diff --git a/app.js b/app.js
index d1bf1c7c08..7942646c21 100644
--- a/app.js
+++ b/app.js
@@ -30,47 +30,16 @@ nconf.argv().env({
 	separator: '__',
 });
 
-var url = require('url');
 var async = require('async');
 var winston = require('winston');
 var path = require('path');
-var pkg = require('./package.json');
+
 var file = require('./src/file');
-var debug = require('./src/meta/debugFork').debugging;
 
 global.env = process.env.NODE_ENV || 'production';
 
-winston.remove(winston.transports.Console);
-winston.add(winston.transports.Console, {
-	colorize: true,
-	timestamp: function () {
-		var date = new Date();
-		return nconf.get('json-logging') ? date.toJSON() :	date.getDate() + '/' + (date.getMonth() + 1) + ' ' + date.toTimeString().substr(0, 8) + ' [' + global.process.pid + ']';
-	},
-	level: nconf.get('log-level') || (global.env === 'production' ? 'info' : 'verbose'),
-	json: (!!nconf.get('json-logging')),
-	stringify: (!!nconf.get('json-logging')),
-});
-
-if (debug) {
-	var winstonCommon = require('winston/lib/winston/common');
-	// Override to use real console.log etc for VSCode debugger
-	winston.transports.Console.prototype.log = function (level, message, meta, callback) {
-		const output = winstonCommon.log(Object.assign({}, this, {
-			level,
-			message,
-			meta,
-		}));
-
-		console[level in console ? level : 'log'](output);
-
-		setImmediate(callback, null, true);
-	};
-}
-
-
 // Alternate configuration file support
-var	configFile = path.join(__dirname, '/config.json');
+var	configFile = path.join(__dirname, 'config.json');
 
 if (nconf.get('config')) {
 	configFile = path.resolve(__dirname, nconf.get('config'));
@@ -78,8 +47,9 @@ if (nconf.get('config')) {
 
 var configExists = file.existsSync(configFile) || (nconf.get('url') && nconf.get('secret') && nconf.get('database'));
 
-loadConfig();
-versionCheck();
+var prestart = require('./src/prestart');
+prestart.loadConfig(configFile);
+prestart.versionCheck();
 
 if (!process.send) {
 	// If run using `node app`, log GNU copyright info along with server info
@@ -89,224 +59,40 @@ if (!process.send) {
 	winston.info('');
 }
 
-
 if (nconf.get('setup') || nconf.get('install')) {
-	setup();
+	require('./src/cli/setup').setup();
 } else if (!configExists) {
 	require('./install/web').install(nconf.get('port'));
 } else if (nconf.get('upgrade')) {
-	upgrade();
+	require('./src/cli/upgrade').upgrade(true);
 } else if (nconf.get('reset')) {
-	async.waterfall([
-		async.apply(require('./src/reset').reset),
-		async.apply(require('./src/meta/build').buildAll),
+	var options = {
+		theme: nconf.get('t'),
+		plugin: nconf.get('p'),
+		widgets: nconf.get('w'),
+		settings: nconf.get('s'),
+		all: nconf.get('a'),
+	};
+
+	async.series([
+		async.apply(require('./src/cli/reset').reset, options),
+		require('./src/meta/build').buildAll,
 	], function (err) {
-		process.exit(err ? 1 : 0);
+		if (err) {
+			throw err;
+		}
+
+		process.exit(0);
 	});
 } else if (nconf.get('activate')) {
-	activate();
+	require('./src/cli/manage').activate(nconf.get('activate'));
 } else if (nconf.get('plugins')) {
-	listPlugins();
+	require('./src/cli/manage').listPlugins();
 } else if (nconf.get('build')) {
 	require('./src/meta/build').build(nconf.get('build'));
 } else if (nconf.get('events')) {
-	async.series([
-		async.apply(require('./src/database').init),
-		async.apply(require('./src/events').output),
-	]);
+	require('./src/cli/manage').listEvents();
 } else {
 	require('./src/start').start();
 }
 
-function loadConfig(callback) {
-	winston.verbose('* using configuration stored in: %s', configFile);
-
-	nconf.file({
-		file: configFile,
-	});
-
-	nconf.defaults({
-		base_dir: __dirname,
-		themes_path: path.join(__dirname, 'node_modules'),
-		upload_path: 'public/uploads',
-		views_dir: path.join(__dirname, 'build/public/templates'),
-		version: pkg.version,
-	});
-
-	if (!nconf.get('isCluster')) {
-		nconf.set('isPrimary', 'true');
-		nconf.set('isCluster', 'false');
-	}
-
-	// Ensure themes_path is a full filepath
-	nconf.set('themes_path', path.resolve(__dirname, nconf.get('themes_path')));
-	nconf.set('core_templates_path', path.join(__dirname, 'src/views'));
-	nconf.set('base_templates_path', path.join(nconf.get('themes_path'), 'nodebb-theme-persona/templates'));
-
-	nconf.set('upload_path', path.resolve(nconf.get('base_dir'), nconf.get('upload_path')));
-
-	if (nconf.get('url')) {
-		nconf.set('url_parsed', url.parse(nconf.get('url')));
-	}
-
-	// Explicitly cast 'jobsDisabled' as Bool
-	var castAsBool = ['jobsDisabled'];
-	nconf.stores.env.readOnly = false;
-	castAsBool.forEach(function (prop) {
-		var value = nconf.get(prop);
-		if (value) {
-			nconf.set(prop, typeof value === 'boolean' ? value : String(value).toLowerCase() === 'true');
-		}
-	});
-	nconf.stores.env.readOnly = true;
-
-	if (typeof callback === 'function') {
-		callback();
-	}
-}
-
-function setup() {
-	winston.info('NodeBB Setup Triggered via Command Line');
-
-	var install = require('./src/install');
-	var build = require('./src/meta/build');
-
-	process.stdout.write('\nWelcome to NodeBB!\n');
