal is to ensure that recipe ".env.sample" env vars are defined in your
+app ".env" file. Only env var definitions in the ".env.sample" which are
+uncommented, e.g. "FOO=bar" are checked. If an app ".env" file does not include
+these env vars, then "check" will complain.
+
+Recipe maintainers may or may not provide defaults for env vars within their
+recipes regardless of commenting or not (e.g. through the use of
+${FOO:<default>} syntax). "check" does not confirm or deny this for you.`,
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.ChaosFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)

-		envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, app.Type, ".env.sample")
-		if _, err := os.Stat(envSamplePath); err != nil {
-			if os.IsNotExist(err) {
-				logrus.Fatalf("%s does not exist?", envSamplePath)
-			}
+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipePkg.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipePkg.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipePkg.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		tableCol := []string{"recipe env sample", "app env"}
+		table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
+
+		envVars, err := config.CheckEnv(app)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		var missing []string
-		for k := range envSample {
-			if _, ok := app.Env[k]; !ok {
-				missing = append(missing, k)
+		for _, envVar := range envVars {
+			if envVar.Present {
+				table.Append([]string{envVar.Name, "✅"})
+			} else {
+				table.Append([]string{envVar.Name, "❌"})
 			}
 		}

-		if len(missing) > 0 {
-			missingEnvVars := strings.Join(missing, ", ")
-			logrus.Fatalf("%s is missing %s", app.Path, missingEnvVars)
-		}
-
-		logrus.Infof("all necessary environment variables defined for %s", app.Name)
+		table.Render()

 		return nil
 	},
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 }
--- a/cli/app/cmd.go
+++ b/cli/app/cmd.go
@ -0,0 +1,266 @@
+package app
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/app"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
+	recipePkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
+)
+
+var appCmdCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "command",
+	Aliases: []string{"cmd"},
+	Usage:   "Run app commands",
+	Description: `Run an app specific command.
+
+These commands are bash functions, defined in the abra.sh of the recipe itself.
+They can be run within the context of a service (e.g. app) or locally on your
+work station by passing "--local". Arguments can be passed into these functions
+using the "-- <args>" syntax.
+
+Example:
+
+  abra app cmd example.com app create_user -- me@example.com
+`,
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain> [<service>] <command> [-- <args>]",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.LocalCmdFlag,
+		internal.RemoteUserFlag,
+		internal.TtyFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		internal.ChaosFlag,
+	},
+	Before:      internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	Subcommands: []*cli.Command{&appCmdListCommand},
+	BashComplete: func(ctx *cli.Context) {
+		args := ctx.Args()
+		switch args.Len() {
+		case 0:
+			autocomplete.AppNameComplete(ctx)
+		case 1:
+			autocomplete.ServiceNameComplete(args.Get(0))
+		case 2:
+			cmdNameComplete(args.Get(0))
+		}
+	},
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
+
+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipePkg.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipePkg.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipePkg.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		if internal.LocalCmd && internal.RemoteUser != "" {
+			internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("cannot use --local & --user together"))
+		}
+
+		hasCmdArgs, parsedCmdArgs := parseCmdArgs(c.Args().Slice())
+
+		abraSh := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, app.Recipe, "abra.sh")
+		if _, err := os.Stat(abraSh); err != nil {
+			if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+				logrus.Fatalf("%s does not exist for %s?", abraSh, app.Name)
+			}
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if internal.LocalCmd {
+			if !(c.Args().Len() >= 2) {
+				internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("missing arguments"))
+			}
+
+			cmdName := c.Args().Get(1)
+			if err := internal.EnsureCommand(abraSh, app.Recipe, cmdName); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			logrus.Debugf("--local detected, running %s on local work station", cmdName)
+
+			var exportEnv string
+			for k, v := range app.Env {
+				exportEnv = exportEnv + fmt.Sprintf("%s='%s'; ", k, v)
+			}
+
+			var sourceAndExec string
+			if hasCmdArgs {
+				logrus.Debugf("parsed following command arguments: %s", parsedCmdArgs)
+				sourceAndExec = fmt.Sprintf("TARGET=local; APP_NAME=%s; STACK_NAME=%s; %s . %s; %s %s", app.Name, app.StackName(), exportEnv, abraSh, cmdName, parsedCmdArgs)
+			} else {
+				logrus.Debug("did not detect any command arguments")
+				sourceAndExec = fmt.Sprintf("TARGET=local; APP_NAME=%s; STACK_NAME=%s; %s . %s; %s", app.Name, app.StackName(), exportEnv, abraSh, cmdName)
+			}
+
+			shell := "/bin/bash"
+			if _, err := os.Stat(shell); errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
+				logrus.Debugf("%s does not exist locally, use /bin/sh as fallback", shell)
+				shell = "/bin/sh"
+			}
+			cmd := exec.Command(shell, "-c", sourceAndExec)
+
+			if err := internal.RunCmd(cmd); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		} else {
+			if !(c.Args().Len() >= 3) {
+				internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("missing arguments"))
+			}
+
+			targetServiceName := c.Args().Get(1)
+
+			cmdName := c.Args().Get(2)
+			if err := internal.EnsureCommand(abraSh, app.Recipe, cmdName); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			serviceNames, err := config.GetAppServiceNames(app.Name)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			matchingServiceName := false
+			for _, serviceName := range serviceNames {
+				if serviceName == targetServiceName {
+					matchingServiceName = true
+				}
+			}
+
+			if !matchingServiceName {
+				logrus.Fatalf("no service %s for %s?", targetServiceName, app.Name)
+			}
+
+			logrus.Debugf("running command %s within the context of %s_%s", cmdName, app.StackName(), targetServiceName)
+
+			if hasCmdArgs {
+				logrus.Debugf("parsed following command arguments: %s", parsedCmdArgs)
+			} else {
+				logrus.Debug("did not detect any command arguments")
+			}
+
+			cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if err := internal.RunCmdRemote(cl, app, abraSh, targetServiceName, cmdName, parsedCmdArgs); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	},
+}
+
+// Parse the command arguments from the cli args.
+// Arguments should look like this:
+//
+//	DOMAIN COMMAND -- ARGUMENT1 ARGUMENT2 ...
+func parseCmdArgs(args []string) (bool, string) {
+	if len(args) < 4 {
+		return false, ""
+	}
+
+	return true, fmt.Sprintf("%s ", strings.Join(args[3:], " "))
+}
+
+func cmdNameComplete(appName string) {
+	app, err := app.Get(appName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+	cmdNames, _ := getShCmdNames(app)
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+	for _, n := range cmdNames {
+		fmt.Println(n)
+	}
+}
+
+var appCmdListCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "list",
+	Aliases:   []string{"ls"},
+	Usage:     "List all available commands",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		internal.ChaosFlag,
+	},
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
+
+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipePkg.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipePkg.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipePkg.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		cmdNames, err := getShCmdNames(app)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		for _, cmdName := range cmdNames {
+			fmt.Println(cmdName)
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	},
+}
+
+func getShCmdNames(app config.App) ([]string, error) {
+	abraShPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", config.RECIPES_DIR, app.Recipe, "abra.sh")
+	cmdNames, err := config.ReadAbraShCmdNames(abraShPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	sort.Strings(cmdNames)
+	return cmdNames, nil
+}
--- a/cli/app/cmd_test.go
+++ b/cli/app/cmd_test.go
@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+package app
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestParseCmdArgs(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		input          []string
+		shouldParse    bool
+		expectedOutput string
+	}{
+		// `--` is not parsed when passed in from the command-line e.g. -- foo bar baz
+		// so we need to eumlate that as missing when testing if bash args are passed in
+		// see https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/organising/issues/336 for more
+		{[]string{"foo.com", "app", "test"}, false, ""},
+		{[]string{"foo.com", "app", "test", "foo"}, true, "foo "},
+		{[]string{"foo.com", "app", "test", "foo", "bar", "baz"}, true, "foo bar baz "},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		ok, parsed := parseCmdArgs(test.input)
+		if ok != test.shouldParse {
+			t.Fatalf("[%s] should not parse", strings.Join(test.input, " "))
+		}
+		if parsed != test.expectedOutput {
+			t.Fatalf("%s does not match %s", parsed, test.expectedOutput)
+		}
+	}
+}
--- a/cli/app/config.go
+++ b/cli/app/config.go
@ -13,10 +13,16 @@ import (
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var appConfigCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:    "config",
-	Aliases: []string{"c"},
-	Usage:   "Edit app config",
+var appConfigCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "config",
+	Aliases:   []string{"cfg"},
+	Usage:     "Edit app config",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		appName := c.Args().First()

@ -55,5 +61,4 @@ var appConfigCommand = &cli.Command{

 		return nil
 	},
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 }
--- a/cli/app/cp.go
+++ b/cli/app/cp.go
@ -1,40 +1,52 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"os"
+	"path"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/container"
+	containerPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/container"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/container"
+	"github.com/docker/cli/cli/command"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
-	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
+	dockerClient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/errdefs"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/archive"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var appCpCommand = &cli.Command{
+var appCpCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:      "cp",
 	Aliases:   []string{"c"},
-	ArgsUsage: "<src> <dst>",
-	Usage:     "Copy files to/from a running app service",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain> <src> <dst>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+	},
+	Before: internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	Usage:  "Copy files to/from a deployed app service",
 	Description: `
-This command supports copying files to and from any app service file system.
+Copy files to and from any app service file system.

 If you want to copy a myfile.txt to the root of the app service:

-    abra app cp <app> myfile.txt app:/
+    abra app cp <domain> myfile.txt app:/

 And if you want to copy that file back to your current working directory locally:

-		abra app cp <app> app:/myfile.txt .
-
+    abra app cp <domain> app:/myfile.txt .
 `,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)

@ -42,114 +54,326 @@ And if you want to copy that file back to your current working directory locally
 		dst := c.Args().Get(2)
 		if src == "" {
 			logrus.Fatal("missing <src> argument")
-		} else if dst == "" {
+		}
+		if dst == "" {
 			logrus.Fatal("missing <dest> argument")
 		}

-		parsedSrc := strings.SplitN(src, ":", 2)
-		parsedDst := strings.SplitN(dst, ":", 2)
-		errorMsg := "one of <src>/<dest> arguments must take $SERVICE:$PATH form"
-		if len(parsedSrc) == 2 && len(parsedDst) == 2 {
-			logrus.Fatal(errorMsg)
-		} else if len(parsedSrc) != 2 {
-			if len(parsedDst) != 2 {
-				logrus.Fatal(errorMsg)
-			}
-		} else if len(parsedDst) != 2 {
-			if len(parsedSrc) != 2 {
-				logrus.Fatal(errorMsg)
-			}
-		}
-
-		var service string
-		var srcPath string
-		var dstPath string
-		isToContainer := false // <container:src> <dst>
-		if len(parsedSrc) == 2 {
-			service = parsedSrc[0]
-			srcPath = parsedSrc[1]
-			dstPath = dst
-			logrus.Debugf("assuming transfer is coming FROM the container")
-		} else if len(parsedDst) == 2 {
-			service = parsedDst[0]
-			dstPath = parsedDst[1]
-			srcPath = src
-			isToContainer = true // <src> <container:dst>
-			logrus.Debugf("assuming transfer is going TO the container")
-		}
-
-		if !isToContainer {
-			if _, err := os.Stat(dstPath); os.IsNotExist(err) {
-				logrus.Fatalf("%s does not exist locally?", dstPath)
-			}
-		}
-		err := configureAndCp(c, app, srcPath, dstPath, service, isToContainer)
+		srcPath, dstPath, service, toContainer, err := parseSrcAndDst(src, dst)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
-		return nil

+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		container, err := containerPkg.GetContainerFromStackAndService(cl, app.StackName(), service)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		logrus.Debugf("retrieved %s as target container on %s", formatter.ShortenID(container.ID), app.Server)
+
+		if toContainer {
+			err = CopyToContainer(cl, container.ID, srcPath, dstPath)
+		} else {
+			err = CopyFromContainer(cl, container.ID, srcPath, dstPath)
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		return nil
 	},
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 }

-func configureAndCp(
-	c *cli.Context,
-	app config.App,
-	srcPath string,
-	dstPath string,
-	service string,
-	isToContainer bool) error {
-	appFiles, err := config.LoadAppFiles("")
+var errServiceMissing = errors.New("one of <src>/<dest> arguments must take $SERVICE:$PATH form")
+
+// parseSrcAndDst parses src and dest string. One of src or dst must be of the form $SERVICE:$PATH
+func parseSrcAndDst(src, dst string) (srcPath string, dstPath string, service string, toContainer bool, err error) {
+	parsedSrc := strings.SplitN(src, ":", 2)
+	parsedDst := strings.SplitN(dst, ":", 2)
+	if len(parsedSrc)+len(parsedDst) != 3 {
+		return "", "", "", false, errServiceMissing
+	}
+	if len(parsedSrc) == 2 {
+		return parsedSrc[1], dst, parsedSrc[0], false, nil
+	}
+	if len(parsedDst) == 2 {
+		return src, parsedDst[1], parsedDst[0], true, nil
+	}
+	return "", "", "", false, errServiceMissing
+}
+
+// CopyToContainer copies a file or directory from the local file system to the container.
+// See the possible copy modes and their documentation.
+func CopyToContainer(cl *dockerClient.Client, containerID, srcPath, dstPath string) error {
+	srcStat, err := os.Stat(srcPath)
 	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
+		return fmt.Errorf("local %s ", err)
 	}

-	appEnv, err := config.GetApp(appFiles, app.Name)
+	dstStat, err := cl.ContainerStatPath(context.Background(), containerID, dstPath)
+	dstExists := true
 	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
-	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	filters := filters.NewArgs()
-	filters.Add("name", fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s", appEnv.StackName(), service))
-
-	container, err := container.GetContainer(c.Context, cl, filters, true)
-	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	logrus.Debugf("retrieved %s as target container on %s", formatter.ShortenID(container.ID), app.Server)
-
-	if isToContainer {
-		if _, err := os.Stat(srcPath); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatalf("%s does not exist?", srcPath)
+		if errdefs.IsNotFound(err) {
+			dstExists = false
+		} else {
+			return fmt.Errorf("remote path: %s", err)
 		}
+	}

-		toTarOpts := &archive.TarOptions{NoOverwriteDirNonDir: true, Compression: archive.Gzip}
-		content, err := archive.TarWithOptions(srcPath, toTarOpts)
+	mode, err := copyMode(srcPath, dstPath, srcStat.Mode(), dstStat.Mode, dstExists)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	movePath := ""
+	switch mode {
+	case CopyModeDirToDir:
+		// Add the src directory to the destination path
+		_, srcDir := path.Split(srcPath)
+		dstPath = path.Join(dstPath, srcDir)
+
+		// Make sure the dst directory exits.
+		dcli, err := command.NewDockerCli()
 		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
+			return err
 		}
+		if _, err := container.RunExec(dcli, cl, containerID, &types.ExecConfig{
+			AttachStderr: true,
+			AttachStdin:  true,
+			AttachStdout: true,
+			Cmd:          []string{"mkdir", "-p", dstPath},
+			Detach:       false,
+			Tty:          true,
+		}); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("create remote directory: %s", err)
+		}
+	case CopyModeFileToFile:
+		// Remove the file component from the path, since docker can only copy
+		// to a directory.
+		dstPath, _ = path.Split(dstPath)
+	case CopyModeFileToFileRename:
+		// Copy the file to the temp directory and move it to its dstPath
+		// afterwards.
+		movePath = dstPath
+		dstPath = "/tmp"
+	}

-		copyOpts := types.CopyToContainerOptions{AllowOverwriteDirWithFile: false, CopyUIDGID: false}
-		if err := cl.CopyToContainer(c.Context, container.ID, dstPath, content, copyOpts); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
+	toTarOpts := &archive.TarOptions{IncludeSourceDir: true, NoOverwriteDirNonDir: true, Compression: archive.Gzip}
+	content, err := archive.TarWithOptions(srcPath, toTarOpts)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	logrus.Debugf("copy %s from local to %s on container", srcPath, dstPath)
+	copyOpts := types.CopyToContainerOptions{AllowOverwriteDirWithFile: false, CopyUIDGID: false}
+	if err := cl.CopyToContainer(context.Background(), containerID, dstPath, content, copyOpts); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if movePath != "" {
+		_, srcFile := path.Split(srcPath)
+		dcli, err := command.NewDockerCli()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if _, err := container.RunExec(dcli, cl, containerID, &types.ExecConfig{
+			AttachStderr: true,
+			AttachStdin:  true,
+			AttachStdout: true,
+			Cmd:          []string{"mv", path.Join("/tmp", srcFile), movePath},
+			Detach:       false,
+			Tty:          true,
+		}); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("create remote directory: %s", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// CopyFromContainer copies a file or directory from the given container to the local file system.
+// See the possible copy modes and their documentation.
+func CopyFromContainer(cl *dockerClient.Client, containerID, srcPath, dstPath string) error {
+	srcStat, err := cl.ContainerStatPath(context.Background(), containerID, srcPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		if errdefs.IsNotFound(err) {
+			return fmt.Errorf("remote: %s does not exist", srcPath)
+		} else {
+			return fmt.Errorf("remote path: %s", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	dstStat, err := os.Stat(dstPath)
+	dstExists := true
+	var dstMode os.FileMode
+	if err != nil {
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			dstExists = false
+		} else {
+			return fmt.Errorf("remote path: %s", err)
 		}
 	} else {
-		content, _, err := cl.CopyFromContainer(c.Context, container.ID, srcPath)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		dstMode = dstStat.Mode()
+	}
+
+	mode, err := copyMode(srcPath, dstPath, srcStat.Mode, dstMode, dstExists)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	moveDstDir := ""
+	moveDstFile := ""
+	switch mode {
+	case CopyModeFileToFile:
+		// Remove the file component from the path, since docker can only copy
+		// to a directory.
+		dstPath, _ = path.Split(dstPath)
+	case CopyModeFileToFileRename:
+		// Copy the file to the temp directory and move it to its dstPath
+		// afterwards.
+		moveDstFile = dstPath
+		dstPath = "/tmp"
+	case CopyModeFilesToDir:
+		// Copy the directory to the temp directory and move it to its
+		// dstPath afterwards.
+		moveDstDir = path.Join(dstPath, "/")
+		dstPath = "/tmp"
+
+		// Make sure the temp directory always gets removed
+		defer os.Remove(path.Join("/tmp"))
+	}
+
+	content, _, err := cl.CopyFromContainer(context.Background(), containerID, srcPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("copy: %s", err)
+	}
+	defer content.Close()
+	if err := archive.Untar(content, dstPath, &archive.TarOptions{
+		NoOverwriteDirNonDir: true,
+		Compression:          archive.Gzip,
+		NoLchown:             true,
+	}); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("untar: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	if moveDstFile != "" {
+		_, srcFile := path.Split(strings.TrimSuffix(srcPath, "/"))
+		if err := moveFile(path.Join("/tmp", srcFile), moveDstFile); err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
-		defer content.Close()
-		fromTarOpts := &archive.TarOptions{NoOverwriteDirNonDir: true, Compression: archive.Gzip}
-		if err := archive.Untar(content, dstPath, fromTarOpts); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if moveDstDir != "" {
+		_, srcDir := path.Split(strings.TrimSuffix(srcPath, "/"))
+		if err := moveDir(path.Join("/tmp", srcDir), moveDstDir); err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
+
+var (
+	ErrCopyDirToFile  = fmt.Errorf("can't copy dir to file")
+	ErrDstDirNotExist = fmt.Errorf("destination directory does not exist")
+)
+
+type CopyMode int
+
+const (
+	// Copy a src file to a dest file. The src and dest file names are the same.
+	//  <dir_src>/<file> + <dir_dst>/<file> -> <dir_dst>/<file>
+	CopyModeFileToFile = CopyMode(iota)
+	// Copy a src file to a dest file. The src and dest file names are  not the same.
+	//  <dir_src>/<file_src> + <dir_dst>/<file_dst> -> <dir_dst>/<file_dst>
+	CopyModeFileToFileRename
+	// Copy a src file to dest directory. The dest file gets created in the dest
+	// folder with the src filename.
+	//  <dir_src>/<file> + <dir_dst> -> <dir_dst>/<file>
+	CopyModeFileToDir
+	// Copy a src directory to dest directory.
+	//  <dir_src> + <dir_dst> -> <dir_dst>/<dir_src>
+	CopyModeDirToDir
+	// Copy all files in the src directory to the dest directory. This works recursively.
+	//  <dir_src>/ + <dir_dst> -> <dir_dst>/<files_from_dir_src>
+	CopyModeFilesToDir
+)
+
+// copyMode takes a src and dest path and file mode to determine the copy mode.
+// See the possible copy modes and their documentation.
+func copyMode(srcPath, dstPath string, srcMode os.FileMode, dstMode os.FileMode, dstExists bool) (CopyMode, error) {
+	_, srcFile := path.Split(srcPath)
+	_, dstFile := path.Split(dstPath)
+	if srcMode.IsDir() {
+		if !dstExists {
+			return -1, ErrDstDirNotExist
+		}
+		if dstMode.IsDir() {
+			if strings.HasSuffix(srcPath, "/") {
+				return CopyModeFilesToDir, nil
+			}
+			return CopyModeDirToDir, nil
+		}
+		return -1, ErrCopyDirToFile
+	}
+
+	if dstMode.IsDir() {
+		return CopyModeFileToDir, nil
+	}
+
+	if srcFile != dstFile {
+		return CopyModeFileToFileRename, nil
+	}
+
+	return CopyModeFileToFile, nil
+}
+
+// moveDir moves all files from a source path to the destination path recursively.
+func moveDir(sourcePath, destPath string) error {
+	return filepath.Walk(sourcePath, func(p string, info os.FileInfo, err error) error {
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		newPath := path.Join(destPath, strings.TrimPrefix(p, sourcePath))
+		if info.IsDir() {
+			err := os.Mkdir(newPath, info.Mode())
+			if err != nil {
+				if os.IsExist(err) {
+					return nil
+				}
+				return err
+			}
+		}
+		if info.Mode().IsRegular() {
+			return moveFile(p, newPath)
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+}
+
+// moveFile moves a file from a source path to a destination path.
+func moveFile(sourcePath, destPath string) error {
+	inputFile, err := os.Open(sourcePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	outputFile, err := os.Create(destPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		inputFile.Close()
+		return err
+	}
+	defer outputFile.Close()
+	_, err = io.Copy(outputFile, inputFile)
+	inputFile.Close()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// Remove file after succesfull copy.
+	err = os.Remove(sourcePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return nil
+}
--- a/cli/app/cp_test.go
+++ b/cli/app/cp_test.go
@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+package app
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestParse(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		src         string
+		dst         string
+		srcPath     string
+		dstPath     string
+		service     string
+		toContainer bool
+		err         error
+	}{
+		{src: "foo", dst: "bar", err: errServiceMissing},
+		{src: "app:foo", dst: "app:bar", err: errServiceMissing},
+		{src: "app:foo", dst: "bar", srcPath: "foo", dstPath: "bar", service: "app", toContainer: false},
+		{src: "foo", dst: "app:bar", srcPath: "foo", dstPath: "bar", service: "app", toContainer: true},
+	}
+
+	for i, tc := range tests {
+		srcPath, dstPath, service, toContainer, err := parseSrcAndDst(tc.src, tc.dst)
+		if srcPath != tc.srcPath {
+			t.Errorf("[%d] srcPath: want (%s), got(%s)", i, tc.srcPath, srcPath)
+		}
+		if dstPath != tc.dstPath {
+			t.Errorf("[%d] dstPath: want (%s), got(%s)", i, tc.dstPath, dstPath)
+		}
+		if service != tc.service {
+			t.Errorf("[%d] service: want (%s), got(%s)", i, tc.service, service)
+		}
+		if toContainer != tc.toContainer {
+			t.Errorf("[%d] toConainer: want (%t), got(%t)", i, tc.toContainer, toContainer)
+		}
+		if err == nil && tc.err != nil && err.Error() != tc.err.Error() {
+			t.Errorf("[%d] err: want (%s), got(%s)", i, tc.err, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCopyMode(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		srcPath   string
+		dstPath   string
+		srcMode   os.FileMode
+		dstMode   os.FileMode
+		dstExists bool
+		mode      CopyMode
+		err       error
+	}{
+		{
+			srcPath:   "foo.txt",
+			dstPath:   "foo.txt",
+			srcMode:   os.ModePerm,
+			dstMode:   os.ModePerm,
+			dstExists: true,
+			mode:      CopyModeFileToFile,
+		},
+		{
+			srcPath:   "foo.txt",
+			dstPath:   "bar.txt",
+			srcMode:   os.ModePerm,
+			dstExists: true,
+			mode:      CopyModeFileToFileRename,
+		},
+		{
+			srcPath:   "foo",
+			dstPath:   "foo",
+			srcMode:   os.ModeDir,
+			dstMode:   os.ModeDir,
+			dstExists: true,
+			mode:      CopyModeDirToDir,
+		},
+		{
+			srcPath:   "foo/",
+			dstPath:   "foo",
+			srcMode:   os.ModeDir,
+			dstMode:   os.ModeDir,
+			dstExists: true,
+			mode:      CopyModeFilesToDir,
+		},
+		{
+			srcPath:   "foo",
+			dstPath:   "foo",
+			srcMode:   os.ModeDir,
+			dstExists: false,
+			mode:      -1,
+			err:       ErrDstDirNotExist,
+		},
+		{
+			srcPath:   "foo",
+			dstPath:   "foo",
+			srcMode:   os.ModeDir,
+			dstMode:   os.ModePerm,
+			dstExists: true,
+			mode:      -1,
+			err:       ErrCopyDirToFile,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for i, tc := range tests {
+		mode, err := copyMode(tc.srcPath, tc.dstPath, tc.srcMode, tc.dstMode, tc.dstExists)
+		if mode != tc.mode {
+			t.Errorf("[%d] mode: want (%d), got(%d)", i, tc.mode, mode)
+		}
+		if err != tc.err {
+			t.Errorf("[%d] err: want (%s), got(%s)", i, tc.err, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
--- a/cli/app/deploy.go
+++ b/cli/app/deploy.go
@ -1,33 +1,254 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/secret"
+
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/dns"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/git"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/lint"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var appDeployCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:    "deploy",
-	Aliases: []string{"d"},
-	Usage:   "Deploy an app",
+var appDeployCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "deploy",
+	Aliases:   []string{"d"},
+	Usage:     "Deploy an app",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain> [<version>]",
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
 		internal.ForceFlag,
 		internal.ChaosFlag,
 		internal.NoDomainChecksFlag,
 		internal.DontWaitConvergeFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
 	},
+	Before: internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	Description: `
-This command deploys an app. It does not support incrementing the version of a
-deployed app, for this you need to look at the "abra app upgrade <app>"
-command.
+Deploy an app. It does not support incrementing the version of a deployed app,
+for this you need to look at the "abra app upgrade <domain>" command.

 You may pass "--force" to re-deploy the same version again. This can be useful
 if the container runtime has gotten into a weird state.

-Chas mode ("--chaos") will deploy your local checkout of a recipe as-is,
+Chaos mode ("--chaos") will deploy your local checkout of a recipe as-is,
 including unstaged changes and can be useful for live hacking and testing new
 recipes.
 `,
-	Action:       internal.DeployAction,
 	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
+		stackName := app.StackName()
+
+		specificVersion := c.Args().Get(1)
+		if specificVersion != "" && internal.Chaos {
+			logrus.Fatal("cannot use <version> and --chaos together")
+		}
+
+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipe.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipe.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		r, err := recipe.Get(app.Recipe, internal.Offline)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if err := lint.LintForErrors(r); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		logrus.Debugf("checking whether %s is already deployed", stackName)
+
+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		isDeployed, deployedVersion, err := stack.IsDeployed(context.Background(), cl, stackName)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		secStats, err := secret.PollSecretsStatus(cl, app)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		for _, secStat := range secStats {
+			if !secStat.CreatedOnRemote {
+				logrus.Fatalf("unable to deploy, secrets not generated (%s)?", secStat.LocalName)
+			}
+		}
+
+		if isDeployed {
+			if internal.Force || internal.Chaos {
+				logrus.Warnf("%s is already deployed but continuing (--force/--chaos)", app.Name)
+			} else {
+				logrus.Fatalf("%s is already deployed", app.Name)
+			}
+		}
+
+		version := deployedVersion
+		if specificVersion != "" {
+			version = specificVersion
+			logrus.Debugf("choosing %s as version to deploy", version)
+			if err := recipe.EnsureVersion(app.Recipe, version); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		if !internal.Chaos && specificVersion == "" {
+			catl, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue(internal.Offline)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			versions, err := recipe.GetRecipeCatalogueVersions(app.Recipe, catl)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if len(versions) == 0 && !internal.Chaos {
+				logrus.Warn("no published versions in catalogue, trying local recipe repository")
+				recipeVersions, err := recipe.GetRecipeVersions(app.Recipe, internal.Offline)
+				if err != nil {
+					logrus.Warn(err)
+				}
+				for _, recipeVersion := range recipeVersions {
+					for version := range recipeVersion {
+						versions = append(versions, version)
+					}
+				}
+			}
+
+			if len(versions) > 0 && !internal.Chaos {
+				version = versions[len(versions)-1]
+				logrus.Debugf("choosing %s as version to deploy", version)
+				if err := recipe.EnsureVersion(app.Recipe, version); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			} else {
+				head, err := git.GetRecipeHead(app.Recipe)
+				if err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+				version = formatter.SmallSHA(head.String())
+				logrus.Warn("no versions detected, using latest commit")
+			}
+		}
+
+		if internal.Chaos {
+			logrus.Warnf("chaos mode engaged")
+			var err error
+			version, err = recipe.ChaosVersion(app.Recipe)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		abraShPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", config.RECIPES_DIR, app.Recipe, "abra.sh")
+		abraShEnv, err := config.ReadAbraShEnvVars(abraShPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		for k, v := range abraShEnv {
+			app.Env[k] = v
+		}
+
+		composeFiles, err := config.GetComposeFiles(app.Recipe, app.Env)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		deployOpts := stack.Deploy{
+			Composefiles: composeFiles,
+			Namespace:    stackName,
+			Prune:        false,
+			ResolveImage: stack.ResolveImageAlways,
+		}
+		compose, err := config.GetAppComposeConfig(app.Name, deployOpts, app.Env)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		config.ExposeAllEnv(stackName, compose, app.Env)
+		config.SetRecipeLabel(compose, stackName, app.Recipe)
+		config.SetChaosLabel(compose, stackName, internal.Chaos)
+		config.SetChaosVersionLabel(compose, stackName, version)
+		config.SetUpdateLabel(compose, stackName, app.Env)
+
+		envVars, err := config.CheckEnv(app)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		for _, envVar := range envVars {
+			if !envVar.Present {
+				logrus.Warnf("env var %s missing from %s.env, present in recipe .env.sample", envVar.Name, app.Domain)
+			}
+		}
+
+		if err := internal.DeployOverview(app, version, "continue with deployment?"); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !internal.NoDomainChecks {
+			domainName, ok := app.Env["DOMAIN"]
+			if ok {
+				if _, err = dns.EnsureDomainsResolveSameIPv4(domainName, app.Server); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			} else {
+				logrus.Warn("skipping domain checks as no DOMAIN=... configured for app")
+			}
+		} else {
+			logrus.Warn("skipping domain checks as requested")
+		}
+
+		stack.WaitTimeout, err = config.GetTimeoutFromLabel(compose, stackName)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		logrus.Debugf("set waiting timeout to %d s", stack.WaitTimeout)
+
+		if err := stack.RunDeploy(cl, deployOpts, compose, app.Name, internal.DontWaitConverge); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		postDeployCmds, ok := app.Env["POST_DEPLOY_CMDS"]
+		if ok && !internal.DontWaitConverge {
+			logrus.Debugf("run the following post-deploy commands: %s", postDeployCmds)
+			if err := internal.PostCmds(cl, app, postDeployCmds); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatalf("attempting to run post deploy commands, saw: %s", err)
+			}
+		}
+		return nil
+	},
 }
--- a/cli/app/errors.go
+++ b/cli/app/errors.go
@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@ -18,11 +20,12 @@ import (
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var appErrorsCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:  "errors",
-	Usage: "List errors for a deployed app",
+var appErrorsCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "errors",
+	Usage:     "List errors for a deployed app",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
 	Description: `
-This command lists errors for a deployed app.
+List errors for a deployed app.

 This is a best-effort implementation and an attempt to gather a number of tips
 & tricks for finding errors together into one convenient command. When an app
@ -39,13 +42,17 @@ Got any more ideas? Please let us know:

    https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/organising/issues/new/choose

-This command is best accompanied by "abra app logs <app>" which may reveal
+This command is best accompanied by "abra app logs <domain>" which may reveal
 further information which can help you debug the cause of an app failure via
 the logs.
-
 `,
-	Aliases:      []string{"e"},
-	Flags:        []cli.Flag{internal.WatchFlag},
+	Aliases: []string{"e"},
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.WatchFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
@ -55,7 +62,7 @@ the logs.
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		isDeployed, _, err := stack.IsDeployed(c.Context, cl, app.StackName())
+		isDeployed, _, err := stack.IsDeployed(context.Background(), cl, app.StackName())
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@ -77,21 +84,20 @@ the logs.
 			}
 			time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)
 		}
-
-		return nil
 	},
 }

 func checkErrors(c *cli.Context, cl *dockerClient.Client, app config.App) error {
-	recipe, err := recipe.Get(app.Type)
+	recipe, err := recipe.Get(app.Recipe, internal.Offline)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}

 	for _, service := range recipe.Config.Services {
 		filters := filters.NewArgs()
-		filters.Add("name", service.Name)
-		containers, err := cl.ContainerList(c.Context, types.ContainerListOptions{Filters: filters})
+		filters.Add("name", fmt.Sprintf("^%s_%s", app.StackName(), service.Name))
+
+		containers, err := cl.ContainerList(context.Background(), types.ContainerListOptions{Filters: filters})
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@ -102,7 +108,7 @@ func checkErrors(c *cli.Context, cl *dockerClient.Client, app config.App) error
 		}

 		container := containers[0]
-		containerState, err := cl.ContainerInspect(c.Context, container.ID)
+		containerState, err := cl.ContainerInspect(context.Background(), container.ID)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
--- a/cli/app/list.go
+++ b/cli/app/list.go
@ -1,15 +1,16 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"sort"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/ssh"
 	"coopcloud.tech/tagcmp"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
@ -19,18 +20,17 @@ var status bool
 var statusFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
 	Name:        "status",
 	Aliases:     []string{"S"},
-	Value:       false,
 	Usage:       "Show app deployment status",
 	Destination: &status,
 }

-var appType string
-var typeFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "type",
-	Aliases:     []string{"t"},
+var recipeFilter string
+var recipeFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
+	Name:        "recipe",
+	Aliases:     []string{"r"},
 	Value:       "",
-	Usage:       "Show apps of a specific type",
-	Destination: &appType,
+	Usage:       "Show apps of a specific recipe",
+	Destination: &recipeFilter,
 }

 var listAppServer string
@ -43,53 +43,60 @@ var listAppServerFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
 }

 type appStatus struct {
-	server  string
-	recipe  string
-	appName string
-	domain  string
-	status  string
-	version string
-	upgrade string
+	Server       string `json:"server"`
+	Recipe       string `json:"recipe"`
+	AppName      string `json:"appName"`
+	Domain       string `json:"domain"`
+	Status       string `json:"status"`
+	Chaos        string `json:"chaos"`
+	ChaosVersion string `json:"chaosVersion"`
+	AutoUpdate   string `json:"autoUpdate"`
+	Version      string `json:"version"`
+	Upgrade      string `json:"upgrade"`
 }

 type serverStatus struct {
-	apps             []appStatus
-	appCount         int
-	versionCount     int
-	unversionedCount int
-	latestCount      int
-	upgradeCount     int
+	Apps             []appStatus `json:"apps"`
+	AppCount         int         `json:"appCount"`
+	VersionCount     int         `json:"versionCount"`
+	UnversionedCount int         `json:"unversionedCount"`
+	LatestCount      int         `json:"latestCount"`
+	UpgradeCount     int         `json:"upgradeCount"`
 }

-var appListCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:  "list",
-	Usage: "List all managed apps",
+var appListCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "list",
+	Aliases: []string{"ls"},
+	Usage:   "List all managed apps",
 	Description: `
-This command looks at your local file system listing of apps and servers (e.g.
-in ~/.abra/) to generate a report of all your apps.
+Read the local file system listing of apps and servers (e.g. ~/.abra/) to
+generate a report of all your apps.

 By passing the "--status/-S" flag, you can query all your servers for the
 actual live deployment status. Depending on how many servers you manage, this
 can take some time.
-	`,
-	Aliases: []string{"ls"},
+`,
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.MachineReadableFlag,
 		statusFlag,
 		listAppServerFlag,
-		typeFlag,
+		recipeFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
 	},
+	Before: internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		appFiles, err := config.LoadAppFiles(listAppServer)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		apps, err := config.GetApps(appFiles)
+		apps, err := config.GetApps(appFiles, recipeFilter)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		sort.Sort(config.ByServerAndType(apps))
+		sort.Sort(config.ByServerAndRecipe(apps))

 		statuses := make(map[string]map[string]string)
 		var catl recipe.RecipeCatalogue
@ -97,20 +104,16 @@ can take some time.
 			alreadySeen := make(map[string]bool)
 			for _, app := range apps {
 				if _, ok := alreadySeen[app.Server]; !ok {
-					if err := ssh.EnsureHostKey(app.Server); err != nil {
-						logrus.Fatal(fmt.Sprintf(internal.SSHFailMsg, app.Server))
-					}
 					alreadySeen[app.Server] = true
 				}
 			}

-			statuses, err = config.GetAppStatuses(appFiles)
+			statuses, err = config.GetAppStatuses(apps, internal.MachineReadable)
 			if err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}

-			var err error
-			catl, err = recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue()
+			catl, err = recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue(internal.Offline)
 			if err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
@ -124,43 +127,60 @@ can take some time.
 			var ok bool
 			if stats, ok = allStats[app.Server]; !ok {
 				stats = serverStatus{}
-				if appType == "" {
+				if recipeFilter == "" {
 					// count server, no filtering
 					totalServersCount++
 				}
 			}

-			if app.Type == appType || appType == "" {
-				if appType != "" {
+			if app.Recipe == recipeFilter || recipeFilter == "" {
+				if recipeFilter != "" {
 					// only count server if matches filter
 					totalServersCount++
 				}

 				appStats := appStatus{}
-				stats.appCount++
+				stats.AppCount++
 				totalAppsCount++

 				if status {
 					status := "unknown"
 					version := "unknown"
+					chaos := "unknown"
+					chaosVersion := "unknown"
+					autoUpdate := "unknown"
 					if statusMeta, ok := statuses[app.StackName()]; ok {
 						if currentVersion, exists := statusMeta["version"]; exists {
-							version = currentVersion
+							if currentVersion != "" {
+								version = currentVersion
+							}
+						}
+						if chaosDeploy, exists := statusMeta["chaos"]; exists {
+							chaos = chaosDeploy
+						}
+						if chaosDeployVersion, exists := statusMeta["chaosVersion"]; exists {
+							chaosVersion = chaosDeployVersion
+						}
+						if autoUpdateState, exists := statusMeta["autoUpdate"]; exists {
+							autoUpdate = autoUpdateState
 						}
 						if statusMeta["status"] != "" {
 							status = statusMeta["status"]
 						}
-						stats.versionCount++
+						stats.VersionCount++
 					} else {
-						stats.unversionedCount++
+						stats.UnversionedCount++
 					}

-					appStats.status = status
-					appStats.version = version
+					appStats.Status = status
+					appStats.Chaos = chaos
+					appStats.ChaosVersion = chaosVersion
+					appStats.Version = version
+					appStats.AutoUpdate = autoUpdate

 					var newUpdates []string
 					if version != "unknown" {
-						updates, err := recipe.GetRecipeCatalogueVersions(app.Type, catl)
+						updates, err := recipe.GetRecipeCatalogueVersions(app.Recipe, catl)
 						if err != nil {
 							logrus.Fatal(err)
 						}
@ -184,29 +204,38 @@ can take some time.

 					if len(newUpdates) == 0 {
 						if version == "unknown" {
-							appStats.upgrade = "unknown"
+							appStats.Upgrade = "unknown"
 						} else {
-							appStats.upgrade = "latest"
-							stats.latestCount++
+							appStats.Upgrade = "latest"
+							stats.LatestCount++
 						}
 					} else {
 						newUpdates = internal.ReverseStringList(newUpdates)
-						appStats.upgrade = strings.Join(newUpdates, "\n")
-						stats.upgradeCount++
+						appStats.Upgrade = strings.Join(newUpdates, "\n")
+						stats.UpgradeCount++
 					}
 				}

-				appStats.server = app.Server
-				appStats.recipe = app.Type
-				appStats.appName = app.Name
-				appStats.domain = app.Domain
+				appStats.Server = app.Server
+				appStats.Recipe = app.Recipe
+				appStats.AppName = app.Name
+				appStats.Domain = app.Domain

-				stats.apps = append(stats.apps, appStats)
+				stats.Apps = append(stats.Apps, appStats)
 			}
-
 			allStats[app.Server] = stats
 		}

+		if internal.MachineReadable {
+			jsonstring, err := json.Marshal(allStats)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			} else {
+				fmt.Println(string(jsonstring))
+			}
+			return nil
+		}
+
 		alreadySeen := make(map[string]bool)
 		for _, app := range apps {
 			if _, ok := alreadySeen[app.Server]; ok {
@ -215,17 +244,27 @@ can take some time.

 			serverStat := allStats[app.Server]

-			tableCol := []string{"recipe", "domain", "app name"}
+			tableCol := []string{"recipe", "domain"}
 			if status {
-				tableCol = append(tableCol, []string{"status", "version", "upgrade"}...)
+				tableCol = append(tableCol, []string{"status", "chaos", "version", "upgrade", "autoupdate"}...)
 			}

 			table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)

-			for _, appStat := range serverStat.apps {
-				tableRow := []string{appStat.recipe, appStat.domain, appStat.appName}
+			for _, appStat := range serverStat.Apps {
+				tableRow := []string{appStat.Recipe, appStat.Domain}
 				if status {
-					tableRow = append(tableRow, []string{appStat.status, appStat.version, appStat.upgrade}...)
+					chaosStatus := appStat.Chaos
+					if chaosStatus != "unknown" {
+						chaosEnabled, err := strconv.ParseBool(chaosStatus)
+						if err != nil {
+							logrus.Fatal(err)
+						}
+						if chaosEnabled && appStat.ChaosVersion != "unknown" {
+							chaosStatus = appStat.ChaosVersion
+						}
+					}
+					tableRow = append(tableRow, []string{appStat.Status, chaosStatus, appStat.Version, appStat.Upgrade, appStat.AutoUpdate}...)
 				}
 				table.Append(tableRow)
 			}
@ -237,14 +276,14 @@ can take some time.
 					fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf(
 						"server: %s | total apps: %v | versioned: %v | unversioned: %v | latest: %v | upgrade: %v",
 						app.Server,
-						serverStat.appCount,
-						serverStat.versionCount,
-						serverStat.unversionedCount,
-						serverStat.latestCount,
-						serverStat.upgradeCount,
+						serverStat.AppCount,
+						serverStat.VersionCount,
+						serverStat.UnversionedCount,
+						serverStat.LatestCount,
+						serverStat.UpgradeCount,
 					))
 				} else {
-					fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf("server: %s | total apps: %v", app.Server, serverStat.appCount))
+					fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf("server: %s | total apps: %v", app.Server, serverStat.AppCount))
 				}
 			}

--- a/cli/app/logs.go
+++ b/cli/app/logs.go
@ -1,51 +1,125 @@
 package app

 import (
-	"fmt"
+	"context"
 	"io"
 	"os"
+	"slices"
 	"sync"
+	"time"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/service"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/swarm"
 	dockerClient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var logOpts = types.ContainerLogsOptions{
-	Details:    false,
-	Follow:     true,
-	ShowStderr: true,
-	ShowStdout: true,
-	Tail:       "20",
-	Timestamps: true,
+var appLogsCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "logs",
+	Aliases:   []string{"l"},
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain> [<service>]",
+	Usage:     "Tail app logs",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.StdErrOnlyFlag,
+		internal.SinceLogsFlag,
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
+		stackName := app.StackName()
+
+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		isDeployed, _, err := stack.IsDeployed(context.Background(), cl, stackName)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !isDeployed {
+			logrus.Fatalf("%s is not deployed?", app.Name)
+		}
+
+		serviceName := c.Args().Get(1)
+		serviceNames := []string{}
+		if serviceName != "" {
+			serviceNames = []string{serviceName}
+		}
+		err = tailLogs(cl, app, serviceNames)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	},
 }

-// stackLogs lists logs for all stack services
-func stackLogs(c *cli.Context, stackName string, client *dockerClient.Client) {
-	filters := filters.NewArgs()
-	filters.Add("name", stackName)
-	serviceOpts := types.ServiceListOptions{Filters: filters}
-	services, err := client.ServiceList(c.Context, serviceOpts)
+// tailLogs prints logs for the given app with optional service names to be
+// filtered on. It also checks if the latest task is not runnning and then
+// prints the past tasks.
+func tailLogs(cl *dockerClient.Client, app config.App, serviceNames []string) error {
+	f, err := app.Filters(true, false, serviceNames...)
 	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
+		return err
+	}
+
+	services, err := cl.ServiceList(context.Background(), types.ServiceListOptions{Filters: f})
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
 	}

 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 	for _, service := range services {
-		wg.Add(1)
-		go func(s string) {
-			if internal.StdErrOnly {
-				logOpts.ShowStdout = false
+		filters := filters.NewArgs()
+		filters.Add("name", service.Spec.Name)
+		tasks, err := cl.TaskList(context.Background(), types.TaskListOptions{Filters: f})
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if len(tasks) > 0 {
+			// Need to sort the tasks by the CreatedAt field in the inverse order.
+			// Otherwise they are in the reversed order and not sorted properly.
+			slices.SortFunc[[]swarm.Task](tasks, func(t1, t2 swarm.Task) int {
+				return int(t2.Meta.CreatedAt.Unix() - t1.Meta.CreatedAt.Unix())
+			})
+			lastTask := tasks[0].Status
+			if lastTask.State != swarm.TaskStateRunning {
+				for _, task := range tasks {
+					logrus.Errorf("[%s] %s State %s: %s", service.Spec.Name, task.Meta.CreatedAt.Format(time.RFC3339), task.Status.State, task.Status.Err)
+				}
 			}
+		}

-			logs, err := client.ServiceLogs(c.Context, s, logOpts)
+		// Collect the logs in a go routine, so the logs from all services are
+		// collected in parallel.
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func(serviceID string) {
+			logs, err := cl.ServiceLogs(context.Background(), serviceID, types.ContainerLogsOptions{
+				ShowStderr: true,
+				ShowStdout: !internal.StdErrOnly,
+				Since:      internal.SinceLogs,
+				Until:      "",
+				Timestamps: true,
+				Follow:     true,
+				Tail:       "20",
+				Details:    false,
+			})
 			if err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
@ -58,65 +132,8 @@ func stackLogs(c *cli.Context, stackName string, client *dockerClient.Client) {
 		}(service.ID)
 	}

+	// Wait for all log streams to be closed.
 	wg.Wait()

-	os.Exit(0)
-}
-
-var appLogsCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:      "logs",
-	Aliases:   []string{"l"},
-	ArgsUsage: "[<service>]",
-	Usage:     "Tail app logs",
-	Flags: []cli.Flag{
-		internal.StdErrOnlyFlag,
-	},
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
-	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
-		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
-
-		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		serviceName := c.Args().Get(1)
-		if serviceName == "" {
-			logrus.Debugf("tailing logs for all %s services", app.Type)
-			stackLogs(c, app.StackName(), cl)
-		} else {
-			logrus.Debugf("tailing logs for %s", serviceName)
-			if err := tailServiceLogs(c, cl, app, serviceName); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-		}
-
-		return nil
-	},
-}
-
-func tailServiceLogs(c *cli.Context, cl *dockerClient.Client, app config.App, serviceName string) error {
-	filters := filters.NewArgs()
-	filters.Add("name", fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s", app.StackName(), serviceName))
-	chosenService, err := service.GetService(c.Context, cl, filters, internal.NoInput)
-	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	if internal.StdErrOnly {
-		logOpts.ShowStdout = false
-	}
-
-	logs, err := cl.ServiceLogs(c.Context, chosenService.ID, logOpts)
-	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	defer logs.Close()
-
-	_, err = io.Copy(os.Stdout, logs)
-	if err != nil && err != io.EOF {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
 	return nil
 }
--- a/cli/app/new.go
+++ b/cli/app/new.go
@ -1,17 +1,30 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"fmt"
+	"path"
+
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/jsontable"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
+	recipePkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/secret"
+	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
+	dockerClient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

 var appNewDescription = `
-This command takes a recipe and uses it to create a new app. This new app
-configuration is stored in your ~/.abra directory under the appropriate server.
+Take a recipe and uses it to create a new app. This new app configuration is
+stored in your ~/.abra directory under the appropriate server.

