---

name: solve-and-cli description: "Guides Pyomo users through the pyomo command, solver selection, config templates, and solver-backed smoke checks." disable-model-invocation: true metadata: disco-role: operating license: NOASSERTION

Solve and CLI

Use this sub-skill when the task is about running Pyomo through the pyomo command, selecting a solver, generating config templates, or checking installed solver interfaces.

What this sub-skill covers

• pyomo solve, pyomo convert, pyomo run, pyomo help, and pyomo test-solvers.
• Safe help/version checks and config-template generation.
• Solver selection, solver-manager selection, and result handling.
• Tiny solve-backed smoke checks for base installation validation.

What to route elsewhere

• Model-construction questions go to modeling-basics.
• Data-file and create_instance() questions go to data-and-io.
• GDP, DAE, network, MPEC, and units go to structured-modeling.
• APPSI, PyNumero, FBBT, simplification, community detection, or viewer issues go to solver-extensions.

Read these references

• ../../references/cli-reference.md for the verified subcommands, flags, and safe help paths.
• ../../references/troubleshooting.md for common solver and CLI failure modes.
• ../../references/data-and-io.md when the CLI consumes a model/data file or config file pair.

Use these helpers

• ../../scripts/check_import.py for a quick install/import sanity check.
• ../../scripts/solve_tiny_milp.py for a deterministic solver-backed smoke check against a tiny binary model.

Typical workflow

1. Confirm the target package and solver are installed.
2. Run pyomo --help or the subcommand-specific help text.
3. Use pyomo solve for an optimization run or pyomo convert for a format conversion.
4. Use pyomo test-solvers when you need to inspect installed solver support.
5. Fall back to the tiny MILP helper to prove the solver path works.

Common request patterns

• "What subcommands does pyomo have?"
• "How do I pass a solver name to pyomo solve?"
• "How do I generate a config template?"
• "Why does pyomo solve say no solver was specified?"
• "How do I check whether GLPK works with this install?"

Common failure modes

• Solver executable missing from the environment.
• Solver name omitted from the CLI or config file.
• Conversion output format omitted or misspelled.
• pyomo model-viewer called without the optional GUI dependencies.
• A command points at a model file or data file that does not exist.

Practical guidance

• Prefer the smallest safe CLI example that proves the desired path.
• Use -h or --help before attempting a risky option.
• Keep solver checks tiny and deterministic.
• Treat download-extensions and build-extensions as maintenance or extension workflows, not default runtime checks.

Examples of what belongs here

• pyomo solve --solver=glpk model.py data.dat
• pyomo convert --output=model.lp --format=lp model.py
• pyomo test-solvers glpk
• pyomo solve --generate-config-template=template.yaml

Examples of what does not belong here

• Component construction or file-loading details.
• GDP/DAE/network transformations.
• Optional solver backend internals.

Related routes

• Move to modeling-basics when the question is really about constructing the model that the CLI will solve.
• Move to data-and-io when the issue is input data or config file loading.
• Move to solver-extensions when the CLI failure comes from an optional extension or backend package.