---
title: "axiom instance inspect"
description: "See what a node does before trusting it: source, adapter mappings, and required secrets"
category: reference
surfaces: [cli]
related: [reference/cli/axiom-instance]
last_reviewed: 2026-06-06
---

<!-- GENERATED by docs/scripts/gen-cli-reference — DO NOT EDIT.
     Source of truth: the cobra command definitions in cmd/axiom/cmd/.
     Regenerate from the repo root with: go run ./docs/scripts/gen-cli-reference -->

# axiom instance inspect

See what a node does before trusting it: source, adapter mappings, and required secrets

Show the ADR-170 transparency bundle for a published node — everything a
caller needs to see what it does before running it, especially before it's
handed a secret.

For an Instance (a Generic node type-bound via "axiom instance create"), this
shows the pinned Generic node it actually runs as (an Instance carries no code
of its own), that Generic's real source, the compiled runtime adapter mappings
in both directions, and the instance's declared required secrets. For any
other node it degrades to that node's own source with no adapters.

This is a VIEWER, not a judge — it surfaces the facts (the request mapping,
in particular, is where a secret's destination becomes visible) and leaves the
trust decision to you.

```text
axiom instance inspect nadia/stripe/CreateCharge
axiom instance inspect nadia/stripe/CreateCharge@0.2.0
axiom instance inspect nadia/stripe/CreateCharge --json
```

Requires a prior "axiom login".

## Usage

```sh
axiom instance inspect <handle>/<package>/<node>[@version] [flags]
```

## Flags

| Flag | Shorthand | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `--help` | `-h` | bool |  | help for inspect |
| `--json` |  | bool |  | Emit the raw inspection bundle as one JSON object |

## See also

- [axiom instance](./axiom-instance.md) — Create Instances from a Generic node (type-bind, no build, no deploy)