-	process.stdout.write('\nThis looks like a new installation, so you\'ll have to answer a few questions about your environment before we can proceed.\n');
-	process.stdout.write('Press enter to accept the default setting (shown in brackets).\n');
-
-	async.series([
-		async.apply(install.setup),
-		async.apply(loadConfig),
-		async.apply(build.buildAll),
-	], function (err, data) {
-		// Disregard build step data
-		data = data[0];
-
-		var separator = '     ';
-		if (process.stdout.columns > 10) {
-			for (var x = 0, cols = process.stdout.columns - 10; x < cols; x += 1) {
-				separator += '=';
-			}
-		}
-		process.stdout.write('\n' + separator + '\n\n');
-
-		if (err) {
-			winston.error('There was a problem completing NodeBB setup', err);
-			throw err;
-		} else {
-			if (data.hasOwnProperty('password')) {
-				process.stdout.write('An administrative user was automatically created for you:\n');
-				process.stdout.write('    Username: ' + data.username + '\n');
-				process.stdout.write('    Password: ' + data.password + '\n');
-				process.stdout.write('\n');
-			}
-			process.stdout.write('NodeBB Setup Completed. Run \'./nodebb start\' to manually start your NodeBB server.\n');
-
-			// If I am a child process, notify the parent of the returned data before exiting (useful for notifying
-			// hosts of auto-generated username/password during headless setups)
-			if (process.send) {
-				process.send(data);
-			}
-		}
-
-		process.exit();
-	});
-}
-
-function upgrade() {
-	var db = require('./src/database');
-	var meta = require('./src/meta');
-	var upgrade = require('./src/upgrade');
-	var build = require('./src/meta/build');
-	var tasks = [db.init, meta.configs.init];
-
-	if (nconf.get('upgrade') !== true) {
-		// Likely an upgrade script name passed in
-		tasks.push(async.apply(upgrade.runParticular, nconf.get('upgrade').split(',')));
-	} else {
-		tasks.push(upgrade.run, build.buildAll);
-	}
-	// disable mongo timeouts during upgrade
-	nconf.set('mongo:options:socketTimeoutMS', 0);
-	async.series(tasks, function (err) {
-		if (err) {
-			winston.error(err.stack);
-			process.exit(1);
-		} else {
-			process.exit(0);
-		}
-	});
-}
-
-function activate() {
-	var db = require('./src/database');
-	var plugins = require('./src/plugins');
-	var events = require('./src/events');
-	var plugin = nconf.get('activate');
-	async.waterfall([
-		function (next) {
-			db.init(next);
-		},
-		function (next) {
-			if (plugin.indexOf('nodebb-') !== 0) {
-				// Allow omission of `nodebb-plugin-`
-				plugin = 'nodebb-plugin-' + plugin;
-			}
-			plugins.isInstalled(plugin, next);
-		},
-		function (isInstalled, next) {
-			if (!isInstalled) {
-				return next(new Error('plugin not installed'));
-			}
-
-			winston.info('Activating plugin `%s`', plugin);
-			db.sortedSetAdd('plugins:active', 0, plugin, next);
-		},
-		function (next) {
-			events.log({
-				type: 'plugin-activate',
-				text: plugin,
-			}, next);
-		},
-	], function (err) {
-		if (err) {
-			winston.error('An error occurred during plugin activation', err);
-			throw err;
-		}
-		process.exit(0);
-	});
-}
-
-function listPlugins() {
-	require('./src/database').init(function (err) {
-		if (err) {
-			winston.error(err.stack);
-			process.exit(1);
-		}
-
-		var db = require('./src/database');
-
-		db.getSortedSetRange('plugins:active', 0, -1, function (err, plugins) {
-			if (err) {
-				winston.error(err.stack);
-				process.exit(1);
-			}
-
-			winston.info('Active plugins: \n\t - ' + plugins.join('\n\t - '));
-			process.exit();
-		});
-	});
-}
-
-function versionCheck() {
-	var version = process.version.slice(1);
-	var range = pkg.engines.node;
-	var semver = require('semver');
-	var compatible = semver.satisfies(version, range);
-
-	if (!compatible) {
-		winston.warn('Your version of Node.js is too outdated for NodeBB. Please update your version of Node.js.');
-		winston.warn('Recommended ' + range.green + ', '.reset + version.yellow + ' provided\n'.reset);
-	}
-}
diff --git a/install/package.json b/install/package.json
index fe0797d3f7..6d8b0b423f 100644
--- a/install/package.json
+++ b/install/package.json
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
       "chart.js": "^2.7.0",
       "colors": "^1.1.2",
       "compression": "^1.7.1",
+      "commander": "^2.11.0",
       "connect-ensure-login": "^0.1.1",
       "connect-flash": "^0.1.1",
       "connect-mongo": "2.0.0",
@@ -52,7 +53,6 @@
       "logrotate-stream": "^0.2.5",
       "lru-cache": "4.1.1",
       "mime": "^2.0.3",
-      "minimist": "^1.2.0",
       "mkdirp": "^0.5.1",
       "mongodb": "2.2.33",
       "morgan": "^1.9.0",
diff --git a/nodebb b/nodebb
index adedd30826..546e608cd2 100755
--- a/nodebb
+++ b/nodebb
@@ -2,549 +2,4 @@
 
 'use strict';
 
-var fs = require('fs');
-var path = require('path');
-var cproc = require('child_process');
-
-var packageInstall = require('./src/meta/package-install');
-
-// check to make sure dependencies are installed
-try {
-	fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, './package.json'));
