Quick Start

Get up and running with NEMAR CLI in 5 minutes.

1. Sign Up

Create a NEMAR account:

nemar auth signup

You’ll be prompted to enter:

• Username
• Email address
• Password (min 12 characters)
• GitHub username
• ORCID iD (optional, for DOI metadata)
• Description of why you need access

Admin Approval Required

After signing up, verify your email and wait for admin approval. You’ll receive a notification email once approved.

2. Retrieve Your API Key

After approval, retrieve your API key using your email and password:

nemar auth retrieve-key

Save Your Key

The API key is only shown once. Store it securely.

3. Log In

nemar auth login
# Enter your API key when prompted

# Or provide it directly
nemar auth login -k nemar_your_api_key_here

4. Complete Sandbox Training

Before uploading real datasets, complete sandbox training:

nemar sandbox

This verifies your git-annex and GitHub setup by uploading a small test dataset.

5. Validate Your Dataset

Before uploading, validate your BIDS dataset:

nemar dataset validate ./my-dataset

Fix any errors before proceeding. Warnings are acceptable but should be reviewed.

6. Upload Your Dataset

Upload your validated dataset:

nemar dataset upload ./my-dataset

The dataset name defaults to the BIDS Name field in dataset_description.json (or the directory name as fallback).

7. Check Status

Monitor your dataset:

nemar dataset status nm000104

Common Workflows

Download a Dataset

# Download a dataset (includes data files)
nemar dataset download nm000104

# Or clone without data files
nemar dataset clone nm000104

# Get specific data files later
nemar dataset get sub-01/

List Your Datasets

nemar dataset list --mine

Create a New Version

After making changes, create a version bump PR:

nemar dataset release nm000104 --type minor

Need Help?

# General help
nemar --help

# Command-specific help
nemar dataset --help
nemar dataset upload --help