 This command does not deploy your app for you. You will need to run "abra app
-deploy <app>" to do so.
+deploy <domain>" to do so.

 You can see what recipes are available (i.e. values for the <recipe> argument)
 by running "abra recipe ls".
@ -26,19 +39,230 @@ pass store (see passwordstore.org for more). The pass command must be available
 on your $PATH.
 `

-var appNewCommand = &cli.Command{
+var appNewCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:        "new",
-	Usage:       "Create a new app",
 	Aliases:     []string{"n"},
+	Usage:       "Create a new app",
 	Description: appNewDescription,
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
 		internal.NewAppServerFlag,
 		internal.DomainFlag,
-		internal.NewAppNameFlag,
 		internal.PassFlag,
 		internal.SecretsFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		internal.ChaosFlag,
+	},
+	Before:    internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	ArgsUsage: "[<recipe>] [<version>]",
+	BashComplete: func(ctx *cli.Context) {
+		args := ctx.Args()
+		switch args.Len() {
+		case 0:
+			autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete(ctx)
+		case 1:
+			autocomplete.RecipeVersionComplete(ctx.Args().Get(0))
+		}
+	},
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		recipe := internal.ValidateRecipe(c)
+
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipePkg.EnsureIsClean(recipe.Name); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipePkg.EnsureUpToDate(recipe.Name); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+			if c.Args().Get(1) == "" {
+				if err := recipePkg.EnsureLatest(recipe.Name); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			} else {
+				if err := recipePkg.EnsureVersion(recipe.Name, c.Args().Get(1)); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		if err := ensureServerFlag(); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if err := ensureDomainFlag(recipe, internal.NewAppServer); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		sanitisedAppName := config.SanitiseAppName(internal.Domain)
+		logrus.Debugf("%s sanitised as %s for new app", internal.Domain, sanitisedAppName)
+
+		if err := config.TemplateAppEnvSample(
+			recipe.Name,
+			internal.Domain,
+			internal.NewAppServer,
+			internal.Domain,
+		); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		var secrets AppSecrets
+		var secretTable *jsontable.JSONTable
+		if internal.Secrets {
+			sampleEnv, err := recipe.SampleEnv()
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			composeFiles, err := config.GetComposeFiles(recipe.Name, sampleEnv)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipe.Name, ".env.sample")
+			secretsConfig, err := secret.ReadSecretsConfig(envSamplePath, composeFiles, config.StackName(internal.Domain))
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+
+			if err := promptForSecrets(recipe.Name, secretsConfig); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			cl, err := client.New(internal.NewAppServer)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			secrets, err = createSecrets(cl, secretsConfig, sanitisedAppName)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			secretCols := []string{"Name", "Value"}
+			secretTable = formatter.CreateTable(secretCols)
+			for name, val := range secrets {
+				secretTable.Append([]string{name, val})
+			}
+		}
+
+		if internal.NewAppServer == "default" {
+			internal.NewAppServer = "local"
+		}
+
+		tableCol := []string{"server", "recipe", "domain"}
+		table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
+		table.Append([]string{internal.NewAppServer, recipe.Name, internal.Domain})
+
+		fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf("A new %s app has been created! Here is an overview:", recipe.Name))
+		fmt.Println("")
+		table.Render()
+		fmt.Println("")
+		fmt.Println("You can configure this app by running the following:")
+		fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf("\n    abra app config %s", internal.Domain))
+		fmt.Println("")
+		fmt.Println("You can deploy this app by running the following:")
+		fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf("\n    abra app deploy %s", internal.Domain))
+
+		if len(secrets) > 0 {
+			fmt.Println("")
+			fmt.Println("Here are your generated secrets:")
+			fmt.Println("")
+			secretTable.Render()
+			logrus.Warn("generated secrets are not shown again, please take note of them NOW")
+		}
+
+		return nil
 	},
-	ArgsUsage:    "<recipe>",
-	Action:       internal.NewAction,
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete,
+}
+
+// AppSecrets represents all app secrest
+type AppSecrets map[string]string
+
+// createSecrets creates all secrets for a new app.
+func createSecrets(cl *dockerClient.Client, secretsConfig map[string]secret.Secret, sanitisedAppName string) (AppSecrets, error) {
+	secrets, err := secret.GenerateSecrets(cl, secretsConfig, internal.NewAppServer)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	if internal.Pass {
+		for secretName := range secrets {
+			secretValue := secrets[secretName]
+			if err := secret.PassInsertSecret(
+				secretValue,
+				secretName,
+				internal.Domain,
+				internal.NewAppServer,
+			); err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	return secrets, nil
+}
+
+// ensureDomainFlag checks if the domain flag was used. if not, asks the user for it/
+func ensureDomainFlag(recipe recipe.Recipe, server string) error {
+	if internal.Domain == "" && !internal.NoInput {
+		prompt := &survey.Input{
+			Message: "Specify app domain",
+			Default: fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s", recipe.Name, server),
+		}
+		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &internal.Domain); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	if internal.Domain == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("no domain provided")
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// promptForSecrets asks if we should generate secrets for a new app.
+func promptForSecrets(recipeName string, secretsConfig map[string]secret.Secret) error {
+	if len(secretsConfig) == 0 {
+		logrus.Debugf("%s has no secrets to generate, skipping...", recipeName)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	if !internal.Secrets && !internal.NoInput {
+		prompt := &survey.Confirm{
+			Message: "Generate app secrets?",
+		}
+		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &internal.Secrets); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// ensureServerFlag checks if the server flag was used. if not, asks the user for it.
+func ensureServerFlag() error {
+	servers, err := config.GetServers()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if internal.NewAppServer == "" && !internal.NoInput {
+		prompt := &survey.Select{
+			Message: "Select app server:",
+			Options: servers,
+		}
+		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &internal.NewAppServer); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	if internal.NewAppServer == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("no server provided")
+	}
+
+	return nil
 }
--- a/cli/app/ps.go
+++ b/cli/app/ps.go
@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"context"
 	"strings"
 	"time"

@ -14,20 +15,22 @@ import (
 	"github.com/buger/goterm"
 	dockerFormatter "github.com/docker/cli/cli/command/formatter"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
-	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
 	dockerClient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var appPsCommand = &cli.Command{
+var appPsCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:        "ps",
-	Usage:       "Check app status",
-	Description: "This command shows a more detailed status output of a specific deployed app.",
 	Aliases:     []string{"p"},
+	Usage:       "Check app status",
+	ArgsUsage:   "<domain>",
+	Description: "Show a more detailed status output of a specific deployed app",
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
 		internal.WatchFlag,
+		internal.DebugFlag,
 	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
@ -37,7 +40,7 @@ var appPsCommand = &cli.Command{
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		isDeployed, _, err := stack.IsDeployed(c.Context, cl, app.StackName())
+		isDeployed, _, err := stack.IsDeployed(context.Background(), cl, app.StackName())
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@ -63,10 +66,12 @@ var appPsCommand = &cli.Command{

 // showPSOutput renders ps output.
 func showPSOutput(c *cli.Context, app config.App, cl *dockerClient.Client) {
-	filters := filters.NewArgs()
-	filters.Add("name", app.StackName())
+	filters, err := app.Filters(true, true)
+	if err != nil {
+		logrus.Fatal(err)
+	}

-	containers, err := cl.ContainerList(c.Context, types.ContainerListOptions{Filters: filters})
+	containers, err := cl.ContainerList(context.Background(), types.ContainerListOptions{Filters: filters})
 	if err != nil {
 		logrus.Fatal(err)
 	}
--- a/cli/app/remove.go
+++ b/cli/app/remove.go
@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"log"
 	"os"
+	"time"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
@ -10,37 +13,49 @@ import (
 	stack "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
 	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
-	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/volume"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-// Volumes stores the variable from VolumesFlag
-var Volumes bool
+var appRemoveCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "remove",
+	Aliases:   []string{"rm"},
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
+	Usage:     "Remove all app data, locally and remotely",
+	Description: `
+This command removes everything related to an app which is already undeployed.

-// VolumesFlag is used to specify if volumes should be deleted when deleting an app
-var VolumesFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "volumes",
-	Value:       false,
-	Destination: &Volumes,
-}
+By default, it will prompt for confirmation before proceeding. All secrets,
+volumes and the local app env file will be deleted.

-var appRemoveCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:    "remove",
-	Usage:   "Remove an already undeployed app",
-	Aliases: []string{"rm"},
+Only run this command when you are sure you want to completely remove the app
+and all associated app data. This is a destructive action, Be Careful!
+
+If you would like to delete specific volumes or secrets, please use removal
+sub-commands under "app volume" and "app secret" instead.
+
+Please note, if you delete the local app env file without removing volumes and
+secrets first, Abra will *not* be able to help you remove them afterwards.
+
+To delete everything without prompt, use the "--force/-f" or the "--no-input/n"
+flag.
+`,
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
-		VolumesFlag,
 		internal.ForceFlag,
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
 	},
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)

-		if !internal.Force {
+		if !internal.Force && !internal.NoInput {
 			response := false
-			prompt := &survey.Confirm{
-				Message: fmt.Sprintf("about to remove %s, are you sure?", app.Name),
-			}
+			msg := "ALERTA ALERTA: this will completely remove %s data and configurations locally and remotely, are you sure?"
+			prompt := &survey.Confirm{Message: fmt.Sprintf(msg, app.Name)}
 			if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &response); err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
@ -54,17 +69,20 @@ var appRemoveCommand = &cli.Command{
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		isDeployed, _, err := stack.IsDeployed(c.Context, cl, app.StackName())
+		isDeployed, _, err := stack.IsDeployed(context.Background(), cl, app.StackName())
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
 		if isDeployed {
-			logrus.Fatalf("%s is still deployed. Run \"abra app undeploy %s \" or pass --force", app.Name, app.Name)
+			logrus.Fatalf("%s is still deployed. Run \"abra app undeploy %s\"", app.Name, app.Name)
 		}

-		fs := filters.NewArgs()
-		fs.Add("name", app.StackName())
-		secretList, err := cl.SecretList(c.Context, types.SecretListOptions{Filters: fs})
+		fs, err := app.Filters(false, false)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		secretList, err := cl.SecretList(context.Background(), types.SecretListOptions{Filters: fs})
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@ -78,23 +96,8 @@ var appRemoveCommand = &cli.Command{
 		}

 		if len(secrets) > 0 {
-			var secretNamesToRemove []string
-
-			if !internal.Force {
-				secretsPrompt := &survey.MultiSelect{
-					Message: "which secrets do you want to remove?",
-					Help:    "'x' indicates selected, enter / return to confirm, ctrl-c to exit, vim mode is enabled",
-					VimMode: true,
-					Options: secretNames,
-					Default: secretNames,
-				}
-				if err := survey.AskOne(secretsPrompt, &secretNamesToRemove); err != nil {
-					logrus.Fatal(err)
-				}
-			}
-
-			for _, name := range secretNamesToRemove {
-				err := cl.SecretRemove(c.Context, secrets[name])
+			for _, name := range secretNames {
+				err := cl.SecretRemove(context.Background(), secrets[name])
 				if err != nil {
 					logrus.Fatal(err)
 				}
@ -104,7 +107,13 @@ var appRemoveCommand = &cli.Command{
 			logrus.Info("no secrets to remove")
 		}

-		volumeListOKBody, err := cl.VolumeList(c.Context, fs)
+		fs, err = app.Filters(false, true)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		volumeListOptions := volume.ListOptions{fs}
+		volumeListOKBody, err := cl.VolumeList(context.Background(), volumeListOptions)
 		volumeList := volumeListOKBody.Volumes
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
@ -116,43 +125,43 @@ var appRemoveCommand = &cli.Command{
 		}

 		if len(vols) > 0 {
-			if Volumes {
-				var removeVols []string
-				if !internal.Force {
-					volumesPrompt := &survey.MultiSelect{
-						Message: "which volumes do you want to remove?",
-						Help:    "'x' indicates selected, enter / return to confirm, ctrl-c to exit, vim mode is enabled",
-						VimMode: true,
-						Options: vols,
-						Default: vols,
-					}
-					if err := survey.AskOne(volumesPrompt, &removeVols); err != nil {
-						logrus.Fatal(err)
-					}
+			for _, vol := range vols {
+				err = retryFunc(5, func() error {
+					return cl.VolumeRemove(context.Background(), vol, internal.Force) // last argument is for force removing
+				})
+				if err != nil {
+					log.Fatalf("removing volumes failed: %s", err)
 				}
-				for _, vol := range removeVols {
-					err := cl.VolumeRemove(c.Context, vol, internal.Force) // last argument is for force removing
-					if err != nil {
-						logrus.Fatal(err)
-					}
-					logrus.Info(fmt.Sprintf("volume %s removed", vol))
-				}
-			} else {
-				logrus.Info("no volumes were removed")
+				logrus.Info(fmt.Sprintf("volume %s removed", vol))
 			}
 		} else {
-			if Volumes {
-				logrus.Info("no volumes to remove")
-			}
+			logrus.Info("no volumes to remove")
 		}

-		err = os.Remove(app.Path)
-		if err != nil {
+		if err = os.Remove(app.Path); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
+
 		logrus.Info(fmt.Sprintf("file: %s removed", app.Path))

 		return nil
 	},
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
+}
+
+// retryFunc retries the given function for the given retries. After the nth
+// retry it waits (n + 1)^2 seconds before the next retry (starting with n=0).
+// It returns an error if the function still failed after the last retry.
+func retryFunc(retries int, fn func() error) error {
+	for i := 0; i < retries; i++ {
+		err := fn()
+		if err == nil {
+			return nil
+		}
+		if i+1 < retries {
+			sleep := time.Duration(i+1) * time.Duration(i+1)
+			logrus.Infof("%s: waiting %d seconds before next retry", err, sleep)
+			time.Sleep(sleep * time.Second)
+		}
+	}
+	return fmt.Errorf("%d retries failed", retries)
 }
--- a/cli/app/remove_test.go
+++ b/cli/app/remove_test.go
@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+package app
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestRetryFunc(t *testing.T) {
+	err := retryFunc(1, func() error { return nil })
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("should not return an error: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	i := 0
+	fn := func() error {
+		i++
+		return fmt.Errorf("oh no, something went wrong!")
+	}
+	err = retryFunc(2, fn)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Error("should return an error")
+	}
+	if i != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("The function should have been called 1 times, got %d", i)
+	}
+}
--- a/cli/app/restart.go
+++ b/cli/app/restart.go
@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"

@ -13,11 +14,16 @@ import (
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var appRestartCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:         "restart",
-	Usage:        "Restart an app",
-	Aliases:      []string{"re"},
-	ArgsUsage:    "<service>",
+var appRestartCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "restart",
+	Aliases:   []string{"re"},
+	Usage:     "Restart an app",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	Description:  `This command restarts a service within a deployed app.`,
 	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
@ -34,25 +40,34 @@ var appRestartCommand = &cli.Command{
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		serviceName := fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s", app.StackName(), serviceNameShort)
-
-		logrus.Debugf("attempting to scale %s to 0 (restart logic)", serviceName)
-		if err := upstream.RunServiceScale(c.Context, cl, serviceName, 0); err != nil {
+		isDeployed, _, err := stack.IsDeployed(context.Background(), cl, app.StackName())
+		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		if err := stack.WaitOnService(c.Context, cl, serviceName, app.Name); err != nil {
+		if !isDeployed {
+			logrus.Fatalf("%s is not deployed?", app.Name)
+		}
+
+		serviceName := fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s", app.StackName(), serviceNameShort)
+
+		logrus.Debugf("attempting to scale %s to 0 (restart logic)", serviceName)
+		if err := upstream.RunServiceScale(context.Background(), cl, serviceName, 0); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if err := stack.WaitOnService(context.Background(), cl, serviceName, app.Name); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

 		logrus.Debugf("%s has been scaled to 0 (restart logic)", serviceName)

 		logrus.Debugf("attempting to scale %s to 1 (restart logic)", serviceName)
-		if err := upstream.RunServiceScale(c.Context, cl, serviceName, 1); err != nil {
+		if err := upstream.RunServiceScale(context.Background(), cl, serviceName, 1); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		if err := stack.WaitOnService(c.Context, cl, serviceName, app.Name); err != nil {
+		if err := stack.WaitOnService(context.Background(), cl, serviceName, app.Name); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

--- a/cli/app/restore.go
+++ b/cli/app/restore.go
@ -1,76 +1,79 @@
 package app

 import (
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"io/ioutil"
-	"os"
-	"os/exec"
-	"path"
-	"strings"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var restoreAllServices bool
-var restoreAllServicesFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "all",
-	Value:       false,
-	Destination: &restoreAllServices,
-	Aliases:     []string{"a"},
-	Usage:       "Restore all services",
+var targetPath string
+var targetPathFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
+	Name:        "target, t",
+	Usage:       "Target path",
+	Destination: &targetPath,
 }

-var appRestoreCommand = &cli.Command{
+var appRestoreCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:      "restore",
-	Usage:     "Restore an app from a backup",
 	Aliases:   []string{"rs"},
-	Flags:     []cli.Flag{restoreAllServicesFlag},
-	ArgsUsage: "<service> [<backup file>]",
+	Usage:     "Restore an app backup",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain> <service>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		targetPathFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)

-		if c.Args().Len() > 1 && restoreAllServices {
-			internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("cannot use <service>/<backup file> and '--all' together"))
-		}
-
-		abraSh := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, app.Type, "abra.sh")
-		if _, err := os.Stat(abraSh); err != nil {
-			if os.IsNotExist(err) {
-				logrus.Fatalf("%s does not exist?", abraSh)
-			}
+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		sourceCmd := fmt.Sprintf("source %s", abraSh)
-		execCmd := "abra_restore"
-		if !restoreAllServices {
-			serviceName := c.Args().Get(1)
-			if serviceName == "" {
-				internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("no service(s) target provided"))
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipe.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipe.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
-			execCmd = fmt.Sprintf("abra_restore_%s", serviceName)
 		}

-		bytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(abraSh)
+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
-		if !strings.Contains(string(bytes), execCmd) {
-			logrus.Fatalf("%s doesn't have a %s function", app.Type, execCmd)
+
+		targetContainer, err := internal.RetrieveBackupBotContainer(cl)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		backupFile := c.Args().Get(2)
-		if backupFile != "" {
-			execCmd = fmt.Sprintf("%s %s", execCmd, backupFile)
+		execEnv := []string{fmt.Sprintf("SERVICE=%s", app.Domain)}
+		if snapshot != "" {
+			logrus.Debugf("including SNAPSHOT=%s in backupbot exec invocation", snapshot)
+			execEnv = append(execEnv, fmt.Sprintf("SNAPSHOT=%s", snapshot))
+		}
+		if targetPath != "" {
+			logrus.Debugf("including TARGET=%s in backupbot exec invocation", targetPath)
+			execEnv = append(execEnv, fmt.Sprintf("TARGET=%s", targetPath))
 		}

-		sourceAndExec := fmt.Sprintf("%s; %s", sourceCmd, execCmd)
-		cmd := exec.Command("bash", "-c", sourceAndExec)
-		if err := internal.RunCmd(cmd); err != nil {
+		if err := internal.RunBackupCmdRemote(cl, "restore", targetContainer.ID, execEnv); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

--- a/cli/app/rollback.go
+++ b/cli/app/rollback.go
@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"context"
 	"fmt"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
@ -17,16 +18,21 @@ import (
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var appRollbackCommand = &cli.Command{
+var appRollbackCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:      "rollback",
-	Usage:     "Roll an app back to a previous version",
 	Aliases:   []string{"rl"},
-	ArgsUsage: "<app>",
+	Usage:     "Roll an app back to a previous version",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain> [<version>]",
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
 		internal.ForceFlag,
 		internal.ChaosFlag,
+		internal.NoDomainChecksFlag,
 		internal.DontWaitConvergeFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
 	},
+	Before: internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	Description: `
 This command rolls an app back to a previous version if one exists.

@ -34,9 +40,9 @@ You may pass "--force/-f" to downgrade to the same version again. This can be
 useful if the container runtime has gotten into a weird state.

 This action could be destructive, please ensure you have a copy of your app
-data beforehand - see "abra app backup <app>" for more.
+data beforehand.

-Chas mode ("--chaos") will deploy your local checkout of a recipe as-is,
+Chaos mode ("--chaos") will deploy your local checkout of a recipe as-is,
 including unstaged changes and can be useful for live hacking and testing new
 recipes.
 `,
@ -45,11 +51,32 @@ recipes.
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
 		stackName := app.StackName()

-		if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Type); err != nil {
+		specificVersion := c.Args().Get(1)
+		if specificVersion != "" && internal.Chaos {
+			logrus.Fatal("cannot use <version> and --chaos together")
+		}
+
+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		r, err := recipe.Get(app.Type)
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipe.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipe.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		r, err := recipe.Get(app.Recipe, internal.Offline)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@ -65,7 +92,7 @@ recipes.

 		logrus.Debugf("checking whether %s is already deployed", stackName)

-		isDeployed, deployedVersion, err := stack.IsDeployed(c.Context, cl, stackName)
+		isDeployed, deployedVersion, err := stack.IsDeployed(context.Background(), cl, stackName)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@ -74,27 +101,51 @@ recipes.
 			logrus.Fatalf("%s is not deployed?", app.Name)
 		}

-		catl, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue()
+		catl, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue(internal.Offline)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		versions, err := recipe.GetRecipeCatalogueVersions(app.Type, catl)
+		versions, err := recipe.GetRecipeCatalogueVersions(app.Recipe, catl)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

 		if len(versions) == 0 && !internal.Chaos {
-			logrus.Fatalf("no published releases for %s in the recipe catalogue?", app.Type)
+			logrus.Warn("no published versions in catalogue, trying local recipe repository")
+			recipeVersions, err := recipe.GetRecipeVersions(app.Recipe, internal.Offline)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Warn(err)
+			}
+			for _, recipeVersion := range recipeVersions {
+				for version := range recipeVersion {
+					versions = append(versions, version)
+				}
+			}
 		}

 		var availableDowngrades []string
 		if deployedVersion == "unknown" {
 			availableDowngrades = versions
-			logrus.Warnf("failed to determine version of deployed %s", app.Name)
+			logrus.Warnf("failed to determine deployed version of %s", app.Name)
 		}

-		if deployedVersion != "unknown" && !internal.Chaos {
+		if specificVersion != "" {
+			parsedDeployedVersion, err := tagcmp.Parse(deployedVersion)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			parsedSpecificVersion, err := tagcmp.Parse(specificVersion)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			if parsedSpecificVersion.IsGreaterThan(parsedDeployedVersion) || parsedSpecificVersion.Equals(parsedDeployedVersion) {
+				logrus.Fatalf("%s is not a downgrade for %s?", deployedVersion, specificVersion)
+			}
+			availableDowngrades = append(availableDowngrades, specificVersion)
+		}
+
+		if deployedVersion != "unknown" && !internal.Chaos && specificVersion == "" {
 			for _, version := range versions {
 				parsedDeployedVersion, err := tagcmp.Parse(deployedVersion)
 				if err != nil {
@ -104,28 +155,26 @@ recipes.
 				if err != nil {
 					logrus.Fatal(err)
 				}
-				if parsedVersion != parsedDeployedVersion && parsedVersion.IsLessThan(parsedDeployedVersion) {
+				if parsedVersion.IsLessThan(parsedDeployedVersion) && !(parsedVersion.Equals(parsedDeployedVersion)) {
 					availableDowngrades = append(availableDowngrades, version)
 				}
 			}

-			if len(availableDowngrades) == 0 {
+			if len(availableDowngrades) == 0 && !internal.Force {
 				logrus.Info("no available downgrades, you're on oldest ✌️")
 				return nil
 			}
 		}

-		availableDowngrades = internal.ReverseStringList(availableDowngrades)
-
 		var chosenDowngrade string
-		if !internal.Chaos {
-			if internal.Force {
-				chosenDowngrade = availableDowngrades[0]
-				logrus.Debugf("choosing %s as version to downgrade to (--force)", chosenDowngrade)
+		if len(availableDowngrades) > 0 && !internal.Chaos {
+			if internal.Force || internal.NoInput || specificVersion != "" {
+				chosenDowngrade = availableDowngrades[len(availableDowngrades)-1]
+				logrus.Debugf("choosing %s as version to downgrade to (--force/--no-input)", chosenDowngrade)
 			} else {
 				prompt := &survey.Select{
 					Message: fmt.Sprintf("Please select a downgrade (current version: %s):", deployedVersion),
-					Options: availableDowngrades,
+					Options: internal.ReverseStringList(availableDowngrades),
 				}
 				if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &chosenDowngrade); err != nil {
 					return err
@ -134,7 +183,7 @@ recipes.
 		}

 		if !internal.Chaos {
-			if err := recipe.EnsureVersion(app.Type, chosenDowngrade); err != nil {
+			if err := recipe.EnsureVersion(app.Recipe, chosenDowngrade); err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
 		}
@ -142,13 +191,13 @@ recipes.
 		if internal.Chaos {
 			logrus.Warn("chaos mode engaged")
 			var err error
-			chosenDowngrade, err = recipe.ChaosVersion(app.Type)
+			chosenDowngrade, err = recipe.ChaosVersion(app.Recipe)
 			if err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
 		}

-		abraShPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", config.RECIPES_DIR, app.Type, "abra.sh")
+		abraShPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", config.RECIPES_DIR, app.Recipe, "abra.sh")
 		abraShEnv, err := config.ReadAbraShEnvVars(abraShPath)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
@ -157,7 +206,7 @@ recipes.
 			app.Env[k] = v
 		}

-		composeFiles, err := config.GetAppComposeFiles(app.Type, app.Env)
+		composeFiles, err := config.GetComposeFiles(app.Recipe, app.Env)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@ -171,14 +220,18 @@ recipes.
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
+		config.ExposeAllEnv(stackName, compose, app.Env)
+		config.SetRecipeLabel(compose, stackName, app.Recipe)
+		config.SetChaosLabel(compose, stackName, internal.Chaos)
+		config.SetChaosVersionLabel(compose, stackName, chosenDowngrade)
+		config.SetUpdateLabel(compose, stackName, app.Env)

-		if !internal.Force {
-			if err := internal.NewVersionOverview(app, deployedVersion, chosenDowngrade, ""); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
+		// NOTE(d1): no release notes implemeneted for rolling back
+		if err := internal.NewVersionOverview(app, deployedVersion, chosenDowngrade, ""); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		if err := stack.RunDeploy(cl, deployOpts, compose, app.StackName(), internal.DontWaitConverge); err != nil {
+		if err := stack.RunDeploy(cl, deployOpts, compose, stackName, internal.DontWaitConverge); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

--- a/cli/app/run.go
+++ b/cli/app/run.go
@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"

@ -18,26 +19,27 @@ import (

 var user string
 var userFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "user",
+	Name:        "user, u",
 	Value:       "",
 	Destination: &user,
 }

 var noTTY bool
 var noTTYFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "no-tty",
-	Value:       false,
+	Name:        "no-tty, t",
 	Destination: &noTTY,
 }

-var appRunCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name: "run",
+var appRunCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "run",
+	Aliases: []string{"r"},
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
 		noTTYFlag,
 		userFlag,
 	},
-	Aliases:      []string{"r"},
-	ArgsUsage:    "<service> <args>...",
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	ArgsUsage:    "<domain> <service> <args>...",
 	Usage:        "Run a command in a service container",
 	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
@ -57,11 +59,11 @@ var appRunCommand = &cli.Command{
 		}

 		serviceName := c.Args().Get(1)
-		stackAndServiceName := fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s", app.StackName(), serviceName)
+		stackAndServiceName := fmt.Sprintf("^%s_%s", app.StackName(), serviceName)
 		filters := filters.NewArgs()
 		filters.Add("name", stackAndServiceName)

-		targetContainer, err := containerPkg.GetContainer(c.Context, cl, filters, true)
+		targetContainer, err := containerPkg.GetContainer(context.Background(), cl, filters, false)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@ -89,7 +91,7 @@ var appRunCommand = &cli.Command{
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		if err := container.RunExec(dcli, cl, targetContainer.ID, &execCreateOpts); err != nil {
+		if _, err := container.RunExec(dcli, cl, targetContainer.ID, &execCreateOpts); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

--- a/cli/app/secret.go
+++ b/cli/app/secret.go
@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
@ -9,33 +10,72 @@ import (
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/secret"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
-	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
+	dockerClient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var allSecrets bool
-var allSecretsFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "all",
-	Aliases:     []string{"a"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Destination: &allSecrets,
-	Usage:       "Generate all secrets",
-}
+var (
+	allSecrets     bool
+	allSecretsFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "all, a",
+		Destination: &allSecrets,
+		Usage:       "Generate all secrets",
+	}
+)

-var appSecretGenerateCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:         "generate",
-	Aliases:      []string{"g"},
-	Usage:        "Generate secrets",
-	ArgsUsage:    "<secret> <version>",
-	Flags:        []cli.Flag{allSecretsFlag, internal.PassFlag},
+var (
+	rmAllSecrets     bool
+	rmAllSecretsFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "all, a",
+		Destination: &rmAllSecrets,
+		Usage:       "Remove all secrets",
+	}
+)
+
+var appSecretGenerateCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "generate",
+	Aliases:   []string{"g"},
+	Usage:     "Generate secrets",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain> <secret> <version>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		allSecretsFlag,
+		internal.PassFlag,
+		internal.MachineReadableFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		internal.ChaosFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)

+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipe.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipe.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
 		if c.Args().Len() == 1 && !allSecrets {
 			err := errors.New("missing arguments <secret>/<version> or '--all'")
 			internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, err)
@ -46,33 +86,42 @@ var appSecretGenerateCommand = &cli.Command{
 			internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, err)
 		}

-		secretsToCreate := make(map[string]string)
-		secretEnvVars := secret.ReadSecretEnvVars(app.Env)
-		if allSecrets {
-			secretsToCreate = secretEnvVars
-		} else {
+		composeFiles, err := config.GetComposeFiles(app.Recipe, app.Env)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		secrets, err := secret.ReadSecretsConfig(app.Path, composeFiles, app.StackName())
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !allSecrets {
 			secretName := c.Args().Get(1)
 			secretVersion := c.Args().Get(2)
-			matches := false
-			for sec := range secretEnvVars {
-				parsed := secret.ParseSecretEnvVarName(sec)
-				if secretName == parsed {
-					secretsToCreate[sec] = secretVersion
-				}
-			}
-			if !matches {
+			s, ok := secrets[secretName]
+			if !ok {
 				logrus.Fatalf("%s doesn't exist in the env config?", secretName)
 			}
+			s.Version = secretVersion
+			secrets = map[string]secret.Secret{
+				secretName: s,
+			}
 		}

-		secretVals, err := secret.GenerateSecrets(secretsToCreate, app.StackName(), app.Server)
+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		secretVals, err := secret.GenerateSecrets(cl, secrets, app.Server)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

 		if internal.Pass {
 			for name, data := range secretVals {
-				if err := secret.PassInsertSecret(data, name, app.StackName(), app.Server); err != nil {
+				if err := secret.PassInsertSecret(data, name, app.Name, app.Server); err != nil {
 					logrus.Fatal(err)
 				}
 			}
@ -88,19 +137,28 @@ var appSecretGenerateCommand = &cli.Command{
 		for name, val := range secretVals {
 			table.Append([]string{name, val})
 		}
-		table.Render()
-		logrus.Warn("generated secrets are not shown again, please take note of them *now*")
+
+		if internal.MachineReadable {
+			table.JSONRender()
+		} else {
+			table.Render()
+		}
+		logrus.Warn("generated secrets are not shown again, please take note of them NOW")

 		return nil
 	},
 }

-var appSecretInsertCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:         "insert",
-	Aliases:      []string{"i"},
-	Usage:        "Insert secret",
-	Flags:        []cli.Flag{internal.PassFlag},
-	ArgsUsage:    "<app> <secret-name> <version> <data>",
+var appSecretInsertCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "insert",
+	Aliases: []string{"i"},
+	Usage:   "Insert secret",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.PassFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	ArgsUsage:    "<domain> <secret-name> <version> <data>",
 	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Description: `
 This command inserts a secret into an app environment.
@ -121,17 +179,24 @@ Example:
 			internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("missing arguments?"))
 		}

+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
 		name := c.Args().Get(1)
 		version := c.Args().Get(2)
 		data := c.Args().Get(3)

 		secretName := fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s_%s", app.StackName(), name, version)
-		if err := client.StoreSecret(secretName, data, app.Server); err != nil {
+		if err := client.StoreSecret(cl, secretName, data, app.Server); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

+		logrus.Infof("%s successfully stored on server", secretName)
+
 		if internal.Pass {
-			if err := secret.PassInsertSecret(data, name, app.StackName(), app.Server); err != nil {
+			if err := secret.PassInsertSecret(data, name, app.Name, app.Server); err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
 		}
@ -140,29 +205,85 @@ Example:
 	},
 }

-var appSecretRmCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:         "remove",
-	Usage:        "Remove a secret",
-	Aliases:      []string{"rm"},
-	Flags:        []cli.Flag{allSecretsFlag, internal.PassFlag},
-	ArgsUsage:    "<app> <secret-name>",
+// secretRm removes a secret.
+func secretRm(cl *dockerClient.Client, app config.App, secretName, parsed string) error {
+	if err := cl.SecretRemove(context.Background(), secretName); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	logrus.Infof("deleted %s successfully from server", secretName)
+
+	if internal.PassRemove {
+		if err := secret.PassRmSecret(parsed, app.StackName(), app.Server); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		logrus.Infof("deleted %s successfully from local pass store", secretName)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+var appSecretRmCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "remove",
+	Aliases: []string{"rm"},
+	Usage:   "Remove a secret",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+		rmAllSecretsFlag,
+		internal.PassRemoveFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		internal.ChaosFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	ArgsUsage:    "<domain> [<secret-name>]",
 	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Description: `
-This command removes a secret from an app environment.
+This command removes app secrets.

 Example:

    abra app secret remove myapp db_pass
-
 `,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)

-		if c.Args().Get(1) != "" && allSecrets {
+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipe.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipe.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		composeFiles, err := config.GetComposeFiles(app.Recipe, app.Env)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		secrets, err := secret.ReadSecretsConfig(app.Path, composeFiles, app.StackName())
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if c.Args().Get(1) != "" && rmAllSecrets {
 			internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("cannot use '<secret-name>' and '--all' together"))
 		}

-		if c.Args().Get(1) == "" && !allSecrets {
+		if c.Args().Get(1) == "" && !rmAllSecrets {
 			internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("no secret(s) specified?"))
 		}

@ -171,63 +292,12 @@ Example:
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		filters := filters.NewArgs()
-		filters.Add("name", app.StackName())
-		secretList, err := cl.SecretList(c.Context, types.SecretListOptions{Filters: filters})
+		filters, err := app.Filters(false, false)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		secretToRm := c.Args().Get(1)
-		for _, cont := range secretList {
-			secretName := cont.Spec.Annotations.Name
-			parsed := secret.ParseGeneratedSecretName(secretName, app)
-			if allSecrets {
-				if err := cl.SecretRemove(c.Context, secretName); err != nil {
-					logrus.Fatal(err)
-				}
-				if internal.Pass {
-					if err := secret.PassRmSecret(parsed, app.StackName(), app.Server); err != nil {
-						logrus.Fatal(err)
-					}
-				}
-			} else {
-				if parsed == secretToRm {
-					if err := cl.SecretRemove(c.Context, secretName); err != nil {
-						logrus.Fatal(err)
-					}
-					if internal.Pass {
-						if err := secret.PassRmSecret(parsed, app.StackName(), app.Server); err != nil {
-							logrus.Fatal(err)
-						}
-					}
-				}
-			}
-		}
-
-		return nil
-	},
-}
-
-var appSecretLsCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:    "list",
-	Usage:   "List all secrets",
-	Aliases: []string{"ls"},
-	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
-		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
-		secrets := secret.ReadSecretEnvVars(app.Env)
-
-		tableCol := []string{"Name", "Version", "Generated Name", "Created On Server"}
-		table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
-
-		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		filters := filters.NewArgs()
-		filters.Add("name", app.StackName())
-		secretList, err := cl.SecretList(c.Context, types.SecretListOptions{Filters: filters})
+		secretList, err := cl.SecretList(context.Background(), types.SecretListOptions{Filters: filters})
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@ -237,41 +307,122 @@ var appSecretLsCommand = &cli.Command{
 			remoteSecretNames[cont.Spec.Annotations.Name] = true
 		}

-		for sec := range secrets {
-			createdRemote := false
-			secretName := secret.ParseSecretEnvVarName(sec)
-			secVal, err := secret.ParseSecretEnvVarValue(secrets[sec])
-			if err != nil {
+		match := false
+		secretToRm := c.Args().Get(1)
+		for secretName, val := range secrets {
+			secretRemoteName := fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s_%s", app.StackName(), secretName, val.Version)
+			if _, ok := remoteSecretNames[secretRemoteName]; ok {
+				if secretToRm != "" {
+					if secretName == secretToRm {
+						if err := secretRm(cl, app, secretRemoteName, secretName); err != nil {
+							logrus.Fatal(err)
+						}
+
+						return nil
+					}
+				} else {
+					match = true
+
+					if err := secretRm(cl, app, secretRemoteName, secretName); err != nil {
+						logrus.Fatal(err)
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		if !match && secretToRm != "" {
+			logrus.Fatalf("%s doesn't exist on server?", secretToRm)
+		}
+
+		if !match {
+			logrus.Fatal("no secrets to remove?")
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	},
+}
+
+var appSecretLsCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "list",
+	Aliases: []string{"ls"},
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		internal.ChaosFlag,
+		internal.MachineReadableFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	Usage:        "List all secrets",
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
+
+		if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipe.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
-			secretRemoteName := fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s_%s", app.StackName(), secretName, secVal.Version)
-			if _, ok := remoteSecretNames[secretRemoteName]; ok {
-				createdRemote = true
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipe.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		tableCol := []string{"Name", "Version", "Generated Name", "Created On Server"}
+		table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
+
+		secStats, err := secret.PollSecretsStatus(cl, app)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		for _, secStat := range secStats {
+			tableRow := []string{
+				secStat.LocalName,
+				secStat.Version,
+				secStat.RemoteName,
+				strconv.FormatBool(secStat.CreatedOnRemote),
 			}
-			tableRow := []string{secretName, secVal.Version, secretRemoteName, strconv.FormatBool(createdRemote)}
 			table.Append(tableRow)
 		}

 		if table.NumLines() > 0 {
-			table.Render()
+			if internal.MachineReadable {
+				table.JSONRender()
+			} else {
+				table.Render()
+			}
 		} else {
 			logrus.Warnf("no secrets stored for %s", app.Name)
 		}

 		return nil
 	},
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 }

-var appSecretCommand = &cli.Command{
+var appSecretCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:      "secret",
 	Aliases:   []string{"s"},
 	Usage:     "Manage app secrets",
-	ArgsUsage: "<command>",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
 	Subcommands: []*cli.Command{
-		appSecretGenerateCommand,
-		appSecretInsertCommand,
-		appSecretRmCommand,
-		appSecretLsCommand,
+		&appSecretGenerateCommand,
+		&appSecretInsertCommand,
+		&appSecretRmCommand,
+		&appSecretLsCommand,
 	},
 }
--- a/cli/app/services.go
+++ b/cli/app/services.go
@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+package app
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/service"
+	stack "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
+)
+
+var appServicesCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "services",
+	Aliases:   []string{"sr"},
+	Usage:     "Display all services of an app",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
+
+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		isDeployed, _, err := stack.IsDeployed(context.Background(), cl, app.StackName())
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !isDeployed {
+			logrus.Fatalf("%s is not deployed?", app.Name)
+		}
+
+		filters, err := app.Filters(true, true)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		containers, err := cl.ContainerList(context.Background(), types.ContainerListOptions{Filters: filters})
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		tableCol := []string{"service name", "image"}
+		table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
+
+		for _, container := range containers {
+			var containerNames []string
+			for _, containerName := range container.Names {
+				trimmed := strings.TrimPrefix(containerName, "/")
+				containerNames = append(containerNames, trimmed)
+			}
+
+			serviceShortName := service.ContainerToServiceName(container.Names, app.StackName())
+			serviceLongName := fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s", app.StackName(), serviceShortName)
+
+			tableRow := []string{
+				serviceLongName,
+				formatter.RemoveSha(container.Image),
+			}
+			table.Append(tableRow)
+		}
+
+		table.Render()
+
+		return nil
+	},
+}
--- a/cli/app/undeploy.go
+++ b/cli/app/undeploy.go
@ -1,22 +1,102 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
+
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
 	stack "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
+	dockerClient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var appUndeployCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:    "undeploy",
-	Aliases: []string{"un"},
-	Usage:   "Undeploy an app",
+var prune bool
+
+var pruneFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "prune, p",
+	Destination: &prune,
+	Usage:       "Prunes unused containers, networks, and dangling images for an app",
+}
+
+// pruneApp runs the equivalent of a "docker system prune" but only filtering
+// against resources connected with the app deployment. It is not a system wide
+// prune. Volumes are not pruned to avoid unwated data loss.
+func pruneApp(c *cli.Context, cl *dockerClient.Client, app config.App) error {
+	stackName := app.StackName()
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	for {
+		logrus.Debugf("polling for %s stack, waiting to be undeployed...", stackName)
+
+		services, err := stack.GetStackServices(ctx, cl, stackName)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		if len(services) == 0 {
+			logrus.Debugf("%s undeployed, moving on with pruning logic", stackName)
+			time.Sleep(time.Second) // give runtime more time to tear down related state
+			break
+		}
+
+		time.Sleep(time.Second)
+	}
+
+	pruneFilters := filters.NewArgs()
+	stackSearch := fmt.Sprintf("%s*", stackName)
+	pruneFilters.Add("label", stackSearch)
+	cr, err := cl.ContainersPrune(ctx, pruneFilters)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	cntSpaceReclaimed := formatter.ByteCountSI(cr.SpaceReclaimed)
+	logrus.Infof("containers pruned: %d; space reclaimed: %s", len(cr.ContainersDeleted), cntSpaceReclaimed)
+
+	nr, err := cl.NetworksPrune(ctx, pruneFilters)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	logrus.Infof("networks pruned: %d", len(nr.NetworksDeleted))
+
+	ir, err := cl.ImagesPrune(ctx, pruneFilters)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	imgSpaceReclaimed := formatter.ByteCountSI(ir.SpaceReclaimed)
+	logrus.Infof("images pruned: %d; space reclaimed: %s", len(ir.ImagesDeleted), imgSpaceReclaimed)
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+var appUndeployCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "undeploy",
+	Aliases:   []string{"un"},
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+		pruneFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	Usage:        "Undeploy an app",
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Description: `
-This does not destroy any of the application data. However, you should remain
-vigilant, as your swarm installation will consider any previously attached
-volumes as eligiblef or pruning once undeployed.
+This does not destroy any of the application data.
+
+However, you should remain vigilant, as your swarm installation will consider
+any previously attached volumes as eligible for pruning once undeployed.
+
+Passing "-p/--prune" does not remove those volumes.
 `,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
@ -29,7 +109,7 @@ volumes as eligiblef or pruning once undeployed.

 		logrus.Debugf("checking whether %s is already deployed", stackName)

-		isDeployed, deployedVersion, err := stack.IsDeployed(c.Context, cl, stackName)
+		isDeployed, deployedVersion, err := stack.IsDeployed(context.Background(), cl, stackName)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@ -43,11 +123,16 @@ volumes as eligiblef or pruning once undeployed.
 		}

 		rmOpts := stack.Remove{Namespaces: []string{app.StackName()}}
-		if err := stack.RunRemove(c.Context, cl, rmOpts); err != nil {
+		if err := stack.RunRemove(context.Background(), cl, rmOpts); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

+		if prune {
+			if err := pruneApp(c, cl, app); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
 		return nil
 	},
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 }
--- a/cli/app/upgrade.go
+++ b/cli/app/upgrade.go
@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"context"
 	"fmt"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
@ -9,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/lint"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
+	recipePkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
 	stack "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
 	"coopcloud.tech/tagcmp"
 	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
@ -16,59 +18,82 @@ import (
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var appUpgradeCommand = &cli.Command{
+var appUpgradeCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:      "upgrade",
 	Aliases:   []string{"up"},
 	Usage:     "Upgrade an app",
-	ArgsUsage: "<app>",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain> [<version>]",
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
 		internal.ForceFlag,
 		internal.ChaosFlag,
 		internal.NoDomainChecksFlag,
+		internal.DontWaitConvergeFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
 	},
+	Before: internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	Description: `
-This command supports upgrading an app. You can use it to choose and roll out a
-new upgrade to an existing app.
+Upgrade an app. You can use it to choose and roll out a new upgrade to an
+existing app.