-	fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, 'node_modules/async/package.json'));
-} catch (e) {
-	if (e.code === 'ENOENT') {
-		process.stdout.write('Dependencies not yet installed.\n');
-		process.stdout.write('Installing them now...\n\n');
-
-		packageInstall.updatePackageFile();
-		packageInstall.preserveExtraneousPlugins();
-		packageInstall.npmInstallProduction();
-	} else {
-		throw e;
-	}
-}
-
-var minimist;
-var request;
-var semver;
-var prompt;
-var async;
-
-try {
-	require('colors');
-	minimist = require('minimist');
-	request = require('request');
-	semver = require('semver');
-	prompt = require('prompt');
-	async = require('async');
-} catch (e) {
-	process.stdout.write(
-		'\x1b[31mNodeBB could not be initialised because there was an error while loading dependencies.\n' +
-		'Please run "\x1b[33mnpm install --production\x1b[31m" and try again.\x1b[0m\n\n' +
-		'For more information, please see: https://docs.nodebb.org/installing/os/\n\n'
-	);
-
-	throw e;
-}
-
-var args = minimist(process.argv.slice(2));
-
-var loaderPath = path.join(__dirname, 'loader.js');
-var appPath = path.join(__dirname, 'app.js');
-
-if (args.dev) {
-	process.env.NODE_ENV = 'development';
-}
-
-function getRunningPid(callback) {
-	fs.readFile(path.join(__dirname, 'pidfile'), {
-		encoding: 'utf-8',
-	}, function (err, pid) {
-		if (err) {
-			return callback(err);
-		}
-
-		try {
-			process.kill(parseInt(pid, 10), 0);
-			callback(null, parseInt(pid, 10));
-		} catch (e) {
-			callback(e);
-		}
-	});
-}
-function getCurrentVersion(callback) {
-	fs.readFile(path.join(__dirname, 'package.json'), { encoding: 'utf-8' }, function (err, pkg) {
-		if (err) {
-			return callback(err);
-		}
-
-		try {
-			pkg = JSON.parse(pkg);
-			return callback(null, pkg.version);
-		} catch (err) {
-			return callback(err);
-		}
-	});
-}
-function fork(args) {
-	return cproc.fork(appPath, args, {
-		cwd: __dirname,
-		silent: false,
-	});
-}
-function getInstalledPlugins(callback) {
-	async.parallel({
-		files: async.apply(fs.readdir, path.join(__dirname, 'node_modules')),
-		deps: async.apply(fs.readFile, path.join(__dirname, 'package.json'), { encoding: 'utf-8' }),
-	}, function (err, payload) {
-		if (err) {
-			return callback(err);
-		}
-
-		var isNbbModule = /^nodebb-(?:plugin|theme|widget|rewards)-[\w-]+$/;
-		var moduleName;
-		var isGitRepo;
-
-		payload.files = payload.files.filter(function (file) {
-			return isNbbModule.test(file);
-		});
-
-		try {
-			payload.deps = JSON.parse(payload.deps).dependencies;
-			payload.bundled = [];
-			payload.installed = [];
-		} catch (err) {
-			return callback(err);
-		}
-
-		for (moduleName in payload.deps) {
-			if (isNbbModule.test(moduleName)) {
-				payload.bundled.push(moduleName);
-			}
-		}
-
-		// Whittle down deps to send back only extraneously installed plugins/themes/etc
-		payload.files.forEach(function (moduleName) {
-			try {
-				fs.accessSync(path.join(__dirname, 'node_modules/' + moduleName, '.git'));
-				isGitRepo = true;
-			} catch (e) {
-				isGitRepo = false;
-			}
-
-			if (
-				payload.files.indexOf(moduleName) !== -1 &&	// found in `node_modules/`
-				payload.bundled.indexOf(moduleName) === -1 &&	// not found in `package.json`
-				!fs.lstatSync(path.join(__dirname, 'node_modules/' + moduleName)).isSymbolicLink() &&	// is not a symlink
-				!isGitRepo	// .git/ does not exist, so it is not a git repository
-			) {
-				payload.installed.push(moduleName);
-			}
-		});
-
-		getModuleVersions(payload.installed, callback);
-	});
-}
-function getModuleVersions(modules, callback) {
-	var versionHash = {};
-
-	async.eachLimit(modules, 50, function (module, next) {
-		fs.readFile(path.join(__dirname, 'node_modules/' + module + '/package.json'), { encoding: 'utf-8' }, function (err, pkg) {
-			if (err) {
-				return next(err);
-			}
-
-			try {
-				pkg = JSON.parse(pkg);
-				versionHash[module] = pkg.version;
-				next();
-			} catch (err) {
-				next(err);
-			}
-		});
-	}, function (err) {
-		callback(err, versionHash);
-	});
-}
-function checkPlugins(standalone, callback) {
-	if (standalone) {
-		process.stdout.write('Checking installed plugins and themes for updates... ');
-	}
-
-	async.waterfall([
-		async.apply(async.parallel, {
-			plugins: async.apply(getInstalledPlugins),
-			version: async.apply(getCurrentVersion),
-		}),
-		function (payload, next) {
-			var toCheck = Object.keys(payload.plugins);
-
-			if (!toCheck.length) {
-				process.stdout.write('OK'.green + '\n'.reset);
-				return next(null, []);	// no extraneous plugins installed
-			}
-
-			request({
-				method: 'GET',
-				url: 'https://packages.nodebb.org/api/v1/suggest?version=' + payload.version + '&package[]=' + toCheck.join('&package[]='),
-				json: true,
-			}, function (err, res, body) {
-				if (err) {
-					process.stdout.write('error'.red + '\n'.reset);
-					return next(err);
-				}
-				process.stdout.write('OK'.green + '\n'.reset);
-
-				if (!Array.isArray(body) && toCheck.length === 1) {
-					body = [body];
-				}
-
-				var current;
-				var suggested;
