diff --git a/backend/fluksio/flow/executor.py b/backend/fluksio/flow/executor.py
index cc2d2d3..ce4c54c 100644
--- a/backend/fluksio/flow/executor.py
+++ b/backend/fluksio/flow/executor.py
@@ -171,7 +171,6 @@ class ExecutionService:
                 except Exception as exc:
                     logger.error("Could not touch claimed work: %s", exc)
 
-
             if now - last_reclaim < RECLAIM_INTERVAL_S:
                 continue
             last_reclaim = now
diff --git a/backend/fluksio/flow/queue.py b/backend/fluksio/flow/queue.py
index b4d2bc9..d37c734 100644
--- a/backend/fluksio/flow/queue.py
+++ b/backend/fluksio/flow/queue.py
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ class WorkQueue(ABC):
     def ack(self, item: WorkItem) -> None:
         """Mark an item done, so it is never redelivered."""
 
-    def touch(self, entry_ids: list[str]) -> None:
+    def touch(self, entry_ids: list[str]) -> None:  # noqa: B027
         """Say these items are still being worked on, not abandoned.
 
         A node with no timeout may run far longer than the reclaim window, and
diff --git a/backend/fluksio/sdk/__init__.py b/backend/fluksio/sdk/__init__.py
index d89fe69..5929cca 100644
--- a/backend/fluksio/sdk/__init__.py
+++ b/backend/fluksio/sdk/__init__.py
@@ -275,7 +275,9 @@ def node(
     if device_policy not in ("require", "prefer"):
         raise SyncError("device_policy is 'require' or 'prefer'")
     if timeout is not None and timeout < 0:
-        raise SyncError(f"node timeout must be 0 or more (0 disables it), got {timeout}")
+        raise SyncError(
+            f"node timeout must be 0 or more (0 disables it), got {timeout}"
+        )
 
     def decorate(fn: F) -> F:
         required, _ = _ports(requires)
diff --git a/backend/fluksio/sdk/cli.py b/backend/fluksio/sdk/cli.py
index 0579e96..cb2a249 100644
--- a/backend/fluksio/sdk/cli.py
+++ b/backend/fluksio/sdk/cli.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""The `fluksio sync`, `run`, `runs`, `sweep` and `login` commands.
+"""The `fluksio sync`, `run`, `runs`, `sweep`, `status` and `login` commands.
 
 Kept beside the SDK rather than in `fluksio.cli`: these are the client half of
 the tool, and none of them needs the engine to be importable — `--local`, which
@@ -308,6 +308,33 @@ def _input_types(definition: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, str]:
     }
 
 
+def _ask_params(definition: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    """The run dialog, in a terminal: one line per declared input.
+
+    An empty answer leaves the input out, which is what keeps its declared
+    value — the same thing the browser's dialog does with a field nobody
+    filled in. So pressing Enter through the lot runs the defaults.
+    """
+    params: dict[str, Any] = {}
+    for entry in definition.get("inputs") or []:
+        spec = entry.get("spec") or {}
+        name = str(spec.get("name", ""))
+        if not name:
+            continue
+        dtype = str(spec.get("dtype", "float"))
+        initial = entry.get("initial")
+        shown = "" if initial is None else json.dumps(initial)
+        prompt = f"{name} ({dtype})" + (f" [{shown}]" if shown else "") + ": "
+        answer = input(prompt).strip()
+        if not answer:
+            continue
+        try:
+            params[name] = _coerce(answer, dtype)
+        except ValueError as exc:
+            raise SyncError(f"'{name}' takes {dtype}: {exc}") from exc
+    return params
+
+
 def _params(definition: dict[str, Any], rest: list[str]) -> dict[str, Any]:
     """Turn `--lr 0.05` into a typed parameter, using the flow's own inputs."""
     types = _input_types(definition)
@@ -420,7 +447,18 @@ def cmd_run(args: argparse.Namespace, rest: list[str]) -> int:
             stored = client.get_flow(args.flow)
             if stored is None:
                 return _fail(f"no flow '{args.flow}' on that engine")
-            params = _params(stored.get("definition") or {}, rest)
+            definition = stored.get("definition") or {}
+            params = _params(definition, rest)
+            # Nothing on the command line and somebody watching: ask, the way
+            # pressing Run in the browser asks. A scripted run — piped, or
+            # carrying parameters already — is left exactly as it was.
+            if (
+                not params
+                and not args.defaults
+                and (definition.get("inputs") or [])
+                and sys.stdin.isatty()
+            ):
+                params = _ask_params(definition)
             handle = client.submit(
                 args.flow, params, seed=args.seed, no_cache=args.no_cache
             )
@@ -443,6 +481,147 @@ def cmd_run(args: argparse.Namespace, rest: list[str]) -> int:
         return _fail(str(exc))
 