 This command specifically supports incrementing the version of running apps, as
-opposed to "abra app deploy <app>" which will not change the version of a
+opposed to "abra app deploy <domain>" which will not change the version of a
 deployed app.

 You may pass "--force/-f" to upgrade to the same version again. This can be
 useful if the container runtime has gotten into a weird state.

 This action could be destructive, please ensure you have a copy of your app
-data beforehand - see "abra app backup <app>" for more.
+data beforehand.

-Chas mode ("--chaos") will deploy your local checkout of a recipe as-is,
+Chaos mode ("--chaos") will deploy your local checkout of a recipe as-is,
 including unstaged changes and can be useful for live hacking and testing new
 recipes.
 `,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
 		stackName := app.StackName()

-		if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Type); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		specificVersion := c.Args().Get(1)
+		if specificVersion != "" && internal.Chaos {
+			logrus.Fatal("cannot use <version> and --chaos together")
 		}

-		r, err := recipe.Get(app.Type)
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipe.EnsureIsClean(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipe.EnsureLatest(app.Recipe); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		recipe, err := recipePkg.Get(app.Recipe, internal.Offline)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		if err := lint.LintForErrors(r); err != nil {
+		if err := lint.LintForErrors(recipe); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

+		logrus.Debugf("checking whether %s is already deployed", stackName)
+
 		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		logrus.Debugf("checking whether %s is already deployed", stackName)
-
-		isDeployed, deployedVersion, err := stack.IsDeployed(c.Context, cl, stackName)
+		isDeployed, deployedVersion, err := stack.IsDeployed(context.Background(), cl, stackName)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@ -77,37 +102,62 @@ recipes.
 			logrus.Fatalf("%s is not deployed?", app.Name)
 		}

-		catl, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue()
+		catl, err := recipePkg.ReadRecipeCatalogue(internal.Offline)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		versions, err := recipe.GetRecipeCatalogueVersions(app.Type, catl)
+		versions, err := recipePkg.GetRecipeCatalogueVersions(app.Recipe, catl)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

 		if len(versions) == 0 && !internal.Chaos {
-			logrus.Fatalf("no published releases for %s in the recipe catalogue?", app.Type)
+			logrus.Warn("no published versions in catalogue, trying local recipe repository")
+			recipeVersions, err := recipePkg.GetRecipeVersions(app.Recipe, internal.Offline)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Warn(err)
+			}
+			for _, recipeVersion := range recipeVersions {
+				for version := range recipeVersion {
+					versions = append(versions, version)
+				}
+			}
 		}

 		var availableUpgrades []string
-		if deployedVersion == "uknown" {
+		if deployedVersion == "unknown" {
 			availableUpgrades = versions
-			logrus.Warnf("failed to determine version of deployed %s", app.Name)
+			logrus.Warnf("failed to determine deployed version of %s", app.Name)
 		}

-		if deployedVersion != "unknown" && !internal.Chaos {
+		if specificVersion != "" {
+			parsedDeployedVersion, err := tagcmp.Parse(deployedVersion)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			parsedSpecificVersion, err := tagcmp.Parse(specificVersion)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			if parsedSpecificVersion.IsLessThan(parsedDeployedVersion) || parsedSpecificVersion.Equals(parsedDeployedVersion) {
+				logrus.Fatalf("%s is not an upgrade for %s?", deployedVersion, specificVersion)
+			}
+			availableUpgrades = append(availableUpgrades, specificVersion)
+		}
+
+		parsedDeployedVersion, err := tagcmp.Parse(deployedVersion)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if deployedVersion != "unknown" && !internal.Chaos && specificVersion == "" {
 			for _, version := range versions {
-				parsedDeployedVersion, err := tagcmp.Parse(deployedVersion)
-				if err != nil {
-					logrus.Fatal(err)
-				}
 				parsedVersion, err := tagcmp.Parse(version)
 				if err != nil {
 					logrus.Fatal(err)
 				}
-				if parsedVersion.IsGreaterThan(parsedDeployedVersion) {
+				if parsedVersion.IsGreaterThan(parsedDeployedVersion) && !(parsedVersion.Equals(parsedDeployedVersion)) {
 					availableUpgrades = append(availableUpgrades, version)
 				}
 			}
@ -118,17 +168,15 @@ recipes.
 			}
 		}

-		availableUpgrades = internal.ReverseStringList(availableUpgrades)
-
 		var chosenUpgrade string
 		if len(availableUpgrades) > 0 && !internal.Chaos {
-			if internal.Force {
+			if internal.Force || internal.NoInput || specificVersion != "" {
 				chosenUpgrade = availableUpgrades[len(availableUpgrades)-1]
 				logrus.Debugf("choosing %s as version to upgrade to", chosenUpgrade)
 			} else {
 				prompt := &survey.Select{
 					Message: fmt.Sprintf("Please select an upgrade (current version: %s):", deployedVersion),
-					Options: availableUpgrades,
+					Options: internal.ReverseStringList(availableUpgrades),
 				}
 				if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &chosenUpgrade); err != nil {
 					return err
@ -136,16 +184,38 @@ recipes.
 			}
 		}

+		if internal.Force && chosenUpgrade == "" {
+			logrus.Warnf("%s is already upgraded to latest but continuing (--force/--chaos)", app.Name)
+			chosenUpgrade = deployedVersion
+		}
+
 		// if release notes written after git tag published, read them before we
 		// check out the tag and then they'll appear to be missing. this covers
 		// when we obviously will forget to write release notes before publishing
-		releaseNotes, err := internal.GetReleaseNotes(app.Type, chosenUpgrade)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
+		var releaseNotes string
+		for _, version := range versions {
+			parsedVersion, err := tagcmp.Parse(version)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			parsedChosenUpgrade, err := tagcmp.Parse(chosenUpgrade)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !(parsedVersion.Equals(parsedDeployedVersion)) && parsedVersion.IsLessThan(parsedChosenUpgrade) {
+				note, err := internal.GetReleaseNotes(app.Recipe, version)
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
+				if note != "" {
+					releaseNotes += fmt.Sprintf("%s\n", note)
+				}
+			}
 		}

 		if !internal.Chaos {
-			if err := recipe.EnsureVersion(app.Type, chosenUpgrade); err != nil {
+			if err := recipePkg.EnsureVersion(app.Recipe, chosenUpgrade); err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
 		}
@ -153,13 +223,13 @@ recipes.
 		if internal.Chaos {
 			logrus.Warn("chaos mode engaged")
 			var err error
-			chosenUpgrade, err = recipe.ChaosVersion(app.Type)
+			chosenUpgrade, err = recipePkg.ChaosVersion(app.Recipe)
 			if err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
 		}

-		abraShPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", config.RECIPES_DIR, app.Type, "abra.sh")
+		abraShPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", config.RECIPES_DIR, app.Recipe, "abra.sh")
 		abraShEnv, err := config.ReadAbraShEnvVars(abraShPath)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
@ -168,7 +238,7 @@ recipes.
 			app.Env[k] = v
 		}

-		composeFiles, err := config.GetAppComposeFiles(app.Type, app.Env)
+		composeFiles, err := config.GetComposeFiles(app.Recipe, app.Env)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@ -182,16 +252,45 @@ recipes.
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
+		config.ExposeAllEnv(stackName, compose, app.Env)
+		config.SetRecipeLabel(compose, stackName, app.Recipe)
+		config.SetChaosLabel(compose, stackName, internal.Chaos)
+		config.SetChaosVersionLabel(compose, stackName, chosenUpgrade)
+		config.SetUpdateLabel(compose, stackName, app.Env)
+
+		envVars, err := config.CheckEnv(app)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		for _, envVar := range envVars {
+			if !envVar.Present {
+				logrus.Warnf("env var %s missing from %s.env, present in recipe .env.sample", envVar.Name, app.Domain)
+			}
+		}

 		if err := internal.NewVersionOverview(app, deployedVersion, chosenUpgrade, releaseNotes); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		if err := stack.RunDeploy(cl, deployOpts, compose, app.StackName(), internal.DontWaitConverge); err != nil {
+		stack.WaitTimeout, err = config.GetTimeoutFromLabel(compose, stackName)
+		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
+		logrus.Debugf("set waiting timeout to %d s", stack.WaitTimeout)
+
+		if err := stack.RunDeploy(cl, deployOpts, compose, stackName, internal.DontWaitConverge); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		postDeployCmds, ok := app.Env["POST_UPGRADE_CMDS"]
+		if ok && !internal.DontWaitConverge {
+			logrus.Debugf("run the following post-deploy commands: %s", postDeployCmds)
+			if err := internal.PostCmds(cl, app, postDeployCmds); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatalf("attempting to run post deploy commands, saw: %s", err)
+			}
+		}

 		return nil
 	},
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 }
--- a/cli/app/version.go
+++ b/cli/app/version.go
@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"context"
+	"sort"
+
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
@ -8,10 +11,21 @@ import (
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
 	"github.com/docker/distribution/reference"
+	"github.com/olekukonko/tablewriter"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

+func sortServiceByName(versions [][]string) func(i, j int) bool {
+	return func(i, j int) bool {
+		// NOTE(d1): corresponds to the `tableCol` definition below
+		if versions[i][1] == "app" {
+			return true
+		}
+		return versions[i][1] < versions[j][1]
+	}
+}
+
 // getImagePath returns the image name
 func getImagePath(image string) (string, error) {
 	img, err := reference.ParseNormalizedNamed(image)
@ -21,22 +35,25 @@ func getImagePath(image string) (string, error) {

 	path := reference.Path(img)

-	path = recipe.StripTagMeta(path)
+	path = formatter.StripTagMeta(path)

 	logrus.Debugf("parsed %s from %s", path, image)

 	return path, nil
 }

-var appVersionCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:    "version",
-	Aliases: []string{"v"},
-	Usage:   "Show app versions",
-	Description: `
-This command shows all information about versioning related to a deployed app.
-This includes the individual image names, tags and digests. But also the Co-op
-Cloud recipe version.
-`,
+var appVersionCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "version",
+	Aliases:   []string{"v"},
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	Usage:        "Show version info of a deployed app",
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)
 		stackName := app.StackName()
@ -48,20 +65,20 @@ Cloud recipe version.

 		logrus.Debugf("checking whether %s is already deployed", stackName)

-		isDeployed, deployedVersion, err := stack.IsDeployed(c.Context, cl, stackName)
+		isDeployed, deployedVersion, err := stack.IsDeployed(context.Background(), cl, stackName)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		if deployedVersion == "unknown" {
-			logrus.Fatalf("failed to determine version of deployed %s", app.Name)
-		}
-
 		if !isDeployed {
 			logrus.Fatalf("%s is not deployed?", app.Name)
 		}

-		recipeMeta, err := recipe.GetRecipeMeta(app.Type)
+		if deployedVersion == "unknown" {
+			logrus.Fatalf("failed to determine version of deployed %s", app.Name)
+		}
+
+		recipeMeta, err := recipe.GetRecipeMeta(app.Recipe, internal.Offline)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@ -77,17 +94,24 @@ Cloud recipe version.
 			logrus.Fatalf("could not retrieve deployed version (%s) from recipe catalogue?", deployedVersion)
 		}

-		tableCol := []string{"version", "service", "image", "digest"}
+		tableCol := []string{"version", "service", "image", "tag"}
 		table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
-		table.SetAutoMergeCellsByColumnIndex([]int{0})

+		var versions [][]string
 		for serviceName, versionMeta := range versionsMeta {
-			table.Append([]string{deployedVersion, serviceName, versionMeta.Image, versionMeta.Digest})
+			versions = append(versions, []string{deployedVersion, serviceName, versionMeta.Image, versionMeta.Tag})
 		}

+		sort.Slice(versions, sortServiceByName(versions))
+
+		for _, version := range versions {
+			table.Append(version)
+		}
+
+		table.SetAutoMergeCellsByColumnIndex([]int{0})
+		table.SetAlignment(tablewriter.ALIGN_LEFT)
 		table.Render()

 		return nil
 	},
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 }
--- a/cli/app/volume.go
+++ b/cli/app/volume.go
@ -1,35 +1,51 @@
 package app

 import (
+	"context"
+
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
 	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var appVolumeListCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:         "list",
+var appVolumeListCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "list",
+	Aliases:   []string{"ls"},
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	Usage:        "List volumes associated with an app",
-	Aliases:      []string{"ls"},
 	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)

-		volumeList, err := client.GetVolumes(c.Context, app.Server, app.Name)
+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		table := formatter.CreateTable([]string{"driver", "volume name"})
+		filters, err := app.Filters(false, true)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		volumeList, err := client.GetVolumes(cl, context.Background(), app.Server, filters)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		table := formatter.CreateTable([]string{"name", "created", "mounted"})
 		var volTable [][]string
 		for _, volume := range volumeList {
-			volRow := []string{
-				volume.Driver,
-				volume.Name,
-			}
+			volRow := []string{volume.Name, volume.CreatedAt, volume.Mountpoint}
 			volTable = append(volTable, volRow)
 		}

@ -45,36 +61,59 @@ var appVolumeListCommand = &cli.Command{
 	},
 }

-var appVolumeRemoveCommand = &cli.Command{
+var appVolumeRemoveCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:  "remove",
 	Usage: "Remove volume(s) associated with an app",
 	Description: `
 This command supports removing volumes associated with an app. The app in
 question must be undeployed before you try to remove volumes. See "abra app
-undeploy <app>" for more.
+undeploy <domain>" for more.

 The command is interactive and will show a multiple select input which allows
 you to make a seclection. Use the "?" key to see more help on navigating this
 interface.

-Passing "--force" will select all volumes for removal. Be careful.
+Passing "--force/-f" will select all volumes for removal. Be careful.
 `,
-	ArgsUsage: "<app>",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
 	Aliases:   []string{"rm"},
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
 		internal.ForceFlag,
 	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		app := internal.ValidateApp(c)

-		volumeList, err := client.GetVolumes(c.Context, app.Server, app.Name)
+		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		isDeployed, _, err := stack.IsDeployed(context.Background(), cl, app.StackName())
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if isDeployed {
+			logrus.Fatalf("%s is still deployed. Run \"abra app undeploy %s\"", app.Name, app.Name)
+		}
+
+		filters, err := app.Filters(false, true)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		volumeList, err := client.GetVolumes(cl, context.Background(), app.Server, filters)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
 		volumeNames := client.GetVolumeNames(volumeList)

 		var volumesToRemove []string
-		if !internal.Force {
+		if !internal.Force && !internal.NoInput {
 			volumesPrompt := &survey.MultiSelect{
 				Message: "which volumes do you want to remove?",
 				Help:    "'x' indicates selected, enter / return to confirm, ctrl-c to exit, vim mode is enabled",
@ -85,29 +124,34 @@ Passing "--force" will select all volumes for removal. Be careful.
 			if err := survey.AskOne(volumesPrompt, &volumesToRemove); err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
-		} else {
+		}
+
+		if internal.Force || internal.NoInput {
 			volumesToRemove = volumeNames
 		}

-		err = client.RemoveVolumes(c.Context, app.Server, volumesToRemove, internal.Force)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
+		if len(volumesToRemove) > 0 {
+			err = client.RemoveVolumes(cl, context.Background(), app.Server, volumesToRemove, internal.Force)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}

-		logrus.Info("volumes removed successfully")
+			logrus.Info("volumes removed successfully")
+		} else {
+			logrus.Info("no volumes removed")
+		}

 		return nil
 	},
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.AppNameComplete,
 }

-var appVolumeCommand = &cli.Command{
+var appVolumeCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:      "volume",
 	Aliases:   []string{"vl"},
 	Usage:     "Manage app volumes",
-	ArgsUsage: "<command>",
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
 	Subcommands: []*cli.Command{
-		appVolumeListCommand,
-		appVolumeRemoveCommand,
+		&appVolumeListCommand,
+		&appVolumeRemoveCommand,
 	},
 }
--- a/cli/catalogue/catalogue.go
+++ b/cli/catalogue/catalogue.go
@ -8,72 +8,39 @@ import (

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/catalogue"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
 	gitPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/git"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/limit"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
 	"github.com/go-git/go-git/v5"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-// CatalogueSkipList is all the repos that are not recipes.
-var CatalogueSkipList = map[string]bool{
-	"abra":                  true,
-	"abra-apps":             true,
-	"abra-aur":              true,
-	"abra-bash":             true,
-	"abra-capsul":           true,
-	"abra-gandi":            true,
-	"abra-hetzner":          true,
-	"apps":                  true,
-	"aur-abra-git":          true,
-	"auto-apps-json":        true,
-	"auto-mirror":           true,
-	"backup-bot":            true,
-	"backup-bot-two":        true,
-	"comrade-renovate-bot":  true,
-	"coopcloud.tech":        true,
-	"coturn":                true,
-	"docker-cp-deploy":      true,
-	"docker-dind-bats-kcov": true,
-	"docs.coopcloud.tech":   true,
-	"drone-abra":            true,
-	"example":               true,
-	"gardening":             true,
-	"go-abra":               true,
-	"organising":            true,
-	"outline-with-patch":    true,
-	"pyabra":                true,
-	"radicle-seed-node":     true,
-	"recipes":               true,
-	"stack-ssh-deploy":      true,
-	"swarm-cronjob":         true,
-	"tagcmp":                true,
-	"traefik-cert-dumper":   true,
-	"tyop":                  true,
-}
-
-var catalogueGenerateCommand = &cli.Command{
+var catalogueGenerateCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:    "generate",
 	Aliases: []string{"g"},
 	Usage:   "Generate the recipe catalogue",
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
 		internal.PublishFlag,
 		internal.DryFlag,
 		internal.SkipUpdatesFlag,
-		internal.RegistryUsernameFlag,
-		internal.RegistryPasswordFlag,
+		internal.ChaosFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
 	},
+	Before: internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	Description: `
-This command generates a new copy of the recipe catalogue which can be found on:
+Generate a new copy of the recipe catalogue which can be found on:

-    https://recipes.coopcloud.tech
+    https://recipes.coopcloud.tech (website that humans read)
+    https://recipes.coopcloud.tech/recipes.json (JSON that Abra reads)

 It polls the entire git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/... recipe repository
-listing, parses README.md and git tags of those repositories to produce recipe
-metadata and produces a recipes JSON file.
+listing, parses README.md and git tags to produce recipe metadata which is
+loaded into the catalogue JSON file.

 It is possible to generate new metadata for a single recipe by passing
 <recipe>. The existing local catalogue will be updated, not overwritten.
@ -82,21 +49,23 @@ It is quite easy to get rate limited by Docker Hub when running this command.
 If you have a Hub account you can have Abra log you in to avoid this. Pass
 "--user" and "--pass".

-Push your new release git.coopcloud.tech with "-p/--publish". This requires
+Push your new release to git.coopcloud.tech with "-p/--publish". This requires
 that you have permission to git push to these repositories and have your SSH
 keys configured on your account.
 `,
-	ArgsUsage: "[<recipe>]",
+	ArgsUsage:    "[<recipe>]",
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		recipeName := c.Args().First()
+
 		if recipeName != "" {
 			internal.ValidateRecipe(c)
 		}

-		catalogueDir := path.Join(config.ABRA_DIR, "catalogue")
-		url := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s.git", config.REPOS_BASE_URL, "recipes")
-		if err := gitPkg.Clone(catalogueDir, url); err != nil {
-			return err
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := catalogue.EnsureIsClean(); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
 		}

 		repos, err := recipe.ReadReposMetadata()
@ -116,7 +85,7 @@ keys configured on your account.

 		if !internal.SkipUpdates {
 			logrus.Warn(logMsg)
-			if err := updateRepositories(repos, recipeName); err != nil {
+			if err := recipe.UpdateRepositories(repos, recipeName); err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
 		}
@ -129,18 +98,9 @@ keys configured on your account.
 				continue
 			}

-			if _, exists := CatalogueSkipList[recipeMeta.Name]; exists {
-				catlBar.Add(1)
-				continue
-			}
-
-			versions, err := recipe.GetRecipeVersions(
-				recipeMeta.Name,
-				internal.RegistryUsername,
-				internal.RegistryPassword,
-			)
+			versions, err := recipe.GetRecipeVersions(recipeMeta.Name, internal.Offline)
 			if err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
+				logrus.Warn(err)
 			}

 			features, category, err := recipe.GetRecipeFeaturesAndCategory(recipeMeta.Name)
@ -174,7 +134,7 @@ keys configured on your account.
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
 		} else {
-			catlFS, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue()
+			catlFS, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue(internal.Offline)
 			if err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
@ -208,7 +168,7 @@ keys configured on your account.
 			}

 			msg := "chore: publish new catalogue release changes"
-			if err := gitPkg.Commit(cataloguePath, "**.json", msg, internal.Dry); err != nil {
+			if err := gitPkg.Commit(cataloguePath, msg, internal.Dry); err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}

@ -217,7 +177,7 @@ keys configured on your account.
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}

-			sshURL := fmt.Sprintf(config.SSH_URL_TEMPLATE, "recipes")
+			sshURL := fmt.Sprintf(config.SSH_URL_TEMPLATE, config.CATALOGUE_JSON_REPO_NAME)
 			if err := gitPkg.CreateRemote(repo, "origin-ssh", sshURL, internal.Dry); err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
@ -238,7 +198,7 @@ keys configured on your account.
 		}

 		if !internal.Dry && internal.Publish {
-			url := fmt.Sprintf("%s/recipes/commit/%s", config.REPOS_BASE_URL, head.Hash())
+			url := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/commit/%s", config.REPOS_BASE_URL, config.CATALOGUE_JSON_REPO_NAME, head.Hash())
 			logrus.Infof("new changes published: %s", url)
 		}

@ -248,76 +208,16 @@ keys configured on your account.

 		return nil
 	},
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete,
 }

 // CatalogueCommand defines the `abra catalogue` command and sub-commands.
-var CatalogueCommand = &cli.Command{
+var CatalogueCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:        "catalogue",
 	Usage:       "Manage the recipe catalogue",
 	Aliases:     []string{"c"},
 	ArgsUsage:   "<recipe>",
 	Description: "This command helps recipe packagers interact with the recipe catalogue",
 	Subcommands: []*cli.Command{
-		catalogueGenerateCommand,
+		&catalogueGenerateCommand,
 	},
 }
-
-func updateRepositories(repos recipe.RepoCatalogue, recipeName string) error {
-	var barLength int
-	if recipeName != "" {
-		barLength = 1
-	} else {
-		barLength = len(repos)
-	}
-
-	cloneLimiter := limit.New(10)
-
-	retrieveBar := formatter.CreateProgressbar(barLength, "ensuring recipes are cloned & up-to-date...")
-	ch := make(chan string, barLength)
-	for _, repoMeta := range repos {
-		go func(rm recipe.RepoMeta) {
-			cloneLimiter.Begin()
-			defer cloneLimiter.End()
-
-			if recipeName != "" && recipeName != rm.Name {
-				ch <- rm.Name
-				retrieveBar.Add(1)
-				return
-			}
-			if _, exists := CatalogueSkipList[rm.Name]; exists {
-				ch <- rm.Name
-				retrieveBar.Add(1)
-				return
-			}
-
-			recipeDir := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, rm.Name)
-
-			if err := gitPkg.Clone(recipeDir, rm.CloneURL); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-
-			isClean, err := gitPkg.IsClean(recipeDir)
-			if err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-
-			if !isClean {
-				logrus.Fatalf("%s has locally unstaged changes", rm.Name)
-			}
-
-			if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(rm.Name); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-
-			ch <- rm.Name
-			retrieveBar.Add(1)
-		}(repoMeta)
-	}
-
-	for range repos {
-		<-ch // wait for everything
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
--- a/cli/cli.go
+++ b/cli/cli.go
@ -12,37 +12,33 @@ import (
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/catalogue"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/recipe"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/record"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/server"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
+	cataloguePkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/catalogue"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/web"
-	logrusStack "github.com/Gurpartap/logrus-stack"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

 // AutoCompleteCommand helps people set up auto-complete in their shells
-var AutoCompleteCommand = &cli.Command{
+var AutoCompleteCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:    "autocomplete",
-	Usage:   "Configure shell autocompletion (recommended)",
 	Aliases: []string{"ac"},
+	Usage:   "Configure shell autocompletion (recommended)",
 	Description: `
-This command helps set up autocompletion in your shell by downloading the
-relevant autocompletion files and laying out what additional information must
-be loaded.
+Set up auto-completion in your shell by downloading the relevant files and
+laying out what additional information must be loaded. Supported shells are as
+follows: bash, fish, fizsh & zsh.

 Example:

    abra autocomplete bash
-
-Supported shells are as follows:
-
-		fizsh
-		zsh
-    bash
-
 `,
 	ArgsUsage: "<shell>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+	},
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		shellType := c.Args().First()

@ -54,6 +50,7 @@ Supported shells are as follows:
 			"bash":  true,
 			"zsh":   true,
 			"fizsh": true,
+			"fish":  true,
 		}

 		if _, ok := supportedShells[shellType]; !ok {
@ -84,19 +81,27 @@ Supported shells are as follows:
 		switch shellType {
 		case "bash":
 			fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf(`
-# Run the following commands to install autocompletion
+# Run the following commands to install auto-completion
 sudo mkdir /etc/bash_completion.d/
 sudo cp %s /etc/bash_completion.d/abra
 echo "source /etc/bash_completion.d/abra" >> ~/.bashrc
-# And finally run "abra app ps <hit tab key>" to test things are working, you should see app names listed!
+# To test, run the following: "abra app <hit tab key>" - you should see command completion!
 `, autocompletionFile))
 		case "zsh":
 			fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf(`
-# Run the following commands to install autocompletion
+# Run the following commands to install auto-completion
 sudo mkdir /etc/zsh/completion.d/
 sudo cp %s /etc/zsh/completion.d/abra
 echo "PROG=abra\n_CLI_ZSH_AUTOCOMPLETE_HACK=1\nsource /etc/zsh/completion.d/abra" >> ~/.zshrc
-# And finally run "abra app ps <hit tab key>" to test things are working, you should see app names listed!
+# To test, run the following: "abra app <hit tab key>" - you should see command completion!
+`, autocompletionFile))
+		case "fish":
+			fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf(`
+# Run the following commands to install auto-completion
+sudo mkdir -p /etc/fish/completions
+sudo cp %s /etc/fish/completions/abra
+echo "source /etc/fish/completions/abra" >> ~/.config/fish/config.fish
+# To test, run the following: "abra app <hit tab key>" - you should see command completion!
 `, autocompletionFile))
 		}

@ -105,18 +110,16 @@ echo "PROG=abra\n_CLI_ZSH_AUTOCOMPLETE_HACK=1\nsource /etc/zsh/completion.d/abra
 }

 // UpgradeCommand upgrades abra in-place.
-var UpgradeCommand = &cli.Command{
+var UpgradeCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:    "upgrade",
-	Usage:   "Upgrade Abra itself",
 	Aliases: []string{"u"},
+	Usage:   "Upgrade Abra itself",
 	Description: `
-This command allows you to upgrade Abra in-place with the latest stable or
-release candidate.
+Upgrade Abra in-place with the latest stable or release candidate.

-If you would like to install the latest release candidate, please pass the
-"--rc" option. Please bear in mind that the latest release candidate may have
-some catastrophic bugs contained in it. In any case, thank you very much for
-the testing efforts!
+Pass "-r/--rc" to install the latest release candidate. Please bear in mind
+that it may contain catastrophic bugs. Thank you very much for the testing
+efforts!
 `,
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{internal.RCFlag},
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
@ -151,45 +154,25 @@ func newAbraApp(version, commit string) *cli.App {
 `,
 		Version: fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s", version, commit[:7]),
 		Commands: []*cli.Command{
-			app.AppCommand,
-			server.ServerCommand,
-			recipe.RecipeCommand,
-			catalogue.CatalogueCommand,
-			record.RecordCommand,
-			UpgradeCommand,
-			AutoCompleteCommand,
-		},
-		Flags: []cli.Flag{
-			internal.DebugFlag,
-			internal.NoInputFlag,
-		},
-		Authors: []*cli.Author{
-			// If you're looking at this and you hack on Abra and you're not listed
-			// here, please do add yourself! This is a community project, let's show
-			// some love
-			{Name: "3wordchant"},
-			{Name: "decentral1se"},
-			{Name: "kawaiipunk"},
-			{Name: "knoflook"},
-			{Name: "roxxers"},
+			&app.AppCommand,
+			&server.ServerCommand,
+			&recipe.RecipeCommand,
+			&catalogue.CatalogueCommand,
+			&UpgradeCommand,
+			&AutoCompleteCommand,
 		},
+		BashComplete: autocomplete.SubcommandComplete,
 	}

 	app.EnableBashCompletion = true

 	app.Before = func(c *cli.Context) error {
-		if internal.Debug {
-			logrus.SetLevel(logrus.DebugLevel)
-			logrus.SetFormatter(&logrus.TextFormatter{})
-			logrus.SetOutput(os.Stderr)
-			logrus.AddHook(logrusStack.StandardHook())
-		}
-
 		paths := []string{
 			config.ABRA_DIR,
-			path.Join(config.SERVERS_DIR),
-			path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR),
-			path.Join(config.VENDOR_DIR),
+			config.SERVERS_DIR,
+			config.RECIPES_DIR,
+			config.VENDOR_DIR,
+			config.BACKUP_DIR,
 		}

 		for _, path := range paths {
@ -201,10 +184,15 @@ func newAbraApp(version, commit string) *cli.App {
 			}
 		}

+		if err := cataloguePkg.EnsureCatalogue(); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
 		logrus.Debugf("abra version %s, commit %s", version, commit)

 		return nil
 	}
+
 	return app
 }

--- a/cli/internal/backup.go
+++ b/cli/internal/backup.go
@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+package internal
+
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	containerPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/container"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/service"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/container"
+	"github.com/docker/cli/cli/command"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
+	dockerClient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+)
+
+// RetrieveBackupBotContainer gets the deployed backupbot container.
+func RetrieveBackupBotContainer(cl *dockerClient.Client) (types.Container, error) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	chosenService, err := service.GetServiceByLabel(ctx, cl, config.BackupbotLabel, NoInput)
+	if err != nil {
+		return types.Container{}, err
+	}
+
+	logrus.Debugf("retrieved %s as backup enabled service", chosenService.Spec.Name)
+
+	filters := filters.NewArgs()
+	filters.Add("name", chosenService.Spec.Name)
+	targetContainer, err := containerPkg.GetContainer(
+		ctx,
+		cl,
+		filters,
+		NoInput,
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		return types.Container{}, err
+	}
+
+	return targetContainer, nil
+}
+
+// RunBackupCmdRemote runs a backup related command on a remote backupbot container.
+func RunBackupCmdRemote(cl *dockerClient.Client, backupCmd string, containerID string, execEnv []string) error {
+	execBackupListOpts := types.ExecConfig{
+		AttachStderr: true,
+		AttachStdin:  true,
+		AttachStdout: true,
+		Cmd:          []string{"/usr/bin/backup", "--", backupCmd},
+		Detach:       false,
+		Env:          execEnv,
+		Tty:          true,
+	}
+
+	logrus.Debugf("running backup %s on %s with exec config %v", backupCmd, containerID, execBackupListOpts)
+
+	// FIXME: avoid instantiating a new CLI
+	dcli, err := command.NewDockerCli()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if _, err := container.RunExec(dcli, cl, containerID, &execBackupListOpts); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
--- a/cli/internal/cli.go
+++ b/cli/internal/cli.go
@ -0,0 +1,315 @@
+package internal
+
+import (
+	"os"
+
+	logrusStack "github.com/Gurpartap/logrus-stack"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
+)
+
+// Secrets stores the variable from SecretsFlag
+var Secrets bool
+
+// SecretsFlag turns on/off automatically generating secrets
+var SecretsFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "secrets",
+	Aliases:     []string{"S"},
+	Usage:       "Automatically generate secrets",
+	Destination: &Secrets,
+}
+
+// Pass stores the variable from PassFlag
+var Pass bool
+
+// PassFlag turns on/off storing generated secrets in pass
+var PassFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "pass",
+	Aliases:     []string{"p"},
+	Usage:       "Store the generated secrets in a local pass store",
+	Destination: &Pass,
+}
+
+// PassRemove stores the variable for PassRemoveFlag
+var PassRemove bool
+
+// PassRemoveFlag turns on/off removing generated secrets from pass
+var PassRemoveFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "pass",
+	Aliases:     []string{"p"},
+	Usage:       "Remove generated secrets from a local pass store",
+	Destination: &PassRemove,
+}
+
+// Force force functionality without asking.
+var Force bool
+
+// ForceFlag turns on/off force functionality.
+var ForceFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "force",
+	Aliases:     []string{"f"},
+	Usage:       "Perform action without further prompt. Use with care!",
+	Destination: &Force,
+}
+
+// Chaos engages chaos mode.
+var Chaos bool
+
+// ChaosFlag turns on/off chaos functionality.
+var ChaosFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "chaos",
+	Aliases:     []string{"C"},
+	Usage:       "Proceed with uncommitted recipes changes. Use with care!",
+	Destination: &Chaos,
+}
+
+// Disable tty to run commands from script
+var Tty bool
+
+// TtyFlag turns on/off tty mode.
+var TtyFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "tty",
+	Aliases:     []string{"T"},
+	Usage:       "Disables TTY mode to run this command from a script.",
+	Destination: &Tty,
+}
+
+var (
+	NoInput     bool
+	NoInputFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "no-input",
+		Aliases:     []string{"n"},
+		Usage:       "Toggle non-interactive mode",
+		Destination: &NoInput,
+	}
+)
+
+// Debug stores the variable from DebugFlag.
+var Debug bool
+
+// DebugFlag turns on/off verbose logging down to the DEBUG level.
+var DebugFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "debug",
+	Aliases:     []string{"d"},
+	Destination: &Debug,
+	Usage:       "Show DEBUG messages",
+}
+
+// Offline stores the variable from OfflineFlag.
+var Offline bool
+
+// DebugFlag turns on/off offline mode.
+var OfflineFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "offline",
+	Aliases:     []string{"o"},
+	Destination: &Offline,
+	Usage:       "Prefer offline & filesystem access when possible",
+}
+
+// MachineReadable stores the variable from MachineReadableFlag
+var MachineReadable bool
+
+// MachineReadableFlag turns on/off machine readable output where supported
+var MachineReadableFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "machine",
+	Aliases:     []string{"m"},
+	Destination: &MachineReadable,
+	Usage:       "Output in a machine-readable format (where supported)",
+}
+
+// RC signifies the latest release candidate
+var RC bool
+
+// RCFlag chooses the latest release candidate for install
+var RCFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "rc",
+	Aliases:     []string{"c"},
+	Destination: &RC,
+	Usage:       "Install the latest release candidate",
+}
+
+var (
+	Major     bool
+	MajorFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "major",
+		Aliases:     []string{"x"},
+		Usage:       "Increase the major part of the version",
+		Destination: &Major,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	Minor     bool
+	MinorFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "minor",
+		Aliases:     []string{"y"},
+		Usage:       "Increase the minor part of the version",
+		Destination: &Minor,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	Patch     bool
+	PatchFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "patch",
+		Aliases:     []string{"z"},
+		Usage:       "Increase the patch part of the version",
+		Destination: &Patch,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	Dry     bool
+	DryFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "dry-run",
+		Aliases:     []string{"r"},
+		Usage:       "Only reports changes that would be made",
+		Destination: &Dry,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	Publish     bool
+	PublishFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "publish",
+		Aliases:     []string{"p"},
+		Usage:       "Publish changes to git.coopcloud.tech",
+		Destination: &Publish,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	Domain     string
+	DomainFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
+		Name:        "domain",
+		Aliases:     []string{"D"},
+		Value:       "",
+		Usage:       "Choose a domain name",
+		Destination: &Domain,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	NewAppServer     string
+	NewAppServerFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
+		Name:        "server",
+		Aliases:     []string{"s"},
+		Value:       "",
+		Usage:       "Show apps of a specific server",
+		Destination: &NewAppServer,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	NoDomainChecks     bool
+	NoDomainChecksFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "no-domain-checks",
+		Aliases:     []string{"D"},
+		Usage:       "Disable app domain sanity checks",
+		Destination: &NoDomainChecks,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	StdErrOnly     bool
+	StdErrOnlyFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "stderr",
+		Aliases:     []string{"s"},
+		Usage:       "Only tail stderr",
+		Destination: &StdErrOnly,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	SinceLogs     string
+	SinceLogsFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
+		Name:        "since",
+		Aliases:     []string{"S"},
+		Value:       "",
+		Usage:       "tail logs since YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ",
+		Destination: &SinceLogs,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	DontWaitConverge     bool
+	DontWaitConvergeFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "no-converge-checks",
+		Aliases:     []string{"c"},
+		Usage:       "Don't wait for converge logic checks",
+		Destination: &DontWaitConverge,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	Watch     bool
+	WatchFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "watch",
+		Aliases:     []string{"w"},
+		Usage:       "Watch status by polling repeatedly",
+		Destination: &Watch,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	OnlyErrors    bool
+	OnlyErrorFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "errors",
+		Aliases:     []string{"e"},
+		Usage:       "Only show errors",
+		Destination: &OnlyErrors,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	SkipUpdates     bool
+	SkipUpdatesFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "skip-updates",
+		Aliases:     []string{"s"},
+		Usage:       "Skip updating recipe repositories",
+		Destination: &SkipUpdates,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	AllTags     bool
+	AllTagsFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "all-tags",
+		Aliases:     []string{"a"},
+		Usage:       "List all tags, not just upgrades",
+		Destination: &AllTags,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	LocalCmd     bool
+	LocalCmdFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "local",
+		Aliases:     []string{"l"},
+		Usage:       "Run command locally",
+		Destination: &LocalCmd,
+	}
+)
+
+var (
+	RemoteUser     string
+	RemoteUserFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
+		Name:        "user",
+		Aliases:     []string{"u"},
+		Value:       "",
+		Usage:       "User to run command within a service context",
+		Destination: &RemoteUser,
+	}
+)
+
+// SubCommandBefore wires up pre-action machinery (e.g. --debug handling).
+func SubCommandBefore(c *cli.Context) error {
+	if Debug {
+		logrus.SetLevel(logrus.DebugLevel)
+		logrus.SetFormatter(&logrus.TextFormatter{})
+		logrus.SetOutput(os.Stderr)
+		logrus.AddHook(logrusStack.StandardHook())
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
--- a/cli/internal/command.go
+++ b/cli/internal/command.go
@ -2,10 +2,109 @@ package internal

 import (
 	"bufio"
+	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"io/ioutil"
 	"os/exec"
+	"strings"
+
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	containerPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/container"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/container"
+	"github.com/docker/cli/cli/command"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
+	dockerClient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/archive"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )

+// RunCmdRemote executes an abra.sh command in the target service
+func RunCmdRemote(cl *dockerClient.Client, app config.App, abraSh, serviceName, cmdName, cmdArgs string) error {
+	filters := filters.NewArgs()
+	filters.Add("name", fmt.Sprintf("^%s_%s", app.StackName(), serviceName))
+
+	targetContainer, err := containerPkg.GetContainer(context.Background(), cl, filters, false)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	logrus.Debugf("retrieved %s as target container on %s", formatter.ShortenID(targetContainer.ID), app.Server)
+
+	toTarOpts := &archive.TarOptions{NoOverwriteDirNonDir: true, Compression: archive.Gzip}
+	content, err := archive.TarWithOptions(abraSh, toTarOpts)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	copyOpts := types.CopyToContainerOptions{AllowOverwriteDirWithFile: false, CopyUIDGID: false}
+	if err := cl.CopyToContainer(context.Background(), targetContainer.ID, "/tmp", content, copyOpts); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// FIXME: avoid instantiating a new CLI
+	dcli, err := command.NewDockerCli()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	shell := "/bin/bash"
+	findShell := []string{"test", "-e", shell}
+	execCreateOpts := types.ExecConfig{
+		AttachStderr: true,
+		AttachStdin:  true,
+		AttachStdout: true,
+		Cmd:          findShell,
+		Detach:       false,
+		Tty:          false,
+	}
+
+	if _, err := container.RunExec(dcli, cl, targetContainer.ID, &execCreateOpts); err != nil {
+		logrus.Infof("%s does not exist for %s, use /bin/sh as fallback", shell, app.Name)
+		shell = "/bin/sh"
+	}
+
+	var cmd []string
+	if cmdArgs != "" {
+		cmd = []string{shell, "-c", fmt.Sprintf("TARGET=%s; APP_NAME=%s; STACK_NAME=%s; . /tmp/abra.sh; %s %s", serviceName, app.Name, app.StackName(), cmdName, cmdArgs)}
+	} else {
+		cmd = []string{shell, "-c", fmt.Sprintf("TARGET=%s; APP_NAME=%s; STACK_NAME=%s; . /tmp/abra.sh; %s", serviceName, app.Name, app.StackName(), cmdName)}
+	}
+
+	logrus.Debugf("running command: %s", strings.Join(cmd, " "))
+
+	if RemoteUser != "" {
+		logrus.Debugf("running command with user %s", RemoteUser)
+		execCreateOpts.User = RemoteUser
+	}
+
+	execCreateOpts.Cmd = cmd
+	execCreateOpts.Tty = true
+	if Tty {
+		execCreateOpts.Tty = false
+	}
+
+	if _, err := container.RunExec(dcli, cl, targetContainer.ID, &execCreateOpts); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func EnsureCommand(abraSh, recipeName, execCmd string) error {
+	bytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(abraSh)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if !strings.Contains(string(bytes), execCmd) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("%s doesn't have a %s function", recipeName, execCmd)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 // RunCmd runs a shell command and streams stdout/stderr in real-time.
 func RunCmd(cmd *exec.Cmd) error {
 	r, err := cmd.StdoutPipe()
--- a/cli/internal/deploy.go
+++ b/cli/internal/deploy.go
@ -7,199 +7,16 @@ import (
 	"path"
 	"strings"