-				var upgradable = body.map(function (suggestObj) {
-					current = payload.plugins[suggestObj.package];
-					suggested = suggestObj.version;
-
-					if (suggestObj.code === 'match-found' && semver.gt(suggested, current)) {
-						return {
-							name: suggestObj.package,
-							current: current,
-							suggested: suggested,
-						};
-					}
-					return null;
-				}).filter(Boolean);
-
-				next(null, upgradable);
-			});
-		},
-	], callback);
-}
-function upgradePlugins(callback) {
-	var standalone = false;
-	if (typeof callback !== 'function') {
-		callback = function () {};
-		standalone = true;
-	}
-
-	checkPlugins(standalone, function (err, found) {
-		if (err) {
-			process.stdout.write('Warning'.yellow + ': An unexpected error occured when attempting to verify plugin upgradability\n'.reset);
-			return callback(err);
-		}
-
-		if (found && found.length) {
-			process.stdout.write('\nA total of ' + String(found.length).bold + ' package(s) can be upgraded:\n');
-			found.forEach(function (suggestObj) {
-				process.stdout.write('  * '.yellow + suggestObj.name.reset + ' (' + suggestObj.current.yellow + ' -> '.reset + suggestObj.suggested.green + ')\n'.reset);
-			});
-			process.stdout.write('\n');
-		} else {
-			if (standalone) {
-				process.stdout.write('\nAll packages up-to-date!'.green + '\n'.reset);
-			}
-			return callback();
-		}
-
-		prompt.message = '';
-		prompt.delimiter = '';
-
-		prompt.start();
-		prompt.get({
-			name: 'upgrade',
-			description: 'Proceed with upgrade (y|n)?'.reset,
-			type: 'string',
-		}, function (err, result) {
-			if (err) {
-				return callback(err);
-			}
-
-			if (['y', 'Y', 'yes', 'YES'].indexOf(result.upgrade) !== -1) {
-				process.stdout.write('\nUpgrading packages...');
-				var args = ['i'];
-				found.forEach(function (suggestObj) {
-					args.push(suggestObj.name + '@' + suggestObj.suggested);
-				});
-
-				cproc.execFile((process.platform === 'win32') ? 'npm.cmd' : 'npm', args, { stdio: 'ignore' }, function (err) {
-					if (!err) {
-						process.stdout.write(' OK\n'.green);
-					}
-
-					callback(err);
-				});
-			} else {
-				process.stdout.write('\nPackage upgrades skipped'.yellow + '. Check for upgrades at any time by running "'.reset + './nodebb upgrade-plugins'.green + '".\n'.reset);
-				callback();
-			}
-		});
-	});
-}
-
-var commands = {
-	status: {
-		description: 'View the status of the NodeBB server',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb status'.yellow,
-		handler: function () {
-			getRunningPid(function (err, pid) {
-				if (!err) {
-					process.stdout.write('\nNodeBB Running '.bold + '(pid '.cyan + pid.toString().cyan + ')\n'.cyan);
-					process.stdout.write('\t"' + './nodebb stop'.yellow + '" to stop the NodeBB server\n');
-					process.stdout.write('\t"' + './nodebb log'.yellow + '" to view server output\n');
-					process.stdout.write('\t"' + './nodebb restart'.yellow + '" to restart NodeBB\n\n');
-				} else {
-					process.stdout.write('\nNodeBB is not running\n'.bold);
-					process.stdout.write('\t"' + './nodebb start'.yellow + '" to launch the NodeBB server\n\n'.reset);
-				}
-			});
-		},
-	},
-	start: {
-		description: 'Start the NodeBB server',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb start'.yellow,
-		handler: function () {
-			process.stdout.write('\nStarting NodeBB\n'.bold);
-			process.stdout.write('  "' + './nodebb stop'.yellow + '" to stop the NodeBB server\n');
-			process.stdout.write('  "' + './nodebb log'.yellow + '" to view server output\n');
-			process.stdout.write('  "' + './nodebb restart'.yellow + '" to restart NodeBB\n\n'.reset);
-
-			// Spawn a new NodeBB process
-			cproc.fork(loaderPath, process.argv.slice(3), {
-				env: process.env,
-			});
-		},
-	},
-	stop: {
-		description: 'Stop the NodeBB server',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb stop'.yellow,
-		handler: function () {
-			getRunningPid(function (err, pid) {
-				if (!err) {
-					process.kill(pid, 'SIGTERM');
-					process.stdout.write('Stopping NodeBB. Goodbye!\n');
-				} else {
-					process.stdout.write('NodeBB is already stopped.\n');
-				}
-			});
-		},
-	},
-	restart: {
-		description: 'Restart the NodeBB server',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb restart'.yellow,
-		handler: function () {
-			getRunningPid(function (err, pid) {
-				if (!err) {
-					process.kill(pid, 'SIGHUP');
-					process.stdout.write('\nRestarting NodeBB\n'.bold);
-				} else {
-					process.stdout.write('NodeBB could not be restarted, as a running instance could not be found.\n');
-				}
-			});
-		},
-	},
-	log: {
-		description: 'Open the output log (useful for debugging)',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb log'.yellow,
-		handler: function () {
-			process.stdout.write('\nHit '.red + 'Ctrl-C '.bold + 'to exit'.red);
-			process.stdout.write('\n\n'.reset);
-			cproc.spawn('tail', ['-F', './logs/output.log'], {
-				cwd: __dirname,
-				stdio: 'inherit',
-			});
-		},
-	},
-	slog: {
-		description: 'Start the NodeBB server and view the live output log',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb slog'.yellow,