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Status
+#
+# The home screen's top half, in a terminal: how the engine is, what each flow
+# is doing, and what failed recently. Drawn with rich, which is already here
+# under fastapi's own CLI.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+#: How often `--watch` asks again. The dashboard polls its summary every ten
+#: seconds; nothing here moves faster than that.
+WATCH_INTERVAL_S = 5.0
+
+
+def _flow_state(flow: dict[str, Any]) -> str:
+    if flow.get("quarantined"):
+        return "quarantined"
+    if not flow.get("enabled", True):
+        return "stopped"
+    if flow.get("paused"):
+        return "paused"
+    return "running"
+
+
+def _status_screen(client: Client) -> Any:
+    """One frame: health, the flows, and the failures under them."""
+    from rich.console import Group
+    from rich.table import Table
+    from rich.text import Text
+
+    summary = client.summary()
+    flows = client.flows()
+    # Both, because an installation is usually one or the other: a live flow
+    # fails as an engine event, while a batch run fails on its own row.
+    failures = client.events(kind="failure", limit=5)
+    runs = client.runs(limit=5)
+
+    healthy = summary.get("status") == "ok"
+    head = Text()
+    head.append(
+        "healthy" if healthy else str(summary.get("status", "unknown")),
+        style="green" if healthy else "yellow",
+    )
+    problems = summary.get("problems") or []
+    if problems:
+        head.append("  " + " · ".join(str(p) for p in problems), style="yellow")
+
+    counts = summary.get("flows") or {}
+    nodes = summary.get("nodes") or {}
+    queue = summary.get("queue") or {}
+    lag = summary.get("loop_lag") or {}
+    facts = Text(
+        f"{counts.get('running', 0)}/{counts.get('total', 0)} flows running   "
+        f"{nodes.get('total', 0)} nodes"
+        + (f", {nodes['error']} failed" if nodes.get("error") else "")
+        + f"   queue {queue.get('pending', 0)} pending"
+        + (f", {queue['parked']} parked" if queue.get("parked") else "")
+        + f"   loop lag {lag.get('ewma', 0.0) * 1000:.0f}ms",
+        style="dim",
+    )
+
+    table = Table(box=None, pad_edge=False, header_style="dim")
+    table.add_column("flow")
+    table.add_column("state")
+    table.add_column("nodes", justify="right")
+    table.add_column("")
+    for flow in sorted(flows, key=lambda one: str(one.get("name", ""))):
+        state = _flow_state(flow)
+        notes = []
+        if flow.get("error_count"):
+            notes.append(f"{flow['error_count']} in error")
+        if flow.get("has_draft"):
+            notes.append("unpublished changes")
+        table.add_row(
+            str(flow.get("title") or flow.get("name", "")),
+            Text(
+                state,
+                style={"running": "green", "paused": "yellow"}.get(state, "red"),
+            ),
+            str(flow.get("node_count", 0)),
+            Text(" · ".join(notes), style="red" if flow.get("error_count") else "dim"),
+        )
+
+    parts: list[Any] = [head, facts, ""]
+    parts.append(
+        table if flows else Text("No flows yet. `fluksio sync` uploads yours.", "dim")
+    )
+    if runs:
+        parts += ["", Text("recent runs", style="dim")]
+        for row in runs:
+            state = str(row.get("status", ""))
+            parts.append(
+                Text(f"  {str(row.get('id', ''))[-8:]}  ")
+                + Text(
+                    f"{state:<9}",
+                    style={"ok": "green", "cached": "cyan", "running": "cyan"}.get(
+                        state, "red" if state == "error" else "yellow"
+                    ),
+                )
+                + Text(
+                    f"{str(row.get('flow', '')):<16}"
+                    f"{(row.get('duration_ms') or 0) / 1000:7.1f}s",
+                    style="dim",
+                )
+            )
+    if failures:
+        parts += ["", Text("recent failures", style="dim")]
+        for event in failures:
+            where = " ".join(
+                str(event.get(key, "")) for key in ("flow", "node") if event.get(key)
+            )
+            parts.append(
+                Text(f"  {where}  ", style="red")
+                + Text(str(event.get("detail", ""))[:100], style="dim")
+            )
+    return Group(*parts)
+
+
+def cmd_status(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
+    """How the engine is doing, once or until Ctrl-C."""
+    from rich.console import Console
+    from rich.live import Live
+
+    console = Console()
+    try:
+        with _client_for(args) as client:
+            if not args.watch:
+                console.print(_status_screen(client))
+                return 0
+            if not sys.stdout.isatty():
+                return _fail("--watch needs a terminal; without one, drop it")
+            with Live(_status_screen(client), console=console) as live:
+                while True:
+                    time.sleep(WATCH_INTERVAL_S)
+                    live.update(_status_screen(client))
+    except KeyboardInterrupt:
+        return 130
+    except (SyncError, ApiError) as exc:
+        return _fail(str(exc))
+
+
 def cmd_runs(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
     try:
         with _client_for(args) as client:
@@ -593,9 +772,25 @@ def add_parsers(subparsers: Any) -> None:
         action="store_true",
         help="execute every node, even one an earlier run already answered",
     )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--defaults",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="take every input's declared value instead of asking for it",
+    )
     with_engine(parser, local=True)
     parser.set_defaults(func=cmd_run)
 