-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/dns"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/git"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/lint"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
 	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
+	dockerClient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
-	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-// DeployAction is the main command-line action for this package
-func DeployAction(c *cli.Context) error {
-	app := ValidateApp(c)
-
-	if !Chaos {
-		if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(app.Type); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-	}
-
-	r, err := recipe.Get(app.Type)
-	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	if err := lint.LintForErrors(r); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
-	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	logrus.Debugf("checking whether %s is already deployed", app.StackName())
-
-	isDeployed, deployedVersion, err := stack.IsDeployed(c.Context, cl, app.StackName())
-	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	if isDeployed {
-		if Force || Chaos {
-			logrus.Warnf("%s is already deployed but continuing (--force/--chaos)", app.Name)
-		} else {
-			logrus.Fatalf("%s is already deployed", app.Name)
-		}
-	}
-
-	version := deployedVersion
-	if version == "unknown" && !Chaos {
-		catl, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue()
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-		versions, err := recipe.GetRecipeCatalogueVersions(app.Type, catl)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-		if len(versions) > 0 {
-			version = versions[len(versions)-1]
-			logrus.Debugf("choosing %s as version to deploy", version)
-			if err := recipe.EnsureVersion(app.Type, version); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-		} else {
-			head, err := git.GetRecipeHead(app.Type)
-			if err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-			version = formatter.SmallSHA(head.String())
-			logrus.Warn("no versions detected, using latest commit")
-			if err := recipe.EnsureLatest(app.Type); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
-	if version == "unknown" && !Chaos {
-		logrus.Debugf("choosing %s as version to deploy", version)
-		if err := recipe.EnsureVersion(app.Type, version); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-	}
-
-	if version != "unknown" && !Chaos {
-		if err := recipe.EnsureVersion(app.Type, version); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-	}
-
-	if Chaos {
-		logrus.Warnf("chaos mode engaged")
-		var err error
-		version, err = recipe.ChaosVersion(app.Type)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-	}
-
-	abraShPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", config.RECIPES_DIR, app.Type, "abra.sh")
-	abraShEnv, err := config.ReadAbraShEnvVars(abraShPath)
-	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	for k, v := range abraShEnv {
-		app.Env[k] = v
-	}
-
-	composeFiles, err := config.GetAppComposeFiles(app.Type, app.Env)
-	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	deployOpts := stack.Deploy{
-		Composefiles: composeFiles,
-		Namespace:    app.StackName(),
-		Prune:        false,
-		ResolveImage: stack.ResolveImageAlways,
-	}
-	compose, err := config.GetAppComposeConfig(app.Name, deployOpts, app.Env)
-	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	if err := DeployOverview(app, version, "continue with deployment?"); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	if !NoDomainChecks {
-		domainName := app.Env["DOMAIN"]
-		ipv4, err := dns.EnsureIPv4(domainName)
-		if err != nil || ipv4 == "" {
-			logrus.Fatalf("could not find an IP address assigned to %s?", domainName)
-		}
-
-		if _, err = dns.EnsureDomainsResolveSameIPv4(domainName, app.Server); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-	} else {
-		logrus.Warn("skipping domain checks as requested")
-	}
-
-	if err := stack.RunDeploy(cl, deployOpts, compose, app.Name, DontWaitConverge); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// DeployOverview shows a deployment overview
-func DeployOverview(app config.App, version, message string) error {
-	tableCol := []string{"server", "compose", "domain", "app name", "version"}
-	table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
-
-	deployConfig := "compose.yml"
-	if composeFiles, ok := app.Env["COMPOSE_FILE"]; ok {
-		deployConfig = strings.Join(strings.Split(composeFiles, ":"), "\n")
-	}
-
-	server := app.Server
-	if app.Server == "default" {
-		server = "local"
-	}
-
-	table.Append([]string{server, deployConfig, app.Domain, app.Name, version})
-	table.Render()
-
-	if NoInput {
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	response := false
-	prompt := &survey.Confirm{
-		Message: message,
-	}
-
-	if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &response); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	if !response {
-		logrus.Fatal("exiting as requested")
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
 // NewVersionOverview shows an upgrade or downgrade overview
 func NewVersionOverview(app config.App, currentVersion, newVersion, releaseNotes string) error {
-	tableCol := []string{"server", "compose", "domain", "app name", "current version", "to be deployed"}
+	tableCol := []string{"server", "recipe", "config", "domain", "current version", "to be deployed"}
 	table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)

 	deployConfig := "compose.yml"
@ -212,20 +29,12 @@ func NewVersionOverview(app config.App, currentVersion, newVersion, releaseNotes
 		server = "local"
 	}

-	table.Append([]string{server, deployConfig, app.Domain, app.Name, currentVersion, newVersion})
+	table.Append([]string{server, app.Recipe, deployConfig, app.Domain, currentVersion, newVersion})
 	table.Render()

-	if releaseNotes == "" {
-		var err error
-		releaseNotes, err = GetReleaseNotes(app.Type, newVersion)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
 	if releaseNotes != "" && newVersion != "" {
 		fmt.Println()
-		fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf("%s release notes:\n\n%s", newVersion, releaseNotes))
+		fmt.Print(releaseNotes)
 	} else {
 		logrus.Warnf("no release notes available for %s", newVersion)
 	}
@ -263,8 +72,102 @@ func GetReleaseNotes(recipeName, version string) (string, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return "", err
 		}
-		return string(releaseNotes), nil
+		withTitle := fmt.Sprintf("%s release notes:\n%s", version, string(releaseNotes))
+		return withTitle, nil
 	}

 	return "", nil
 }
+
+// PostCmds parses a string of commands and executes them inside of the respective services
+// the commands string must have the following format:
+// "<service> <command> <arguments>|<service> <command> <arguments>|... "
+func PostCmds(cl *dockerClient.Client, app config.App, commands string) error {
+	abraSh := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, app.Recipe, "abra.sh")
+	if _, err := os.Stat(abraSh); err != nil {
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return fmt.Errorf(fmt.Sprintf("%s does not exist for %s?", abraSh, app.Name))
+		}
+		return err
+	}
+
+	for _, command := range strings.Split(commands, "|") {
+		commandParts := strings.Split(command, " ")
+		if len(commandParts) < 2 {
+			return fmt.Errorf(fmt.Sprintf("not enough arguments: %s", command))
+		}
+		targetServiceName := commandParts[0]
+		cmdName := commandParts[1]
+		parsedCmdArgs := ""
+		if len(commandParts) > 2 {
+			parsedCmdArgs = fmt.Sprintf("%s ", strings.Join(commandParts[2:], " "))
+		}
+		logrus.Infof("running post-command '%s %s' in container %s", cmdName, parsedCmdArgs, targetServiceName)
+
+		if err := EnsureCommand(abraSh, app.Recipe, cmdName); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		serviceNames, err := config.GetAppServiceNames(app.Name)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		matchingServiceName := false
+		for _, serviceName := range serviceNames {
+			if serviceName == targetServiceName {
+				matchingServiceName = true
+			}
+		}
+
+		if !matchingServiceName {
+			return fmt.Errorf(fmt.Sprintf("no service %s for %s?", targetServiceName, app.Name))
+		}
+
+		logrus.Debugf("running command %s %s within the context of %s_%s", cmdName, parsedCmdArgs, app.StackName(), targetServiceName)
+
+		Tty = true
+		if err := RunCmdRemote(cl, app, abraSh, targetServiceName, cmdName, parsedCmdArgs); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// DeployOverview shows a deployment overview
+func DeployOverview(app config.App, version, message string) error {
+	tableCol := []string{"server", "recipe", "config", "domain", "version"}
+	table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
+
+	deployConfig := "compose.yml"
+	if composeFiles, ok := app.Env["COMPOSE_FILE"]; ok {
+		deployConfig = strings.Join(strings.Split(composeFiles, ":"), "\n")
+	}
+
+	server := app.Server
+	if app.Server == "default" {
+		server = "local"
+	}
+
+	table.Append([]string{server, app.Recipe, deployConfig, app.Domain, version})
+	table.Render()
+
+	if NoInput {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	response := false
+	prompt := &survey.Confirm{
+		Message: message,
+	}
+
+	if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &response); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if !response {
+		logrus.Fatal("exiting as requested")
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
--- a/cli/internal/flags.go
+++ b/cli/internal/flags.go
@ -1,488 +0,0 @@
-package internal
-
-import (
-	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
-)
-
-// Secrets stores the variable from SecretsFlag
-var Secrets bool
-
-// SecretsFlag turns on/off automatically generating secrets
-var SecretsFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "secrets",
-	Aliases:     []string{"ss"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Usage:       "Automatically generate secrets",
-	Destination: &Secrets,
-}
-
-// Pass stores the variable from PassFlag
-var Pass bool
-
-// PassFlag turns on/off storing generated secrets in pass
-var PassFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "pass",
-	Aliases:     []string{"p"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Usage:       "Store the generated secrets in a local pass store",
-	Destination: &Pass,
-}
-
-// Context is temp
-var Context string
-
-// ContextFlag is temp
-var ContextFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "context",
-	Value:       "",
-	Aliases:     []string{"c"},
-	Destination: &Context,
-}
-
-// Force force functionality without asking.
-var Force bool
-
-// ForceFlag turns on/off force functionality.
-var ForceFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "force",
-	Value:       false,
-	Aliases:     []string{"f"},
-	Usage:       "Perform action without further prompt. Use with care!",
-	Destination: &Force,
-}
-
-// Chaos engages chaos mode.
-var Chaos bool
-
-// ChaosFlag turns on/off chaos functionality.
-var ChaosFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "chaos",
-	Value:       false,
-	Aliases:     []string{"ch"},
-	Usage:       "Deploy uncommitted recipes changes. Use with care!",
-	Destination: &Chaos,
-}
-
-// DNSProvider specifies a DNS provider.
-var DNSProvider string
-
-// DNSProviderFlag selects a DNS provider.
-var DNSProviderFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "provider",
-	Value:       "",
-	Aliases:     []string{"p"},
-	Usage:       "DNS provider",
-	Destination: &DNSProvider,
-}
-
-var NoInput bool
-var NoInputFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "no-input",
-	Value:       false,
-	Aliases:     []string{"n"},
-	Usage:       "Toggle non-interactive mode",
-	Destination: &NoInput,
-}
-
-var DNSType string
-
-var DNSTypeFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "type",
-	Value:       "",
-	Aliases:     []string{"t"},
-	Usage:       "Domain name record type (e.g. A)",
-	Destination: &DNSType,
-}
-
-var DNSName string
-
-var DNSNameFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "name",
-	Value:       "",
-	Aliases:     []string{"n"},
-	Usage:       "Domain name record name (e.g. mysubdomain)",
-	Destination: &DNSName,
-}
-
-var DNSValue string
-
-var DNSValueFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "value",
-	Value:       "",
-	Aliases:     []string{"v"},
-	Usage:       "Domain name record value (e.g. 192.168.1.1)",
-	Destination: &DNSValue,
-}
-
-var DNSTTL string
-var DNSTTLFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "ttl",
-	Value:       "600s",
-	Aliases:     []string{"T"},
-	Usage:       "Domain name TTL value (seconds)",
-	Destination: &DNSTTL,
-}
-
-var DNSPriority int
-
-var DNSPriorityFlag = &cli.IntFlag{
-	Name:        "priority",
-	Value:       10,
-	Aliases:     []string{"P"},
-	Usage:       "Domain name priority value",
-	Destination: &DNSPriority,
-}
-
-var ServerProvider string
-
-var ServerProviderFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "provider",
-	Aliases:     []string{"p"},
-	Usage:       "3rd party server provider",
-	Destination: &ServerProvider,
-}
-
-var CapsulInstanceURL string
-
-var CapsulInstanceURLFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "capsul-url",
-	Value:       "yolo.servers.coop",
-	Aliases:     []string{"cu"},
-	Usage:       "capsul instance URL",
-	Destination: &CapsulInstanceURL,
-}
-
-var CapsulName string
-
-var CapsulNameFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "capsul-name",
-	Value:       "",
-	Aliases:     []string{"cn"},
-	Usage:       "capsul name",
-	Destination: &CapsulName,
-}
-
-var CapsulType string
-
-var CapsulTypeFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "capsul-type",
-	Value:       "f1-xs",
-	Aliases:     []string{"ct"},
-	Usage:       "capsul type",
-	Destination: &CapsulType,
-}
-
-var CapsulImage string
-
-var CapsulImageFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "capsul-image",
-	Value:       "debian10",
-	Aliases:     []string{"ci"},
-	Usage:       "capsul image",
-	Destination: &CapsulImage,
-}
-
-var CapsulSSHKeys cli.StringSlice
-
-var CapsulSSHKeysFlag = &cli.StringSliceFlag{
-	Name:        "capsul-ssh-keys",
-	Aliases:     []string{"cs"},
-	Usage:       "capsul SSH key",
-	Destination: &CapsulSSHKeys,
-}
-
-var CapsulAPIToken string
-
-var CapsulAPITokenFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "capsul-token",
-	Aliases:     []string{"ca"},
-	Usage:       "capsul API token",
-	EnvVars:     []string{"CAPSUL_TOKEN"},
-	Destination: &CapsulAPIToken,
-}
-
-var HetznerCloudName string
-
-var HetznerCloudNameFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "hetzner-name",
-	Value:       "",
-	Aliases:     []string{"hn"},
-	Usage:       "hetzner cloud name",
-	Destination: &HetznerCloudName,
-}
-
-var HetznerCloudType string
-
-var HetznerCloudTypeFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "hetzner-type",
-	Aliases:     []string{"ht"},
-	Usage:       "hetzner cloud type",
-	Destination: &HetznerCloudType,
-	Value:       "cx11",
-}
-
-var HetznerCloudImage string
-
-var HetznerCloudImageFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "hetzner-image",
-	Aliases:     []string{"hi"},
-	Usage:       "hetzner cloud image",
-	Value:       "debian-10",
-	Destination: &HetznerCloudImage,
-}
-
-var HetznerCloudSSHKeys cli.StringSlice
-
-var HetznerCloudSSHKeysFlag = &cli.StringSliceFlag{
-	Name:        "hetzner-ssh-keys",
-	Aliases:     []string{"hs"},
-	Usage:       "hetzner cloud SSH keys (e.g. me@foo.com)",
-	Destination: &HetznerCloudSSHKeys,
-}
-
-var HetznerCloudLocation string
-
-var HetznerCloudLocationFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "hetzner-location",
-	Aliases:     []string{"hl"},
-	Usage:       "hetzner cloud server location",
-	Value:       "hel1",
-	Destination: &HetznerCloudLocation,
-}
-
-var HetznerCloudAPIToken string
-
-var HetznerCloudAPITokenFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "hetzner-token",
-	Aliases:     []string{"ha"},
-	Usage:       "hetzner cloud API token",
-	EnvVars:     []string{"HCLOUD_TOKEN"},
-	Destination: &HetznerCloudAPIToken,
-}
-
-// Debug stores the variable from DebugFlag.
-var Debug bool
-
-// DebugFlag turns on/off verbose logging down to the DEBUG level.
-var DebugFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "debug",
-	Aliases:     []string{"d"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Destination: &Debug,
-	Usage:       "Show DEBUG messages",
-}
-
-// RC signifies the latest release candidate
-var RC bool
-
-// RCFlag chooses the latest release candidate for install
-var RCFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "rc",
-	Value:       false,
-	Destination: &RC,
-	Usage:       "Insatll the latest release candidate",
-}
-
-var Major bool
-var MajorFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "major",
-	Usage:       "Increase the major part of the version",
-	Value:       false,
-	Aliases:     []string{"ma", "x"},
-	Destination: &Major,
-}
-
-var Minor bool
-var MinorFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "minor",
-	Usage:       "Increase the minor part of the version",
-	Value:       false,
-	Aliases:     []string{"mi", "y"},
-	Destination: &Minor,
-}
-
-var Patch bool
-var PatchFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "patch",
-	Usage:       "Increase the patch part of the version",
-	Value:       false,
-	Aliases:     []string{"pa", "z"},
-	Destination: &Patch,
-}
-
-var Dry bool
-var DryFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "dry-run",
-	Usage:       "Only reports changes that would be made",
-	Value:       false,
-	Aliases:     []string{"d"},
-	Destination: &Dry,
-}
-
-var Publish bool
-var PublishFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "publish",
-	Usage:       "Publish changes to git.coopcloud.tech",
-	Value:       false,
-	Aliases:     []string{"p"},
-	Destination: &Publish,
-}
-
-var Domain string
-var DomainFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "domain",
-	Aliases:     []string{"d"},
-	Value:       "",
-	Usage:       "Choose a domain name",
-	Destination: &Domain,
-}
-
-var NewAppServer string
-var NewAppServerFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "server",
-	Aliases:     []string{"s"},
-	Value:       "",
-	Usage:       "Show apps of a specific server",
-	Destination: &NewAppServer,
-}
-
-var NewAppName string
-var NewAppNameFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "app-name",
-	Aliases:     []string{"a"},
-	Value:       "",
-	Usage:       "Choose an app name",
-	Destination: &NewAppName,
-}
-
-var NoDomainChecks bool
-var NoDomainChecksFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "no-domain-checks",
-	Aliases:     []string{"nd"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Usage:       "Disable app domain sanity checks",
-	Destination: &NoDomainChecks,
-}
-
-var StdErrOnly bool
-var StdErrOnlyFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "stderr",
-	Aliases:     []string{"s"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Usage:       "Only tail stderr",
-	Destination: &StdErrOnly,
-}
-
-var AutoDNSRecord bool
-var AutoDNSRecordFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "auto",
-	Aliases:     []string{"a"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Usage:       "Automatically configure DNS records",
-	Destination: &AutoDNSRecord,
-}
-
-var DontWaitConverge bool
-var DontWaitConvergeFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "no-converge-checks",
-	Aliases:     []string{"nc"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Usage:       "Don't wait for converge logic checks",
-	Destination: &DontWaitConverge,
-}
-
-var Watch bool
-var WatchFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "watch",
-	Aliases:     []string{"w"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Usage:       "Watch status by polling repeatedly",
-	Destination: &Watch,
-}
-
-var OnlyErrors bool
-var OnlyErrorFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "errors",
-	Aliases:     []string{"e"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Usage:       "Only show errors",
-	Destination: &OnlyErrors,
-}
-
-var SkipUpdates bool
-var SkipUpdatesFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "skip-updates",
-	Aliases:     []string{"s"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Usage:       "Skip updating recipe repositories",
-	Destination: &SkipUpdates,
-}
-
-var RegistryUsername string
-var RegistryUsernameFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "username",
-	Aliases:     []string{"user"},
-	Value:       "",
-	Usage:       "Registry username",
-	EnvVars:     []string{"REGISTRY_USERNAME"},
-	Destination: &RegistryUsername,
-}
-
-var RegistryPassword string
-var RegistryPasswordFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "password",
-	Aliases:     []string{"pass"},
-	Value:       "",
-	Usage:       "Registry password",
-	EnvVars:     []string{"REGISTRY_PASSWORD"},
-	Destination: &RegistryUsername,
-}
-
-// SSHFailMsg is a hopefully helpful SSH failure message
-var SSHFailMsg = `
-Woops, Abra is unable to connect to connect to %s.
-
-Here are a few tips for debugging your local SSH config. Abra uses plain 'ol
-SSH to make connections to servers, so if your SSH config is working, Abra is
-working.
-
-In the first place, Abra will always try to read your Docker context connection
-string for SSH connection details. You can view your server context configs
-with the following command. Are they correct?
-
-    abra server ls
-
-Is your ssh-agent running? You can start it by running the following command:
-
-    eval "$(ssh-agent)"
-
-If your SSH private key loaded? You can check by running the following command:
-
-    ssh-add -L
-
-If, you can add it with:
-
-    ssh-add ~/.ssh/<private-key-part>
-
-If you are using a non-default public/private key, you can configure this in
-your ~/.ssh/config file which Abra will read in order to figure out connection
-details:
-
-Host foo.coopcloud.tech
-  Hostname foo.coopcloud.tech
-  User bar
-  Port 12345
-  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/bar@foo.coopcloud.tech
-
-If you're only using password authentication, you can use the following config:
-
-Host foo.coopcloud.tech
-  Hostname foo.coopcloud.tech
-  User bar
-  Port 12345
-  PreferredAuthentications=password
-  PubkeyAuthentication=no
-
-Good luck!
-
-`
--- a/cli/internal/new.go
+++ b/cli/internal/new.go
@ -1,183 +0,0 @@
-package internal
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"path"
-
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
-	recipePkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/secret"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/ssh"
-	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
-	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
-	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
-)
-
-// AppSecrets represents all app secrest
-type AppSecrets map[string]string
-
-// RecipeName is used for configuring recipe name programmatically
-var RecipeName string
-
-// createSecrets creates all secrets for a new app.
-func createSecrets(sanitisedAppName string) (AppSecrets, error) {
-	appEnvPath := path.Join(config.ABRA_DIR, "servers", NewAppServer, fmt.Sprintf("%s.env", sanitisedAppName))
-	appEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(appEnvPath)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	secretEnvVars := secret.ReadSecretEnvVars(appEnv)
-	secrets, err := secret.GenerateSecrets(secretEnvVars, sanitisedAppName, NewAppServer)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	if Pass {
-		for secretName := range secrets {
-			secretValue := secrets[secretName]
-			if err := secret.PassInsertSecret(secretValue, secretName, sanitisedAppName, NewAppServer); err != nil {
-				return nil, err
-			}
-		}
-	}
-	return secrets, nil
-}
-
-// ensureDomainFlag checks if the domain flag was used. if not, asks the user for it/
-func ensureDomainFlag(recipe recipe.Recipe, server string) error {
-	if Domain == "" && !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "Specify app domain",
-			Default: fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s", recipe.Name, server),
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &Domain); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if Domain == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("no domain provided")
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// ensureServerFlag checks if the server flag was used. if not, asks the user for it.
-func ensureServerFlag() error {
-	servers, err := config.GetServers()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	if NewAppServer == "" && !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Select{
-			Message: "Select app server:",
-			Options: servers,
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &NewAppServer); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if NewAppServer == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("no server provided")
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// ensureServerFlag checks if the AppName flag was used. if not, asks the user for it.
-func ensureAppNameFlag() error {
-	if NewAppName == "" && !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "Specify app name:",
-			Default: Domain,
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &NewAppName); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if NewAppName == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("no app name provided")
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// NewAction is the new app creation logic
-func NewAction(c *cli.Context) error {
-	recipe := ValidateRecipeWithPrompt(c)
-
-	if err := recipePkg.EnsureUpToDate(recipe.Name); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	if err := ensureServerFlag(); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	if err := ensureDomainFlag(recipe, NewAppServer); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	if err := ensureAppNameFlag(); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	sanitisedAppName := config.SanitiseAppName(NewAppName)
-	if len(sanitisedAppName) > 45 {
-		logrus.Fatalf("%s cannot be longer than 45 characters", sanitisedAppName)
-	}
-	logrus.Debugf("%s sanitised as %s for new app", NewAppName, sanitisedAppName)
-
-	if err := config.TemplateAppEnvSample(recipe.Name, NewAppName, NewAppServer, Domain); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	if Secrets {
-		if err := ssh.EnsureHostKey(NewAppServer); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		secrets, err := createSecrets(sanitisedAppName)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		secretCols := []string{"Name", "Value"}
-		secretTable := formatter.CreateTable(secretCols)
-		for secret := range secrets {
-			secretTable.Append([]string{secret, secrets[secret]})
-		}
-
-		if len(secrets) > 0 {
-			defer secretTable.Render()
-		}
-	}
-
-	if NewAppServer == "default" {
-		NewAppServer = "local"
-	}
-
-	tableCol := []string{"server", "type", "domain", "app name"}
-	table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
-	table.Append([]string{NewAppServer, recipe.Name, Domain, NewAppName})
-
-	fmt.Println("")
-	fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf("A new %s app has been created! Here is an overview:", recipe.Name))
-	fmt.Println("")
-	table.Render()
-	fmt.Println("")
-	fmt.Println("You can configure this app by running the following:")
-	fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf("\n    abra app config %s", NewAppName))
-	fmt.Println("")
-	fmt.Println("You can deploy this app by running the following:")
-	fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf("\n    abra app deploy %s", NewAppName))
-	fmt.Println("")
-
-	return nil
-}
--- a/cli/internal/recipe.go
+++ b/cli/internal/recipe.go
@ -3,15 +3,15 @@ package internal
 import (
 	"fmt"

+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
-	recipePkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
 	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
 	"github.com/docker/distribution/reference"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )

 // PromptBumpType prompts for version bump type
-func PromptBumpType(tagString string) error {
+func PromptBumpType(tagString, latestRelease string) error {
 	if (!Major && !Minor && !Patch) && tagString == "" {
 		fmt.Printf(`
 You need to make a decision about what kind of an update this new recipe
@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ migration work or take care of some breaking changes? This can be signaled in
 the version you specify on the recipe deploy label and is called a semantic
 version.

+The latest published version is %s.
+
 Here is a semver cheat sheet (more on https://semver.org):

    major: new features/bug fixes, backwards incompatible (e.g 1.0.0 -> 2.0.0).
@ -34,7 +36,7 @@ Here is a semver cheat sheet (more on https://semver.org):
           should also Just Work and is mostly to do with minor bug fixes
           and/or security patches. "nothing to worry about".

-`)
+`, latestRelease)

 		var chosenBumpType string
 		prompt := &survey.Select{
@ -94,7 +96,7 @@ func GetMainAppImage(recipe recipe.Recipe) (string, error) {
 			}

 			path = reference.Path(img)
-			path = recipePkg.StripTagMeta(path)
+			path = formatter.StripTagMeta(path)

 			return path, nil
 		}
--- a/cli/internal/validate.go
+++ b/cli/internal/validate.go
@ -2,56 +2,24 @@ package internal

 import (
 	"errors"
-	"fmt"
-	"os"
 	"strings"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/app"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/ssh"
 	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-// AppName is used for configuring app name programmatically
-var AppName string
-
 // ValidateRecipe ensures the recipe arg is valid.
 func ValidateRecipe(c *cli.Context) recipe.Recipe {
 	recipeName := c.Args().First()

-	if recipeName == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("no recipe name provided"))
-	}
-
-	chosenRecipe, err := recipe.Get(recipeName)
-	if err != nil {
-		if c.Command.Name == "generate" {
-			if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "missing a compose") {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-			logrus.Warn(err)
-		} else {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-	}
-
-	logrus.Debugf("validated %s as recipe argument", recipeName)
-
-	return chosenRecipe
-}
-
-// ValidateRecipeWithPrompt ensures a recipe argument is present before
-// validating, asking for input if required.
-func ValidateRecipeWithPrompt(c *cli.Context) recipe.Recipe {
-	recipeName := c.Args().First()
-
 	if recipeName == "" && !NoInput {
 		var recipes []string

-		catl, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue()
+		catl, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue(Offline)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@ -85,18 +53,23 @@ func ValidateRecipeWithPrompt(c *cli.Context) recipe.Recipe {
 		}
 	}

-	if RecipeName != "" {
-		recipeName = RecipeName
-		logrus.Debugf("programmatically setting recipe name to %s", recipeName)
-	}
-
 	if recipeName == "" {
 		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("no recipe name provided"))
 	}

-	chosenRecipe, err := recipe.Get(recipeName)
+	chosenRecipe, err := recipe.Get(recipeName, Offline)
 	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
+		if c.Command.Name == "generate" {
+			if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "missing a compose") {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			logrus.Warn(err)
+		} else {
+			if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "template_driver is not allowed") {
+				logrus.Warnf("ensure %s recipe compose.* files include \"version: '3.8'\"", recipeName)
+			}
+			logrus.Fatalf("unable to validate recipe: %s", err)
+		}
 	}

 	logrus.Debugf("validated %s as recipe argument", recipeName)
@ -108,11 +81,6 @@ func ValidateRecipeWithPrompt(c *cli.Context) recipe.Recipe {
 func ValidateApp(c *cli.Context) config.App {
 	appName := c.Args().First()

-	if AppName != "" {
-		appName = AppName
-		logrus.Debugf("programmatically setting app name to %s", appName)
-	}
-
 	if appName == "" {
 		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("no app provided"))
 	}
@ -122,21 +90,13 @@ func ValidateApp(c *cli.Context) config.App {
 		logrus.Fatal(err)
 	}

-	if err := recipe.EnsureExists(app.Type); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	if err := ssh.EnsureHostKey(app.Server); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
 	logrus.Debugf("validated %s as app argument", appName)

 	return app
 }

 // ValidateDomain ensures the domain name arg is valid.
-func ValidateDomain(c *cli.Context) (string, error) {
+func ValidateDomain(c *cli.Context) string {
 	domainName := c.Args().First()

 	if domainName == "" && !NoInput {
@ -145,7 +105,7 @@ func ValidateDomain(c *cli.Context) (string, error) {
 			Default: "example.com",
 		}
 		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &domainName); err != nil {
-			return domainName, err
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
 	}

@ -155,7 +115,7 @@ func ValidateDomain(c *cli.Context) (string, error) {

 	logrus.Debugf("validated %s as domain argument", domainName)

-	return domainName, nil
+	return domainName
 }

 // ValidateSubCmdFlags ensures flag order conforms to correct order
@ -173,12 +133,12 @@ func ValidateSubCmdFlags(c *cli.Context) bool {
 }

 // ValidateServer ensures the server name arg is valid.
-func ValidateServer(c *cli.Context) (string, error) {
+func ValidateServer(c *cli.Context) string {
 	serverName := c.Args().First()

 	serverNames, err := config.ReadServerNames()
 	if err != nil {
-		return serverName, err
+		logrus.Fatal(err)
 	}

 	if serverName == "" && !NoInput {
@ -187,7 +147,14 @@ func ValidateServer(c *cli.Context) (string, error) {
 			Options: serverNames,
 		}
 		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &serverName); err != nil {
-			return serverName, err
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	matched := false
+	for _, name := range serverNames {
+		if name == serverName {
+			matched = true
 		}
 	}

@ -195,301 +162,11 @@ func ValidateServer(c *cli.Context) (string, error) {
 		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("no server provided"))
 	}

+	if !matched {
+		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("server doesn't exist?"))
+	}
+
 	logrus.Debugf("validated %s as server argument", serverName)

-	return serverName, nil
-}
-
-// EnsureDNSProvider ensures a DNS provider is chosen.
-func EnsureDNSProvider() error {
-	if DNSProvider == "" && !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Select{
-			Message: "Select DNS provider",
-			Options: []string{"gandi"},
-		}
-
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &DNSProvider); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if DNSProvider == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("missing DNS provider?")
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// EnsureDNSTypeFlag ensures a DNS type flag is present.
-func EnsureDNSTypeFlag(c *cli.Context) error {
-	if DNSType == "" && !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "Specify DNS record type",
-			Default: "A",
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &DNSType); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if DNSType == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("no record type provided"))
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// EnsureDNSNameFlag ensures a DNS name flag is present.
-func EnsureDNSNameFlag(c *cli.Context) error {
-	if DNSName == "" && !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "Specify DNS record name",
-			Default: "mysubdomain",
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &DNSName); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if DNSName == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("no record name provided"))
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// EnsureDNSValueFlag ensures a DNS value flag is present.
-func EnsureDNSValueFlag(c *cli.Context) error {
-	if DNSValue == "" && !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "Specify DNS record value",
-			Default: "192.168.1.2",
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &DNSValue); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if DNSValue == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("no record value provided"))
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// EnsureZoneArgument ensures a zone argument is present.
-func EnsureZoneArgument(c *cli.Context) (string, error) {
-	zone := c.Args().First()
-
-	if zone == "" && !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "Specify a domain name zone",
-			Default: "example.com",
-		}
-
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &zone); err != nil {
-			return zone, err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if zone == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, errors.New("no zone value provided"))
-	}
-
-	return zone, nil
-}
-
-// EnsureServerProvider ensures a 3rd party server provider is chosen.
-func EnsureServerProvider() error {
-	if ServerProvider == "" && !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Select{
-			Message: "Select server provider",
-			Options: []string{"capsul", "hetzner-cloud"},
-		}
-
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &ServerProvider); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if ServerProvider == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("missing server provider?")
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// EnsureNewCapsulVPSFlags ensure all flags are present.
-func EnsureNewCapsulVPSFlags(c *cli.Context) error {
-	if CapsulName == "" && !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "specify capsul name",
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &CapsulName); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "specify capsul instance URL",
-			Default: CapsulInstanceURL,
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &CapsulInstanceURL); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "specify capsul type",
-			Default: CapsulType,
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &CapsulType); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "specify capsul image",
-			Default: CapsulImage,
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &CapsulImage); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if len(CapsulSSHKeys.Value()) == 0 && !NoInput {
-		var sshKeys string
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "specify capsul SSH keys (e.g. me@foo.com)",
-			Default: "",
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &CapsulSSHKeys); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		CapsulSSHKeys = *cli.NewStringSlice(strings.Split(sshKeys, ",")...)
-	}
-
-	if CapsulAPIToken == "" && !NoInput {
-		token, ok := os.LookupEnv("CAPSUL_TOKEN")
-		if !ok {
-			prompt := &survey.Input{
-				Message: "specify capsul API token",
-			}
-			if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &CapsulAPIToken); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-		} else {
-			CapsulAPIToken = token
-		}
-	}
-
-	if CapsulName == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, fmt.Errorf("missing capsul name?"))
-	}
-	if CapsulInstanceURL == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, fmt.Errorf("missing capsul instance url?"))
-	}
-	if CapsulType == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, fmt.Errorf("missing capsul type?"))
-	}
-	if CapsulImage == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, fmt.Errorf("missing capsul image?"))
-	}
-	if len(CapsulSSHKeys.Value()) == 0 {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, fmt.Errorf("missing capsul ssh keys?"))
-	}
-	if CapsulAPIToken == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, fmt.Errorf("missing capsul API token?"))
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-// EnsureNewHetznerCloudVPSFlags ensure all flags are present.
-func EnsureNewHetznerCloudVPSFlags(c *cli.Context) error {
-	if HetznerCloudName == "" && !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "specify hetzner cloud VPS name",
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &HetznerCloudName); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "specify hetzner cloud VPS type",
-			Default: HetznerCloudType,
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &HetznerCloudType); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "specify hetzner cloud VPS image",
-			Default: HetznerCloudImage,
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &HetznerCloudImage); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if len(HetznerCloudSSHKeys.Value()) == 0 && !NoInput {
-		var sshKeys string
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "specify hetzner cloud SSH keys (e.g. me@foo.com)",
-			Default: "",
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &sshKeys); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		HetznerCloudSSHKeys = *cli.NewStringSlice(strings.Split(sshKeys, ",")...)
-	}
-
-	if !NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "specify hetzner cloud VPS location",
-			Default: HetznerCloudLocation,
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &HetznerCloudLocation); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if HetznerCloudAPIToken == "" && !NoInput {
-		token, ok := os.LookupEnv("HCLOUD_TOKEN")
-		if !ok {
-			prompt := &survey.Input{
-				Message: "specify hetzner cloud API token",
-			}
-			if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &HetznerCloudAPIToken); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-		} else {
-			HetznerCloudAPIToken = token
-		}
-	}
-
-	if HetznerCloudName == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, fmt.Errorf("missing hetzner cloud VPS name?"))
-	}
-	if HetznerCloudType == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, fmt.Errorf("missing hetzner cloud VPS type?"))
-	}
-	if HetznerCloudImage == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, fmt.Errorf("missing hetzner cloud image?"))
-	}
-	if HetznerCloudLocation == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, fmt.Errorf("missing hetzner cloud VPS location?"))
-	}
-	if HetznerCloudAPIToken == "" {
-		ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, fmt.Errorf("missing hetzner cloud API token?"))
-	}
-
-	return nil
+	return serverName
 }
--- a/cli/recipe/diff.go
+++ b/cli/recipe/diff.go
@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+package recipe
+
+import (
+	"path"
+
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	gitPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/git"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
+)
+
+var recipeDiffCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:        "diff",
+	Usage:       "Show unstaged changes in recipe config",
+	Description: "Due to limitations in our underlying Git dependency, this command requires /usr/bin/git.",
+	Aliases:     []string{"d"},
+	ArgsUsage:   "<recipe>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		recipeName := c.Args().First()
+
+		if recipeName != "" {
+			internal.ValidateRecipe(c)
+		}
+
+		recipeDir := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipeName)
+		if err := gitPkg.DiffUnstaged(recipeDir); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	},
+}
--- a/cli/recipe/fetch.go
+++ b/cli/recipe/fetch.go
@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+package recipe
+
+import (
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
+)
+
+var recipeFetchCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:        "fetch",
+	Usage:       "Fetch recipe(s)",
+	Aliases:     []string{"f"},
+	ArgsUsage:   "[<recipe>]",
+	Description: "Retrieves all recipes if no <recipe> argument is passed",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		recipeName := c.Args().First()
+		if recipeName != "" {
+			internal.ValidateRecipe(c)
+			if err := recipe.Ensure(recipeName); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			return nil
+		}
+
+		catalogue, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue(internal.Offline)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		catlBar := formatter.CreateProgressbar(len(catalogue), "fetching latest recipes...")
+		for recipeName := range catalogue {
+			if err := recipe.Ensure(recipeName); err != nil {
+				logrus.Error(err)
+			}
+			catlBar.Add(1)
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	},
+}
--- a/cli/recipe/lint.go
+++ b/cli/recipe/lint.go
@ -12,52 +12,99 @@ import (
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var recipeLintCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:         "lint",
-	Usage:        "Lint a recipe",
-	Aliases:      []string{"l"},
-	ArgsUsage:    "<recipe>",
-	Flags:        []cli.Flag{internal.OnlyErrorFlag},
+var recipeLintCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "lint",
+	Usage:     "Lint a recipe",
+	Aliases:   []string{"l"},
+	ArgsUsage: "<recipe>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.OnlyErrorFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+		internal.ChaosFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	BashComplete: autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		recipe := internal.ValidateRecipe(c)

-		if err := recipePkg.EnsureUpToDate(recipe.Name); err != nil {
+		if err := recipePkg.EnsureExists(recipe.Name); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		tableCol := []string{"ref", "rule", "satisfied", "severity", "resolve"}
+		if !internal.Chaos {
+			if err := recipePkg.EnsureIsClean(recipe.Name); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if !internal.Offline {
+				if err := recipePkg.EnsureUpToDate(recipe.Name); err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if err := recipePkg.EnsureLatest(recipe.Name); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		tableCol := []string{"ref", "rule", "severity", "satisfied", "skipped", "resolve"}
 		table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)

 		hasError := false
 		bar := formatter.CreateProgressbar(-1, "running recipe lint rules...")
 		for level := range lint.LintRules {
 			for _, rule := range lint.LintRules[level] {
-				ok, err := rule.Function(recipe)
-				if err != nil {
-					logrus.Warn(err)
+				if internal.OnlyErrors && rule.Level != "error" {
+					logrus.Debugf("skipping %s, does not have level \"error\"", rule.Ref)
+					continue
 				}

-				if !ok && rule.Level == "error" {
-					hasError = true
+				skipped := false
+				if rule.Skip(recipe) {
+					skipped = true
 				}

-				var result string
-				if ok {
-					result = "yes"
-				} else {
-					result = "NO"
+				skippedOutput := "-"
+				if skipped {
+					skippedOutput = "✅"
 				}

-				if internal.OnlyErrors {
-					if !ok && rule.Level == "error" {
-						table.Append([]string{rule.Ref, rule.Description, result, rule.Level, rule.HowToResolve})
-						bar.Add(1)
+				satisfied := false
+				if !skipped {
+					ok, err := rule.Function(recipe)
+					if err != nil {
+						logrus.Warn(err)
+					}
+
+					if !ok && rule.Level == "error" {
+						hasError = true
+					}
+
+					if ok {
+						satisfied = true
 					}
-				} else {
-					table.Append([]string{rule.Ref, rule.Description, result, rule.Level, rule.HowToResolve})
-					bar.Add(1)
 				}
+
+				satisfiedOutput := "✅"
+				if !satisfied {
+					satisfiedOutput = "❌"
+					if skipped {
+						satisfiedOutput = "-"
+					}
+				}
+
+				table.Append([]string{
+					rule.Ref,
+					rule.Description,
+					rule.Level,
+					satisfiedOutput,
+					skippedOutput,
+					rule.HowToResolve,
+				})
+
+				bar.Add(1)
 			}
 		}

--- a/cli/recipe/list.go
+++ b/cli/recipe/list.go
@ -2,14 +2,12 @@ package recipe

 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"path"
 	"sort"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"

-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
-	gitPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/git"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
@ -17,28 +15,25 @@ import (

 var pattern string
 var patternFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "pattern",
+	Name:        "pattern, p",
 	Value:       "",
-	Aliases:     []string{"p"},
 	Usage:       "Simple string to filter recipes",
 	Destination: &pattern,
 }

-var recipeListCommand = &cli.Command{
+var recipeListCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:    "list",
 	Usage:   "List available recipes",
 	Aliases: []string{"ls"},
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.MachineReadableFlag,
 		patternFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
 	},
+	Before: internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
-		catalogueDir := path.Join(config.ABRA_DIR, "catalogue")
-		url := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s.git", config.REPOS_BASE_URL, "recipes")
-		if err := gitPkg.Clone(catalogueDir, url); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-
-		catl, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue()
+		catl, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue(internal.Offline)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err.Error())
 		}
@ -73,10 +68,14 @@ var recipeListCommand = &cli.Command{
 			}
 		}

-		table.SetCaption(true, fmt.Sprintf("total recipes: %v", len))
-
 		if table.NumLines() > 0 {
-			table.Render()
+			if internal.MachineReadable {
+				table.SetCaption(false, "")
+				table.JSONRender()
+			} else {
+				table.SetCaption(true, fmt.Sprintf("total recipes: %v", len))
+				table.Render()
+			}
 		}

 		return nil
--- a/cli/recipe/new.go
+++ b/cli/recipe/new.go
@ -30,15 +30,21 @@ type recipeMetadata struct {
 	SSO         string
 }

-var recipeNewCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:      "new",
+var recipeNewCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "new",
+	Aliases: []string{"n"},
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+	},
+	Before:    internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	Usage:     "Create a new recipe",
-	Aliases:   []string{"n"},
 	ArgsUsage: "<recipe>",
 	Description: `
-This command creates a new recipe.
+Create a new recipe.

-Abra uses our built-in example repository which is available here:
+Abra uses the built-in example repository which is available here:

    https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/example

@ -106,7 +112,7 @@ In order to share your recipe, you can upload it the git repository to:

 If you're not sure how to do that, come chat with us:

-    https://docs.coopcloud.tech/contact
+    https://docs.coopcloud.tech/intro/contact

 See "abra recipe -h" for additional recipe maintainer commands.

--- a/cli/recipe/recipe.go
+++ b/cli/recipe/recipe.go
@ -5,15 +5,16 @@ import (
 )

 // RecipeCommand defines all recipe related sub-commands.
-var RecipeCommand = &cli.Command{
+var RecipeCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:      "recipe",
+	Aliases:   []string{"r"},
 	Usage:     "Manage recipes",
 	ArgsUsage: "<recipe>",
-	Aliases:   []string{"r"},
 	Description: `
 A recipe is a blueprint for an app. It is a bunch of config files which
 describe how to deploy and maintain an app. Recipes are maintained by the Co-op
-Cloud community and you can use Abra to read them and create apps for you.
+Cloud community and you can use Abra to read them, deploy them and create apps
+for you.