-		handler: function () {
-			process.stdout.write('\nStarting NodeBB with logging output\n'.bold);
-			process.stdout.write('\nHit '.red + 'Ctrl-C '.bold + 'to exit'.red);
-			process.stdout.write('\n\n'.reset);
-
-			// Spawn a new NodeBB process
-			cproc.fork(loaderPath, {
-				env: process.env,
-			});
-			cproc.spawn('tail', ['-F', './logs/output.log'], {
-				cwd: __dirname,
-				stdio: 'inherit',
-			});
-		},
-	},
-	dev: {
-		description: 'Start NodeBB in verbose development mode',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb dev'.yellow,
-		handler: function () {
-			process.env.NODE_ENV = 'development';
-			cproc.fork(loaderPath, ['--no-daemon', '--no-silent'], {
-				env: process.env,
-			});
-		},
-	},
-	build: {
-		description: 'Compile static assets (CSS, Javascript, etc)',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb build'.yellow + ' [js,clientCSS,acpCSS,tpl,lang]'.red + '\n' +
-			'    e.g. ' + './nodebb build js,tpl'.yellow + '\tbuilds JS and templates\n' +
-			'         ' + './nodebb build'.yellow + '\t\tbuilds all targets\n',
-		handler: function () {
-			var arr = ['--build'].concat(process.argv.slice(3));
-			fork(arr);
-		},
-	},
-	setup: {
-		description: 'Run the NodeBB setup script',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb setup'.yellow,
-		handler: function () {
-			var arr = ['--setup'].concat(process.argv.slice(3));
-			fork(arr);
-		},
-	},
-	reset: {
-		description: 'Disable plugins and restore the default theme',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb reset '.yellow + '{-t|-p|-w|-s|-a}'.red + '\n' +
-			'    -t <theme>\tuse specified theme\n' +
-			'    -p <plugin>\tdisable specified plugin\n' +
-			'\n' +
-			'    -t\t\tuse default theme\n' +
-			'    -p\t\tdisable all but core plugins\n' +
-			'    -w\t\twidgets\n' +
-			'    -s\t\tsettings\n' +
-			'    -a\t\tall of the above\n',
-		handler: function () {
-			var arr = ['--reset'].concat(process.argv.slice(3));
-			fork(arr);
-		},
-	},
-	activate: {
-		description: 'Activate a plugin for the next startup of NodeBB',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb activate <plugin>'.yellow,
-		handler: function () {
-			var name = args._[1];
-			if (!name) {
-				process.stdout.write(commands.activate.usage + '\n');
-				process.exit();
-			}
-			if (name.startsWith('nodebb-theme')) {
-				fork(['--reset', '-t', name]);
-				return;
-			}
-			var arr = ['--activate=' + name].concat(process.argv.slice(4));
-			fork(arr);
-		},
-	},
-	plugins: {
-		description: 'List all installed plugins',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb plugins'.yellow,
-		handler: function () {
-			var arr = ['--plugins'].concat(process.argv.slice(3));
-			fork(arr);
-		},
-	},
-	upgrade: {
-		description: 'Run NodeBB upgrade scripts, ensure packages are up-to-date',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb upgrade'.yellow,
-		handler: function () {
-			if (process.argv[3]) {
-				process.stdout.write('\nUpdating NodeBB data store schema...\n'.yellow);
-				var arr = ['--upgrade'].concat(process.argv.slice(3));
-				var upgradeProc = fork(arr);
-
-				return upgradeProc.on('close', function (err) {
-					if (err) {
-						process.stdout.write('Error occurred during upgrade');
-						throw err;
-					}
-				});
-			}
-
-			async.series([
-				function (next) {
-					packageInstall.updatePackageFile();
-					packageInstall.preserveExtraneousPlugins();
-					next();
-				},
-				function (next) {
-					process.stdout.write('1. '.bold + 'Bringing base dependencies up to date... \n'.yellow);
-					packageInstall.npmInstallProduction();
-					next();
-				},
-				function (next) {
-					process.stdout.write('OK\n'.green);
-					process.stdout.write('2. '.bold + 'Checking installed plugins for updates... '.yellow);
-					upgradePlugins(next);
-				},
-				function (next) {
-					process.stdout.write('3. '.bold + 'Updating NodeBB data store schema...\n'.yellow);
-					var arr = ['--upgrade'].concat(process.argv.slice(3));
-					var upgradeProc = fork(arr);
-
-					upgradeProc.on('close', next);
-					upgradeProc.on('error', next);
-				},
-			], function (err) {
-				if (err) {
-					process.stdout.write('Error occurred during upgrade');
-					throw err;
-				}
-
-				var message = 'NodeBB Upgrade Complete!';
-				// some consoles will return undefined/zero columns, so just use 2 spaces in upgrade script if we can't get our column count
-				var columns = process.stdout.columns;
-				var spaces = columns ? new Array(Math.floor(columns / 2) - (message.length / 2) + 1).join(' ') : '  ';
-
-				process.stdout.write('OK\n'.green);
-				process.stdout.write('\n' + spaces + message.green.bold + '\n\n'.reset);
-			});
-		},
-	},
-	upgradePlugins: {
-		hidden: true,
-		description: '',
-		handler: function () {
-			upgradePlugins();
-		},
-	},
-	events: {
-		description: 'Outputs the last ten (10) administrative events recorded by NodeBB',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb events'.yellow,