+    parser = subparsers.add_parser(
+        "status", help="how the engine is doing, and what each flow is up to"
+    )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--watch",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="keep it on screen, refreshed until Ctrl-C",
+    )
+    with_engine(parser)
+    parser.set_defaults(func=cmd_status)
+
     parser = subparsers.add_parser("runs", help="the runs an engine has recorded")
     parser.add_argument("--flow", default="")
     parser.add_argument("--limit", type=int, default=20)
diff --git a/backend/fluksio/sdk/client.py b/backend/fluksio/sdk/client.py
index 539cc5b..db3a956 100644
--- a/backend/fluksio/sdk/client.py
+++ b/backend/fluksio/sdk/client.py
@@ -194,6 +194,25 @@ class Client:
         """Retire the engine's workers, so the next run imports the code as it is."""
         self._call("POST", "/modules/refresh")
 
+    def flows(self) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
+        """Every flow with its node and error counts, as the home screen lists."""
+        result = self._call("GET", "/flows/")
+        return list(result.get("data") or [])
+
+    # -- how the engine is doing -------------------------------------------
+
+    def summary(self) -> dict[str, Any]:
+        """Health as the dashboard reads it: flows, nodes, queue, loop lag."""
+        result: dict[str, Any] = self._call("GET", "/observability/summary")
+        return result
+
+    def events(self, kind: str = "failure", limit: int = 10) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
+        """What went wrong, or who changed what. Newest first."""
+        result = self._call(
+            "GET", "/observability/events", params={"kind": kind, "limit": limit}
+        )
+        return list(result or [])
+
     # -- runs --------------------------------------------------------------
 
     def submit(
diff --git a/backend/pyproject.toml b/backend/pyproject.toml
index 2671917..c5dd036 100644
--- a/backend/pyproject.toml
+++ b/backend/pyproject.toml
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ dependencies = [
     # the user's own. Present in the image; a pip install would otherwise have
     # to find one on PATH, and quietly fall back to the engine's interpreter.
     "uv>=0.5",
+    # `fluksio status` draws with it. Already here underneath fastapi's CLI,
+    # named because a command that depends on it should say so.
+    "rich>=13",
 ]
 
 [project.urls]
diff --git a/backend/tests/api/routes/test_runs.py b/backend/tests/api/routes/test_runs.py
index a7e155a..cbb9902 100644
--- a/backend/tests/api/routes/test_runs.py
+++ b/backend/tests/api/routes/test_runs.py
@@ -149,7 +149,9 @@ def made_artifact():
 
 def test_a_run_reference_resolves_to_what_that_run_produced(made_artifact):
     run_id, reference = made_artifact
-    resolved = resolve_references(artifact_flow(), {"dataset": f"@run:{run_id}.dataset"})
+    resolved = resolve_references(
+        artifact_flow(), {"dataset": f"@run:{run_id}.dataset"}
+    )
 