 Anyone who uses a recipe can become a maintainer. Maintainers typically make
 sure the recipe is in good working order and the config upgraded in a timely
@ -21,12 +22,15 @@ manner. Abra supports convenient automation for recipe maintainenace, see the
 "abra recipe upgrade", "abra recipe sync" and "abra recipe release" commands.
 `,
 	Subcommands: []*cli.Command{
-		recipeListCommand,
-		recipeVersionCommand,
-		recipeReleaseCommand,
-		recipeNewCommand,
-		recipeUpgradeCommand,
-		recipeSyncCommand,
-		recipeLintCommand,
+		&recipeFetchCommand,
+		&recipeLintCommand,
+		&recipeListCommand,
+		&recipeNewCommand,
+		&recipeReleaseCommand,
+		&recipeSyncCommand,
+		&recipeUpgradeCommand,
+		&recipeVersionCommand,
+		&recipeResetCommand,
+		&recipeDiffCommand,
 	},
 }
--- a/cli/recipe/release.go
+++ b/cli/recipe/release.go
@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 package recipe

 import (
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
 	"path"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
@ -21,23 +23,22 @@ import (
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var recipeReleaseCommand = &cli.Command{
+var recipeReleaseCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:      "release",
-	Usage:     "Release a new recipe version",
 	Aliases:   []string{"rl"},
+	Usage:     "Release a new recipe version",
 	ArgsUsage: "<recipe> [<version>]",
 	Description: `
-This command is used to specify a new version of a recipe. These versions are
-then published on the Co-op Cloud recipe catalogue. These versions take the
-following form:
+Create a new version of a recipe. These versions are then published on the
+Co-op Cloud recipe catalogue. These versions take the following form:

    a.b.c+x.y.z

-Where the "a.b.c" part is a semantic version determined by the maintainer. And
-the "x.y.z" part is the image tag of the recipe "app" service (the main
-container which contains the software to be used).
+Where the "a.b.c" part is a semantic version determined by the maintainer. The
+"x.y.z" part is the image tag of the recipe "app" service (the main container
+which contains the software to be used, by naming convention).

-We maintain a semantic versioning scheme ("a.b.c") alongside the libre app
+We maintain a semantic versioning scheme ("a.b.c") alongside the recipe
 versioning scheme ("x.y.z") in order to maximise the chances that the nature of
 recipe updates are properly communicated. I.e. developers of an app might
 publish a minor version but that might lead to changes in the recipe which are
@ -48,15 +49,19 @@ requires that you have permission to git push to these repositories and have
 your SSH keys configured on your account.
 `,
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
 		internal.DryFlag,
 		internal.MajorFlag,
 		internal.MinorFlag,
 		internal.PatchFlag,
 		internal.PublishFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
 	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	BashComplete: autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
-		recipe := internal.ValidateRecipeWithPrompt(c)
+		recipe := internal.ValidateRecipe(c)

 		imagesTmp, err := getImageVersions(recipe)
 		if err != nil {
@ -103,6 +108,18 @@ your SSH keys configured on your account.
 			}
 		}

+		isClean, err := gitPkg.IsClean(recipe.Dir())
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !isClean {
+			logrus.Infof("%s currently has these unstaged changes 👇", recipe.Name)
+			if err := gitPkg.DiffUnstaged(recipe.Dir()); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
 		if len(tags) > 0 {
 			logrus.Warnf("previous git tags detected, assuming this is a new semver release")
 			if err := createReleaseFromPreviousTag(tagString, mainAppVersion, recipe, tags); err != nil {
@ -125,7 +142,7 @@ your SSH keys configured on your account.

 // getImageVersions retrieves image versions for a recipe
 func getImageVersions(recipe recipe.Recipe) (map[string]string, error) {
-	var services = make(map[string]string)
+	services := make(map[string]string)

 	missingTag := false
 	for _, service := range recipe.Config.Services {
@ -140,7 +157,7 @@ func getImageVersions(recipe recipe.Recipe) (map[string]string, error) {

 		path := reference.Path(img)

-		path = recipePkg.StripTagMeta(path)
+		path = formatter.StripTagMeta(path)

 		var tag string
 		switch img.(type) {
@ -192,6 +209,10 @@ func createReleaseFromTag(recipe recipe.Recipe, tagString, mainAppVersion string
 		tagString = fmt.Sprintf("%s+%s", tag.String(), mainAppVersion)
 	}

+	if err := addReleaseNotes(recipe, tagString); err != nil {
+		logrus.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
 	if err := commitRelease(recipe, tagString); err != nil {
 		logrus.Fatal(err)
 	}
@ -222,6 +243,82 @@ func getTagCreateOptions(tag string) (git.CreateTagOptions, error) {
 	return git.CreateTagOptions{Message: msg}, nil
 }

+// addReleaseNotes checks if the release/next release note exists and moves the
+// file to release/<tag>.
+func addReleaseNotes(recipe recipe.Recipe, tag string) error {
+	repoPath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipe.Name)
+	tagReleaseNotePath := path.Join(repoPath, "release", tag)
+	if _, err := os.Stat(tagReleaseNotePath); err == nil {
+		// Release note for current tag already exist exists.
+		return nil
+	} else if !errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	nextReleaseNotePath := path.Join(repoPath, "release", "next")
+	if _, err := os.Stat(nextReleaseNotePath); err == nil {
+		// release/next note exists. Move it to release/<tag>
+		if internal.Dry {
+			logrus.Debugf("dry run: move release note from 'next' to %s", tag)
+			return nil
+		}
+		if !internal.NoInput {
+			prompt := &survey.Input{
+				Message: "Use release note in release/next?",
+			}
+			var addReleaseNote bool
+			if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &addReleaseNote); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			if !addReleaseNote {
+				return nil
+			}
+		}
+		err := os.Rename(nextReleaseNotePath, tagReleaseNotePath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		err = gitPkg.Add(repoPath, path.Join("release", "next"), internal.Dry)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		err = gitPkg.Add(repoPath, path.Join("release", tag), internal.Dry)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	} else if !errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// No release note exists for the current release.
+	if internal.NoInput {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	prompt := &survey.Input{
+		Message: "Release Note (leave empty for no release note)",
+	}
+	var releaseNote string
+	if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &releaseNote); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if releaseNote == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	err := os.WriteFile(tagReleaseNotePath, []byte(releaseNote), 0o644)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	err = gitPkg.Add(repoPath, path.Join("release", tag), internal.Dry)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 func commitRelease(recipe recipe.Recipe, tag string) error {
 	if internal.Dry {
 		logrus.Debugf("dry run: no changes committed")
@ -239,12 +336,10 @@ func commitRelease(recipe recipe.Recipe, tag string) error {
 		}
 	}

-	if internal.Publish {
-		msg := fmt.Sprintf("chore: publish %s release", tag)
-		repoPath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipe.Name)
-		if err := gitPkg.Commit(repoPath, "compose.**yml", msg, internal.Dry); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
+	msg := fmt.Sprintf("chore: publish %s release", tag)
+	repoPath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipe.Name)
+	if err := gitPkg.Commit(repoPath, msg, internal.Dry); err != nil {
+		return err
 	}

 	return nil
@ -297,13 +392,10 @@ func pushRelease(recipe recipe.Recipe, tagString string) error {
 		if err := recipe.Push(internal.Dry); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-
-		if !internal.Dry {
-			url := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/src/tag/%s", config.REPOS_BASE_URL, recipe.Name, tagString)
-			logrus.Infof("new release published: %s", url)
-		} else {
-			logrus.Info("dry run: no changes published")
-		}
+		url := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/src/tag/%s", config.REPOS_BASE_URL, recipe.Name, tagString)
+		logrus.Infof("new release published: %s", url)
+	} else {
+		logrus.Info("no -p/--publish passed, not publishing")
 	}

 	return nil
@ -324,12 +416,6 @@ func createReleaseFromPreviousTag(tagString, mainAppVersion string, recipe recip
 	}

 	var lastGitTag tagcmp.Tag
-	if tagString == "" {
-		if err := internal.PromptBumpType(tagString); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
 	for _, tag := range tags {
 		parsed, err := tagcmp.Parse(tag)
 		if err != nil {
@ -370,13 +456,19 @@ func createReleaseFromPreviousTag(tagString, mainAppVersion string, recipe recip
 		newTag.Major = strconv.Itoa(now + 1)
 	}

+	if tagString == "" {
+		if err := internal.PromptBumpType(tagString, lastGitTag.String()); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
 	if internal.Major || internal.Minor || internal.Patch {
 		newTag.Metadata = mainAppVersion
 		tagString = newTag.String()
 	}

 	if lastGitTag.String() == tagString {
-		logrus.Fatalf("latest git tag (%s) and synced lable (%s) are the same?", lastGitTag, tagString)
+		logrus.Fatalf("latest git tag (%s) and synced label (%s) are the same?", lastGitTag, tagString)
 	}

 	if !internal.NoInput {
@ -394,16 +486,20 @@ func createReleaseFromPreviousTag(tagString, mainAppVersion string, recipe recip
 		}
 	}

-	if err := commitRelease(recipe, tagString); err != nil {
+	if err := addReleaseNotes(recipe, tagString); err != nil {
 		logrus.Fatal(err)
 	}

+	if err := commitRelease(recipe, tagString); err != nil {
+		logrus.Fatalf("failed to commit changes: %s", err.Error())
+	}
+
 	if err := tagRelease(tagString, repo); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
+		logrus.Fatalf("failed to tag release: %s", err.Error())
 	}

 	if err := pushRelease(recipe, tagString); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
+		logrus.Fatalf("failed to publish new release: %s", err.Error())
 	}

 	return nil
--- a/cli/recipe/reset.go
+++ b/cli/recipe/reset.go
@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+package recipe
+
+import (
+	"path"
+
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"github.com/go-git/go-git/v5"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
+)
+
+var recipeResetCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:        "reset",
+	Usage:       "Remove all unstaged changes from recipe config",
+	Description: "WARNING, this will delete your changes. Be Careful.",
+	Aliases:     []string{"rs"},
+	ArgsUsage:   "<recipe>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		recipeName := c.Args().First()
+
+		if recipeName != "" {
+			internal.ValidateRecipe(c)
+		}
+
+		repoPath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipeName)
+		repo, err := git.PlainOpen(repoPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		ref, err := repo.Head()
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		worktree, err := repo.Worktree()
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		opts := &git.ResetOptions{Commit: ref.Hash(), Mode: git.HardReset}
+		if err := worktree.Reset(opts); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	},
+}
--- a/cli/recipe/sync.go
+++ b/cli/recipe/sync.go
@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	gitPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/git"
 	"coopcloud.tech/tagcmp"
 	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
 	"github.com/go-git/go-git/v5"
@ -16,20 +17,23 @@ import (
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var recipeSyncCommand = &cli.Command{
+var recipeSyncCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:      "sync",
-	Usage:     "Sync recipe version label",
 	Aliases:   []string{"s"},
+	Usage:     "Sync recipe version label",
 	ArgsUsage: "<recipe> [<version>]",
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
 		internal.DryFlag,
 		internal.MajorFlag,
 		internal.MinorFlag,
 		internal.PatchFlag,
 	},
+	Before: internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	Description: `
-This command will generate labels for the main recipe service (i.e. by
-convention, the service named 'app') which corresponds to the following format:
+Generate labels for the main recipe service (i.e. by convention, the service
+named "app") which corresponds to the following format:

    coop-cloud.${STACK_NAME}.version=<version>

@ -37,8 +41,9 @@ Where <version> can be specifed on the command-line or Abra can attempt to
 auto-generate it for you. The <recipe> configuration will be updated on the
 local file system.
 `,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
-		recipe := internal.ValidateRecipeWithPrompt(c)
+		recipe := internal.ValidateRecipe(c)

 		mainApp, err := internal.GetMainAppImage(recipe)
 		if err != nil {
@ -60,6 +65,9 @@ local file system.
 		nextTag := c.Args().Get(1)
 		if len(tags) == 0 && nextTag == "" {
 			logrus.Warnf("no git tags found for %s", recipe.Name)
+			if internal.NoInput {
+				logrus.Fatalf("unable to continue, input required for initial version")
+			}
 			fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf(`
 The following options are two types of initial semantic version that you can
 pick for %s that will be published in the recipe catalogue. This follows the
@ -92,7 +100,8 @@ likely to change.
 		}

 		if nextTag == "" && (!internal.Major && !internal.Minor && !internal.Patch) {
-			if err := internal.PromptBumpType(""); err != nil {
+			latestRelease := tags[len(tags)-1]
+			if err := internal.PromptBumpType("", latestRelease); err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
 		}
@ -113,6 +122,7 @@ likely to change.
 			if err := iter.ForEach(func(ref *plumbing.Reference) error {
 				obj, err := repo.TagObject(ref.Hash())
 				if err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal("Tag at commit ", ref.Hash(), " is unannotated or otherwise broken. Please fix it.")
 					return err
 				}

@ -189,7 +199,17 @@ likely to change.
 			logrus.Infof("dry run: not syncing label %s for recipe %s", nextTag, recipe.Name)
 		}

+		isClean, err := gitPkg.IsClean(recipe.Dir())
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		if !isClean {
+			logrus.Infof("%s currently has these unstaged changes 👇", recipe.Name)
+			if err := gitPkg.DiffUnstaged(recipe.Dir()); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
 		return nil
 	},
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete,
 }
--- a/cli/recipe/upgrade.go
+++ b/cli/recipe/upgrade.go
@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package recipe

 import (
 	"bufio"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path"
@ -12,6 +13,8 @@ import (
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
+	gitPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/git"
 	recipePkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
 	"coopcloud.tech/tagcmp"
 	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
@ -25,14 +28,23 @@ type imgPin struct {
 	version tagcmp.Tag
 }

-var recipeUpgradeCommand = &cli.Command{
+// anUpgrade represents a single service upgrade (as within a recipe), and the list of tags that it can be upgraded to,
+// for serialization purposes.
+type anUpgrade struct {
+	Service     string   `json:"service"`
+	Image       string   `json:"image"`
+	Tag         string   `json:"tag"`
+	UpgradeTags []string `json:"upgrades"`
+}
+
+var recipeUpgradeCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:    "upgrade",
-	Usage:   "Upgrade recipe image tags",
 	Aliases: []string{"u"},
+	Usage:   "Upgrade recipe image tags",
 	Description: `
-This command reads and attempts to parse all image tags within the given
-<recipe> configuration and prompt with more recent tags to upgrade to. It will
-update the relevant compose file tags on the local file system.
+Parse all image tags within the given <recipe> configuration and prompt with
+more recent tags to upgrade to. It will update the relevant compose file tags
+on the local file system.

 Some image tags cannot be parsed because they do not follow some sort of
 semver-like convention. In this case, all possible tags will be listed and it
@ -45,17 +57,37 @@ interface.
 You may invoke this command in "wizard" mode and be prompted for input:

    abra recipe upgrade
-
 `,
-	BashComplete: autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete,
-	ArgsUsage:    "<recipe>",
+	ArgsUsage: "<recipe>",
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
 		internal.PatchFlag,
 		internal.MinorFlag,
 		internal.MajorFlag,
+		internal.MachineReadableFlag,
+		internal.AllTagsFlag,
 	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
-		recipe := internal.ValidateRecipeWithPrompt(c)
+		recipe := internal.ValidateRecipe(c)
+
+		if err := recipePkg.EnsureIsClean(recipe.Name); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if err := recipePkg.EnsureExists(recipe.Name); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if err := recipePkg.EnsureUpToDate(recipe.Name); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if err := recipePkg.EnsureLatest(recipe.Name); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}

 		bumpType := btoi(internal.Major)*4 + btoi(internal.Minor)*2 + btoi(internal.Patch)
 		if bumpType != 0 {
@ -65,6 +97,13 @@ You may invoke this command in "wizard" mode and be prompted for input:
 			}
 		}

+		if internal.MachineReadable {
+			// -m implies -n in this case
+			internal.NoInput = true
+		}
+
+		upgradeList := make(map[string]anUpgrade)
+
 		// check for versions file and load pinned versions
 		versionsPresent := false
 		recipeDir := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipe.Name)
@ -108,14 +147,14 @@ You may invoke this command in "wizard" mode and be prompted for input:
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}

-			image := reference.Path(img)
-			regVersions, err := client.GetRegistryTags(image)
+			regVersions, err := client.GetRegistryTags(img)
 			if err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
-			logrus.Debugf("retrieved %s from remote registry for %s", regVersions, image)

-			image = recipePkg.StripTagMeta(image)
+			image := reference.Path(img)
+			logrus.Debugf("retrieved %s from remote registry for %s", regVersions, image)
+			image = formatter.StripTagMeta(image)

 			switch img.(type) {
 			case reference.NamedTagged:
@ -137,7 +176,7 @@ You may invoke this command in "wizard" mode and be prompted for input:

 			var compatible []tagcmp.Tag
 			for _, regVersion := range regVersions {
-				other, err := tagcmp.Parse(regVersion.Name)
+				other, err := tagcmp.Parse(regVersion)
 				if err != nil {
 					continue // skip tags that cannot be parsed
 				}
@ -151,12 +190,12 @@ You may invoke this command in "wizard" mode and be prompted for input:

 			sort.Sort(tagcmp.ByTagDesc(compatible))

-			if len(compatible) == 0 {
-				logrus.Info(fmt.Sprintf("no new versions available for %s, %s is the latest", image, tag))
+			if len(compatible) == 0 && !internal.AllTags {
+				logrus.Info(fmt.Sprintf("no new versions available for %s, assuming %s is the latest (use -a/--all-tags to see all anyway)", image, tag))
 				continue // skip on to the next tag and don't update any compose files
 			}

-			catlVersions, err := recipePkg.VersionsOfService(recipe.Name, service.Name)
+			catlVersions, err := recipePkg.VersionsOfService(recipe.Name, service.Name, internal.Offline)
 			if err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
@ -219,24 +258,49 @@ You may invoke this command in "wizard" mode and be prompted for input:
 					}
 				} else {
 					msg := fmt.Sprintf("upgrade to which tag? (service: %s, image: %s, tag: %s)", service.Name, image, tag)
-					if !tagcmp.IsParsable(img.(reference.NamedTagged).Tag()) {
+					if !tagcmp.IsParsable(img.(reference.NamedTagged).Tag()) || internal.AllTags {
 						tag := img.(reference.NamedTagged).Tag()
-						logrus.Warning(fmt.Sprintf("unable to determine versioning semantics of %s, listing all tags", tag))
+						if !internal.AllTags {
+							logrus.Warning(fmt.Sprintf("unable to determine versioning semantics of %s, listing all tags", tag))
+						}
 						msg = fmt.Sprintf("upgrade to which tag? (service: %s, tag: %s)", service.Name, tag)
 						compatibleStrings = []string{"skip"}
 						for _, regVersion := range regVersions {
-							compatibleStrings = append(compatibleStrings, regVersion.Name)
+							compatibleStrings = append(compatibleStrings, regVersion)
 						}
 					}

-					prompt := &survey.Select{
-						Message: msg,
-						Help:    "enter / return to confirm, choose 'skip' to not upgrade this tag, vim mode is enabled",
-						VimMode: true,
-						Options: compatibleStrings,
+					// there is always at least the item "skip" in compatibleStrings (a list of
+					// possible upgradable tags) and at least one other tag.
+					upgradableTags := compatibleStrings[1:]
+					upgrade := anUpgrade{
+						Service:     service.Name,
+						Image:       image,
+						Tag:         tag.String(),
+						UpgradeTags: make([]string, len(upgradableTags)),
 					}
-					if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &upgradeTag); err != nil {
-						logrus.Fatal(err)
+
+					for n, s := range upgradableTags {
+						var sb strings.Builder
+						if _, err := sb.WriteString(s); err != nil {
+						}
+						upgrade.UpgradeTags[n] = sb.String()
+					}
+
+					upgradeList[upgrade.Service] = upgrade
+
+					if internal.NoInput {
+						upgradeTag = "skip"
+					} else {
+						prompt := &survey.Select{
+							Message: msg,
+							Help:    "enter / return to confirm, choose 'skip' to not upgrade this tag, vim mode is enabled",
+							VimMode: true,
+							Options: compatibleStrings,
+						}
+						if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &upgradeTag); err != nil {
+							logrus.Fatal(err)
+						}
 					}
 				}
 			}
@ -249,7 +313,40 @@ You may invoke this command in "wizard" mode and be prompted for input:
 					logrus.Infof("tag upgraded from %s to %s for %s", tag.String(), upgradeTag, image)
 				}
 			} else {
-				logrus.Warnf("not upgrading %s, skipping as requested", image)
+				if !internal.NoInput {
+					logrus.Warnf("not upgrading %s, skipping as requested", image)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		if internal.NoInput {
+			if internal.MachineReadable {
+				jsonstring, err := json.Marshal(upgradeList)
+				if err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+
+				fmt.Println(string(jsonstring))
+
+				return nil
+			}
+
+			for _, upgrade := range upgradeList {
+				logrus.Infof("can upgrade service: %s, image: %s, tag: %s ::\n", upgrade.Service, upgrade.Image, upgrade.Tag)
+				for _, utag := range upgrade.UpgradeTags {
+					logrus.Infof("    %s\n", utag)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		isClean, err := gitPkg.IsClean(recipeDir)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		if !isClean {
+			logrus.Infof("%s currently has these unstaged changes 👇", recipe.Name)
+			if err := gitPkg.DiffUnstaged(recipeDir); err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
 		}

--- a/cli/recipe/version.go
+++ b/cli/recipe/version.go
@ -2,62 +2,84 @@ package recipe

 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"path"
+	"sort"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
-	gitPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/git"
 	recipePkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
+	"github.com/olekukonko/tablewriter"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var recipeVersionCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:         "versions",
-	Usage:        "List recipe versions",
-	Aliases:      []string{"v"},
-	ArgsUsage:    "<recipe>",
+func sortServiceByName(versions [][]string) func(i, j int) bool {
+	return func(i, j int) bool {
+		// NOTE(d1): corresponds to the `tableCol` definition below
+		if versions[i][1] == "app" {
+			return true
+		}
+		return versions[i][1] < versions[j][1]
+	}
+}
+
+var recipeVersionCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:        "versions",
+	Aliases:     []string{"v"},
+	Usage:       "List recipe versions",
+	ArgsUsage:   "<recipe>",
+	Description: "Versions are read from the recipe catalogue.",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+		internal.MachineReadableFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	BashComplete: autocomplete.RecipeNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		recipe := internal.ValidateRecipe(c)

-		catalogueDir := path.Join(config.ABRA_DIR, "catalogue")
-		url := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s.git", config.REPOS_BASE_URL, "recipes")
-		if err := gitPkg.Clone(catalogueDir, url); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-
-		catalogue, err := recipePkg.ReadRecipeCatalogue()
+		catl, err := recipePkg.ReadRecipeCatalogue(internal.Offline)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		recipeMeta, ok := catalogue[recipe.Name]
+		recipeMeta, ok := catl[recipe.Name]
 		if !ok {
-			logrus.Fatalf("%s recipe doesn't exist?", recipe.Name)
+			logrus.Fatalf("%s is not published on the catalogue?", recipe.Name)
 		}

-		tableCol := []string{"Version", "Service", "Image", "Tag", "Digest"}
-		table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
+		if len(recipeMeta.Versions) == 0 {
+			logrus.Fatalf("%s has no catalogue published versions?", recipe.Name)
+		}

 		for i := len(recipeMeta.Versions) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
-			for tag, meta := range recipeMeta.Versions[i] {
+			tableCols := []string{"version", "service", "image", "tag"}
+			table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCols)
+			for version, meta := range recipeMeta.Versions[i] {
+				var versions [][]string
 				for service, serviceMeta := range meta {
-					table.Append([]string{tag, service, serviceMeta.Image, serviceMeta.Tag, serviceMeta.Digest})
+					versions = append(versions, []string{version, service, serviceMeta.Image, serviceMeta.Tag})
+				}
+
+				sort.Slice(versions, sortServiceByName(versions))
+
+				for _, version := range versions {
+					table.Append(version)
+				}
+
+				if internal.MachineReadable {
+					table.JSONRender()
+				} else {
+					table.SetAutoMergeCellsByColumnIndex([]int{0})
+					table.SetAlignment(tablewriter.ALIGN_LEFT)
+					table.Render()
+					fmt.Println()
 				}
 			}
 		}

-		table.SetAutoMergeCells(true)
-
-		if table.NumLines() > 0 {
-			table.Render()
-		} else {
-			logrus.Fatalf("%s has no published versions?", recipe.Name)
-		}
-
 		return nil
 	},
 }
--- a/cli/record/list.go
+++ b/cli/record/list.go
@ -1,79 +0,0 @@
-package record
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"strconv"
-
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
-	gandiPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/dns/gandi"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
-	"github.com/libdns/gandi"
-	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
-	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
-)
-
-// RecordListCommand lists domains.
-var RecordListCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:      "list",
-	Usage:     "List domain name records",
-	Aliases:   []string{"ls"},
-	ArgsUsage: "<zone>",
-	Flags: []cli.Flag{
-		internal.DNSProviderFlag,
-	},
-	Description: `
-This command lists all domain name records managed by a 3rd party provider for
-a specific zone.
-
-You must specify a zone (e.g. example.com) under which your domain name records
-are listed. This zone must already be created on your provider account.
-`,
-	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
-		if err := internal.EnsureDNSProvider(); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		zone, err := internal.EnsureZoneArgument(c)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		var provider gandi.Provider
-		switch internal.DNSProvider {
-		case "gandi":
-			provider, err = gandiPkg.New()
-			if err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-		default:
-			logrus.Fatalf("%s is not a supported DNS provider", internal.DNSProvider)
-		}
-
-		records, err := provider.GetRecords(c.Context, zone)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		tableCol := []string{"type", "name", "value", "TTL", "priority"}
-		table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
-
-		for _, record := range records {
-			value := record.Value
-			if len(record.Value) > 30 {
-				value = fmt.Sprintf("%s...", record.Value[:30])
-			}
-
-			table.Append([]string{
-				record.Type,
-				record.Name,
-				value,
-				record.TTL.String(),
-				strconv.Itoa(record.Priority),
-			})
-		}
-
-		table.Render()
-
-		return nil
-	},
-}
--- a/cli/record/new.go
+++ b/cli/record/new.go
@ -1,252 +0,0 @@
-package record
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"strconv"
-
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/dns"
-	gandiPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/dns/gandi"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
-	"github.com/libdns/gandi"
-	"github.com/libdns/libdns"
-	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
-	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
-)
-
-// RecordNewCommand creates a new domain name record.
-var RecordNewCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:      "new",
-	Usage:     "Create a new domain record",
-	Aliases:   []string{"n"},
-	ArgsUsage: "<zone>",
-	Flags: []cli.Flag{
-		internal.DNSProviderFlag,
-		internal.DNSTypeFlag,
-		internal.DNSNameFlag,
-		internal.DNSValueFlag,
-		internal.DNSTTLFlag,
-		internal.DNSPriorityFlag,
-		internal.AutoDNSRecordFlag,
-	},
-	Description: `
-This command creates a new domain name record for a specific zone.
-
-You must specify a zone (e.g. example.com) under which your domain name records
-are listed. This zone must already be created on your provider account.
-
-Example:
-
-    abra record new foo.com -p gandi -t A -n myapp -v 192.168.178.44
-
-Typically, you need two records, an A record which points at the zone (@.) and
-a wildcard record for your apps (*.). Pass "--auto" to have Abra automatically
-set this up.
-
-    abra record new --auto foo.com -p gandi -v 192.168.178.44
-
-You may also invoke this command in "wizard" mode and be prompted for input
-
-    abra record new
-
-`,
-	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
-		zone, err := internal.EnsureZoneArgument(c)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		if err := internal.EnsureDNSProvider(); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		var provider gandi.Provider
-		switch internal.DNSProvider {
-		case "gandi":
-			provider, err = gandiPkg.New()
-			if err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-		default:
-			logrus.Fatalf("%s is not a supported DNS provider", internal.DNSProvider)
-		}
-
-		if internal.AutoDNSRecord {
-			ipv4, err := dns.EnsureIPv4(zone)
-			if err != nil {
-				logrus.Debugf("no ipv4 associated with %s, prompting for input", zone)
-				if err := internal.EnsureDNSValueFlag(c); err != nil {
-					logrus.Fatal(err)
-				}
-				ipv4 = internal.DNSValue
-			}
-
-			logrus.Infof("automatically configuring @./*. A records for %s for %s (--auto)", zone, ipv4)
-
-			if err := autoConfigure(c, &provider, zone, ipv4); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-
-			return nil
-		}
-
-		if err := internal.EnsureDNSTypeFlag(c); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		if err := internal.EnsureDNSNameFlag(c); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		if err := internal.EnsureDNSValueFlag(c); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		ttl, err := dns.GetTTL(internal.DNSTTL)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-
-		record := libdns.Record{
-			Type:  internal.DNSType,
-			Name:  internal.DNSName,
-			Value: internal.DNSValue,
-			TTL:   ttl,
-		}
-
-		if internal.DNSType == "MX" || internal.DNSType == "SRV" || internal.DNSType == "URI" {
-			record.Priority = internal.DNSPriority
-		}
-
-		records, err := provider.GetRecords(c.Context, zone)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		for _, existingRecord := range records {
-			if existingRecord.Type == record.Type &&
-				existingRecord.Name == record.Name &&
-				existingRecord.Value == record.Value {
-				logrus.Fatalf("%s record for %s already exists?", record.Type, zone)
-			}
-		}
-
-		createdRecords, err := provider.SetRecords(
-			c.Context,
-			zone,
-			[]libdns.Record{record},
-		)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		if len(createdRecords) == 0 {
-			logrus.Fatal("provider library reports that no record was created?")
-		}
-
-		createdRecord := createdRecords[0]
-
-		tableCol := []string{"type", "name", "value", "TTL", "priority"}
-		table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
-
-		value := createdRecord.Value
-		if len(createdRecord.Value) > 30 {
-			value = fmt.Sprintf("%s...", createdRecord.Value[:30])
-		}
-
-		table.Append([]string{
-			createdRecord.Type,
-			createdRecord.Name,
-			value,
-			createdRecord.TTL.String(),
-			strconv.Itoa(createdRecord.Priority),
-		})
-
-		table.Render()
-
-		logrus.Info("record created")
-
-		return nil
-	},
-}
-
-func autoConfigure(c *cli.Context, provider *gandi.Provider, zone, ipv4 string) error {
-	ttl, err := dns.GetTTL(internal.DNSTTL)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	atRecord := libdns.Record{
-		Type:  "A",
-		Name:  "@",
-		Value: ipv4,
-		TTL:   ttl,
-	}
-
-	wildcardRecord := libdns.Record{
-		Type:  "A",
-		Name:  "*",
-		Value: ipv4,
-		TTL:   ttl,
-	}
-
-	records := []libdns.Record{atRecord, wildcardRecord}
-
-	tableCol := []string{"type", "name", "value", "TTL", "priority"}
-	table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
-
-	for _, record := range records {
-		existingRecords, err := provider.GetRecords(c.Context, zone)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-
-		discovered := false
-		for _, existingRecord := range existingRecords {
-			if existingRecord.Type == record.Type &&
-				existingRecord.Name == record.Name &&
-				existingRecord.Value == record.Value {
-				logrus.Warnf("%s record: %s %s for %s already exists?", record.Type, record.Name, record.Value, zone)
-				discovered = true
-			}
-		}
-
-		if discovered {
-			continue
-		}
-
-		createdRecords, err := provider.SetRecords(
-			c.Context,
-			zone,
-			[]libdns.Record{record},
-		)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-
-		if len(createdRecords) == 0 {
-			return fmt.Errorf("provider library reports that no record was created?")
-		}
-
-		createdRecord := createdRecords[0]
-
-		value := createdRecord.Value
-		if len(createdRecord.Value) > 30 {
-			value = fmt.Sprintf("%s...", createdRecord.Value[:30])
-		}
-
-		table.Append([]string{
-			createdRecord.Type,
-			createdRecord.Name,
-			value,
-			createdRecord.TTL.String(),
-			strconv.Itoa(createdRecord.Priority),
-		})
-	}
-
-	if table.NumLines() > 0 {
-		table.Render()
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
--- a/cli/record/record.go
+++ b/cli/record/record.go
@ -1,38 +0,0 @@
-package record
-
-import (
-	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
-)
-
-// RecordCommand supports managing DNS entries.
-var RecordCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:      "record",
-	Usage:     "Manage domain name records",
-	Aliases:   []string{"rc"},
-	ArgsUsage: "<record>",
-	Description: `
-This command supports managing domain name records via 3rd party providers such
-as Gandi DNS. It supports listing, creating and removing all types of records
-that you might need for managing Co-op Cloud apps.
-
-The following providers are supported:
-
-    Gandi DNS https://www.gandi.net
-
-You need an account with such a provider already. Typically, you need to
-provide an API token on the Abra command-line when using these commands so that
-you can authenticate with your provider account.
-
-New providers can be integrated, we welcome change sets. See the underlying DNS
-library documentation for more. It supports many existing providers and allows
-to implement new provider support easily.
-
-    https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/libdns/libdns
-
-`,
-	Subcommands: []*cli.Command{
-		RecordListCommand,
-		RecordNewCommand,
-		RecordRemoveCommand,
-	},
-}
--- a/cli/record/remove.go
+++ b/cli/record/remove.go
@ -1,132 +0,0 @@
-package record
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"strconv"
-
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
-	gandiPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/dns/gandi"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
-	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
-	"github.com/libdns/gandi"
-	"github.com/libdns/libdns"
-	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
-	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
-)
-
-// RecordRemoveCommand lists domains.
-var RecordRemoveCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:      "remove",
-	Usage:     "Remove a domain name record",
-	Aliases:   []string{"rm"},
-	ArgsUsage: "<zone>",
-	Flags: []cli.Flag{
-		internal.DNSProviderFlag,
-		internal.DNSTypeFlag,
-		internal.DNSNameFlag,
-	},
-	Description: `
-This command removes a domain name record for a specific zone.
-
-It uses the type of record and name to match existing records and choose one
-for deletion. You must specify a zone (e.g. example.com) under which your
-domain name records are listed. This zone must already be created on your
-provider account.
-
-Example:
-
-    abra record remove foo.com -p gandi -t A -n myapp
-
-You may also invoke this command in "wizard" mode and be prompted for input
-
-    abra record rm
-`,
-	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
-		zone, err := internal.EnsureZoneArgument(c)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		if err := internal.EnsureDNSProvider(); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		var provider gandi.Provider
-		switch internal.DNSProvider {
-		case "gandi":
-			provider, err = gandiPkg.New()
-			if err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-		default:
-			logrus.Fatalf("%s is not a supported DNS provider", internal.DNSProvider)
-		}
-
-		if err := internal.EnsureDNSTypeFlag(c); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		if err := internal.EnsureDNSNameFlag(c); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		records, err := provider.GetRecords(c.Context, zone)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		var toDelete libdns.Record
-		for _, record := range records {
-			if record.Type == internal.DNSType && record.Name == internal.DNSName {
-				toDelete = record
-				break
-			}
-		}
-
-		if (libdns.Record{}) == toDelete {
-			logrus.Fatal("provider library reports no matching record?")
-		}
-
-		tableCol := []string{"type", "name", "value", "TTL", "priority"}
-		table := formatter.CreateTable(tableCol)
-
-		value := toDelete.Value
-		if len(toDelete.Value) > 30 {
-			value = fmt.Sprintf("%s...", toDelete.Value[:30])
-		}
-
-		table.Append([]string{
-			toDelete.Type,
-			toDelete.Name,
-			value,
-			toDelete.TTL.String(),
-			strconv.Itoa(toDelete.Priority),
-		})
-
-		table.Render()
-
-		if !internal.NoInput {
-			response := false
-			prompt := &survey.Confirm{
-				Message: "continue with record deletion?",
-			}
-
-			if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &response); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-
-			if !response {
-				logrus.Fatal("exiting as requested")
-			}
-		}
-
-		_, err = provider.DeleteRecords(c.Context, zone, []libdns.Record{toDelete})
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		logrus.Info("record successfully deleted")
-
-		return nil
-	},
-}
--- a/cli/server/add.go
+++ b/cli/server/add.go
@ -2,13 +2,8 @@ package server

 import (
 	"errors"
-	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"os/exec"
-	"os/user"
-	"path"
 	"path/filepath"
-	"strings"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
@ -16,164 +11,49 @@ import (
 	contextPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/context"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/dns"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/server"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/ssh"
-	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
-	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
-	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/swarm"
-	dockerClient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
+	sshPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/ssh"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var (
-	dockerInstallMsg = `
-A docker installation cannot be found on %s. This is a required system
-dependency for running Co-op Cloud on your server. If you would like, Abra can
-attempt to install Docker for you using the upstream non-interactive
-installation script.
-
-See the following documentation for more:
-
-    https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/debian/#install-using-the-convenience-script
-
-N.B Docker doesn't recommend it for production environments but many use it for
-such purposes. Docker stable is now installed by default by this script. The
-source for this script can be seen here:
-
-    https://github.com/docker/docker-install
-
-`
-)
-
 var local bool
 var localFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
 	Name:        "local",
 	Aliases:     []string{"l"},
-	Value:       false,
 	Usage:       "Use local server",
 	Destination: &local,
 }

-var provision bool
-var provisionFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "provision",
-	Aliases:     []string{"p"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Usage:       "Provision server so it can deploy apps",
-	Destination: &provision,
-}
-
-var sshAuth string
-var sshAuthFlag = &cli.StringFlag{
-	Name:        "ssh-auth",
-	Aliases:     []string{"sh"},
-	Value:       "identity-file",
-	Usage:       "Select SSH authentication method (identity-file, password)",
-	Destination: &sshAuth,
-}
-
-var askSudoPass bool
-var askSudoPassFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "ask-sudo-pass",
-	Aliases:     []string{"as"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Usage:       "Ask for sudo password",
-	Destination: &askSudoPass,
-}
-
-var traefik bool
-var traefikFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "traefik",
-	Aliases:     []string{"t"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Usage:       "Deploy traefik",
-	Destination: &traefik,
-}
-
 func cleanUp(domainName string) {
-	logrus.Warnf("cleaning up context for %s", domainName)
-	if err := client.DeleteContext(domainName); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-
-	logrus.Warnf("cleaning up server directory for %s", domainName)
-	if err := os.RemoveAll(filepath.Join(config.SERVERS_DIR, domainName)); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}
-}
-
-func installDockerLocal(c *cli.Context) error {
-	fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf(dockerInstallMsg, "this local server"))
-
-	response := false
-	prompt := &survey.Confirm{
-		Message: fmt.Sprintf("attempt install docker on local server?"),
-	}
-	if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &response); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	if !response {
-		logrus.Fatal("exiting as requested")
-	}
-
-	for _, exe := range []string{"wget", "bash"} {
-		exists, err := ensureLocalExecutable(exe)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		if !exists {
-			return fmt.Errorf("%s missing, please install it", exe)
+	if domainName != "default" {
+		logrus.Infof("cleaning up context for %s", domainName)
+		if err := client.DeleteContext(domainName); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
 	}

-	cmd := exec.Command("bash", "-c", "wget -O- https://get.docker.com | bash")
-	if err := internal.RunCmd(cmd); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
+	logrus.Infof("attempting to clean up server directory for %s", domainName)

-	return nil
-}
-
-func newLocalServer(c *cli.Context, domainName string) error {
-	if err := createServerDir(domainName); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	cl, err := newClient(c, domainName)
+	serverDir := filepath.Join(config.SERVERS_DIR, domainName)
+	files, err := config.GetAllFilesInDirectory(serverDir)
 	if err != nil {
-		return err
+		logrus.Fatalf("unable to list files in %s: %s", serverDir, err)
 	}

-	if provision {
-		exists, err := ensureLocalExecutable("docker")
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-
-		if !exists {
-			if err := installDockerLocal(c); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-		}
-
-		if err := initSwarmLocal(c, cl, domainName); err != nil {
-			if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "proxy already exists") {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-		}
+	if len(files) > 0 {
+		logrus.Warnf("aborting clean up of %s because it is not empty", serverDir)
+		return
 	}

-	if traefik {
-		if err := deployTraefik(c, cl, domainName); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
+	if err := os.RemoveAll(serverDir); err != nil {
+		logrus.Fatal(err)
 	}
-
-	logrus.Info("local server has been added")
-
-	return nil
 }

+// newContext creates a new internal Docker context for a server. This is how
+// Docker manages SSH connection details. These are stored to disk in
+// ~/.docker. Abra can manage this completely for the user, so it's an
+// implementation detail.
 func newContext(c *cli.Context, domainName, username, port string) error {
 	store := contextPkg.NewDefaultDockerContextStore()
 	contexts, err := store.Store.List()
@ -197,187 +77,7 @@ func newContext(c *cli.Context, domainName, username, port string) error {
 	return nil
 }

-func newClient(c *cli.Context, domainName string) (*dockerClient.Client, error) {
-	cl, err := client.New(domainName)
-	if err != nil {
-		return &dockerClient.Client{}, err
-	}
-	return cl, nil
-}
-
-func installDocker(c *cli.Context, cl *dockerClient.Client, sshCl *ssh.Client, domainName string) error {
-	exists, err := ensureRemoteExecutable("docker", sshCl)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	if !exists {
-		fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf(dockerInstallMsg, domainName))
-
-		response := false
-		prompt := &survey.Confirm{
-			Message: fmt.Sprintf("attempt install docker on %s?", domainName),
-		}
-
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &response); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-
-		if !response {
-			logrus.Fatal("exiting as requested")
-		}
-
-		exes := []string{"wget", "bash"}
-		if askSudoPass {
-			exes = append(exes, "ssh-askpass")
-		}
-
-		for _, exe := range exes {
-			exists, err := ensureRemoteExecutable(exe, sshCl)
-			if err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			if !exists {
-				return fmt.Errorf("%s missing on remote, please install it", exe)
-			}
-		}
-
-		var sudoPass string
-		if askSudoPass {
-			cmd := "wget -O- https://get.docker.com | bash"
-
-			prompt := &survey.Password{
-				Message: "sudo password?",
-			}
-
-			if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &sudoPass); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-
-			logrus.Debugf("running %s on %s now with sudo password", cmd, domainName)
-
-			if sudoPass == "" {
-				return fmt.Errorf("missing sudo password but requested --ask-sudo-pass?")
-			}
-
-			logrus.Warn("installing docker, this could take some time...")
-
-			if err := ssh.RunSudoCmd(cmd, sudoPass, sshCl); err != nil {
-				fmt.Print(fmt.Sprintf(`
-Abra was unable to bootstrap Docker, see below for logs:
-
-
-%s
-
-If nothing works, you try running the Docker install script manually on your server:
-
-    wget -O- https://get.docker.com | bash
-
-`, string(err.Error())))
-				logrus.Fatal("Process exited with status 1")
-			}
-
-			logrus.Infof("docker is installed on %s", domainName)
-
-			remoteUser := sshCl.SSHClient.Conn.User()
-			logrus.Infof("adding %s to docker group", remoteUser)
-			permsCmd := fmt.Sprintf("sudo usermod -aG docker %s", remoteUser)
-			if err := ssh.RunSudoCmd(permsCmd, sudoPass, sshCl); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-		} else {
-			cmd := "wget -O- https://get.docker.com | bash"
-
-			logrus.Debugf("running %s on %s now without sudo password", cmd, domainName)
-
-			logrus.Warn("installing docker, this could take some time...")
-
-			if out, err := sshCl.Exec(cmd); err != nil {
-				fmt.Print(fmt.Sprintf(`
-Abra was unable to bootstrap Docker, see below for logs:
-
-
-%s
-
-This could be due to a number of things but one of the most common is that your
-server user account does not have sudo access, and if it does, you need to pass
-"--ask-sudo-pass" in order to supply Abra with your password.
-
-If nothing works, you try running the Docker install script manually on your server:
-
-    wget -O- https://get.docker.com | bash
-
-`, string(out)))
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-
-			logrus.Infof("docker is installed on %s", domainName)
-		}
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-func initSwarmLocal(c *cli.Context, cl *dockerClient.Client, domainName string) error {
-	initReq := swarm.InitRequest{ListenAddr: "0.0.0.0:2377"}
-	if _, err := cl.SwarmInit(c.Context, initReq); err != nil {
-		if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "is already part of a swarm") ||
-			strings.Contains(err.Error(), "must specify a listening address") {
-			logrus.Infof("swarm mode already initialised on %s", domainName)
-		} else {
-			return err
-		}
-	} else {
-		logrus.Infof("initialised swarm mode on local server")
-	}
-
-	netOpts := types.NetworkCreate{Driver: "overlay", Scope: "swarm"}
-	if _, err := cl.NetworkCreate(c.Context, "proxy", netOpts); err != nil {
-		if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "proxy already exists") {
-			return err
-		}
-		logrus.Info("swarm overlay network already created on local server")
-	} else {
-		logrus.Infof("swarm overlay network created on local server")
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-func initSwarm(c *cli.Context, cl *dockerClient.Client, domainName string) error {
-	ipv4, err := dns.EnsureIPv4(domainName)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	initReq := swarm.InitRequest{
-		ListenAddr:    "0.0.0.0:2377",
-		AdvertiseAddr: ipv4,
-	}
-	if _, err := cl.SwarmInit(c.Context, initReq); err != nil {
-		if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "is already part of a swarm") ||
-			strings.Contains(err.Error(), "must specify a listening address") {
-			logrus.Infof("swarm mode already initialised on %s", domainName)
-		} else {
-			return err
-		}
-	} else {
-		logrus.Infof("initialised swarm mode on %s", domainName)
-	}
-
-	netOpts := types.NetworkCreate{Driver: "overlay", Scope: "swarm"}
-	if _, err := cl.NetworkCreate(c.Context, "proxy", netOpts); err != nil {
-		if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "proxy already exists") {
-			return err
-		}
-		logrus.Infof("swarm overlay network already created on %s", domainName)
-	} else {
-		logrus.Infof("swarm overlay network created on %s", domainName)
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
-
+// createServerDir creates the ~/.abra/servers/... directory for a new server.
 func createServerDir(domainName string) error {
 	if err := server.CreateServerDir(domainName); err != nil {
 		if !os.IsExist(err) {
@ -385,195 +85,98 @@ func createServerDir(domainName string) error {
 		}
 		logrus.Debugf("server dir for %s already created", domainName)
 	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-func deployTraefik(c *cli.Context, cl *dockerClient.Client, domainName string) error {
-	internal.NoInput = true
-
-	internal.RecipeName = "traefik"
-	internal.NewAppServer = domainName
-	internal.Domain = fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s", "traefik", domainName)
-	internal.NewAppName = fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s", "traefik", config.SanitiseAppName(domainName))
-
-	appEnvPath := path.Join(config.ABRA_DIR, "servers", internal.Domain, fmt.Sprintf("%s.env", internal.NewAppName))
-	if _, err := os.Stat(appEnvPath); os.IsNotExist(err) {
-		logrus.Info(fmt.Sprintf("-t/--traefik specified, automatically deploying traefik to %s", internal.NewAppServer))
-		if err := internal.NewAction(c); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-	} else {
-		logrus.Infof("%s already exists, not creating again", appEnvPath)
-	}
-
-	internal.AppName = internal.NewAppName
-	if err := internal.DeployAction(c); err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
-	}

 	return nil
 }

-var serverAddCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:  "add",
-	Usage: "Add a server to your configuration",
+var serverAddCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "add",
+	Aliases: []string{"a"},
+	Usage:   "Add a server to your configuration",
 	Description: `
-This command adds a new server to your configuration so that it can be managed
-by Abra. This can be useful when you already have a server provisioned and want
-to start running Abra commands against it. 
+Add a new server to your configuration so that it can be managed by Abra.