-		handler: function () {
-			fork(['--events']);
-		},
-	},
-	help: {
-		description: 'Display the help message for a given command',
-		usage: 'Usage: ' + './nodebb help <command>'.yellow,
-		handler: function () {
-			var command = commands[args._[1]];
-			if (command) {
-				process.stdout.write(command.description + '\n'.reset);
-				process.stdout.write(command.usage + '\n'.reset);
-
-				return;
-			}
-			var keys = Object.keys(commands).filter(function (key) {
-				return !commands[key].hidden;
-			});
-
-			process.stdout.write('\nWelcome to NodeBB\n\n'.bold);
-			process.stdout.write('Usage: ./nodebb {' + keys.join('|') + '}\n\n');
-
-			var usage = keys.map(function (key) {
-				var line = '\t' + key.yellow + (key.length < 8 ? '\t\t' : '\t');
-				return line + commands[key].description;
-			}).join('\n');
-
-			process.stdout.write(usage + '\n'.reset);
-		},
-	},
-};
-
-commands['upgrade-plugins'] = commands.upgradePlugins;
-
-if (!commands[args._[0]]) {
-	commands.help.handler();
-} else {
-	commands[args._[0]].handler();
-}
+require('./src/cli');
diff --git a/nodebb.bat b/nodebb.bat
index daaf09224f..ba0e75d249 100644
--- a/nodebb.bat
+++ b/nodebb.bat
@@ -1 +1 @@
-node ./nodebb %*
+@echo off && cd %~dp0 && node ./src/cli %*
diff --git a/src/cli/colors.js b/src/cli/colors.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bb2648e1d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/colors.js
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+'use strict';
+
+
+// override commander functions
+// to include color styling in the output
+// so the CLI looks nice
+
+var Command = require('commander').Command;
+
+var commandColor = 'yellow';
+var optionColor = 'cyan';
+var argColor = 'magenta';
+var subCommandColor = 'green';
+var subOptionColor = 'blue';
+var subArgColor = 'red';
+
+Command.prototype.helpInformation = function () {
+	var desc = [];
+	if (this._description) {
+		desc = [
+			'  ' + this._description,
+			'',
+		];
+	}
+
+	var cmdName = this._name;
+	if (this._alias) {
+		cmdName = cmdName + ' | ' + this._alias;
+	}
+	var usage = [
+		'',
+		'  Usage: ' + cmdName[commandColor] + ' '.reset + this.usage(),
+		'',
+	];
+
+	var cmds = [];
+	var commandHelp = this.commandHelp();
+	if (commandHelp) {
+		cmds = [commandHelp];
+	}
+
+	var options = [
+		'',
+		'  Options:',
+		'',
+		'' + this.optionHelp().replace(/^/gm, '    '),
+		'',
+	];
+
+	return usage
+		.concat(desc)
+		.concat(options)
+		.concat(cmds)
+		.join('\n'.reset);
+};
+
+function humanReadableArgName(arg) {
+	var nameOutput = arg.name + (arg.variadic === true ? '...' : '');
+
+	return arg.required ? '<' + nameOutput + '>' : '[' + nameOutput + ']';
+}
+
+Command.prototype.usage = function () {
+	var args = this._args.map(function (arg) {
+		return humanReadableArgName(arg);
+	});
+
+	var usage = '[options]'[optionColor] +
+		(this.commands.length ? ' [command]' : '')[subCommandColor] +
+		(this._args.length ? ' ' + args.join(' ') : '')[argColor];
+
+	return usage;
+};
+
+function pad(str, width) {
+	var len = Math.max(0, width - str.length);
+	return str + Array(len + 1).join(' ');
+}
+
+Command.prototype.commandHelp = function () {
+	if (!this.commands.length) {
+		return '';
+	}
+
+	var commands = this.commands.filter(function (cmd) {
+		return !cmd._noHelp;
+	}).map(function (cmd) {
+		var args = cmd._args.map(function (arg) {
+			return humanReadableArgName(arg);
+		}).join(' ');
+
+		return [
+			cmd._name[subCommandColor] +
+				(cmd._alias ? ' | ' + cmd._alias : '')[subCommandColor] +
+				(cmd.options.length ? ' [options]' : '')[subOptionColor] +
+				' ' + args[subArgColor],
+			cmd._description,
+		];
+	});
+
+	var width = commands.reduce(function (max, command) {
+		return Math.max(max, command[0].length);
+	}, 0);
+
+	return [
+		'',
+		'  Commands:',
+		'',
+		commands.map(function (cmd) {
+			var desc = cmd[1] ? '  ' + cmd[1] : '';
+			return pad(cmd[0], width) + desc;
+		}).join('\n').replace(/^/gm, '    '),
+		'',
+	].join('\n');
+};
+
+Command.prototype.optionHelp = function () {
+	var width = this.largestOptionLength();
+
+	// Append the help information
+	return this.options
+		.map(function (option) {
+			return pad(option.flags, width)[optionColor] + '  ' + option.description;
+		})
+		.concat([pad('-h, --help', width)[optionColor] + '  output usage information'])
+		.join('\n');
+};
diff --git a/src/cli/index.js b/src/cli/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5a1ed820e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,265 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var fs = require('fs');
+var path = require('path');
+
+var packageInstall = require('../meta/package-install');
+var dirname = require('./paths').baseDir;
+
+// check to make sure dependencies are installed
+try {
+	fs.readFileSync(path.join(dirname, 'package.json'));
+	fs.readFileSync(path.join(dirname, 'node_modules/async/package.json'));
+} catch (e) {
+	if (e.code === 'ENOENT') {
+		process.stdout.write('Dependencies not yet installed.\n');
+		process.stdout.write('Installing them now...\n\n');
