mta-cli

name	mta-cli
metadata	{"author":"rhoai3-coding-demo","version":"1.0.0","platform-family":"mta","platform-baseline":"repo","ocp-baseline":"repo","skill-group":"Application Modernization"}
description	Use when using the MTA CLI for application analysis, migration assessment, and modernization. Do NOT use for UI workflows (use mta-ui), VS Code (use mta-vscode), IntelliJ (use mta-intellij), or AI features (use mta-lightspeed).

MTA CLI

Use this skill for command-line application analysis, transformation, and platform asset generation with Migration Toolkit for Applications (MTA) 8.2.

Source Grounding

Read references/source-capture.md before using product configuration details. Official Red Hat docs are product authority. This skill covers the mta-cli binary for analysing Java and non-Java applications, transforming source code, generating deployment manifests, and reviewing analysis reports.

Supported Languages

Language	Support level
Java	GA — containerless and container modes
Go	GA
.NET	Developer Preview
Node.js	Technology Preview
Python	Technology Preview

Key Concepts

Containerless Mode

Default for Java applications. Runs analysis directly on the local machine without Podman or Docker. Requires mvn on PATH and JVM_MAX_MEM set. Disable with --run-local=false to use container runtime.

Container Mode

Required for non-Java languages. Uses Podman (or Docker as unsupported alternative). Automatically used when non-Java providers are detected.

Analysis Profiles

Technology Preview feature. Download standardised analysis configurations from the MTA Hub (mta-cli config sync). Profiles include target/source technologies, custom rules, and label selectors.

Workflow

1. Read references/source-capture.md and confirm the product baseline.
2. Read references/official-doc-extraction.md for detailed procedures.
3. Install the mta-cli binary.
4. Select analysis mode:
   • Single application analysis
   • Bulk analysis (Developer Preview)
   • Non-Java language analysis
   • Profile-based analysis from MTA Hub
5. Run analysis and review reports.
6. Optionally run transformations (transform openrewrite).
7. Optionally generate deployment manifests (discover / generate helm).

Single Application Analysis

Prefer --target only when unlabeled custom rules must participate (MTA 7.1 documents that --source/--target exclude unlabeled rules; 8.2 docs omit that note but 8.2 runs still show the behavior — see references/official-doc-extraction.md):

mta-cli analyze --input <path_to_input> \
  --output <path_to_output> \
  --target <target_name>

Add --source only when every needed rule carries a matching source label.

List Available Targets

8.2 docs lead with the rules subcommand; the analyze flag form may still work — confirm on the installed binary:

mta-cli rules list-targets
mta-cli analyze --list-targets

Non-Java Analysis

mta-cli analyze --input <path_to_input> \
  --output <path_to_output> \
  --provider <language_provider> \
  --rules <path_to_custom_rules>

Profile-Based Analysis

mta-cli config login
mta-cli config sync --url https://github.com/<repo> \
  --application-path <path> --insecure
mta-cli analyze -i <path> -o <report_path> --overwrite --mode source-only

Source Code Transformation

mta-cli transform openrewrite --list-targets
mta-cli transform openrewrite --input=<source_path> --target=<recipe>

Requires container runtime. Available recipes: javax-to-jakarta imports, bootstrapping files, persistence.xml, and Spring Boot-to-Quarkus properties.

Platform Asset Generation (Developer Preview)

mta-cli discover cloud-foundry --input <manifest> --output-dir <dir>
mta-cli generate helm --chart-dir <chart> --input <discovery.yaml> \
  --output-dir <dir>

Key CLI Options

Option	Description
--input	Path to application source or binary
--output	Output directory for reports
--source / --target	Source and target technologies (label filters; unlabeled rules excluded)
--rules	Custom rule files or directory
--label-selector	Filter rules by label expression
--provider	Language provider for non-Java analysis
--run-local	Enable/disable containerless mode (default: true)
--bulk	Analyse multiple apps with shared output (Dev Preview)
--mode	full (default) or source-only
--overwrite	Overwrite existing output directory
--skip-static-report	Skip HTML report generation
--json-output	Produce JSON output
--enable-default-rulesets	Include default rules (default: true)

Analysis Report Sections

Section	Purpose
Dashboard	Overview of incidents and story points by category
Issues	Summary of migration issues requiring attention
Dependencies	Java-packaged dependencies found in the application
Technologies	Embedded libraries grouped by functionality
Insights	Zero-effort rule violations and technology tags (Tech Preview)

Story Points

Level	Points	Meaning
Information	0	Low-priority informational warning
Trivial	1	Simple library swap, minimal API changes
Complex	3	Documented but complex changes
Redesign	5	Complete library change, significant API changes
Rearchitecture	7	Complete component rearchitecture
Unknown	13	Solution not known, possible rewrite

Validation

mta-cli rules list-targets
mta-cli analyze --list-targets
mta-cli analyze --list-providers
mta-cli analyze --list-sources

Known Issues

• Podman on Windows: RHEL 9 / UBI 9 images require x86-64-v2 CPU support. Workaround: use Docker by setting CONTAINER_TOOL=/usr/local/bin/docker.
• --provider must be specified for non-Java analysis or the analysis may fail if unsupported providers are discovered.
• Bulk analysis (--bulk) is Developer Preview; not production-ready.
• --source / --target exclude rules without matching labels (documented in MTA 7.1; omitted from 8.1/8.2 Rule metadata docs; confirmed on 8.2 runs).

Related Skills

• mta-lightspeed — AI-assisted code migration with LLM integration.
• mta-ui — web UI analysis and assessment workflows.
• mta-install — MTA Operator installation and Tackle CR management.
• mta-vscode — VS Code extension (non-AI features).
• mta-intellij — IntelliJ IDEA plugin workflows.

References

• references/source-capture.md
• references/official-doc-extraction.md