     # The producer's own reference, file name and all — not one rebuilt from
     # the row, which carries the message name instead.
diff --git a/backend/tests/flow/test_queue.py b/backend/tests/flow/test_queue.py
index 5410be9..3f69ff0 100644
--- a/backend/tests/flow/test_queue.py
+++ b/backend/tests/flow/test_queue.py
@@ -314,9 +314,7 @@ def test_work_in_flight_is_touched_until_it_finishes(monkeypatch):
     consumer.assign_flow("f", "consumer")
 
     queue = RecordingQueue()
-    pipeline = Pipeline(
-        nodes=[source, consumer], state=MemoryState(), work_queue=queue
-    )
+    pipeline = Pipeline(nodes=[source, consumer], state=MemoryState(), work_queue=queue)
     service = ExecutionService(queue)
     service.bind(pipeline)
     service.start()
diff --git a/backend/tests/flow/test_runs.py b/backend/tests/flow/test_runs.py
index 744abf1..7ed5fc9 100644
--- a/backend/tests/flow/test_runs.py
+++ b/backend/tests/flow/test_runs.py
@@ -443,4 +443,3 @@ def test_a_node_with_no_fingerprint_is_never_looked_up():
     assert calls == [1]
     assert cache.asked == []
     assert seen[0].cache_key == ""
-
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_cli.py b/backend/tests/test_cli.py
index 770b79e..e2e7898 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_cli.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_cli.py
@@ -255,3 +255,53 @@ def test_ctrl_c_while_waiting_cancels_the_run(monkeypatch) -> None:
     args = _parser().parse_args(["run", "train", "--local", "--no-sync"])
     assert cli.cmd_run(args, []) == 130
     assert cancelled == ["run-1"]
+
+
+def test_an_artifact_input_may_be_named_rather_than_pasted() -> None:
+    """The engine resolves either spelling; the CLI just stops mangling them."""
+    import json
+
+    from fluksio.sdk.cli import _coerce
+
+    assert _coerce("@run:123-abc.dataset", "artifact") == "@run:123-abc.dataset"
+    digest = "sha256:" + "a1" * 32
+    assert _coerce(digest, "artifact") == digest
+    # A reference a script already holds still arrives as the object it is.
+    reference = {"digest": digest, "size": 3}
+    assert _coerce(json.dumps(reference), "artifact") == reference
+
+
+def test_the_run_prompt_keeps_declared_values_for_anything_left_blank() -> None:
+    """Enter through the lot is what running with the defaults looks like."""
+    from unittest.mock import patch
+
+    from fluksio.sdk.cli import _ask_params
+
+    definition = {
+        "inputs": [
+            {"spec": {"name": "lr", "dtype": "float"}, "initial": 0.05},
+            {"spec": {"name": "epochs", "dtype": "int"}, "initial": 10},
+        ]
+    }
+
+    with patch("builtins.input", side_effect=["", ""]):
+        # Nothing sent: an input the caller leaves out keeps what it declares,
+        # which is the same contract the browser's dialog has.
+        assert _ask_params(definition) == {}
+
+    with patch("builtins.input", side_effect=["0.01", "50"]):
+        assert _ask_params(definition) == {"lr": 0.01, "epochs": 50}
+
+
+def test_the_run_prompt_names_an_answer_of_the_wrong_type() -> None:
+    from unittest.mock import patch
+
+    import pytest
+
+    from fluksio.sdk import SyncError
+    from fluksio.sdk.cli import _ask_params
+
+    definition = {"inputs": [{"spec": {"name": "lr", "dtype": "float"}}]}
+    with patch("builtins.input", side_effect=["fast"]):
+        with pytest.raises(SyncError, match="lr"):
+            _ask_params(definition)
diff --git a/docs/code/cli.md b/docs/code/cli.md
index 59ad161..012ef8f 100644
--- a/docs/code/cli.md
+++ b/docs/code/cli.md
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ should only *run nodes* for an engine elsewhere. It has none of the engine in
 it. See [Remote workers](workers.md).
 
 The command is two things at once: `serve`, `enroll` and `worker` *are* an
-installation, while `login`, `sync`, `run`, `runs` and `sweep` talk to one that
-may be anywhere.
+installation, while `login`, `sync`, `run`, `runs`, `sweep` and `status` talk to
+one that may be anywhere.
 
 ## Where an installation lives
 
@@ -196,6 +196,19 @@ whole reference as JSON still works and is what a script that already holds one
 does — which is the same thing `flow.submit(dataset=run.result["dataset"])`
 does from Python.
 