-This command can also provision your server ("--provision/-p") so that it is
-capable of hosting Co-op Cloud apps. Abra will default to expecting that you
-have a running ssh-agent and are using SSH keys to connect to your new server.
-Abra will also read your SSH config (matching "Host" as <domain>). SSH
-connection details precedence follows as such: command-line > SSH config >
-guessed defaults.
+Abra uses the SSH command-line to discover connection details for your server.
+It is advised to configure an entry per-host in your ~/.ssh/config for each
+server. For example:

-If you have no SSH key configured for this host and are instead using password
-authentication, you may pass "--ssh-auth password" to have Abra ask you for the
-password. "--ask-sudo-pass" may be passed if you run your provisioning commands
-via sudo privilege escalation.
+Host example.com
+  Hostname example.com
+  User exampleUser
+  Port 12345
+  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/example@somewhere
+
+Abra can then load SSH connection details from this configuratiion with:
+
+    abra server add example.com

 If "--local" is passed, then Abra assumes that the current local server is
 intended as the target server. This is useful when you want to have your entire
 Co-op Cloud config located on the server itself, and not on your local
 developer machine.
-
-Example:
-
-    abra server add --local
-
-Otherwise, you may specify a remote server. The <domain> argument must be a
-publicy accessible domain name which points to your server. You should have SSH
-access to this server, Abra will assume port 22 and will use your current
-system username to make an initial connection. You can use the <user> and
-<port> arguments to adjust this.
-
-Example:
-
-    abra server add --provision --traefik varia.zone glodemodem 12345
-
-Abra will construct the following SSH connection and Docker context:
-
-    ssh://globemodem@varia.zone:12345
-
-All communication between Abra and the server will use this SSH connection.
-
-In this example, Abra will run the following operations:
-
-    1. Install Docker
-		2. Initialise Swarm mode
-		3. Deploy Traefik (core web proxy)
-
-You may omit flags to avoid performing this provisioning logic.
 `,
-	Aliases: []string{"a"},
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
 		localFlag,
-		provisionFlag,
-		sshAuthFlag,
-		askSudoPassFlag,
-		traefikFlag,
 	},
-	ArgsUsage: "<domain> [<user>] [<port>]",
+	Before:    internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	ArgsUsage: "<domain>",
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		if c.Args().Len() > 0 && local || !internal.ValidateSubCmdFlags(c) {
 			err := errors.New("cannot use <domain> and --local together")
 			internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, err)
 		}

-		if sshAuth != "password" && sshAuth != "identity-file" {
-			err := errors.New("--ssh-auth only accepts identity-file or password")
-			internal.ShowSubcommandHelpAndError(c, err)
+		var domainName string
+		if local {
+			domainName = "default"
+		} else {
+			domainName = internal.ValidateDomain(c)
 		}

 		if local {
-			if err := newLocalServer(c, "default"); err != nil {
+			if err := createServerDir(domainName); err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
+
+			logrus.Infof("attempting to create client for %s", domainName)
+			if _, err := client.New(domainName); err != nil {
+				cleanUp(domainName)
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			logrus.Info("local server added")
+
 			return nil
 		}

-		domainName, err := internal.ValidateDomain(c)
-		if err != nil {
+		if _, err := dns.EnsureIPv4(domainName); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		username := c.Args().Get(1)
-		if username == "" {
-			systemUser, err := user.Current()
-			if err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			username = systemUser.Username
-		}
-
-		port := c.Args().Get(2)
-		if port == "" {
-			port = "22"
-		}
-
 		if err := createServerDir(domainName); err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		if err := newContext(c, domainName, username, port); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		cl, err := newClient(c, domainName)
+		hostConfig, err := sshPkg.GetHostConfig(domainName)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		if provision {
-			logrus.Debugf("attempting to construct SSH client for %s", domainName)
-			sshCl, err := ssh.New(domainName, sshAuth, username, port)
-			if err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-			defer sshCl.Close()
-			logrus.Debugf("successfully created SSH client for %s", domainName)
-
-			if err := installDocker(c, cl, sshCl, domainName); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-			if err := initSwarm(c, cl, domainName); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
+		if err := newContext(c, domainName, hostConfig.User, hostConfig.Port); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		if _, err := cl.Info(c.Context); err != nil {
+		logrus.Infof("attempting to create client for %s", domainName)
+		if _, err := client.New(domainName); err != nil {
 			cleanUp(domainName)
-			logrus.Fatalf("couldn't make a remote docker connection to %s? use --provision/-p to attempt to install", domainName)
+			logrus.Debugf("failed to construct client for %s, saw %s", domainName, err.Error())
+			logrus.Fatal(sshPkg.Fatal(domainName, err))
 		}

-		if traefik {
-			if err := deployTraefik(c, cl, domainName); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-		}
+		logrus.Infof("%s added", domainName)

 		return nil
 	},
 }
-
-// ensureLocalExecutable ensures that an executable is present on the local machine
-func ensureLocalExecutable(exe string) (bool, error) {
-	out, err := exec.Command("which", exe).Output()
-	if err != nil {
-		return false, err
-	}
-
-	return string(out) != "", nil
-}
-
-// ensureRemoteExecutable ensures that an executable is present on a remote machine
-func ensureRemoteExecutable(exe string, sshCl *ssh.Client) (bool, error) {
-	out, err := sshCl.Exec(fmt.Sprintf("which %s", exe))
-	if err != nil && string(out) != "" {
-		return false, err
-	}
-
-	return string(out) != "", nil
-}
--- a/cli/server/list.go
+++ b/cli/server/list.go
@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package server
 import (
 	"strings"

+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/context"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
@ -11,12 +12,25 @@ import (
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var serverListCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:      "list",
-	Aliases:   []string{"ls"},
-	Usage:     "List managed servers",
-	ArgsUsage: " ",
-	HideHelp:  true,
+var problemsFilter bool
+
+var problemsFilterFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "problems, p",
+	Usage:       "Show only servers with potential connection problems",
+	Destination: &problemsFilter,
+}
+
+var serverListCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "list",
+	Aliases: []string{"ls"},
+	Usage:   "List managed servers",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		problemsFilterFlag,
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.MachineReadableFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+	},
+	Before: internal.SubCommandBefore,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
 		dockerContextStore := context.NewDefaultDockerContextStore()
 		contexts, err := dockerContextStore.Store.List()
@ -26,7 +40,6 @@ var serverListCommand = &cli.Command{

 		tableColumns := []string{"name", "host", "user", "port"}
 		table := formatter.CreateTable(tableColumns)
-		defer table.Render()

 		serverNames, err := config.ReadServerNames()
 		if err != nil {
@ -41,14 +54,27 @@ var serverListCommand = &cli.Command{
 					// No local context found, we can continue safely
 					continue
 				}
+
 				if ctx.Name == serverName {
 					sp, err := ssh.ParseURL(endpoint)
 					if err != nil {
 						logrus.Fatal(err)
 					}
+
+					if sp.Host == "" {
+						sp.Host = "unknown"
+					}
+					if sp.User == "" {
+						sp.User = "unknown"
+					}
+					if sp.Port == "" {
+						sp.Port = "unknown"
+					}
+
 					row = []string{serverName, sp.Host, sp.User, sp.Port}
 				}
 			}
+
 			if len(row) == 0 {
 				if serverName == "default" {
 					row = []string{serverName, "local", "n/a", "n/a"}
@ -56,7 +82,27 @@ var serverListCommand = &cli.Command{
 					row = []string{serverName, "unknown", "unknown", "unknown"}
 				}
 			}
-			table.Append(row)
+
+			if problemsFilter {
+				for _, val := range row {
+					if val == "unknown" {
+						table.Append(row)
+						break
+					}
+				}
+			} else {
+				table.Append(row)
+			}
+		}
+
+		if internal.MachineReadable {
+			table.JSONRender()
+		} else {
+			if problemsFilter && table.NumLines() == 0 {
+				logrus.Info("all servers wired up correctly 👏")
+			} else {
+				table.Render()
+			}
 		}

 		return nil
--- a/cli/server/new.go
+++ b/cli/server/new.go
@ -1,261 +0,0 @@
-package server
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"strings"
-
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
-	"coopcloud.tech/libcapsul"
-	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
-	"github.com/hetznercloud/hcloud-go/hcloud"
-	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
-	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
-)
-
-func newHetznerCloudVPS(c *cli.Context) error {
-	if err := internal.EnsureNewHetznerCloudVPSFlags(c); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	client := hcloud.NewClient(hcloud.WithToken(internal.HetznerCloudAPIToken))
-
-	var sshKeysRaw []string
-	var sshKeys []*hcloud.SSHKey
-	for _, sshKey := range c.StringSlice("hetzner-ssh-keys") {
-		if sshKey == "" {
-			continue
-		}
-
-		sshKey, _, err := client.SSHKey.GetByName(c.Context, sshKey)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		sshKeys = append(sshKeys, sshKey)
-		sshKeysRaw = append(sshKeysRaw, sshKey.Name)
-	}
-
-	serverOpts := hcloud.ServerCreateOpts{
-		Name:       internal.HetznerCloudName,
-		ServerType: &hcloud.ServerType{Name: internal.HetznerCloudType},
-		Image:      &hcloud.Image{Name: internal.HetznerCloudImage},
-		SSHKeys:    sshKeys,
-		Location:   &hcloud.Location{Name: internal.HetznerCloudLocation},
-	}
-
-	sshKeyIDs := strings.Join(sshKeysRaw, "\n")
-	if sshKeyIDs == "" {
-		sshKeyIDs = "N/A (password auth)"
-	}
-
-	tableColumns := []string{"name", "type", "image", "ssh-keys", "location"}
-	table := formatter.CreateTable(tableColumns)
-	table.Append([]string{
-		internal.HetznerCloudName,
-		internal.HetznerCloudType,
-		internal.HetznerCloudImage,
-		sshKeyIDs,
-		internal.HetznerCloudLocation,
-	})
-	table.Render()
-
-	response := false
-	prompt := &survey.Confirm{
-		Message: "continue with hetzner cloud VPS creation?",
-	}
-
-	if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &response); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	if !response {
-		logrus.Fatal("exiting as requested")
-	}
-
-	res, _, err := client.Server.Create(c.Context, serverOpts)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	var rootPassword string
-	if len(sshKeys) > 0 {
-		rootPassword = "N/A (using SSH keys)"
-	} else {
-		rootPassword = res.RootPassword
-	}
-
-	ip := res.Server.PublicNet.IPv4.IP.String()
-
-	fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf(`
-Your new Hetzner Cloud VPS has successfully been created! Here are the details:
-
-    name: %s
-    IP address: %s
-    root password: %s
-
-You can access this new VPS via SSH using the following command:
-
-    ssh root@%s
-
-Please note, this server is not managed by Abra yet (i.e. "abra server ls" will
-not list this server)! You will need to assign a domain name record ("abra
-record new") and add the server to your Abra configuration ("abra server add")
-to have a working server that you can deploy Co-op Cloud apps to.
-
-When setting up domain name records, you probably want to set up the following
-2 A records. This supports deploying apps to your root domain (e.g.
-example.com) and other apps on sub-domains (e.g. foo.example.com,
-bar.example.com).
-
-    @  1800 IN A %s
-    *  1800 IN A %s
-
-"abra record new --auto" can help you do this quickly if you use a supported
-DNS provider.
-
-	`,
-		internal.HetznerCloudName, ip, rootPassword,
-		ip, ip, ip,
-	))
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-func newCapsulVPS(c *cli.Context) error {
-	if err := internal.EnsureNewCapsulVPSFlags(c); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	capsulCreateURL := fmt.Sprintf("https://%s/api/capsul/create", internal.CapsulInstanceURL)
-
-	var sshKeys []string
-	for _, sshKey := range c.StringSlice("capsul-ssh-keys") {
-		if sshKey == "" {
-			continue
-		}
-		sshKeys = append(sshKeys, sshKey)
-	}
-
-	tableColumns := []string{"instance", "name", "type", "image", "ssh-keys"}
-	table := formatter.CreateTable(tableColumns)
-	table.Append([]string{
-		internal.CapsulInstanceURL,
-		internal.CapsulName,
-		internal.CapsulType,
-		internal.CapsulImage,
-		strings.Join(sshKeys, "\n"),
-	})
-	table.Render()
-
-	response := false
-	prompt := &survey.Confirm{
-		Message: "continue with capsul creation?",
-	}
-
-	if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &response); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	if !response {
-		logrus.Fatal("exiting as requested")
-	}
-
-	capsulClient := libcapsul.New(capsulCreateURL, internal.CapsulAPIToken)
-	resp, err := capsulClient.Create(
-		internal.CapsulName,
-		internal.CapsulType,
-		internal.CapsulImage,
-		sshKeys,
-	)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf(`
-Your new Capsul has successfully been created! Here are the details:
-
-    Capsul name: %s
-    Capsul ID:   %v
-
-You will need to log into your Capsul instance web interface to retrieve the IP
-address. You can learn all about how to get SSH access to your new Capsul on:
-
-    %s/about-ssh
-
-Please note, this server is not managed by Abra yet (i.e. "abra server ls" will
-not list this server)! You will need to assign a domain name record ("abra
-record new") and add the server to your Abra configuration ("abra server add")
-to have a working server that you can deploy Co-op Cloud apps to.
-
-When setting up domain name records, you probably want to set up the following
-2 A records. This supports deploying apps to your root domain (e.g.
-example.com) and other apps on sub-domains (e.g. foo.example.com,
-bar.example.com).
-
-    @  1800 IN A <your-capsul-ip>
-    *  1800 IN A <your-capsul-ip>
-
-	`, internal.CapsulName, resp.ID, internal.CapsulInstanceURL))
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-var serverNewCommand = &cli.Command{
-	Name:    "new",
-	Aliases: []string{"n"},
-	Usage:   "Create a new server using a 3rd party provider",
-	Description: `
-This command creates a new server via a 3rd party provider.
-
-The following providers are supported:
-
-		Capsul https://git.cyberia.club/Cyberia/capsul-flask
-    Hetzner Cloud https://docs.hetzner.com/cloud
-
-You may invoke this command in "wizard" mode and be prompted for input:
-
-    abra record new
-
-API tokens are read from the environment if specified, e.g.
-
-    export HCLOUD_TOKEN=...
-
-Where "$provider_TOKEN" is the expected env var format.
-`,
-	Flags: []cli.Flag{
-		internal.ServerProviderFlag,
-
-		// Capsul
-		internal.CapsulInstanceURLFlag,
-		internal.CapsulTypeFlag,
-		internal.CapsulImageFlag,
-		internal.CapsulSSHKeysFlag,
-		internal.CapsulAPITokenFlag,
-
-		// Hetzner
-		internal.HetznerCloudNameFlag,
-		internal.HetznerCloudTypeFlag,
-		internal.HetznerCloudImageFlag,
-		internal.HetznerCloudSSHKeysFlag,
-		internal.HetznerCloudLocationFlag,
-		internal.HetznerCloudAPITokenFlag,
-	},
-	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
-		if err := internal.EnsureServerProvider(); err != nil {
-			logrus.Fatal(err)
-		}
-
-		switch internal.ServerProvider {
-		case "capsul":
-			if err := newCapsulVPS(c); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-		case "hetzner-cloud":
-			if err := newHetznerCloudVPS(c); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-		}
-
-		return nil
-	},
-}
--- a/cli/server/prune.go
+++ b/cli/server/prune.go
@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
+)
+
+var allFilter bool
+
+var allFilterFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "all, a",
+	Usage:       "Remove all unused images not just dangling ones",
+	Destination: &allFilter,
+}
+
+var volumesFilter bool
+
+var volumesFilterFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+	Name:        "volumes, v",
+	Usage:       "Prune volumes. This will remove app data, Be Careful!",
+	Destination: &volumesFilter,
+}
+
+var serverPruneCommand = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "prune",
+	Aliases: []string{"p"},
+	Usage:   "Prune a managed server; Runs a docker system prune",
+	Description: `
+Prunes unused containers, networks, and dangling images.
+
+If passing "-v/--volumes" then volumes not connected to a deployed app will
+also be removed. This can result in unwanted data loss if not used carefully.
+	`,
+	ArgsUsage: "[<server>]",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		allFilterFlag,
+		volumesFilterFlag,
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.ServerNameComplete,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		serverName := internal.ValidateServer(c)
+
+		cl, err := client.New(serverName)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		var args filters.Args
+
+		ctx := context.Background()
+		cr, err := cl.ContainersPrune(ctx, args)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		cntSpaceReclaimed := formatter.ByteCountSI(cr.SpaceReclaimed)
+		logrus.Infof("containers pruned: %d; space reclaimed: %s", len(cr.ContainersDeleted), cntSpaceReclaimed)
+
+		nr, err := cl.NetworksPrune(ctx, args)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		logrus.Infof("networks pruned: %d", len(nr.NetworksDeleted))
+
+		pruneFilters := filters.NewArgs()
+		if allFilter {
+			logrus.Debugf("removing all images, not only dangling ones")
+			pruneFilters.Add("dangling", "false")
+		}
+
+		ir, err := cl.ImagesPrune(ctx, pruneFilters)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		imgSpaceReclaimed := formatter.ByteCountSI(ir.SpaceReclaimed)
+		logrus.Infof("images pruned: %d; space reclaimed: %s", len(ir.ImagesDeleted), imgSpaceReclaimed)
+
+		if volumesFilter {
+			vr, err := cl.VolumesPrune(ctx, args)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			volSpaceReclaimed := formatter.ByteCountSI(vr.SpaceReclaimed)
+			logrus.Infof("volumes pruned: %d; space reclaimed: %s", len(vr.VolumesDeleted), volSpaceReclaimed)
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	},
+}
--- a/cli/server/remove.go
+++ b/cli/server/remove.go
@ -1,181 +1,47 @@
 package server

 import (
-	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/autocomplete"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
-	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
-	"github.com/hetznercloud/hcloud-go/hcloud"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-var rmServer bool
-var rmServerFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "server",
-	Aliases:     []string{"s"},
-	Value:       false,
-	Usage:       "remove the actual server also",
-	Destination: &rmServer,
-}
-
-func rmHetznerCloudVPS(c *cli.Context) error {
-	if internal.HetznerCloudName == "" && !internal.NoInput {
-		prompt := &survey.Input{
-			Message: "specify hetzner cloud VPS name",
-		}
-		if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &internal.HetznerCloudName); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-
-	if internal.HetznerCloudAPIToken == "" && !internal.NoInput {
-		token, ok := os.LookupEnv("HCLOUD_TOKEN")
-		if !ok {
-			prompt := &survey.Input{
-				Message: "specify hetzner cloud API token",
-			}
-			if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &internal.HetznerCloudAPIToken); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-		} else {
-			internal.HetznerCloudAPIToken = token
-		}
-	}
-
-	client := hcloud.NewClient(hcloud.WithToken(internal.HetznerCloudAPIToken))
-
-	server, _, err := client.Server.Get(c.Context, internal.HetznerCloudName)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	if server == nil {
-		logrus.Fatalf("library provider reports that %s doesn't exist?", internal.HetznerCloudName)
-	}
-
-	fmt.Println(fmt.Sprintf(`
-You have requested that Abra delete the following server (%s). Please be
-absolutely sure that this is indeed the server that you would like to have
-removed. There will be no going back once you confirm, the server will be
-destroyed.
-`, server.Name))
-
-	tableColumns := []string{"name", "type", "image", "location"}
-	table := formatter.CreateTable(tableColumns)
-	table.Append([]string{
-		server.Name,
-		server.ServerType.Name,
-		server.Image.Name,
-		server.Datacenter.Name,
-	})
-	table.Render()
-
-	response := false
-	prompt := &survey.Confirm{
-		Message: "continue with hetzner cloud VPS removal?",
-	}
-
-	if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &response); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	if !response {
-		logrus.Fatal("exiting as requested")
-	}
-
-	_, err = client.Server.Delete(c.Context, server)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	logrus.Infof("%s has been deleted from your hetzner cloud account", internal.HetznerCloudName)
-
-	return nil
-}
-
-var serverRemoveCommand = &cli.Command{
+var serverRemoveCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:      "remove",
 	Aliases:   []string{"rm"},
-	ArgsUsage: "[<server>]",
+	ArgsUsage: "<server>",
 	Usage:     "Remove a managed server",
-	Description: `
-This command removes a server from Abra management.
+	Description: `Remove a managed server.

-Depending on whether you used a 3rd party provider to create this server ("abra
-server new"), you can also destroy the virtual server as well. Pass
-"--server/-s" to tell Abra to try to delete this VPS.
-
-Otherwise, Abra will remove the internal bookkeeping (~/.abra/servers/...) and
-underlying client connection context. This server will then be lost in time,
-like tears in rain.
+Abra will remove the internal bookkeeping (~/.abra/servers/...) and underlying
+client connection context. This server will then be lost in time, like tears in
+rain.
 `,
 	Flags: []cli.Flag{
-		rmServerFlag,
-		internal.ServerProviderFlag,
-
-		// Hetzner
-		internal.HetznerCloudNameFlag,
-		internal.HetznerCloudAPITokenFlag,
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.NoInputFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
 	},
+	Before:       internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	BashComplete: autocomplete.ServerNameComplete,
 	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
-		serverName := c.Args().Get(1)
-		if serverName != "" {
-			var err error
-			serverName, err = internal.ValidateServer(c)
-			if err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
+		serverName := internal.ValidateServer(c)
+
+		if err := client.DeleteContext(serverName); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		if !rmServer {
-			logrus.Warn("did not pass -s/--server for actual server deletion, prompting")
-
-			response := false
-			prompt := &survey.Confirm{
-				Message: "prompt to actual server deletion?",
-			}
-			if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &response); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-			if response {
-				logrus.Info("setting -s/--server and attempting to remove actual server")
-				rmServer = true
-			}
+		if err := os.RemoveAll(filepath.Join(config.SERVERS_DIR, serverName)); err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}

-		if rmServer {
-			if err := internal.EnsureServerProvider(); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-
-			switch internal.ServerProvider {
-			case "capsul":
-				logrus.Warn("capsul provider does not support automatic removal yet, sorry!")
-			case "hetzner-cloud":
-				if err := rmHetznerCloudVPS(c); err != nil {
-					logrus.Fatal(err)
-				}
-			}
-
-		}
-
-		if serverName != "" {
-			if err := client.DeleteContext(serverName); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-
-			if err := os.RemoveAll(filepath.Join(config.SERVERS_DIR, serverName)); err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-
-			logrus.Infof("server at %s has been lost in time, like tears in rain", serverName)
-		}
+		logrus.Infof("server at %s has been lost in time, like tears in rain", serverName)

 		return nil
 	},
--- a/cli/server/server.go
+++ b/cli/server/server.go
@ -5,23 +5,14 @@ import (
 )

 // ServerCommand defines the `abra server` command and its subcommands
-var ServerCommand = &cli.Command{
+var ServerCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:    "server",
 	Aliases: []string{"s"},
 	Usage:   "Manage servers",
-	Description: `
-These commands support creating, managing and removing servers using 3rd party
-integrations. 
-
-Servers can be created from scratch using the "abra server new" command. If you
-already have a server, you can add it to your configuration using "abra server
-add". Abra can provision servers so that they are ready to deploy Co-op Cloud
-apps, see available flags on "server add" for more.
-`,
 	Subcommands: []*cli.Command{
-		serverNewCommand,
-		serverAddCommand,
-		serverListCommand,
-		serverRemoveCommand,
+		&serverAddCommand,
+		&serverListCommand,
+		&serverRemoveCommand,
+		&serverPruneCommand,
 	},
 }
--- a/cli/updater/updater.go
+++ b/cli/updater/updater.go
@ -0,0 +1,504 @@
+package updater
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/internal"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/lint"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/convert"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
+	"coopcloud.tech/tagcmp"
+	composetypes "github.com/docker/cli/cli/compose/types"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
+	dockerclient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
+
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
+)
+
+const SERVER = "localhost"
+
+var (
+	majorUpdate bool
+	majorFlag   = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "major",
+		Aliases:     []string{"m"},
+		Usage:       "Also check for major updates",
+		Destination: &majorUpdate,
+	}
+
+	updateAll bool
+	allFlag   = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "all",
+		Aliases:     []string{"a"},
+		Usage:       "Update all deployed apps",
+		Destination: &updateAll,
+	}
+)
+
+// Notify checks for available upgrades
+var Notify = cli.Command{
+	Name:    "notify",
+	Aliases: []string{"n"},
+	Usage:   "Check for available upgrades",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		majorFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+	},
+	Before: internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	Description: `
+It reads the deployed app versions and looks for new versions in the recipe
+catalogue. If a new patch/minor version is available, a notification is
+printed. To include major versions use the --major flag.
+`,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		cl, err := client.New("default")
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		stacks, err := stack.GetStacks(cl)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		for _, stackInfo := range stacks {
+			stackName := stackInfo.Name
+			recipeName, err := getLabel(cl, stackName, "recipe")
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if recipeName != "" {
+				_, err = getLatestUpgrade(cl, stackName, recipeName)
+				if err != nil {
+					logrus.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	},
+}
+
+// UpgradeApp upgrades apps.
+var UpgradeApp = cli.Command{
+	Name:      "upgrade",
+	Aliases:   []string{"u"},
+	Usage:     "Upgrade apps",
+	ArgsUsage: "<stack-name> <recipe>",
+	Flags: []cli.Flag{
+		internal.DebugFlag,
+		internal.ChaosFlag,
+		majorFlag,
+		allFlag,
+		internal.OfflineFlag,
+	},
+	Before: internal.SubCommandBefore,
+	Description: `
+Upgrade an app by specifying its stack name and recipe. By passing "--all"
+instead, every deployed app is upgraded. For each apps with enabled auto
+updates the deployed version is compared with the current recipe catalogue
+version. If a new patch/minor version is available, the app is upgraded. To
+include major versions use the "--major" flag. Don't do that, it will probably
+break things. Only apps that are not deployed with "--chaos" are upgraded, to
+update chaos deployments use the "--chaos" flag. Use it with care.
+`,
+	Action: func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		cl, err := client.New("default")
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !updateAll {
+			stackName := c.Args().Get(0)
+			recipeName := c.Args().Get(1)
+			err = tryUpgrade(cl, stackName, recipeName)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			return nil
+		}
+
+		stacks, err := stack.GetStacks(cl)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		for _, stackInfo := range stacks {
+			stackName := stackInfo.Name
+			recipeName, err := getLabel(cl, stackName, "recipe")
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			err = tryUpgrade(cl, stackName, recipeName)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	},
+}
+
+// getLabel reads docker labels from running services in the format of "coop-cloud.${STACK_NAME}.${LABEL}".
+func getLabel(cl *dockerclient.Client, stackName string, label string) (string, error) {
+	filter := filters.NewArgs()
+	filter.Add("label", fmt.Sprintf("%s=%s", convert.LabelNamespace, stackName))
+
+	services, err := cl.ServiceList(context.Background(), types.ServiceListOptions{Filters: filter})
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	for _, service := range services {
+		labelKey := fmt.Sprintf("coop-cloud.%s.%s", stackName, label)
+		if labelValue, ok := service.Spec.Labels[labelKey]; ok {
+			return labelValue, nil
+		}
+	}
+
+	logrus.Debugf("no %s label found for %s", label, stackName)
+
+	return "", nil
+}
+
+// getBoolLabel reads a boolean docker label from running services
+func getBoolLabel(cl *dockerclient.Client, stackName string, label string) (bool, error) {
+	lableValue, err := getLabel(cl, stackName, label)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+
+	if lableValue != "" {
+		value, err := strconv.ParseBool(lableValue)
+		if err != nil {
+			return false, err
+		}
+
+		return value, nil
+	}
+
+	logrus.Debugf("Boolean label %s could not be found for %s, set default to false.", label, stackName)
+
+	return false, nil
+}
+
+// getEnv reads env variables from docker services.
+func getEnv(cl *dockerclient.Client, stackName string) (config.AppEnv, error) {
+	envMap := make(map[string]string)
+	filter := filters.NewArgs()
+	filter.Add("label", fmt.Sprintf("%s=%s", convert.LabelNamespace, stackName))
+
+	services, err := cl.ServiceList(context.Background(), types.ServiceListOptions{Filters: filter})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	for _, service := range services {
+		envList := service.Spec.TaskTemplate.ContainerSpec.Env
+		for _, envString := range envList {
+			splitString := strings.SplitN(envString, "=", 2)
+			if len(splitString) != 2 {
+				logrus.Debugf("can't separate key from value: %s (this variable is probably unset)", envString)
+				continue
+			}
+			k := splitString[0]
+			v := splitString[1]
+			logrus.Debugf("For %s read env %s with value: %s from docker service", stackName, k, v)
+			envMap[k] = v
+		}
+	}
+
+	return envMap, nil
+}
+
+// getLatestUpgrade returns the latest available version for an app respecting
+// the "--major" flag if it is newer than the currently deployed version.
+func getLatestUpgrade(cl *dockerclient.Client, stackName string, recipeName string) (string, error) {
+	deployedVersion, err := getDeployedVersion(cl, stackName, recipeName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	availableUpgrades, err := getAvailableUpgrades(cl, stackName, recipeName, deployedVersion)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	if len(availableUpgrades) == 0 {
+		logrus.Debugf("no available upgrades for %s", stackName)
+		return "", nil
+	}
+
+	var chosenUpgrade string
+	if len(availableUpgrades) > 0 {
+		chosenUpgrade = availableUpgrades[len(availableUpgrades)-1]
+		logrus.Infof("%s (%s) can be upgraded from version %s to %s", stackName, recipeName, deployedVersion, chosenUpgrade)
+	}
+
+	return chosenUpgrade, nil
+}
+
+// getDeployedVersion returns the currently deployed version of an app.
+func getDeployedVersion(cl *dockerclient.Client, stackName string, recipeName string) (string, error) {
+	logrus.Debugf("Retrieve deployed version whether %s is already deployed", stackName)
+
+	isDeployed, deployedVersion, err := stack.IsDeployed(context.Background(), cl, stackName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	if !isDeployed {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("%s is not deployed?", stackName)
+	}
+
+	if deployedVersion == "unknown" {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to determine deployed version of %s", stackName)
+	}
+
+	return deployedVersion, nil
+}
+
+// getAvailableUpgrades returns all available versions of an app that are newer
+// than the deployed version. It only includes major upgrades if the "--major"
+// flag is set.
+func getAvailableUpgrades(cl *dockerclient.Client, stackName string, recipeName string,
+	deployedVersion string,
+) ([]string, error) {
+	catl, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue(internal.Offline)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	versions, err := recipe.GetRecipeCatalogueVersions(recipeName, catl)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	if len(versions) == 0 {
+		logrus.Warnf("no published releases for %s in the recipe catalogue?", recipeName)
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+
+	var availableUpgrades []string
+	for _, version := range versions {
+		parsedDeployedVersion, err := tagcmp.Parse(deployedVersion)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		parsedVersion, err := tagcmp.Parse(version)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		versionDelta, err := parsedDeployedVersion.UpgradeDelta(parsedVersion)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		if 0 < versionDelta.UpgradeType() && (versionDelta.UpgradeType() < 4 || majorUpdate) {
+			availableUpgrades = append(availableUpgrades, version)
+		}
+	}
+
+	logrus.Debugf("Available updates for %s: %s", stackName, availableUpgrades)
+
+	return availableUpgrades, nil
+}
+
+// processRecipeRepoVersion clones, pulls, checks out the version and lints the
+// recipe repository.
+func processRecipeRepoVersion(recipeName, version string) error {
+	if err := recipe.EnsureExists(recipeName); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if err := recipe.EnsureUpToDate(recipeName); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if err := recipe.EnsureVersion(recipeName, version); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if r, err := recipe.Get(recipeName, internal.Offline); err != nil {
+		return err
+	} else if err := lint.LintForErrors(r); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// mergeAbraShEnv merges abra.sh env vars into the app env vars.
+func mergeAbraShEnv(recipeName string, env config.AppEnv) error {
+	abraShPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", config.RECIPES_DIR, recipeName, "abra.sh")
+	abraShEnv, err := config.ReadAbraShEnvVars(abraShPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	for k, v := range abraShEnv {
+		logrus.Debugf("read v:%s k: %s", v, k)
+		env[k] = v
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// createDeployConfig merges and enriches the compose config for the deployment.
+func createDeployConfig(recipeName string, stackName string, env config.AppEnv) (*composetypes.Config, stack.Deploy, error) {
+	env["STACK_NAME"] = stackName
+
+	deployOpts := stack.Deploy{
+		Namespace:    stackName,
+		Prune:        false,
+		ResolveImage: stack.ResolveImageAlways,
+	}
+
+	composeFiles, err := config.GetComposeFiles(recipeName, env)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, deployOpts, err
+	}
+
+	deployOpts.Composefiles = composeFiles
+	compose, err := config.GetAppComposeConfig(stackName, deployOpts, env)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, deployOpts, err
+	}
+
+	config.ExposeAllEnv(stackName, compose, env)
+
+	// after the upgrade the deployment won't be in chaos state anymore
+	config.SetChaosLabel(compose, stackName, false)
+	config.SetRecipeLabel(compose, stackName, recipeName)
+	config.SetUpdateLabel(compose, stackName, env)
+
+	return compose, deployOpts, nil
+}
+
+// tryUpgrade performs the upgrade if all the requirements are fulfilled.
+func tryUpgrade(cl *dockerclient.Client, stackName, recipeName string) error {
+	if recipeName == "" {
+		logrus.Debugf("don't update %s due to missing recipe name", stackName)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	chaos, err := getBoolLabel(cl, stackName, "chaos")
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if chaos && !internal.Chaos {
+		logrus.Debugf("don't update %s due to chaos deployment", stackName)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	updatesEnabled, err := getBoolLabel(cl, stackName, "autoupdate")
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if !updatesEnabled {
+		logrus.Debugf("don't update %s due to disabled auto updates or missing ENABLE_AUTO_UPDATE env", stackName)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	upgradeVersion, err := getLatestUpgrade(cl, stackName, recipeName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if upgradeVersion == "" {
+		logrus.Debugf("don't update %s due to no new version", stackName)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	err = upgrade(cl, stackName, recipeName, upgradeVersion)
+
+	return err
+}
+
+// upgrade performs all necessary steps to upgrade an app.
+func upgrade(cl *dockerclient.Client, stackName, recipeName,
+	upgradeVersion string,
+) error {
+	env, err := getEnv(cl, stackName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	app := config.App{
+		Name:   stackName,
+		Recipe: recipeName,
+		Server: SERVER,
+		Env:    env,
+	}
+
+	if err = processRecipeRepoVersion(recipeName, upgradeVersion); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if err = mergeAbraShEnv(recipeName, app.Env); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	compose, deployOpts, err := createDeployConfig(recipeName, stackName, app.Env)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	logrus.Infof("upgrade %s (%s) to version %s", stackName, recipeName, upgradeVersion)
+
+	err = stack.RunDeploy(cl, deployOpts, compose, stackName, true)
+
+	return err
+}
+
+func newAbraApp(version, commit string) *cli.App {
+	app := &cli.App{
+		Name: "kadabra",
+		Usage: `The Co-op Cloud auto-updater
+    ____                           ____ _                 _
+   / ___|___         ___  _ __    / ___| | ___  _   _  __| |
+  | |   / _ \ _____ / _ \| '_ \  | |   | |/ _ \| | | |/ _' |
+  | |__| (_) |_____| (_) | |_) | | |___| | (_) | |_| | (_| |
+   \____\___/       \___/| .__/   \____|_|\___/ \__,_|\__,_|
+                         |_|
+`,
+		Version: fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s", version, commit[:7]),
+		Commands: []*cli.Command{
+			&Notify,
+			&UpgradeApp,
+		},
+	}
+
+	app.Before = func(c *cli.Context) error {
+		logrus.Debugf("kadabra version %s, commit %s", version, commit)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	return app
+}
+
+// RunApp runs CLI abra app.
+func RunApp(version, commit string) {
+	app := newAbraApp(version, commit)
+
+	if err := app.Run(os.Args); err != nil {
+		logrus.Fatal(err)
+	}
+}
--- a/cmd/abra/main.go
+++ b/cmd/abra/main.go
@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ import (
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli"
 )

-// Version is the current version of Abra
+// Version is the current version of Abra.
 var Version string

-// Commit is the current git commit of Abra
+// Commit is the current git commit of Abra.
 var Commit string

 func main() {
--- a/cmd/kadabra/main.go
+++ b/cmd/kadabra/main.go
@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+// Package main provides the command-line entrypoint.
+package main
+
+import (
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/cli/updater"
+)
+
+// Version is the current version of Kadabra.
+var Version string
+
+// Commit is the current git commit of Kadabra.
+var Commit string
+
+func main() {
+	if Version == "" {
+		Version = "dev"
+	}
+	if Commit == "" {
+		Commit = "       "
+	}
+
+	updater.RunApp(Version, Commit)
+}
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@ -1,49 +1,122 @@
 module coopcloud.tech/abra

-go 1.16
+go 1.21

 require (
 	coopcloud.tech/tagcmp v0.0.0-20211103052201-885b22f77d52
-	github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2 v2.3.2
-	github.com/Autonomic-Cooperative/godotenv v1.3.1-0.20210731170023-c37c0920d1a4
+	git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/godotenv v1.5.2-0.20231130100509-01bff8284355
+	github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2 v2.3.7
 	github.com/Gurpartap/logrus-stack v0.0.0-20170710170904-89c00d8a28f4
-	github.com/docker/cli v20.10.12+incompatible
-	github.com/docker/distribution v2.7.1+incompatible
-	github.com/docker/docker v20.10.12+incompatible
-	github.com/docker/go-units v0.4.0
-	github.com/go-git/go-git/v5 v5.4.2
-	github.com/hetznercloud/hcloud-go v1.33.1
-	github.com/moby/sys/signal v0.6.0
-	github.com/moby/term v0.0.0-20210619224110-3f7ff695adc6
+	github.com/docker/cli v24.0.7+incompatible
+	github.com/docker/distribution v2.8.3+incompatible
+	github.com/docker/docker v24.0.7+incompatible
+	github.com/docker/go-units v0.5.0
+	github.com/go-git/go-git/v5 v5.10.0
+	github.com/google/go-cmp v0.5.9
+	github.com/moby/sys/signal v0.7.0
+	github.com/moby/term v0.5.0
 	github.com/olekukonko/tablewriter v0.0.5
 	github.com/pkg/errors v0.9.1
-	github.com/schollz/progressbar/v3 v3.8.5
-	github.com/schultz-is/passgen v1.0.1
-	github.com/sirupsen/logrus v1.8.1
-	github.com/urfave/cli/v2 v2.3.0
-	gotest.tools/v3 v3.0.3
+	github.com/schollz/progressbar/v3 v3.14.1
+	github.com/sirupsen/logrus v1.9.3
+	gotest.tools/v3 v3.5.1
 )

 require (
-	coopcloud.tech/libcapsul v0.0.0-20211022074848-c35e78fe3f3e
-	github.com/Microsoft/hcsshim v0.8.21 // indirect
-	github.com/buger/goterm v1.0.3
-	github.com/containerd/containerd v1.5.5 // indirect
+	dario.cat/mergo v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/Azure/go-ansiterm v0.0.0-20210617225240-d185dfc1b5a1 // indirect
+	github.com/BurntSushi/toml v1.3.2 // indirect
+	github.com/Microsoft/go-winio v0.6.1 // indirect
+	github.com/Microsoft/hcsshim v0.9.2 // indirect
+	github.com/ProtonMail/go-crypto v0.0.0-20230828082145-3c4c8a2d2371 // indirect
+	github.com/acomagu/bufpipe v1.0.4 // indirect
+	github.com/beorn7/perks v1.0.1 // indirect
+	github.com/cespare/xxhash/v2 v2.2.0 // indirect
+	github.com/cloudflare/circl v1.3.3 // indirect
+	github.com/cpuguy83/go-md2man/v2 v2.0.3 // indirect
+	github.com/cyphar/filepath-securejoin v0.2.4 // indirect
+	github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1 // indirect
+	github.com/distribution/reference v0.5.0 // indirect
+	github.com/docker/go v1.5.1-1.0.20160303222718-d30aec9fd63c // indirect
+	github.com/docker/go-connections v0.4.0 // indirect
+	github.com/docker/go-metrics v0.0.1 // indirect
+	github.com/docker/libtrust v0.0.0-20160708172513-aabc10ec26b7 // indirect
+	github.com/emirpasic/gods v1.18.1 // indirect
+	github.com/ghodss/yaml v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/go-git/gcfg v1.5.1-0.20230307220236-3a3c6141e376 // indirect
+	github.com/go-git/go-billy/v5 v5.5.0 // indirect
+	github.com/gogo/protobuf v1.3.2 // indirect
+	github.com/golang/groupcache v0.0.0-20210331224755-41bb18bfe9da // indirect
+	github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.3 // indirect
+	github.com/hashicorp/go-cleanhttp v0.5.2 // indirect
+	github.com/imdario/mergo v0.3.12 // indirect
+	github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/jbenet/go-context v0.0.0-20150711004518-d14ea06fba99 // indirect
+	github.com/kballard/go-shellquote v0.0.0-20180428030007-95032a82bc51 // indirect
+	github.com/kevinburke/ssh_config v1.2.0 // indirect
+	github.com/klauspost/compress v1.14.2 // indirect
+	github.com/mattn/go-colorable v0.1.12 // indirect
+	github.com/mattn/go-isatty v0.0.20 // indirect
+	github.com/mattn/go-runewidth v0.0.14 // indirect
+	github.com/matttproud/golang_protobuf_extensions v1.0.4 // indirect
+	github.com/mgutz/ansi v0.0.0-20170206155736-9520e82c474b // indirect
+	github.com/miekg/pkcs11 v1.0.3 // indirect
+	github.com/mitchellh/colorstring v0.0.0-20190213212951-d06e56a500db // indirect
+	github.com/mitchellh/mapstructure v1.4.3 // indirect
+	github.com/morikuni/aec v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/opencontainers/go-digest v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/opencontainers/runc v1.1.0 // indirect
+	github.com/pjbgf/sha1cd v0.3.0 // indirect
+	github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/prometheus/client_model v0.3.0 // indirect
+	github.com/prometheus/common v0.42.0 // indirect
+	github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.10.1 // indirect
+	github.com/rivo/uniseg v0.4.4 // indirect
+	github.com/russross/blackfriday/v2 v2.1.0 // indirect
+	github.com/skeema/knownhosts v1.2.0 // indirect
+	github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.5 // indirect
+	github.com/urfave/cli/v2 v2.27.1 // indirect
+	github.com/xanzy/ssh-agent v0.3.3 // indirect
+	github.com/xeipuuv/gojsonreference v0.0.0-20180127040603-bd5ef7bd5415 // indirect
+	github.com/xeipuuv/gojsonschema v1.2.0 // indirect
+	github.com/xrash/smetrics v0.0.0-20231213231151-1d8dd44e695e // indirect
+	golang.org/x/crypto v0.14.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/mod v0.12.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/net v0.17.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/sync v0.3.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/term v0.14.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/text v0.13.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20200630173020-3af7569d3a1e // indirect
+	golang.org/x/tools v0.13.0 // indirect
+	google.golang.org/protobuf v1.30.0 // indirect
+	gopkg.in/warnings.v0 v0.1.2 // indirect
+	gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.4.0 // indirect
+	gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 // indirect
+)
+
+require (
+	github.com/AdaLogics/go-fuzz-headers v0.0.0-20230106234847-43070de90fa1 // indirect
+	github.com/buger/goterm v1.0.4
+	github.com/containerd/containerd v1.5.9 // indirect
+	github.com/containers/image v3.0.2+incompatible
+	github.com/containers/storage v1.38.2 // indirect
+	github.com/decentral1se/passgen v1.0.1
 	github.com/docker/docker-credential-helpers v0.6.4 // indirect
 	github.com/facebookgo/stack v0.0.0-20160209184415-751773369052 // indirect
 	github.com/fvbommel/sortorder v1.0.2 // indirect
-	github.com/gliderlabs/ssh v0.3.3
 	github.com/google/shlex v0.0.0-20191202100458-e7afc7fbc510 // indirect
 	github.com/gorilla/mux v1.8.0 // indirect
-	github.com/hashicorp/go-retryablehttp v0.7.0
-	github.com/kevinburke/ssh_config v1.1.0
-	github.com/libdns/gandi v1.0.2
-	github.com/libdns/libdns v0.2.1
-	github.com/moby/sys/mount v0.2.0 // indirect
-	github.com/morikuni/aec v1.0.0 // indirect
-	github.com/opencontainers/runc v1.0.2 // indirect
+	github.com/hashicorp/go-retryablehttp v0.7.5
+	github.com/klauspost/pgzip v1.2.6
+	github.com/moby/patternmatcher v0.5.0 // indirect
+	github.com/moby/sys/sequential v0.5.0 // indirect
+	github.com/opencontainers/image-spec v1.0.3-0.20211202193544-a5463b7f9c84 // indirect
+	github.com/prometheus/client_golang v1.16.0 // indirect
+	github.com/sergi/go-diff v1.2.0 // indirect
+	github.com/spf13/cobra v1.3.0 // indirect
+	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.8.4
 	github.com/theupdateframework/notary v0.7.0 // indirect
-	github.com/xeipuuv/gojsonschema v1.2.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20211215153901-e495a2d5b3d3
-	golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20211216021012-1d35b9e2eb4e
+	github.com/urfave/cli v1.22.9
+	github.com/xeipuuv/gojsonpointer v0.0.0-20190809123943-df4f5c81cb3b // indirect
+	golang.org/x/sys v0.14.0
 )
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
--- a/pkg/app/app.go
+++ b/pkg/app/app.go
@ -1,13 +1,9 @@
 package app

 import (
-	"context"
-	"fmt"
 	"strings"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
-	apiclient "github.com/docker/docker/client"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )

