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name: cli-datasets-config description: "Guides MNE-Python CLI entry points, dataset helpers, configuration, logging, system information, cache/network decisions, and install extras." disable-model-invocation: true metadata: disco-role: operating license: BSD 3-Clause

MNE-Python CLI, datasets, and configuration router

Use this sub-skill when the task is about the mne console entry point, MNE-supplied dataset location/download decisions, persistent MNE configuration, logging, system diagnostics, cache/memmap settings, or choosing installation extras.

Route by task

• Command discovery, mne --help, mne --version, mne sys_info, mne show_info, mne what, mne report, and source/BEM setup commands: read CLI reference.
• Dataset helpers, no-download checks, MNE_DATA, dataset-specific config keys, get_config, set_config, get_config_path, logging, cache, memmap, and sys_info: read datasets and config.
• Installing core versus full MNE-Python, HDF5 support, Qt variants, optional dependencies, and development extras: read installation and extras.
• Invalid commands, missing console script, missing datasets, network/cache/hash issues, config-file problems, and optional-dependency failures: read troubleshooting.
• To verify a user's environment without running analysis or downloading data, run the bundled helper: python scripts/mne_cli_probe.py --help, then select safe probes.

Boundaries

This sub-skill owns package operation and environment decisions. Route detailed Python data analysis, preprocessing, visualization, source modeling, statistics, decoding, or simulation workflows to their owning analysis sub-skills. Route repository editing, linting, changelog, contributor policy, and native test-selection policy to repo-development.

Safe default operating pattern

1. Start with mne --help, mne --version, and mne sys_info --help; use mne sys_info --no-check-version --ascii when network access or Unicode output is a concern.
2. Before a command can write files or open a GUI, inspect mne <command> --help and identify input/output paths, overwrite flags, display requirements, and optional dependencies.
3. For datasets, avoid accidental downloads in planning or tests: call dataset helpers with download=False and update_path=False, then treat an empty path result as "not available locally".
4. For persistent settings, prefer mne.get_config_path(), mne.get_config(), and mne.set_config() rather than editing config JSON directly.
5. Do not paste sys_info(show_paths=True) output publicly until local paths have been reviewed for privacy.

Evidence provenance

Distilled from MNE-Python command modules, dataset utilities, config/logging utilities, install metadata, install documentation, command and dataset tests, and installed CLI/API smoke evidence. Runtime use of this skill does not require opening those source files.