+Run a flow with no parameters at a terminal and it asks for them, one line per
+declared input, with the declared value in brackets:
+
+```text
+lr (float) [0.05]: 0.01
+epochs (int) [10]:
+dataset (artifact): @run:1758042000123-9f2ab41c.dataset
+```
+
+Enter keeps what is in brackets, so pressing it through the lot runs the
+defaults. Nothing changes for a scripted run: passing any parameter, or piping
+the command, skips the questions, and `--defaults` skips them explicitly.
+
 `--no-sync` runs what is already on the engine. Worth it in a tight loop where
 you know nothing changed, since syncing retires the workers and the next call
 pays its imports again. A directory that declares no flows syncs nothing and
@@ -214,6 +227,20 @@ worker pool and module reconcile, against the ~15 ms of submitting to an
 engine that is already up: `--local` is for "I just want to run it", not for a
 loop you are iterating in.
 
+### `fluksio status`
+
+```sh
+fluksio status [--watch]
+```
+
+The home screen's top half in a terminal: whether the engine is healthy and
+what is wrong if not, then every flow with its state, its node count and
+whether it has unpublished changes, and the last few failures under them.
+
+`--watch` keeps it on screen and refreshes every five seconds until Ctrl-C —
+the cadence the dashboard polls at, since nothing here moves faster. It needs a
+terminal; without one, run it without `--watch` and the output pipes cleanly.
+
 ### `fluksio runs`
 
 ```sh
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index 2d03361..8788b56 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@ resolution-markers = [
     "python_full_version >= '3.14' and sys_platform == 'win32'",
     "python_full_version >= '3.14' and sys_platform != 'win32'",
     "python_full_version == '3.13.*' and sys_platform == 'win32'",
-    "python_full_version < '3.13' and sys_platform == 'win32'",
     "python_full_version == '3.13.*' and sys_platform != 'win32'",
+    "python_full_version < '3.13' and sys_platform == 'win32'",
     "python_full_version < '3.13' and sys_platform != 'win32'",
 ]
 
@@ -891,6 +891,7 @@ dependencies = [
     { name = "pyjwt" },
     { name = "python-multipart" },
     { name = "redis" },
+    { name = "rich" },
     { name = "sentry-sdk", extra = ["fastapi"] },
     { name = "sqlmodel" },
     { name = "tenacity" },
@@ -927,6 +928,7 @@ requires-dist = [
     { name = "pyjwt", specifier = ">=2.8.0,<3.0.0" },
     { name = "python-multipart", specifier = ">=0.0.7,<1.0.0" },
     { name = "redis", specifier = ">=7.1.0" },
+    { name = "rich", specifier = ">=13" },
     { name = "sentry-sdk", extras = ["fastapi"], specifier = ">=2.20.0" },
     { name = "sqlmodel", specifier = ">=0.0.21,<1.0.0" },
     { name = "tenacity", specifier = ">=8.2.3,<9.0.0" },
@@ -2546,12 +2548,12 @@ version = "0.46.2"
 source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
 resolution-markers = [
     "python_full_version == '3.13.*' and sys_platform == 'win32'",
-    "python_full_version < '3.13' and sys_platform == 'win32'",
     "python_full_version == '3.13.*' and sys_platform != 'win32'",
+    "python_full_version < '3.13' and sys_platform == 'win32'",
     "python_full_version < '3.13' and sys_platform != 'win32'",
 ]
 dependencies = [
-    { name = "anyio", marker = "python_full_version < '3.14'" },
+    { name = "anyio" },
 ]
 sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/ce/20/08dfcd9c983f6a6f4a1000d934b9e6d626cff8d2eeb77a89a68eef20a2b7/starlette-0.46.2.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:7f7361f34eed179294600af672f565727419830b54b7b084efe44bb82d2fccd5", size = 2580846, upload-time = "2025-04-13T13:56:17.942Z" }
 wheels = [
@@ -2567,7 +2569,7 @@ resolution-markers = [
     "python_full_version >= '3.14' and sys_platform != 'win32'",
 ]
 dependencies = [
-    { name = "anyio", marker = "python_full_version >= '3.14'" },
+    { name = "anyio" },
 ]
 sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/b5/b4/205b0d5241d934e8add0c38aa924c4f9fb7330834ff11e5444db964ec3f9/starlette-1.6.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:d4e3ac5e546444960c710297a3c9fc3f7ebae1b7e963f3d36173b49da535be9b", size = 2716969, upload-time = "2026-08-08T18:27:57.512Z" }
 wheels = [