@ -37,45 +33,6 @@ type deployedServiceSpec struct {
 // VersionSpec represents a deployed app and associated metadata.
 type VersionSpec map[string]deployedServiceSpec

-// DeployedVersions lists metadata (e.g. versions) for deployed
-func DeployedVersions(ctx context.Context, cl *apiclient.Client, app config.App) (VersionSpec, bool, error) {
-	services, err := stack.GetStackServices(ctx, cl, app.StackName())
-	if err != nil {
-		return VersionSpec{}, false, err
-	}
-
-	appSpec := make(VersionSpec)
-	for _, service := range services {
-		serviceName := ParseServiceName(service.Spec.Name)
-		label := fmt.Sprintf("coop-cloud.%s.%s.version", app.StackName(), serviceName)
-		if deployLabel, ok := service.Spec.Labels[label]; ok {
-			version, _ := ParseVersionLabel(deployLabel)
-			appSpec[serviceName] = deployedServiceSpec{Name: serviceName, Version: version}
-		}
-	}
-
-	deployed := len(services) > 0
-
-	if deployed {
-		logrus.Debugf("detected %s as deployed versions of %s", appSpec, app.Name)
-	} else {
-		logrus.Debugf("detected %s as not deployed", app.Name)
-	}
-
-	return appSpec, len(services) > 0, nil
-}
-
-// ParseVersionLabel parses a $VERSION-$DIGEST app service label.
-func ParseVersionLabel(label string) (string, string) {
-	// versions may look like v4.2-abcd or v4.2-alpine-abcd
-	idx := strings.LastIndex(label, "-")
-	version := label[:idx]
-	digest := label[idx+1:]
-	logrus.Debugf("parsed %s as version from %s", version, label)
-	logrus.Debugf("parsed %s as digest from %s", digest, label)
-	return version, digest
-}
-
 // ParseServiceName parses a $STACK_NAME_$SERVICE_NAME service label.
 func ParseServiceName(label string) string {
 	idx := strings.LastIndex(label, "_")
--- a/pkg/autocomplete/autocomplete.go
+++ b/pkg/autocomplete/autocomplete.go
@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 )

-// AppNameComplete copletes app names
+// AppNameComplete copletes app names.
 func AppNameComplete(c *cli.Context) {
 	appNames, err := config.GetAppNames()
 	if err != nil {
@ -25,9 +25,19 @@ func AppNameComplete(c *cli.Context) {
 	}
 }

-// RecipeNameComplete completes recipe names
+func ServiceNameComplete(appName string) {
+	serviceNames, err := config.GetAppServiceNames(appName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+	for _, s := range serviceNames {
+		fmt.Println(s)
+	}
+}
+
+// RecipeNameComplete completes recipe names.
 func RecipeNameComplete(c *cli.Context) {
-	catl, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue()
+	catl, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue(false)
 	if err != nil {
 		logrus.Warn(err)
 	}
@ -40,3 +50,53 @@ func RecipeNameComplete(c *cli.Context) {
 		fmt.Println(name)
 	}
 }
+
+// RecipeVersionComplete completes versions for the recipe.
+func RecipeVersionComplete(recipeName string) {
+	catl, err := recipe.ReadRecipeCatalogue(false)
+	if err != nil {
+		logrus.Warn(err)
+	}
+
+	for _, v := range catl[recipeName].Versions {
+		for v2 := range v {
+			fmt.Println(v2)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// ServerNameComplete completes server names.
+func ServerNameComplete(c *cli.Context) {
+	files, err := config.LoadAppFiles("")
+	if err != nil {
+		logrus.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if c.NArg() > 0 {
+		return
+	}
+
+	for _, appFile := range files {
+		fmt.Println(appFile.Server)
+	}
+}
+
+// SubcommandComplete completes sub-commands.
+func SubcommandComplete(c *cli.Context) {
+	if c.NArg() > 0 {
+		return
+	}
+
+	subcmds := []string{
+		"app",
+		"autocomplete",
+		"catalogue",
+		"recipe",
+		"server",
+		"upgrade",
+	}
+
+	for _, cmd := range subcmds {
+		fmt.Println(cmd)
+	}
+}
--- a/pkg/catalogue/catalogue.go
+++ b/pkg/catalogue/catalogue.go
@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+package catalogue
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path"
+	"strings"
+
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	gitPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/git"
+	"github.com/go-git/go-git/v5"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+)
+
+// EnsureCatalogue ensures that the catalogue is cloned locally & present.
+func EnsureCatalogue() error {
+	catalogueDir := path.Join(config.ABRA_DIR, "catalogue")
+	if _, err := os.Stat(catalogueDir); err != nil && os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		logrus.Warnf("local recipe catalogue is missing, retrieving now")
+		url := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s.git", config.REPOS_BASE_URL, config.CATALOGUE_JSON_REPO_NAME)
+		if err := gitPkg.Clone(catalogueDir, url); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		logrus.Debugf("cloned catalogue repository to %s", catalogueDir)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// EnsureIsClean makes sure that the catalogue has no unstaged changes.
+func EnsureIsClean() error {
+	isClean, err := gitPkg.IsClean(config.CATALOGUE_DIR)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if !isClean {
+		msg := "%s has locally unstaged changes? please commit/remove your changes before proceeding"
+		return fmt.Errorf(msg, config.CATALOGUE_DIR)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// EnsureUpToDate ensures that the local catalogue is up to date.
+func EnsureUpToDate() error {
+	repo, err := git.PlainOpen(config.CATALOGUE_DIR)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	remotes, err := repo.Remotes()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if len(remotes) == 0 {
+		msg := "cannot ensure %s is up-to-date, no git remotes configured"
+		logrus.Debugf(msg, config.CATALOGUE_DIR)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	worktree, err := repo.Worktree()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	branch, err := gitPkg.CheckoutDefaultBranch(repo, config.CATALOGUE_DIR)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	opts := &git.PullOptions{
+		Force:         true,
+		ReferenceName: branch,
+	}
+
+	if err := worktree.Pull(opts); err != nil {
+		if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "already up-to-date") {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	logrus.Debugf("fetched latest git changes for %s", config.CATALOGUE_DIR)
+
+	return nil
+}
--- a/pkg/client/client.go
+++ b/pkg/client/client.go
@ -2,24 +2,31 @@
 package client

 import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
 	"time"

 	contextPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/context"
+	sshPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/ssh"
 	commandconnPkg "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/commandconn"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/client"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )

-// New initiates a new Docker client.
-func New(contextName string) (*client.Client, error) {
+// New initiates a new Docker client. New client connections are validated so
+// that we ensure connections via SSH to the daemon can succeed. It takes into
+// account that you may only want the local client and not communicate via SSH.
+// For this use-case, please pass "default" as the contextName.
+func New(serverName string) (*client.Client, error) {
 	var clientOpts []client.Opt

-	if contextName != "default" {
-		context, err := GetContext(contextName)
+	if serverName != "default" {
+		context, err := GetContext(serverName)
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown server, run \"abra server add %s\"?", serverName)
 		}

 		ctxEndpoint, err := contextPkg.GetContextEndpoint(context)
@ -27,9 +34,12 @@ func New(contextName string) (*client.Client, error) {
 			return nil, err
 		}

-		helper := commandconnPkg.NewConnectionHelper(ctxEndpoint)
+		helper, err := commandconnPkg.NewConnectionHelper(ctxEndpoint)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
 		httpClient := &http.Client{
-			// No tls, no proxy
 			Transport: &http.Transport{
 				DialContext:     helper.Dialer,
 				IdleConnTimeout: 30 * time.Second,
@ -55,7 +65,20 @@ func New(contextName string) (*client.Client, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}

-	logrus.Debugf("created client for %s", contextName)
+	logrus.Debugf("created client for %s", serverName)
+
+	info, err := cl.Info(context.Background())
+	if err != nil {
+		return cl, sshPkg.Fatal(serverName, err)
+	}
+
+	if info.Swarm.LocalNodeState == "inactive" {
+		if serverName != "default" {
+			return cl, fmt.Errorf("swarm mode not enabled on %s?", serverName)
+		} else {
+			return cl, errors.New("swarm mode not enabled on local server?")
+		}
+	}

 	return cl, nil
 }
--- a/pkg/client/registry.go
+++ b/pkg/client/registry.go
@ -1,193 +1,28 @@
 package client

 import (
-	"encoding/base64"
-	"encoding/json"
+	"context"
 	"fmt"
-	"io/ioutil"
-	"net/http"
-	"strings"

-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/web"
+	"github.com/containers/image/docker"
+	"github.com/containers/image/types"
 	"github.com/docker/distribution/reference"
-	"github.com/docker/docker/client"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/go-retryablehttp"
-	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )

-type RawTag struct {
-	Layer string
-	Name  string
-}
+// GetRegistryTags retrieves all tags of an image from a container registry.
+func GetRegistryTags(img reference.Named) ([]string, error) {
+	var tags []string

-type RawTags []RawTag
+	ref, err := docker.ParseReference(fmt.Sprintf("//%s", img))
+	if err != nil {
+		return tags, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse image %s, saw: %s", img, err.Error())
+	}

-var registryURL = "https://registry.hub.docker.com/v1/repositories/%s/tags"
-
-func GetRegistryTags(image string) (RawTags, error) {
-	var tags RawTags
-
-	tagsUrl := fmt.Sprintf(registryURL, image)
-	if err := web.ReadJSON(tagsUrl, &tags); err != nil {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	tags, err = docker.GetRepositoryTags(ctx, &types.SystemContext{}, ref)
+	if err != nil {
 		return tags, err
 	}

 	return tags, nil
 }
-
-func basicAuth(username, password string) string {
-	auth := username + ":" + password
-	return base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString([]byte(auth))
-}
-
-// getRegv2Token retrieves a registry v2 authentication token.
-func getRegv2Token(cl *client.Client, image reference.Named, registryUsername, registryPassword string) (string, error) {
-	img := reference.Path(image)
-	tokenURL := "https://auth.docker.io/token"
-	values := fmt.Sprintf("service=registry.docker.io&scope=repository:%s:pull", img)
-
-	fullURL := fmt.Sprintf("%s?%s", tokenURL, values)
-	req, err := retryablehttp.NewRequest("GET", fullURL, nil)
-	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-
-	if registryUsername != "" && registryPassword != "" {
-		logrus.Debugf("using registry log in credentials for token request")
-		auth := basicAuth(registryUsername, registryPassword)
-		req.Header.Add("Authorization", fmt.Sprintf("Basic %s", auth))
-	}
-
-	client := web.NewHTTPRetryClient()
-	res, err := client.Do(req)
-	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-	defer res.Body.Close()
-
-	if res.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
-		_, err := ioutil.ReadAll(res.Body)
-		if err != nil {
-			return "", err
-		}
-	}
-
-	body, err := ioutil.ReadAll(res.Body)
-	if err != nil {
-		return "", nil
-	}
-
-	tokenRes := struct {
-		AccessToken string `json:"access_token"`
-		Expiry      int    `json:"expires_in"`
-		Issued      string `json:"issued_at"`
-		Token       string `json:"token"`
-	}{}
-
-	if err := json.Unmarshal(body, &tokenRes); err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-
-	return tokenRes.Token, nil
-}
-
-// GetTagDigest retrieves an image digest from a v2 registry
-func GetTagDigest(cl *client.Client, image reference.Named, registryUsername, registryPassword string) (string, error) {
-	img := reference.Path(image)
-	tag := image.(reference.NamedTagged).Tag()
-	manifestURL := fmt.Sprintf("https://index.docker.io/v2/%s/manifests/%s", img, tag)
-
-	req, err := retryablehttp.NewRequest("GET", manifestURL, nil)
-	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-
-	token, err := getRegv2Token(cl, image, registryUsername, registryPassword)
-	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-
-	if token == "" {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("unable to retrieve registry token?")
-	}
-
-	req.Header = http.Header{
-		"Accept": []string{
-			"application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.v2+json",
-			"application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.list.v2+json",
-		},
-		"Authorization": []string{fmt.Sprintf("Bearer %s", token)},
-	}
-
-	client := web.NewHTTPRetryClient()
-	res, err := client.Do(req)
-	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-	defer res.Body.Close()
-
-	if res.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
-		_, err := ioutil.ReadAll(res.Body)
-		if err != nil {
-			return "", err
-		}
-	}
-
-	body, err := ioutil.ReadAll(res.Body)
-	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-
-	registryResT1 := struct {
-		SchemaVersion int
-		MediaType     string
-		Manifests     []struct {
-			MediaType string
-			Size      int
-			Digest    string
-			Platform  struct {
-				Architecture string
-				Os           string
-			}
-		}
-	}{}
-
-	registryResT2 := struct {
-		SchemaVersion int
-		MediaType     string
-		Config        struct {
-			MediaType string
-			Size      int
-			Digest    string
-		}
-		Layers []struct {
-			MediaType string
-			Size      int
-			Digest    string
-		}
-	}{}
-
-	if err := json.Unmarshal(body, &registryResT1); err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-
-	var digest string
-	for _, manifest := range registryResT1.Manifests {
-		if string(manifest.Platform.Architecture) == "amd64" {
-			digest = strings.Split(manifest.Digest, ":")[1][:7]
-		}
-	}
-
-	if digest == "" {
-		if err := json.Unmarshal(body, &registryResT2); err != nil {
-			return "", err
-		}
-		digest = strings.Split(registryResT2.Config.Digest, ":")[1][:7]
-	}
-
-	if digest == "" {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("Unable to retrieve amd64 digest for %s", image)
-	}
-
-	return digest, nil
-}
--- a/pkg/client/secret.go
+++ b/pkg/client/secret.go
@ -4,20 +4,14 @@ import (
 	"context"

 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/swarm"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/client"
 )

-func StoreSecret(secretName, secretValue, server string) error {
-	cl, err := New(server)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	ctx := context.Background()
+func StoreSecret(cl *client.Client, secretName, secretValue, server string) error {
 	ann := swarm.Annotations{Name: secretName}
 	spec := swarm.SecretSpec{Annotations: ann, Data: []byte(secretValue)}

-	// We don't bother with the secret IDs for now
-	if _, err := cl.SecretCreate(ctx, spec); err != nil {
+	if _, err := cl.SecretCreate(context.Background(), spec); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}

--- a/pkg/client/volumes.go
+++ b/pkg/client/volumes.go
@ -3,49 +3,39 @@ package client
 import (
 	"context"

-	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
-	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/volume"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/client"
 )

-func GetVolumes(ctx context.Context, server string, appName string) ([]*types.Volume, error) {
-
-	cl, err := New(server)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	fs := filters.NewArgs()
-	fs.Add("name", appName)
-
-	volumeListOKBody, err := cl.VolumeList(ctx, fs)
+func GetVolumes(cl *client.Client, ctx context.Context, server string, fs filters.Args) ([]*volume.Volume, error) {
+	volumeListOptions := volume.ListOptions{fs}
+	volumeListOKBody, err := cl.VolumeList(ctx, volumeListOptions)
 	volumeList := volumeListOKBody.Volumes
 	if err != nil {
-		logrus.Fatal(err)
+		return volumeList, err
 	}

 	return volumeList, nil
 }

-func GetVolumeNames(volumes []*types.Volume) []string {
+func GetVolumeNames(volumes []*volume.Volume) []string {
 	var volumeNames []string
+
 	for _, vol := range volumes {
 		volumeNames = append(volumeNames, vol.Name)
 	}
+
 	return volumeNames
 }

-func RemoveVolumes(ctx context.Context, server string, volumeNames []string, force bool) error {
-	cl, err := New(server)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
+func RemoveVolumes(cl *client.Client, ctx context.Context, server string, volumeNames []string, force bool) error {
 	for _, volName := range volumeNames {
 		err := cl.VolumeRemove(ctx, volName, force)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
-	return nil

+	return nil
 }
--- a/pkg/compose/compose.go
+++ b/pkg/compose/compose.go
@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"

 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
 	loader "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
 	composetypes "github.com/docker/cli/cli/compose/types"
@ -53,11 +54,11 @@ func UpdateTag(pattern, image, tag, recipeName string) (bool, error) {
 			case reference.NamedTagged:
 				composeTag = img.(reference.NamedTagged).Tag()
 			default:
-				// unable to parse, typically image missing tag
-				return false, nil
+				logrus.Debugf("unable to parse %s, skipping", img)
+				continue
 			}

-			composeImage := reference.Path(img)
+			composeImage := formatter.StripTagMeta(reference.Path(img))

 			logrus.Debugf("parsed %s from %s", composeTag, service.Image)

@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ func UpdateTag(pattern, image, tag, recipeName string) (bool, error) {
 				logrus.Debugf("updating %s to %s in %s", old, new, compose.Filename)

 				if err := ioutil.WriteFile(compose.Filename, []byte(replacedBytes), 0764); err != nil {
-					return true, err
+					return false, err
 				}
 			}
 		}
@ -121,7 +122,7 @@ func UpdateLabel(pattern, serviceName, label, recipeName string) error {

 		discovered := false
 		for oldLabel, value := range service.Deploy.Labels {
-			if strings.HasPrefix(oldLabel, "coop-cloud") {
+			if strings.HasPrefix(oldLabel, "coop-cloud") && strings.Contains(oldLabel, "version") {
 				discovered = true

 				bytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(composeFile)
--- a/pkg/config/app.go
+++ b/pkg/config/app.go
@ -2,17 +2,21 @@ package config

 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"html/template"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"path"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"

+	"github.com/schollz/progressbar/v3"
+
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/client"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/formatter"
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/convert"
 	loader "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
 	stack "coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/upstream/stack"
 	composetypes "github.com/docker/cli/cli/compose/types"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )

@ -21,6 +25,9 @@ import (
 // AppEnv is a map of the values in an apps env config
 type AppEnv = map[string]string

+// AppModifiers is a map of modifiers in an apps env config
+type AppModifiers = map[string]map[string]string
+
 // AppName is AppName
 type AppName = string

@ -36,28 +43,97 @@ type AppFiles map[AppName]AppFile
 // App reprents an app with its env file read into memory
 type App struct {
 	Name   AppName
-	Type   string
+	Recipe string
 	Domain string
 	Env    AppEnv
 	Server string
 	Path   string
 }

-// StackName gets what the docker safe stack name is for the app. This should
-// not not shown to the user, use a.Name for that. Give the output of this
-// command to Docker only.
+// See documentation of config.StackName
 func (a App) StackName() string {
 	if _, exists := a.Env["STACK_NAME"]; exists {
 		return a.Env["STACK_NAME"]
 	}

-	stackName := SanitiseAppName(a.Name)
+	stackName := StackName(a.Name)
+
 	a.Env["STACK_NAME"] = stackName

 	return stackName
 }

-// SORTING TYPES
+// StackName gets whatever the docker safe (uses the right delimiting
+// character, e.g. "_") stack name is for the app. In general, you don't want
+// to use this to show anything to end-users, you want use a.Name instead.
+func StackName(appName string) string {
+	stackName := SanitiseAppName(appName)
+
+	if len(stackName) > 45 {
+		logrus.Debugf("trimming %s to %s to avoid runtime limits", stackName, stackName[:45])
+		stackName = stackName[:45]
+	}
+
+	return stackName
+}
+
+// Filters retrieves app filters for querying the container runtime. By default
+// it filters on all services in the app. It is also possible to pass an
+// otional list of service names, which get filtered instead.
+//
+// Due to upstream issues, filtering works different depending on what you're
+// querying. So, for example, secrets don't work with regex! The caller needs
+// to implement their own validation that the right secrets are matched. In
+// order to handle these cases, we provide the `appendServiceNames` /
+// `exactMatch` modifiers.
+func (a App) Filters(appendServiceNames, exactMatch bool, services ...string) (filters.Args, error) {
+	filters := filters.NewArgs()
+	if len(services) > 0 {
+		for _, serviceName := range services {
+			filters.Add("name", ServiceFilter(a.StackName(), serviceName, exactMatch))
+		}
+		return filters, nil
+	}
+
+	// When not appending the service name, just add one filter for the whole
+	// stack.
+	if !appendServiceNames {
+		f := fmt.Sprintf("%s", a.StackName())
+		if exactMatch {
+			f = fmt.Sprintf("^%s", f)
+		}
+		filters.Add("name", f)
+		return filters, nil
+	}
+
+	composeFiles, err := GetComposeFiles(a.Recipe, a.Env)
+	if err != nil {
+		return filters, err
+	}
+
+	opts := stack.Deploy{Composefiles: composeFiles}
+	compose, err := GetAppComposeConfig(a.Recipe, opts, a.Env)
+	if err != nil {
+		return filters, err
+	}
+
+	for _, service := range compose.Services {
+		f := ServiceFilter(a.StackName(), service.Name, exactMatch)
+		filters.Add("name", f)
+	}
+
+	return filters, nil
+}
+
+// ServiceFilter creates a filter string for filtering a service in the docker
+// container runtime. When exact match is true, it uses regex to match the
+// string exactly.
+func ServiceFilter(stack, service string, exact bool) string {
+	if exact {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("^%s_%s", stack, service)
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s", stack, service)
+}

 // ByServer sort a slice of Apps
 type ByServer []App
@ -68,25 +144,25 @@ func (a ByServer) Less(i, j int) bool {
 	return strings.ToLower(a[i].Server) < strings.ToLower(a[j].Server)
 }

-// ByServerAndType sort a slice of Apps
-type ByServerAndType []App
+// ByServerAndRecipe sort a slice of Apps
+type ByServerAndRecipe []App

-func (a ByServerAndType) Len() int      { return len(a) }
-func (a ByServerAndType) Swap(i, j int) { a[i], a[j] = a[j], a[i] }
-func (a ByServerAndType) Less(i, j int) bool {
+func (a ByServerAndRecipe) Len() int      { return len(a) }
+func (a ByServerAndRecipe) Swap(i, j int) { a[i], a[j] = a[j], a[i] }
+func (a ByServerAndRecipe) Less(i, j int) bool {
 	if a[i].Server == a[j].Server {
-		return strings.ToLower(a[i].Type) < strings.ToLower(a[j].Type)
+		return strings.ToLower(a[i].Recipe) < strings.ToLower(a[j].Recipe)
 	}
 	return strings.ToLower(a[i].Server) < strings.ToLower(a[j].Server)
 }

-// ByType sort a slice of Apps
-type ByType []App
+// ByRecipe sort a slice of Apps
+type ByRecipe []App

-func (a ByType) Len() int      { return len(a) }
-func (a ByType) Swap(i, j int) { a[i], a[j] = a[j], a[i] }
-func (a ByType) Less(i, j int) bool {
-	return strings.ToLower(a[i].Type) < strings.ToLower(a[j].Type)
+func (a ByRecipe) Len() int      { return len(a) }
+func (a ByRecipe) Swap(i, j int) { a[i], a[j] = a[j], a[i] }
+func (a ByRecipe) Less(i, j int) bool {
+	return strings.ToLower(a[i].Recipe) < strings.ToLower(a[j].Recipe)
 }

 // ByName sort a slice of Apps
@ -98,7 +174,7 @@ func (a ByName) Less(i, j int) bool {
 	return strings.ToLower(a[i].Name) < strings.ToLower(a[j].Name)
 }

-func readAppEnvFile(appFile AppFile, name AppName) (App, error) {
+func ReadAppEnvFile(appFile AppFile, name AppName) (App, error) {
 	env, err := ReadEnv(appFile.Path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return App{}, fmt.Errorf("env file for %s couldn't be read: %s", name, err.Error())
@ -106,7 +182,7 @@ func readAppEnvFile(appFile AppFile, name AppName) (App, error) {

 	logrus.Debugf("read env %s from %s", env, appFile.Path)

-	app, err := newApp(env, name, appFile)
+	app, err := NewApp(env, name, appFile)
 	if err != nil {
 		return App{}, fmt.Errorf("env file for %s has issues: %s", name, err.Error())
 	}
@ -114,26 +190,29 @@ func readAppEnvFile(appFile AppFile, name AppName) (App, error) {
 	return app, nil
 }

-// newApp creates new App object
-func newApp(env AppEnv, name string, appFile AppFile) (App, error) {
+// NewApp creates new App object
+func NewApp(env AppEnv, name string, appFile AppFile) (App, error) {
 	domain := env["DOMAIN"]

-	appType, exists := env["TYPE"]
+	recipe, exists := env["RECIPE"]
 	if !exists {
-		return App{}, fmt.Errorf("%s is missing the TYPE env var", name)
+		recipe, exists = env["TYPE"]
+		if !exists {
+			return App{}, fmt.Errorf("%s is missing the TYPE env var?", name)
+		}
 	}

 	return App{
 		Name:   name,
 		Domain: domain,
-		Type:   appType,
+		Recipe: recipe,
 		Env:    env,
 		Server: appFile.Server,
 		Path:   appFile.Path,
 	}, nil
 }

-// LoadAppFiles gets all app files for a given set of servers or all servers
+// LoadAppFiles gets all app files for a given set of servers or all servers.
 func LoadAppFiles(servers ...string) (AppFiles, error) {
 	appFiles := make(AppFiles)
 	if len(servers) == 1 {
@ -142,7 +221,7 @@ func LoadAppFiles(servers ...string) (AppFiles, error) {
 			var err error
 			servers, err = GetAllFoldersInDirectory(SERVERS_DIR)
 			if err != nil {
-				return nil, err
+				return appFiles, err
 			}
 		}
 	}
@ -151,10 +230,11 @@ func LoadAppFiles(servers ...string) (AppFiles, error) {

 	for _, server := range servers {
 		serverDir := path.Join(SERVERS_DIR, server)
-		files, err := getAllFilesInDirectory(serverDir)
+		files, err := GetAllFilesInDirectory(serverDir)
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+			return appFiles, fmt.Errorf("server %s doesn't exist? Run \"abra server ls\" to check", server)
 		}
+
 		for _, file := range files {
 			appName := strings.TrimSuffix(file.Name(), ".env")
 			appFilePath := path.Join(SERVERS_DIR, server, file.Name())
@ -164,19 +244,20 @@ func LoadAppFiles(servers ...string) (AppFiles, error) {
 			}
 		}
 	}
+
 	return appFiles, nil
 }

-// GetApp loads an apps settings, reading it from file, in preparation to use it
-//
-// ONLY use when ready to use the env file to keep IO down
+// GetApp loads an apps settings, reading it from file, in preparation to use
+// it. It should only be used when ready to use the env file to keep IO
+// operations down.
 func GetApp(apps AppFiles, name AppName) (App, error) {
 	appFile, exists := apps[name]
 	if !exists {
 		return App{}, fmt.Errorf("cannot find app with name %s", name)
 	}

-	app, err := readAppEnvFile(appFile, name)
+	app, err := ReadAppEnvFile(appFile, name)
 	if err != nil {
 		return App{}, err
 	}
@ -184,8 +265,9 @@ func GetApp(apps AppFiles, name AppName) (App, error) {
 	return app, nil
 }

-// GetApps returns a slice of Apps with their env files read from a given slice of AppFiles
-func GetApps(appFiles AppFiles) ([]App, error) {
+// GetApps returns a slice of Apps with their env files read from a given
+// slice of AppFiles.
+func GetApps(appFiles AppFiles, recipeFilter string) ([]App, error) {
 	var apps []App

 	for name := range appFiles {
@ -193,7 +275,14 @@ func GetApps(appFiles AppFiles) ([]App, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		apps = append(apps, app)
+
+		if recipeFilter != "" {
+			if app.Recipe == recipeFilter {
+				apps = append(apps, app)
+			}
+		} else {
+			apps = append(apps, app)
+		}
 	}

 	return apps, nil
@ -213,13 +302,13 @@ func GetAppServiceNames(appName string) ([]string, error) {
 		return serviceNames, err
 	}

-	composeFiles, err := GetAppComposeFiles(app.Type, app.Env)
+	composeFiles, err := GetComposeFiles(app.Recipe, app.Env)
 	if err != nil {
 		return serviceNames, err
 	}

 	opts := stack.Deploy{Composefiles: composeFiles}
-	compose, err := GetAppComposeConfig(app.Type, opts, app.Env)
+	compose, err := GetAppComposeConfig(app.Recipe, opts, app.Env)
 	if err != nil {
 		return serviceNames, err
 	}
@ -240,7 +329,7 @@ func GetAppNames() ([]string, error) {
 		return appNames, err
 	}

-	apps, err := GetApps(appFiles)
+	apps, err := GetApps(appFiles, "")
 	if err != nil {
 		return appNames, err
 	}
@ -252,7 +341,8 @@ func GetAppNames() ([]string, error) {
 	return appNames, nil
 }

-// TemplateAppEnvSample copies the example env file for the app into the users env files
+// TemplateAppEnvSample copies the example env file for the app into the users
+// env files.
 func TemplateAppEnvSample(recipeName, appName, server, domain string) error {
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(RECIPES_DIR, recipeName, ".env.sample")
 	envSample, err := ioutil.ReadFile(envSamplePath)
@ -261,27 +351,24 @@ func TemplateAppEnvSample(recipeName, appName, server, domain string) error {
 	}

 	appEnvPath := path.Join(ABRA_DIR, "servers", server, fmt.Sprintf("%s.env", appName))
-	if _, err := os.Stat(appEnvPath); os.IsExist(err) {
+	if _, err := os.Stat(appEnvPath); !os.IsNotExist(err) {
 		return fmt.Errorf("%s already exists?", appEnvPath)
 	}

-	err = ioutil.WriteFile(appEnvPath, envSample, 0664)
+	err = ioutil.WriteFile(appEnvPath, envSample, 0o664)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}

-	file, err := os.OpenFile(appEnvPath, os.O_RDWR, 0664)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	defer file.Close()
-
-	tpl, err := template.ParseFiles(appEnvPath)
+	read, err := ioutil.ReadFile(appEnvPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}

-	if err := tpl.Execute(file, struct{ Name string }{recipeName}); err != nil {
+	newContents := strings.Replace(string(read), recipeName+".example.com", domain, -1)
+
+	err = ioutil.WriteFile(appEnvPath, []byte(newContents), 0)
+	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}

@ -290,35 +377,49 @@ func TemplateAppEnvSample(recipeName, appName, server, domain string) error {
 	return nil
 }

-// SanitiseAppName makes a app name usable with Docker by replacing illegal characters
+// SanitiseAppName makes a app name usable with Docker by replacing illegal
+// characters.
 func SanitiseAppName(name string) string {
 	return strings.ReplaceAll(name, ".", "_")
 }

-// GetAppStatuses queries servers to check the deployment status of given apps
-func GetAppStatuses(appFiles AppFiles) (map[string]map[string]string, error) {
+// GetAppStatuses queries servers to check the deployment status of given apps.
+func GetAppStatuses(apps []App, MachineReadable bool) (map[string]map[string]string, error) {
 	statuses := make(map[string]map[string]string)

-	var unique []string
 	servers := make(map[string]struct{})
-	for _, appFile := range appFiles {
-		if _, ok := servers[appFile.Server]; !ok {
-			servers[appFile.Server] = struct{}{}
-			unique = append(unique, appFile.Server)
+	for _, app := range apps {
+		if _, ok := servers[app.Server]; !ok {
+			servers[app.Server] = struct{}{}
 		}
 	}

-	bar := formatter.CreateProgressbar(len(servers), "querying remote servers...")
+	var bar *progressbar.ProgressBar
+	if !MachineReadable {
+		bar = formatter.CreateProgressbar(len(servers), "querying remote servers...")
+	}
+
 	ch := make(chan stack.StackStatus, len(servers))
 	for server := range servers {
+		cl, err := client.New(server)
+		if err != nil {
+			return statuses, err
+		}
+
 		go func(s string) {
-			ch <- stack.GetAllDeployedServices(s)
-			bar.Add(1)
+			ch <- stack.GetAllDeployedServices(cl, s)
+			if !MachineReadable {
+				bar.Add(1)
+			}
 		}(server)
 	}

 	for range servers {
 		status := <-ch
+		if status.Err != nil {
+			return statuses, status.Err
+		}
+
 		for _, service := range status.Services {
 			result := make(map[string]string)
 			name := service.Spec.Labels[convert.LabelNamespace]
@ -327,7 +428,25 @@ func GetAppStatuses(appFiles AppFiles) (map[string]map[string]string, error) {
 				result["status"] = "deployed"
 			}

-			labelKey := fmt.Sprintf("coop-cloud.%s.version", name)
+			labelKey := fmt.Sprintf("coop-cloud.%s.chaos", name)
+			chaos, ok := service.Spec.Labels[labelKey]
+			if ok {
+				result["chaos"] = chaos
+			}
+
+			labelKey = fmt.Sprintf("coop-cloud.%s.chaos-version", name)
+			if chaosVersion, ok := service.Spec.Labels[labelKey]; ok {
+				result["chaosVersion"] = chaosVersion
+			}
+
+			labelKey = fmt.Sprintf("coop-cloud.%s.autoupdate", name)
+			if autoUpdate, ok := service.Spec.Labels[labelKey]; ok {
+				result["autoUpdate"] = autoUpdate
+			} else {
+				result["autoUpdate"] = "false"
+			}
+
+			labelKey = fmt.Sprintf("coop-cloud.%s.version", name)
 			if version, ok := service.Spec.Labels[labelKey]; ok {
 				result["version"] = version
 			} else {
@ -343,26 +462,56 @@ func GetAppStatuses(appFiles AppFiles) (map[string]map[string]string, error) {
 	return statuses, nil
 }

-// GetAppComposeFiles gets the list of compose files for an app which should be
-// merged into a composetypes.Config while respecting the COMPOSE_FILE env var.
-func GetAppComposeFiles(recipe string, appEnv AppEnv) ([]string, error) {
+// ensurePathExists ensures that a path exists.
+func ensurePathExists(path string) error {
+	if _, err := os.Stat(path); err != nil && os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		return err
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// GetComposeFiles gets the list of compose files for an app (or recipe if you
+// don't already have an app) which should be merged into a composetypes.Config
+// while respecting the COMPOSE_FILE env var.
+func GetComposeFiles(recipe string, appEnv AppEnv) ([]string, error) {
 	var composeFiles []string

-	if _, ok := appEnv["COMPOSE_FILE"]; !ok {
-		logrus.Debug("no COMPOSE_FILE detected, loading compose.yml")
+	composeFileEnvVar, ok := appEnv["COMPOSE_FILE"]
+	if !ok {
 		path := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/compose.yml", RECIPES_DIR, recipe)
+		if err := ensurePathExists(path); err != nil {
+			return composeFiles, err
+		}
+		logrus.Debugf("no COMPOSE_FILE detected, loading default: %s", path)
 		composeFiles = append(composeFiles, path)
 		return composeFiles, nil
 	}

-	composeFileEnvVar := appEnv["COMPOSE_FILE"]
-	envVars := strings.Split(composeFileEnvVar, ":")
-	logrus.Debugf("COMPOSE_FILE detected (%s), loading %s", composeFileEnvVar, strings.Join(envVars, ", "))
-	for _, file := range strings.Split(composeFileEnvVar, ":") {
+	if !strings.Contains(composeFileEnvVar, ":") {
+		path := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", RECIPES_DIR, recipe, composeFileEnvVar)
+		if err := ensurePathExists(path); err != nil {
+			return composeFiles, err
+		}
+		logrus.Debugf("COMPOSE_FILE detected, loading %s", path)
+		composeFiles = append(composeFiles, path)
+		return composeFiles, nil
+	}
+
+	numComposeFiles := strings.Count(composeFileEnvVar, ":") + 1
+	envVars := strings.SplitN(composeFileEnvVar, ":", numComposeFiles)
+	if len(envVars) != numComposeFiles {
+		return composeFiles, fmt.Errorf("COMPOSE_FILE (=\"%s\") parsing failed?", composeFileEnvVar)
+	}
+
+	for _, file := range envVars {
 		path := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", RECIPES_DIR, recipe, file)
+		if err := ensurePathExists(path); err != nil {
+			return composeFiles, err
+		}
 		composeFiles = append(composeFiles, path)
 	}

+	logrus.Debugf("COMPOSE_FILE detected (%s), loading %s", composeFileEnvVar, strings.Join(envVars, ", "))
 	logrus.Debugf("retrieved %s configs for %s", strings.Join(composeFiles, ", "), recipe)

 	return composeFiles, nil
@ -381,3 +530,98 @@ func GetAppComposeConfig(recipe string, opts stack.Deploy, appEnv AppEnv) (*comp

 	return compose, nil
 }
+
+// ExposeAllEnv exposes all env variables to the app container
+func ExposeAllEnv(stackName string, compose *composetypes.Config, appEnv AppEnv) {
+	for _, service := range compose.Services {
+		if service.Name == "app" {
+			logrus.Debugf("Add the following environment to the app service config of %s:", stackName)
+			for k, v := range appEnv {
+				_, exists := service.Environment[k]
+				if !exists {
+					value := v
+					service.Environment[k] = &value
+					logrus.Debugf("Add Key: %s Value: %s to %s", k, value, stackName)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// SetRecipeLabel adds the label 'coop-cloud.${STACK_NAME}.recipe=${RECIPE}' to the app container
+// to signal which recipe is connected to the deployed app
+func SetRecipeLabel(compose *composetypes.Config, stackName string, recipe string) {
+	for _, service := range compose.Services {
+		if service.Name == "app" {
+			logrus.Debugf("set recipe label 'coop-cloud.%s.recipe' to %s for %s", stackName, recipe, stackName)
+			labelKey := fmt.Sprintf("coop-cloud.%s.recipe", stackName)
+			service.Deploy.Labels[labelKey] = recipe
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// SetChaosLabel adds the label 'coop-cloud.${STACK_NAME}.chaos=true/false' to the app container
+// to signal if the app is deployed in chaos mode
+func SetChaosLabel(compose *composetypes.Config, stackName string, chaos bool) {
+	for _, service := range compose.Services {
+		if service.Name == "app" {
+			logrus.Debugf("set label 'coop-cloud.%s.chaos' to %v for %s", stackName, chaos, stackName)
+			labelKey := fmt.Sprintf("coop-cloud.%s.chaos", stackName)
+			service.Deploy.Labels[labelKey] = strconv.FormatBool(chaos)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// SetChaosVersionLabel adds the label 'coop-cloud.${STACK_NAME}.chaos-version=$(GIT_COMMIT)' to the app container
+func SetChaosVersionLabel(compose *composetypes.Config, stackName string, chaosVersion string) {
+	for _, service := range compose.Services {
+		if service.Name == "app" {
+			logrus.Debugf("set label 'coop-cloud.%s.chaos-version' to %v for %s", stackName, chaosVersion, stackName)
+			labelKey := fmt.Sprintf("coop-cloud.%s.chaos-version", stackName)
+			service.Deploy.Labels[labelKey] = chaosVersion
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// SetUpdateLabel adds env ENABLE_AUTO_UPDATE as label to enable/disable the
+// auto update process for this app. The default if this variable is not set is to disable
+// the auto update process.
+func SetUpdateLabel(compose *composetypes.Config, stackName string, appEnv AppEnv) {
+	for _, service := range compose.Services {
+		if service.Name == "app" {
+			enable_auto_update, exists := appEnv["ENABLE_AUTO_UPDATE"]
+			if !exists {
+				enable_auto_update = "false"
+			}
+			logrus.Debugf("set label 'coop-cloud.%s.autoupdate' to %s for %s", stackName, enable_auto_update, stackName)
+			labelKey := fmt.Sprintf("coop-cloud.%s.autoupdate", stackName)
+			service.Deploy.Labels[labelKey] = enable_auto_update
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// GetLabel reads docker labels in the format of "coop-cloud.${STACK_NAME}.${LABEL}" from the local compose files
+func GetLabel(compose *composetypes.Config, stackName string, label string) string {
+	for _, service := range compose.Services {
+		if service.Name == "app" {
+			labelKey := fmt.Sprintf("coop-cloud.%s.%s", stackName, label)
+			logrus.Debugf("get label '%s'", labelKey)
+			if labelValue, ok := service.Deploy.Labels[labelKey]; ok {
+				return labelValue
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	logrus.Debugf("no %s label found for %s", label, stackName)
+	return ""
+}
+
+// GetTimeoutFromLabel reads the timeout value from docker label "coop-cloud.${STACK_NAME}.TIMEOUT" and returns 50 as default value
+func GetTimeoutFromLabel(compose *composetypes.Config, stackName string) (int, error) {
+	timeout := 50 // Default Timeout
+	var err error = nil
+	if timeoutLabel := GetLabel(compose, stackName, "timeout"); timeoutLabel != "" {
+		logrus.Debugf("timeout label: %s", timeoutLabel)
+		timeout, err = strconv.Atoi(timeoutLabel)
+	}
+	return timeout, err
+}
--- a/pkg/config/app_test.go
+++ b/pkg/config/app_test.go
@ -1,36 +1,197 @@
-package config
+package config_test

 import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
 	"testing"
+
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
+	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )

 func TestNewApp(t *testing.T) {
-	app, err := newApp(expectedAppEnv, appName, expectedAppFile)
+	app, err := config.NewApp(ExpectedAppEnv, AppName, ExpectedAppFile)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if !reflect.DeepEqual(app, expectedApp) {
-		t.Fatalf("did not get expected app type. Expected: %s; Got: %s", app, expectedApp)
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(app, ExpectedApp) {
+		t.Fatalf("did not get expected app type. Expected: %s; Got: %s", app, ExpectedApp)
 	}
 }

 func TestReadAppEnvFile(t *testing.T) {
-	app, err := readAppEnvFile(expectedAppFile, appName)
+	app, err := config.ReadAppEnvFile(ExpectedAppFile, AppName)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if !reflect.DeepEqual(app, expectedApp) {
-		t.Fatalf("did not get expected app type. Expected: %s; Got: %s", app, expectedApp)
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(app, ExpectedApp) {
+		t.Fatalf("did not get expected app type. Expected: %s; Got: %s", app, ExpectedApp)
 	}
 }

 func TestGetApp(t *testing.T) {
-	app, err := GetApp(expectedAppFiles, appName)
+	app, err := config.GetApp(ExpectedAppFiles, AppName)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if !reflect.DeepEqual(app, expectedApp) {
-		t.Fatalf("did not get expected app type. Expected: %s; Got: %s", app, expectedApp)
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(app, ExpectedApp) {
+		t.Fatalf("did not get expected app type. Expected: %s; Got: %s", app, ExpectedApp)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGetComposeFiles(t *testing.T) {
+	offline := true
+	r, err := recipe.Get("abra-test-recipe", offline)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		appEnv       map[string]string
+		composeFiles []string
+	}{
+		{
+			map[string]string{},
+			[]string{
+				fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/compose.yml", config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name),
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			map[string]string{"COMPOSE_FILE": "compose.yml"},
+			[]string{
+				fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/compose.yml", config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name),
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			map[string]string{"COMPOSE_FILE": "compose.extra_secret.yml"},
+			[]string{
+				fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/compose.extra_secret.yml", config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name),
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			map[string]string{"COMPOSE_FILE": "compose.yml:compose.extra_secret.yml"},
+			[]string{
+				fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/compose.yml", config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name),
+				fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/compose.extra_secret.yml", config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name),
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		composeFiles, err := config.GetComposeFiles(r.Name, test.appEnv)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		assert.Equal(t, composeFiles, test.composeFiles)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGetComposeFilesError(t *testing.T) {
+	offline := true
+	r, err := recipe.Get("abra-test-recipe", offline)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	tests := []struct{ appEnv map[string]string }{
+		{map[string]string{"COMPOSE_FILE": "compose.yml::compose.foo.yml"}},
+		{map[string]string{"COMPOSE_FILE": "doesnt.exist.yml"}},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		_, err := config.GetComposeFiles(r.Name, test.appEnv)
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Fatalf("should have failed: %v", test.appEnv)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFilters(t *testing.T) {
+	oldDir := config.RECIPES_DIR
+	config.RECIPES_DIR = "./testdir"
+	defer func() {
+		config.RECIPES_DIR = oldDir
+	}()
+
+	app, err := config.NewApp(config.AppEnv{
+		"DOMAIN": "test.example.com",
+		"RECIPE": "test-recipe",
+	}, "test_example_com", config.AppFile{
+		Path:   "./testdir/filtertest.end",
+		Server: "local",
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	f, err := app.Filters(false, false)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+	}
+	compareFilter(t, f, map[string]map[string]bool{
+		"name": {
+			"test_example_com": true,
+		},
+	})
+
+	f2, err := app.Filters(false, true)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+	}
+	compareFilter(t, f2, map[string]map[string]bool{
+		"name": {
+			"^test_example_com": true,
+		},
+	})
+
+	f3, err := app.Filters(true, false)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+	}
+	compareFilter(t, f3, map[string]map[string]bool{
+		"name": {
+			"test_example_com_bar": true,
+			"test_example_com_foo": true,
+		},
+	})
+
+	f4, err := app.Filters(true, true)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+	}
+	compareFilter(t, f4, map[string]map[string]bool{
+		"name": {
+			"^test_example_com_bar": true,
+			"^test_example_com_foo": true,
+		},
+	})
+
+	f5, err := app.Filters(false, false, "foo")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+	}
+	compareFilter(t, f5, map[string]map[string]bool{
+		"name": {
+			"test_example_com_foo": true,
+		},
+	})
+}
+
+func compareFilter(t *testing.T, f1 filters.Args, f2 map[string]map[string]bool) {
+	t.Helper()
+	j1, err := f1.MarshalJSON()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+	}
+	j2, err := json.Marshal(f2)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+	}
+	if diff := cmp.Diff(string(j2), string(j1)); diff != "" {
+		t.Errorf("filters mismatch (-want +got):\n%s", diff)
 	}
 }
--- a/pkg/config/env.go
+++ b/pkg/config/env.go
@ -8,20 +8,41 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"path"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"regexp"
+	"sort"
 	"strings"