+
+		packageInstall.updatePackageFile();
+		packageInstall.preserveExtraneousPlugins();
+		packageInstall.npmInstallProduction();
+
+		require('colors');
+		process.stdout.write('OK'.green + '\n'.reset);
+	} else {
+		throw e;
+	}
+}
+
+require('colors');
+var nconf = require('nconf');
+var program = require('commander');
+
+var pkg = require('../../package.json');
+var file = require('../file');
+var prestart = require('../prestart');
+
+program
+	.name('./nodebb')
+	.description('Welcome to NodeBB')
+	.version(pkg.version)
+	.option('--json-logging', 'Output to logs in JSON format', false)
+	.option('--log-level <level>', 'Default logging level to use', 'info')
+	.option('-d, --dev', 'Development mode, including verbose logging', false)
+	.option('-l, --log', 'Log subprocess output to console', false)
+	.option('-c, --config <value>', 'Specify a config file', 'config.json')
+	.parse(process.argv);
+
+nconf.argv().env({
+	separator: '__',
+});
+
+var env = program.dev ? 'development' : (process.env.NODE_ENV || 'production');
+process.env.NODE_ENV = env;
+global.env = env;
+
+prestart.setupWinston();
+
+// Alternate configuration file support
+var	configFile = path.resolve(dirname, program.config);
+var configExists = file.existsSync(configFile) || (nconf.get('url') && nconf.get('secret') && nconf.get('database'));
+
+prestart.loadConfig(configFile);
+prestart.versionCheck();
+
+if (!configExists && process.argv[2] !== 'setup') {
+	require('./setup').webInstall();
+	return;
+}
+
+// running commands
+program
+	.command('start')
+	.description('Start the NodeBB server')
+	.action(function () {
+		require('./running').start(program);
+	});
+program
+	.command('slog', null, {
+		noHelp: true,
+	})
+	.description('Start the NodeBB server and view the live output log')
+	.action(function () {
+		program.log = true;
+		require('./running').start(program);
+	});
+program
+	.command('dev', null, {
+		noHelp: true,
+	})
+	.description('Start NodeBB in verbose development mode')
+	.action(function () {
+		program.dev = true;
+		process.env.NODE_ENV = 'development';
+		global.env = 'development';
+		require('./running').start(program);
+	});
+program
+	.command('stop')
+	.description('Stop the NodeBB server')
+	.action(function () {
+		require('./running').stop(program);
+	});
+program
+	.command('restart')
+	.description('Restart the NodeBB server')
+	.action(function () {
+		require('./running').restart(program);
+	});
+program
+	.command('status')
+	.description('Check the running status of the NodeBB server')
+	.action(function () {
+		require('./running').status(program);
+	});
+program
+	.command('log')
+	.description('Open the output log (useful for debugging)')
+	.action(function () {
+		require('./running').log(program);
+	});
+
+// management commands
+program
+	.command('setup')
+	.description('Run the NodeBB setup script')
+	.action(function () {
+		require('./setup').setup();
+	});
+
+program
+	.command('install')
+	.description('Launch the NodeBB web installer for configuration setup')
+	.action(function () {
+		require('./setup').webInstall();
+	});
+program
+	.command('build [targets...]')
+	.description('Compile static assets ' + '(JS, CSS, templates, languages, sounds)'.red)
+	.action(function (targets) {
+		require('./manage').build(targets.length ? targets : true);
+	})
+	.on('--help', function () {
+		require('./manage').buildTargets();
+	});
+program
+	.command('activate [plugin]')
+	.description('Activate a plugin for the next startup of NodeBB (nodebb-plugin- prefix is optional)')
+	.action(function (plugin) {
+		require('./manage').activate(plugin);
+	});
+program
+	.command('plugins')
+	.action(function () {
+		require('./manage').listPlugins();
+	})
+	.description('List all installed plugins');
+program
+	.command('events')
+	.description('Outputs the last ten (10) administrative events recorded by NodeBB')
+	.action(function () {
+		require('./manage').listEvents();
+	});
+program
+	.command('info')
+	.description('Outputs various system info')
+	.action(function () {
+		require('./manage').info();
+	});
+
+// reset
+var resetCommand = program.command('reset');
+
+resetCommand
+	.description('Reset plugins, themes, settings, etc')
+	.option('-t, --theme [theme]', 'Reset to [theme] or to the default theme')
+	.option('-p, --plugin [plugin]', 'Disable [plugin] or all plugins')
+	.option('-w, --widgets', 'Disable all widgets')
+	.option('-s, --settings', 'Reset settings to their default values')
+	.option('-a, --all', 'All of the above')
+	.action(function (options) {
+		var valid = ['theme', 'plugin', 'widgets', 'settings', 'all'].some(function (x) {
+			return options[x];
+		});
+		if (!valid) {
+			process.stdout.write('\n  No valid options passed in, so nothing was reset.\n'.red);
+			resetCommand.help();
+		}
+
+		require('./reset').reset(options, function (err) {
+			if (err) { throw err; }
+			require('../meta/build').buildAll(function (err) {
+				if (err) { throw err; }
+
+				process.exit();
+			});
+		});
+	});
+
+// upgrades
+program
+	.command('upgrade [scripts...]')