-	"github.com/Autonomic-Cooperative/godotenv"
+	"git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/godotenv"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )

-var ABRA_DIR = os.ExpandEnv("$HOME/.abra")
+// getBaseDir retrieves the Abra base directory.
+func getBaseDir() string {
+	home := os.ExpandEnv("$HOME/.abra")
+	if customAbraDir, exists := os.LookupEnv("ABRA_DIR"); exists && customAbraDir != "" {
+		home = customAbraDir
+	}
+	return home
+}
+
+var ABRA_DIR = getBaseDir()
 var SERVERS_DIR = path.Join(ABRA_DIR, "servers")
-var RECIPES_DIR = path.Join(ABRA_DIR, "apps")
+var RECIPES_DIR = path.Join(ABRA_DIR, "recipes")
 var VENDOR_DIR = path.Join(ABRA_DIR, "vendor")
+var BACKUP_DIR = path.Join(ABRA_DIR, "backups")
+var CATALOGUE_DIR = path.Join(ABRA_DIR, "catalogue")
 var RECIPES_JSON = path.Join(ABRA_DIR, "catalogue", "recipes.json")
 var REPOS_BASE_URL = "https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud"
+var CATALOGUE_JSON_REPO_NAME = "recipes-catalogue-json"
 var SSH_URL_TEMPLATE = "ssh://git@git.coopcloud.tech:2222/coop-cloud/%s.git"

+var BackupbotLabel = "coop-cloud.backupbot.enabled"
+
+// envVarModifiers is a list of env var modifier strings. These are added to
+// env vars as comments and modify their processing by Abra, e.g. determining
+// how long secrets should be.
+var envVarModifiers = []string{"length"}
+
 // GetServers retrieves all servers.
 func GetServers() ([]string, error) {
 	var servers []string
@ -38,16 +59,30 @@ func GetServers() ([]string, error) {

 // ReadEnv loads an app envivornment into a map.
 func ReadEnv(filePath string) (AppEnv, error) {
-	var envFile AppEnv
+	var envVars AppEnv

-	envFile, err := godotenv.Read(filePath)
+	envVars, _, err := godotenv.Read(filePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}

-	logrus.Debugf("read %s from %s", envFile, filePath)
+	logrus.Debugf("read %s from %s", envVars, filePath)

-	return envFile, nil
+	return envVars, nil
+}
+
+// ReadEnv loads an app envivornment and their modifiers in two different maps.
+func ReadEnvWithModifiers(filePath string) (AppEnv, AppModifiers, error) {
+	var envVars AppEnv
+
+	envVars, mods, err := godotenv.Read(filePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, mods, err
+	}
+
+	logrus.Debugf("read %s from %s", envVars, filePath)
+
+	return envVars, mods, nil
 }

 // ReadServerNames retrieves all server names.
@ -63,8 +98,8 @@ func ReadServerNames() ([]string, error) {
 	return serverNames, nil
 }

-// getAllFilesInDirectory returns filenames of all files in directory
-func getAllFilesInDirectory(directory string) ([]fs.FileInfo, error) {
+// GetAllFilesInDirectory returns filenames of all files in directory
+func GetAllFilesInDirectory(directory string) ([]fs.FileInfo, error) {
 	var realFiles []fs.FileInfo

 	files, err := ioutil.ReadDir(directory)
@ -137,22 +172,107 @@ func ReadAbraShEnvVars(abraSh string) (map[string]string, error) {
 		}
 		return envVars, err
 	}
+	defer file.Close()
+
+	exportRegex, err := regexp.Compile(`^export\s+(\w+=\w+)`)
+	if err != nil {
+		return envVars, err
+	}

 	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(file)
 	for scanner.Scan() {
-		line := scanner.Text()
-		if strings.Contains(line, "export") {
-			splitVals := strings.Split(line, "export ")
+		txt := scanner.Text()
+		if exportRegex.MatchString(txt) {
+			splitVals := strings.Split(txt, "export ")
 			envVarDef := splitVals[len(splitVals)-1]
 			keyVal := strings.Split(envVarDef, "=")
 			if len(keyVal) != 2 {
-				return envVars, fmt.Errorf("couldn't parse %s", line)
+				return envVars, fmt.Errorf("couldn't parse %s", txt)
 			}
 			envVars[keyVal[0]] = keyVal[1]
 		}
 	}

-	logrus.Debugf("read %s from %s", envVars, abraSh)
+	if len(envVars) > 0 {
+		logrus.Debugf("read %s from %s", envVars, abraSh)
+	} else {
+		logrus.Debugf("read 0 env var exports from %s", abraSh)
+	}

 	return envVars, nil
 }
+
+type EnvVar struct {
+	Name    string
+	Present bool
+}
+
+func CheckEnv(app App) ([]EnvVar, error) {
+	var envVars []EnvVar
+
+	envSamplePath := path.Join(RECIPES_DIR, app.Recipe, ".env.sample")
+	if _, err := os.Stat(envSamplePath); err != nil {
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return envVars, fmt.Errorf("%s does not exist?", envSamplePath)
+		}
+		return envVars, err
+	}
+
+	envSample, err := ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return envVars, err
+	}
+
+	var keys []string
+	for key := range envSample {
+		keys = append(keys, key)
+	}
+
+	sort.Strings(keys)
+
+	for _, key := range keys {
+		if _, ok := app.Env[key]; ok {
+			envVars = append(envVars, EnvVar{Name: key, Present: true})
+		} else {
+			envVars = append(envVars, EnvVar{Name: key, Present: false})
+		}
+	}
+
+	return envVars, nil
+}
+
+// ReadAbraShCmdNames reads the names of commands.
+func ReadAbraShCmdNames(abraSh string) ([]string, error) {
+	var cmdNames []string
+
+	file, err := os.Open(abraSh)
+	if err != nil {
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return cmdNames, nil
+		}
+		return cmdNames, err
+	}
+	defer file.Close()
+
+	cmdNameRegex, err := regexp.Compile(`(\w+)(\(\).*\{)`)
+	if err != nil {
+		return cmdNames, err
+	}
+
+	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(file)
+	for scanner.Scan() {
+		line := scanner.Text()
+		matches := cmdNameRegex.FindStringSubmatch(line)
+		if len(matches) > 0 {
+			cmdNames = append(cmdNames, matches[1])
+		}
+	}
+
+	if len(cmdNames) > 0 {
+		logrus.Debugf("read %s from %s", strings.Join(cmdNames, " "), abraSh)
+	} else {
+		logrus.Debugf("read 0 command names from %s", abraSh)
+	}
+
+	return cmdNames, nil
+}
--- a/pkg/config/env_test.go
+++ b/pkg/config/env_test.go
@ -1,60 +1,69 @@
-package config
+package config_test

 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path"
 	"reflect"
+	"slices"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
+
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/config"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
 )

-var testFolder = os.ExpandEnv("$PWD/../../tests/resources/test_folder")
-var validAbraConf = os.ExpandEnv("$PWD/../../tests/resources/valid_abra_config")
+var (
+	TestFolder    = os.ExpandEnv("$PWD/../../tests/resources/test_folder")
+	ValidAbraConf = os.ExpandEnv("$PWD/../../tests/resources/valid_abra_config")
+)

 // make sure these are in alphabetical order
-var tFolders = []string{"folder1", "folder2"}
-var tFiles = []string{"bar.env", "foo.env"}
+var (
+	TFolders = []string{"folder1", "folder2"}
+	TFiles   = []string{"bar.env", "foo.env"}
+)

-var appName = "ecloud"
-var serverName = "evil.corp"
+var (
+	AppName    = "ecloud"
+	ServerName = "evil.corp"
+)

-var expectedAppEnv = AppEnv{
+var ExpectedAppEnv = config.AppEnv{
 	"DOMAIN": "ecloud.evil.corp",
-	"TYPE":   "ecloud",
+	"RECIPE": "ecloud",
 }

-var expectedApp = App{
-	Name:   appName,
-	Type:   expectedAppEnv["TYPE"],
-	Domain: expectedAppEnv["DOMAIN"],
-	Env:    expectedAppEnv,
-	Path:   expectedAppFile.Path,
-	Server: expectedAppFile.Server,
+var ExpectedApp = config.App{
+	Name:   AppName,
+	Recipe: ExpectedAppEnv["RECIPE"],
+	Domain: ExpectedAppEnv["DOMAIN"],
+	Env:    ExpectedAppEnv,
+	Path:   ExpectedAppFile.Path,
+	Server: ExpectedAppFile.Server,
 }

-var expectedAppFile = AppFile{
-	Path:   path.Join(validAbraConf, "servers", serverName, appName+".env"),
-	Server: serverName,
+var ExpectedAppFile = config.AppFile{
+	Path:   path.Join(ValidAbraConf, "servers", ServerName, AppName+".env"),
+	Server: ServerName,
 }

-var expectedAppFiles = map[string]AppFile{
-	appName: expectedAppFile,
+var ExpectedAppFiles = map[string]config.AppFile{
+	AppName: ExpectedAppFile,
 }

-// var expectedServerNames = []string{"evil.corp"}
-
 func TestGetAllFoldersInDirectory(t *testing.T) {
-	folders, err := GetAllFoldersInDirectory(testFolder)
+	folders, err := config.GetAllFoldersInDirectory(TestFolder)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if !reflect.DeepEqual(folders, tFolders) {
-		t.Fatalf("did not get expected folders. Expected: (%s), Got: (%s)", strings.Join(tFolders, ","), strings.Join(folders, ","))
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(folders, TFolders) {
+		t.Fatalf("did not get expected folders. Expected: (%s), Got: (%s)", strings.Join(TFolders, ","), strings.Join(folders, ","))
 	}
 }

 func TestGetAllFilesInDirectory(t *testing.T) {
-	files, err := getAllFilesInDirectory(testFolder)
+	files, err := config.GetAllFilesInDirectory(TestFolder)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@ -62,23 +71,205 @@ func TestGetAllFilesInDirectory(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, file := range files {
 		fileNames = append(fileNames, file.Name())
 	}
-	if !reflect.DeepEqual(fileNames, tFiles) {
-		t.Fatalf("did not get expected files. Expected: (%s), Got: (%s)", strings.Join(tFiles, ","), strings.Join(fileNames, ","))
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(fileNames, TFiles) {
+		t.Fatalf("did not get expected files. Expected: (%s), Got: (%s)", strings.Join(TFiles, ","), strings.Join(fileNames, ","))
 	}
 }

 func TestReadEnv(t *testing.T) {
-	env, err := ReadEnv(expectedAppFile.Path)
+	env, err := config.ReadEnv(ExpectedAppFile.Path)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	if !reflect.DeepEqual(env, expectedAppEnv) {
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(env, ExpectedAppEnv) {
 		t.Fatalf(
-			"did not get expected application settings. Expected: DOMAIN=%s TYPE=%s; Got: DOMAIN=%s TYPE=%s",
-			expectedAppEnv["DOMAIN"],
-			expectedAppEnv["TYPE"],
+			"did not get expected application settings. Expected: DOMAIN=%s RECIPE=%s; Got: DOMAIN=%s RECIPE=%s",
+			ExpectedAppEnv["DOMAIN"],
+			ExpectedAppEnv["RECIPE"],
 			env["DOMAIN"],
-			env["TYPE"],
+			env["RECIPE"],
 		)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestReadAbraShEnvVars(t *testing.T) {
+	offline := true
+	r, err := recipe.Get("abra-test-recipe", offline)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	abraShPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, "abra.sh")
+	abraShEnv, err := config.ReadAbraShEnvVars(abraShPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if len(abraShEnv) == 0 {
+		t.Error("at least one env var should be exported")
+	}
+
+	if _, ok := abraShEnv["INNER_FOO"]; ok {
+		t.Error("INNER_FOO should not be exported")
+	}
+
+	if _, ok := abraShEnv["INNER_BAZ"]; ok {
+		t.Error("INNER_BAZ should not be exported")
+	}
+
+	if _, ok := abraShEnv["OUTER_FOO"]; !ok {
+		t.Error("OUTER_FOO should be exported")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReadAbraShCmdNames(t *testing.T) {
+	offline := true
+	r, err := recipe.Get("abra-test-recipe", offline)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	abraShPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, "abra.sh")
+	cmdNames, err := config.ReadAbraShCmdNames(abraShPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if len(cmdNames) == 0 {
+		t.Error("at least one command name should be found")
+	}
+
+	expectedCmdNames := []string{"test_cmd", "test_cmd_args"}
+	for _, cmdName := range expectedCmdNames {
+		if !slices.Contains(cmdNames, cmdName) {
+			t.Fatalf("%s should have been found in %s", cmdName, abraShPath)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCheckEnv(t *testing.T) {
+	offline := true
+	r, err := recipe.Get("abra-test-recipe", offline)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
+	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	app := config.App{
+		Name:   "test-app",
+		Recipe: r.Name,
+		Domain: "example.com",
+		Env:    envSample,
+		Path:   "example.com.env",
+		Server: "example.com",
+	}
+
+	envVars, err := config.CheckEnv(app)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	for _, envVar := range envVars {
+		if !envVar.Present {
+			t.Fatalf("%s should be present", envVar.Name)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCheckEnvError(t *testing.T) {
+	offline := true
+	r, err := recipe.Get("abra-test-recipe", offline)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
+	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	delete(envSample, "DOMAIN")
+
+	app := config.App{
+		Name:   "test-app",
+		Recipe: r.Name,
+		Domain: "example.com",
+		Env:    envSample,
+		Path:   "example.com.env",
+		Server: "example.com",
+	}
+
+	envVars, err := config.CheckEnv(app)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	for _, envVar := range envVars {
+		if envVar.Name == "DOMAIN" && envVar.Present {
+			t.Fatalf("%s should not be present", envVar.Name)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEnvVarCommentsRemoved(t *testing.T) {
+	offline := true
+	r, err := recipe.Get("abra-test-recipe", offline)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
+	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	envVar, exists := envSample["WITH_COMMENT"]
+	if !exists {
+		t.Fatal("WITH_COMMENT env var should be present in .env.sample")
+	}
+
+	if strings.Contains(envVar, "should be removed") {
+		t.Fatalf("comment from '%s' should be removed", envVar)
+	}
+
+	envVar, exists = envSample["SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION"]
+	if !exists {
+		t.Fatal("WITH_COMMENT env var should be present in .env.sample")
+	}
+
+	if strings.Contains(envVar, "length") {
+		t.Fatal("comment from env var SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION should have been removed")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEnvVarModifiersIncluded(t *testing.T) {
+	offline := true
+	r, err := recipe.Get("abra-test-recipe", offline)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
+	envSample, modifiers, err := config.ReadEnvWithModifiers(envSamplePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if !strings.Contains(envSample["SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION"], "v1") {
+		t.Errorf("value should be 'v1', got: '%s'", envSample["SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION"])
+	}
+	if modifiers == nil || modifiers["SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION"] == nil {
+		t.Errorf("no modifiers included")
+	} else {
+		if modifiers["SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION"]["length"] != "10" {
+			t.Errorf("length modifier should be '10', got: '%s'", modifiers["SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION"]["length"])
+		}
+	}
+}
--- a/pkg/config/testdir/filtertest.env
+++ b/pkg/config/testdir/filtertest.env
@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+RECIPE=test-recipe
+DOMAIN=test.example.com
--- a/pkg/config/testdir/test-recipe/compose.yml
+++ b/pkg/config/testdir/test-recipe/compose.yml
@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+version: "3.8"
+services:
+  foo:
+    image: debian
+  bar:
+    image: debian
--- a/pkg/container/container.go
+++ b/pkg/container/container.go
@ -13,10 +13,10 @@ import (
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )

-// GetContainer retrieves a container. If prompt is true and the retrievd count
-// of containers does not match 1, then a prompt is presented to let the user
-// choose. A count of 0 is handled gracefully.
-func GetContainer(c context.Context, cl *client.Client, filters filters.Args, prompt bool) (types.Container, error) {
+// GetContainer retrieves a container. If noInput is false and the retrievd
+// count of containers does not match 1, then a prompt is presented to let the
+// user choose. A count of 0 is handled gracefully.
+func GetContainer(c context.Context, cl *client.Client, filters filters.Args, noInput bool) (types.Container, error) {
 	containerOpts := types.ContainerListOptions{Filters: filters}
 	containers, err := cl.ContainerList(c, containerOpts)
 	if err != nil {
@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ func GetContainer(c context.Context, cl *client.Client, filters filters.Args, pr
 		return types.Container{}, fmt.Errorf("no containers matching the %v filter found?", filter)
 	}

-	if len(containers) != 1 {
+	if len(containers) > 1 {
 		var containersRaw []string
 		for _, container := range containers {
 			containerName := strings.Join(container.Names, " ")
@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ func GetContainer(c context.Context, cl *client.Client, filters filters.Args, pr
 			containersRaw = append(containersRaw, fmt.Sprintf("%s (created %v)", trimmed, created))
 		}

-		if !prompt {
+		if noInput {
 			err := fmt.Errorf("expected 1 container but found %v: %s", len(containers), strings.Join(containersRaw, " "))
 			return types.Container{}, err
 		}
@ -68,3 +68,15 @@ func GetContainer(c context.Context, cl *client.Client, filters filters.Args, pr

 	return containers[0], nil
 }
+
+// GetContainerFromStackAndService retrieves the container for the given stack and service.
+func GetContainerFromStackAndService(cl *client.Client, stack, service string) (types.Container, error) {
+	filters := filters.NewArgs()
+	filters.Add("name", fmt.Sprintf("^%s_%s", stack, service))
+
+	container, err := GetContainer(context.Background(), cl, filters, true)
+	if err != nil {
+		return types.Container{}, err
+	}
+	return container, nil
+}
--- a/pkg/context/context.go
+++ b/pkg/context/context.go
@ -8,22 +8,19 @@ import (
 	"github.com/docker/cli/cli/context"
 	contextStore "github.com/docker/cli/cli/context/store"
 	cliflags "github.com/docker/cli/cli/flags"
-	"github.com/moby/term"
 )

 func NewDefaultDockerContextStore() *command.ContextStoreWithDefault {
-	_, _, stderr := term.StdStreams()
-	dockerConfig := dConfig.LoadDefaultConfigFile(stderr)
 	contextDir := dConfig.ContextStoreDir()
 	storeConfig := command.DefaultContextStoreConfig()
 	store := newContextStore(contextDir, storeConfig)

-	opts := &cliflags.CommonOptions{Context: "default"}
+	opts := &cliflags.ClientOptions{Context: "default"}

 	dockerContextStore := &command.ContextStoreWithDefault{
 		Store: store,
 		Resolver: func() (*command.DefaultContext, error) {
-			return command.ResolveDefaultContext(opts, dockerConfig, storeConfig, stderr)
+			return command.ResolveDefaultContext(opts, storeConfig)
 		},
 	}

--- a/pkg/dns/common.go
+++ b/pkg/dns/common.go
@ -1,105 +0,0 @@
-package dns
-
-import (
-	"context"
-	"fmt"
-	"net"
-	"os"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2"
-	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
-)
-
-// NewToken constructs a new DNS provider token.
-func NewToken(provider, providerTokenEnvVar string) (string, error) {
-	if token, present := os.LookupEnv(providerTokenEnvVar); present {
-		return token, nil
-	}
-
-	logrus.Debugf("no %s in environment, asking via stdin", providerTokenEnvVar)
-
-	var token string
-	prompt := &survey.Input{
-		Message: fmt.Sprintf("%s API token?", provider),
-	}
-	if err := survey.AskOne(prompt, &token); err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-
-	return token, nil
-}
-
-// EnsureIPv4 ensures that an ipv4 address is set for a domain name
-func EnsureIPv4(domainName string) (string, error) {
-	var ipv4 string
-
-	// comrade librehosters DNS resolver -> https://www.privacy-handbuch.de/handbuch_93d.htm
-	freifunkDNS := "5.1.66.255:53"
-
-	resolver := &net.Resolver{
-		PreferGo: false,
-		Dial: func(ctx context.Context, network, address string) (net.Conn, error) {
-			d := net.Dialer{
-				Timeout: time.Millisecond * time.Duration(10000),
-			}
-			return d.DialContext(ctx, "udp", freifunkDNS)
-		},
-	}
-
-	logrus.Debugf("created DNS resolver via %s", freifunkDNS)
-
-	ctx := context.Background()
-	ips, err := resolver.LookupIPAddr(ctx, domainName)
-	if err != nil {
-		return ipv4, err
-	}
-
-	if len(ips) == 0 {
-		return ipv4, fmt.Errorf("unable to retrieve ipv4 address for %s", domainName)
-	}
-
-	ipv4 = ips[0].IP.To4().String()
-	logrus.Debugf("discovered the following ipv4 addr: %s", ipv4)
-
-	return ipv4, nil
-}
-
-// EnsureDomainsResolveSameIPv4 ensures that domains resolve to the same ipv4 address
-func EnsureDomainsResolveSameIPv4(domainName, server string) (string, error) {
-	var ipv4 string
-
-	domainIPv4, err := EnsureIPv4(domainName)
-	if err != nil {
-		return ipv4, err
-	}
-
-	if domainIPv4 == "" {
-		return ipv4, fmt.Errorf("cannot resolve ipv4 for %s?", domainName)
-	}
-
-	serverIPv4, err := EnsureIPv4(server)
-	if err != nil {
-		return ipv4, err
-	}
-
-	if serverIPv4 == "" {
-		return ipv4, fmt.Errorf("cannot resolve ipv4 for %s?", server)
-	}
-
-	if domainIPv4 != serverIPv4 {
-		err := "app domain %s (%s) does not appear to resolve to app server %s (%s)?"
-		return ipv4, fmt.Errorf(err, domainName, domainIPv4, server, serverIPv4)
-	}
-
-	return ipv4, nil
-}
-
-// GetTTL parses a ttl string into a duration
-func GetTTL(ttl string) (time.Duration, error) {
-	val, err := time.ParseDuration(ttl)
-	if err != nil {
-		return val, err
-	}
-	return val, nil
-}
--- a/pkg/dns/dns.go
+++ b/pkg/dns/dns.go
@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+package dns
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"net"
+)
+
+// EnsureIPv4 ensures that an ipv4 address is set for a domain name
+func EnsureIPv4(domainName string) (string, error) {
+	ipv4, err := net.ResolveIPAddr("ip4", domainName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	// NOTE(d1): e.g. when there is only an ipv6 record available
+	if ipv4 == nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("unable to resolve ipv4 address for %s", domainName)
+	}
+
+	return ipv4.String(), nil
+}
+
+// EnsureDomainsResolveSameIPv4 ensures that domains resolve to the same ipv4 address
+func EnsureDomainsResolveSameIPv4(domainName, server string) (string, error) {
+	if server == "default" || server == "local" {
+		return "", nil
+	}
+
+	var ipv4 string
+
+	domainIPv4, err := EnsureIPv4(domainName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ipv4, err
+	}
+
+	if domainIPv4 == "" {
+		return ipv4, fmt.Errorf("cannot resolve ipv4 for %s?", domainName)
+	}
+
+	serverIPv4, err := EnsureIPv4(server)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ipv4, err
+	}
+
+	if serverIPv4 == "" {
+		return ipv4, fmt.Errorf("cannot resolve ipv4 for %s?", server)
+	}
+
+	if domainIPv4 != serverIPv4 {
+		err := "app domain %s (%s) does not appear to resolve to app server %s (%s)?"
+		return ipv4, fmt.Errorf(err, domainName, domainIPv4, server, serverIPv4)
+	}
+
+	return ipv4, nil
+}
--- a/pkg/dns/dns_test.go
+++ b/pkg/dns/dns_test.go
@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+package dns
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"testing"
+
+	"gotest.tools/v3/assert"
+)
+
+func TestEnsureDomainsResolveSameIPv4(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		domainName     string
+		serverName     string
+		shouldValidate bool
+	}{
+		// NOTE(d1): DNS records get checked, so use something that is maintained
+		// within the federation. if you're here because of a failing test, try
+		// `dig +short <domain>` to ensure stuff matches first! If flakyness
+		// becomes an issue we can look into mocking
+		{"docs.coopcloud.tech", "coopcloud.tech", true},
+		{"docs.coopcloud.tech", "swarm.autonomic.zone", true},
+
+		// NOTE(d1): special case handling for "--local"
+		{"", "default", true},
+		{"", "local", true},
+
+		{"", "", false},
+		{"123", "", false},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		_, err := EnsureDomainsResolveSameIPv4(test.domainName, test.serverName)
+		if err != nil && test.shouldValidate {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if err == nil && !test.shouldValidate {
+			t.Fatal(fmt.Errorf("should have failed but did not: %v", test))
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEnsureIpv4(t *testing.T) {
+	// NOTE(d1): DNS records get checked, so use something that is maintained
+	// within the federation. if you're here because of a failing test, try `dig
+	// +short <domain>` to ensure stuff matches first! If flakyness becomes an
+	// issue we can look into mocking
+	domainName := "collabora.ostrom.collective.tools"
+	serverName := "ostrom.collective.tools"
+
+	for i := 0; i < 15; i++ {
+		domainIpv4, err := EnsureIPv4(domainName)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		serverIpv4, err := EnsureIPv4(serverName)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		assert.Equal(t, domainIpv4, serverIpv4)
+	}
+}
--- a/pkg/dns/gandi/gandi.go
+++ b/pkg/dns/gandi/gandi.go
@ -1,15 +0,0 @@
-package gandi
-
-import (
-	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/dns"
-	"github.com/libdns/gandi"
-)
-
-// New constructs a new DNs provider.
-func New() (gandi.Provider, error) {
-	token, err := dns.NewToken("Gandi", "GANDI_TOKEN")
-	if err != nil {
-		return gandi.Provider{}, err
-	}
-	return gandi.Provider{APIToken: token}, nil
-}
--- a/pkg/formatter/formatter.go
+++ b/pkg/formatter/formatter.go
@ -1,13 +1,16 @@
 package formatter

 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"strings"
 	"time"

 	"github.com/docker/go-units"
-	"github.com/olekukonko/tablewriter"
+	// "github.com/olekukonko/tablewriter"
+	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/jsontable"
 	"github.com/schollz/progressbar/v3"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )

 func ShortenID(str string) string {
@ -31,8 +34,8 @@ func HumanDuration(timestamp int64) string {
 }

 // CreateTable prepares a table layout for output.
-func CreateTable(columns []string) *tablewriter.Table {
-	table := tablewriter.NewWriter(os.Stdout)
+func CreateTable(columns []string) *jsontable.JSONTable {
+	table := jsontable.NewJSONTable(os.Stdout)
 	table.SetAutoWrapText(false)
 	table.SetHeader(columns)
 	return table
@ -49,3 +52,40 @@ func CreateProgressbar(length int, title string) *progressbar.ProgressBar {
 		progressbar.OptionSetDescription(title),
 	)
 }
+
+// StripTagMeta strips front-matter image tag data that we don't need for parsing.
+func StripTagMeta(image string) string {
+	originalImage := image
+
+	if strings.Contains(image, "docker.io") {
+		image = strings.Split(image, "/")[1]
+	}
+
+	if strings.Contains(image, "library") {
+		image = strings.Split(image, "/")[1]
+	}
+
+	if originalImage != image {
+		logrus.Debugf("stripped %s to %s for parsing", originalImage, image)
+	}
+
+	return image
+}
+
+// ByteCountSI presents a human friendly representation of a byte count. See
+// https://yourbasic.org/golang/formatting-byte-size-to-human-readable-format.
+func ByteCountSI(b uint64) string {
+	const unit = 1000
+
+	if b < unit {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%d B", b)
+	}
+
+	div, exp := uint64(unit), 0
+	for n := b / unit; n >= unit; n /= unit {
+		div *= unit
+		exp++
+	}
+
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%.1f %cB", float64(b)/float64(div), "kMGTPE"[exp])
+}
--- a/pkg/git/add.go
+++ b/pkg/git/add.go
@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+package git
+
+import (
+	"github.com/go-git/go-git/v5"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+)
+
+// Add adds a file to the git index.
+func Add(repoPath, path string, dryRun bool) error {
+	repo, err := git.PlainOpen(repoPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	worktree, err := repo.Worktree()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if dryRun {
+		logrus.Debugf("dry run: adding %s", path)
+	} else {
+		worktree.Add(path)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
--- a/pkg/git/branch.go
+++ b/pkg/git/branch.go
@ -1,11 +1,34 @@
 package git

 import (
+	"fmt"
+
 	"github.com/go-git/go-git/v5"
 	"github.com/go-git/go-git/v5/plumbing"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )

-// GetCurrentBranch retrieves the current branch of a repository
+// Check if a branch exists in a repo. Use this and not repository.Branch(),
+// because the latter does not actually check for existing branches. See
+// https://github.com/gogit/gogit/issues/518 for more.
+func HasBranch(repository *git.Repository, name string) bool {
+	var exist bool
+
+	if iter, err := repository.Branches(); err == nil {
+		iterFunc := func(reference *plumbing.Reference) error {
+			if name == reference.Name().Short() {
+				exist = true
+				return nil
+			}
+			return nil
+		}
+		_ = iter.ForEach(iterFunc)
+	}
+
+	return exist
+}
+
+// GetCurrentBranch retrieves the current branch of a repository.
 func GetCurrentBranch(repository *git.Repository) (string, error) {
 	branchRefs, err := repository.Branches()
 	if err != nil {
@ -33,3 +56,45 @@ func GetCurrentBranch(repository *git.Repository) (string, error) {

 	return currentBranchName, nil
 }
+
+// GetDefaultBranch retrieves the default branch of a repository.
+func GetDefaultBranch(repo *git.Repository, repoPath string) (plumbing.ReferenceName, error) {
+	branch := "master"
+
+	if !HasBranch(repo, "master") {
+		if !HasBranch(repo, "main") {
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to select default branch in %s", repoPath)
+		}
+		branch = "main"
+	}
+
+	return plumbing.ReferenceName(fmt.Sprintf("refs/heads/%s", branch)), nil
+}
+
+// CheckoutDefaultBranch checks out the default branch of a repository.
+func CheckoutDefaultBranch(repo *git.Repository, repoPath string) (plumbing.ReferenceName, error) {
+	branch, err := GetDefaultBranch(repo, repoPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return plumbing.ReferenceName(""), err
+	}
+
+	worktree, err := repo.Worktree()
+	if err != nil {
+		return plumbing.ReferenceName(""), err
+	}
+
+	checkOutOpts := &git.CheckoutOptions{
+		Create: false,
+		Force:  true,
+		Branch: branch,
+	}
+
+	if err := worktree.Checkout(checkOutOpts); err != nil {
+		logrus.Debugf("failed to check out %s in %s", branch, repoPath)
+		return branch, err
+	}
+
+	logrus.Debugf("successfully checked out %v in %s", branch, repoPath)
+
+	return branch, nil
+}
--- a/pkg/git/clone.go
+++ b/pkg/git/clone.go
@ -15,22 +15,32 @@ import (
 func Clone(dir, url string) error {
 	if _, err := os.Stat(dir); os.IsNotExist(err) {
 		logrus.Debugf("%s does not exist, attempting to git clone from %s", dir, url)
-		_, err := git.PlainClone(dir, false, &git.CloneOptions{URL: url, Tags: git.AllTags})
+
+		_, err := git.PlainClone(dir, false, &git.CloneOptions{
+			URL:           url,
+			Tags:          git.AllTags,
+			ReferenceName: plumbing.ReferenceName("refs/heads/master"),
+			SingleBranch:  true,
+		})
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Debugf("cloning %s default branch failed, attempting from main branch", url)
+
 			_, err := git.PlainClone(dir, false, &git.CloneOptions{
 				URL:           url,
 				Tags:          git.AllTags,
 				ReferenceName: plumbing.ReferenceName("refs/heads/main"),
+				SingleBranch:  true,
 			})
 			if err != nil {
 				if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "authentication required") {
 					name := filepath.Base(dir)
 					return fmt.Errorf("unable to clone %s, does %s exist?", name, url)
 				}
+
 				return err
 			}
 		}
+
 		logrus.Debugf("%s has been git cloned successfully", dir)
 	} else {
 		logrus.Debugf("%s already exists", dir)
--- a/pkg/git/commit.go
+++ b/pkg/git/commit.go
@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import (
 )

 // Commit runs a git commit
-func Commit(repoPath, glob, commitMessage string, dryRun bool) error {
+func Commit(repoPath, commitMessage string, dryRun bool) error {
 	if commitMessage == "" {
 		return fmt.Errorf("no commit message specified?")
 	}
@ -33,17 +33,8 @@ func Commit(repoPath, glob, commitMessage string, dryRun bool) error {
 	}

 	if !dryRun {
-		err = commitWorktree.AddGlob(glob)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		logrus.Debugf("staged %s for commit", glob)
-	} else {
-		logrus.Debugf("dry run: did not stage %s for commit", glob)
-	}
-
-	if !dryRun {
-		_, err = commitWorktree.Commit(commitMessage, &git.CommitOptions{})
+		// NOTE(d1): `All: true` does not include untracked files
+		_, err = commitWorktree.Commit(commitMessage, &git.CommitOptions{All: true})
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
--- a/pkg/git/diff.go
+++ b/pkg/git/diff.go
@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+package git
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os/exec"
+
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+)
+
+// getGitDiffArgs builds the `git diff` invocation args. It removes the usage
+// of a pager and ensures that colours are specified even when Git might detect
+// otherwise.
+func getGitDiffArgs(repoPath string) []string {
+	return []string{
+		"-C",
+		repoPath,
+		"--no-pager",
+		"-c",
+		"color.diff=always",
+		"diff",
+	}
+}
+
+// DiffUnstaged shows a `git diff`. Due to limitations in the underlying go-git
+// library, this implementation requires the /usr/bin/git binary. It gracefully
+// skips if it cannot find the command on the system.
+func DiffUnstaged(path string) error {
+	if _, err := exec.LookPath("git"); err != nil {
+		logrus.Warnf("unable to locate git command, cannot output diff")
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	gitDiffArgs := getGitDiffArgs(path)
+	diff, err := exec.Command("git", gitDiffArgs...).Output()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	fmt.Print(string(diff))
+
+	return nil
+}
--- a/pkg/jsontable/jsontable.go
+++ b/pkg/jsontable/jsontable.go
@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
+package jsontable
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/olekukonko/tablewriter"
+)
+
+// A quick-and-dirty proxy/emulator of tablewriter to enable more easy machine readable output
+// - Does not strictly support types, just quoted or unquoted values
+// - Does not support nested values.
+// If a datalabel is set with SetDataLabel(true, "..."), that will be used as the key for teh data of the table,
+// otherwise if the caption is set with SetCaption(true, "..."), the data label will be set to the default of
+// "rows", otherwise the table will output as a JSON list.
+//
+// Proxys all actions through to the tablewriter except addrow and addbatch, which it does at render time
+//
+
+type JSONTable struct {
+	out             io.Writer
+	colsize         int
+	rows            [][]string
+	keys            []string
+	quoted          []bool // hack to do output typing, quoted vs. unquoted
+	hasDataLabel    bool
+	dataLabel       string
+	hasCaption      bool
+	caption         string // the actual caption
+	hasCaptionLabel bool
+	captionLabel    string // the key in the dictionary for the caption
+	tbl             *tablewriter.Table
+}
+
+func writeChar(w io.Writer, c byte) {
+	w.Write([]byte{c})
+
+}
+
+func NewJSONTable(writer io.Writer) *JSONTable {
+	t := &JSONTable{
+		out:             writer,
+		colsize:         0,
+		rows:            [][]string{},
+		keys:            []string{},
+		quoted:          []bool{},
+		hasDataLabel:    false,
+		dataLabel:       "rows",
+		hasCaption:      false,
+		caption:         "",
+		hasCaptionLabel: false,
+		captionLabel:    "caption",
+		tbl:             tablewriter.NewWriter(writer),
+	}
+	return t
+}
+
+func (t *JSONTable) NumLines() int {
+	// JSON only but reflects a shared state.
+	return len(t.rows)
+}
+
+func (t *JSONTable) SetHeader(keys []string) {
+	// Set the keys value which will assign each column to the keys.
+	// Note that we'll ignore values that are beyond the length of the keys list
+	t.colsize = len(keys)
+	t.keys = []string{}
+	for _, k := range keys {
+		t.keys = append(t.keys, k)
+		t.quoted = append(t.quoted, true)
+	}
+	t.tbl.SetHeader(keys)
+}
+
+func (t *JSONTable) SetColumnQuoting(quoting []bool) {
+	// Specify which columns are quoted or unquoted in output
+	// JSON only
+	for i := 0; i < t.colsize; i++ {
+		t.quoted[i] = quoting[i]
+	}
+}
+
+func (t *JSONTable) Append(row []string) {
+	// We'll just append whatever to the rows list. If they fix the keys after appending rows, it'll work as
+	// expected.
+	// We should detect if the row is narrower than the key list tho.
+	// JSON only (but we use the rows later when rendering a regular table)
+	t.rows = append(t.rows, row)
+}
+
+func (t *JSONTable) Render() {
+	// Load the table with rows and render.
+	// Proxy only
+	for _, row := range t.rows {
+		t.tbl.Append(row)
+	}
+
+	t.tbl.Render()
+}
+
+func (t *JSONTable) _JSONRenderInner() {
+	// JSON only
+	// Render the list of dictionaries to the writer.
+	//// inner render loop
+	writeChar(t.out, '[')
+	for rowidx, row := range t.rows {
+		if rowidx != 0 {
+			writeChar(t.out, ',')
+		}
+		writeChar(t.out, '{')
+		for keyidx, key := range t.keys {
+			key := strings.ToLower(key)
+			key = strings.ReplaceAll(key, " ", "-")
+
+			value := "nil"
+			if keyidx < len(row) {
+				value = row[keyidx]
+			}
+			if keyidx != 0 {
+				writeChar(t.out, ',')
+			}
+			if t.quoted[keyidx] {
+				fmt.Fprintf(t.out, "\"%s\":\"%s\"", key, value)
+			} else {
+				fmt.Fprintf(t.out, "\"%s\":%s", key, value)
+			}
+		}
+		writeChar(t.out, '}')
+	}
+	writeChar(t.out, ']')
+
+}
+
+func (t *JSONTable) JSONRender() {
+	// write JSON table to output
+	// JSON only
+
+	if t.hasDataLabel || t.hasCaption {
+		// dict mode
+		writeChar(t.out, '{')
+
+		if t.hasCaption {
+			fmt.Fprintf(t.out, "\"%s\":\"%s\",", t.captionLabel, t.caption)
+		}
+		fmt.Fprintf(t.out, "\"%s\":", t.dataLabel)
+	}
+
+	// write list
+	t._JSONRenderInner()
+
+	if t.hasDataLabel || t.hasCaption {
+		// dict mode
+		writeChar(t.out, '}')
+	}
+
+}
+
+func (t *JSONTable) SetCaption(caption bool, captionText ...string) {
+	t.hasCaption = caption
+	if len(captionText) == 1 {
+		t.caption = captionText[0]
+	}
+	t.tbl.SetCaption(caption, captionText...)
+}
+
+func (t *JSONTable) SetCaptionLabel(captionLabel bool, captionLabelText ...string) {
+	// JSON only
+	t.hasCaptionLabel = captionLabel
+	if len(captionLabelText) == 1 {
+		t.captionLabel = captionLabelText[0]
+	}
+}
+
+func (t *JSONTable) SetDataLabel(dataLabel bool, dataLabelText ...string) {
+	// JSON only
+	t.hasDataLabel = dataLabel
+	if len(dataLabelText) == 1 {
+		t.dataLabel = dataLabelText[0]
+	}
+}
+
+func (t *JSONTable) AppendBulk(rows [][]string) {
+	// JSON only but reflects shared state
+	for _, row := range rows {
+		t.Append(row)
+	}
+}
+
+// Stuff we should implement but we just proxy for now.
+func (t *JSONTable) SetAutoMergeCellsByColumnIndex(cols []int) {
+	// FIXME
+	t.tbl.SetAutoMergeCellsByColumnIndex(cols)
+}
+
+// Stuff we should implement but we just proxy for now.
+func (t *JSONTable) SetAlignment(align int) {
+	// FIXME
+	t.tbl.SetAlignment(align)
+}
+
+func (t *JSONTable) SetAutoMergeCells(auto bool) {
+	// FIXME
+	t.tbl.SetAutoMergeCells(auto)
+}
+
+// Stub functions
+func (t *JSONTable) SetAutoWrapText(auto bool) {
+	t.tbl.SetAutoWrapText(auto)
+	return
+}
--- a/Show More
+++ b/Show More