+	.description('Run NodeBB upgrade scripts and ensure packages are up-to-date, or run a particular upgrade script')
+	.option('-m, --package', 'Update package.json from defaults', false)
+	.option('-i, --install', 'Bringing base dependencies up to date', false)
+	.option('-p, --plugins', 'Check installed plugins for updates', false)
+	.option('-s, --schema', 'Update NodeBB data store schema', false)
+	.option('-b, --build', 'Rebuild assets', false)
+	.on('--help', function () {
+		process.stdout.write(
+			'\n' +
+			'When running particular upgrade scripts, options are ignored.\n' +
+			'By default all options are enabled. Passing any options disables that default.\n' +
+			'Only package and dependency updates: ' + './nodebb upgrade -mi\n'.yellow +
+			'Only database update: ' + './nodebb upgrade -d\n\n'.yellow
+		);
+	})
+	.action(function (scripts, options) {
+		require('./upgrade').upgrade(scripts.length ? scripts : true, options);
+	});
+
+program
+	.command('upgrade-plugins', null, {
+		noHelp: true,
+	})
+	.alias('upgradePlugins')
+	.description('Upgrade plugins')
+	.action(function () {
+		require('./upgrade-plugins').upgradePlugins(function (err) {
+			if (err) {
+				throw err;
+			}
+			process.stdout.write('OK\n'.green);
+			process.exit();
+		});
+	});
+
+program
+	.command('help [command]')
+	.description('Display help for [command]')
+	.action(function (name) {
+		if (!name) {
+			return program.help();
+		}
+
+		var command = program.commands.find(function (command) { return command._name === name; });
+		if (command) {
+			command.help();
+		} else {
+			program.help();
+		}
+	});
+
+program
+	.command('*', {}, {
+		noHelp: true,
+	})
+	.action(function () {
+		program.help();
+	});
+
+require('./colors');
+
+program.executables = false;
+
+program.parse(process.argv);
diff --git a/src/cli/manage.js b/src/cli/manage.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..393c3f0753
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/manage.js
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var async = require('async');
+var winston = require('winston');
+var childProcess = require('child_process');
+var _ = require('lodash');
+
+var build = require('../meta/build');
+var db = require('../database');
+var plugins = require('../plugins');
+var events = require('../events');
+var reset = require('./reset');
+
+function buildTargets() {
+	var aliases = build.aliases;
+	var length = 0;
+	var output = Object.keys(aliases).map(function (name) {
+		var arr = aliases[name];
+		if (name.length > length) {
+			length = name.length;
+		}
+
+		return [name, arr.join(', ')];
+	}).map(function (tuple) {
+		return '     ' + _.padEnd('"' + tuple[0] + '"', length + 2).magenta + '  |  ' + tuple[1];
+	}).join('\n');
+	process.stdout.write(
+		'\n\n  Build targets:\n' +
+		('\n     ' + _.padEnd('Target', length + 2) + '  |  Aliases').green +
+		'\n     ------------------------------------------------------\n'.blue +
+		output + '\n\n'
+	);
+}
+
+function activate(plugin) {
+	if (plugin.startsWith('nodebb-theme-')) {
+		reset.reset({
+			theme: plugin,
+		}, function (err) {
+			if (err) { throw err; }
+			process.exit();
+		});
+		return;
+	}
+
+	async.waterfall([
+		function (next) {
+			db.init(next);
+		},
+		function (next) {
+			if (!plugin.startsWith('nodebb-')) {
+				// Allow omission of `nodebb-plugin-`
+				plugin = 'nodebb-plugin-' + plugin;
+			}
+			plugins.isInstalled(plugin, next);
+		},
+		function (isInstalled, next) {
+			if (!isInstalled) {
+				return next(new Error('plugin not installed'));
+			}
+
+			winston.info('Activating plugin `%s`', plugin);
+			db.sortedSetAdd('plugins:active', 0, plugin, next);
+		},
+		function (next) {
+			events.log({
+				type: 'plugin-activate',
+				text: plugin,
+			}, next);
+		},
+	], function (err) {
+		if (err) {
+			winston.error('An error occurred during plugin activation', err);
+			throw err;
+		}
+		process.exit(0);
+	});
+}
+
+function listPlugins() {
+	async.waterfall([
+		db.init,
+		function (next) {
+			db.getSortedSetRange('plugins:active', 0, -1, next);
+		},
+		function (plugins) {
+			winston.info('Active plugins: \n\t - ' + plugins.join('\n\t - '));
+			process.exit();
+		},
+	], function (err) {
+		throw err;
+	});
+}
+
+function listEvents() {
+	async.series([
+		db.init,
+		events.output,
+	]);
+}
+
+function info() {
+	async.waterfall([
+		function (next) {
+			var version = require('../../package.json').version;
+			process.stdout.write('\n  version:  ' + version);
+
+			process.stdout.write('\n  Node ver: ' + process.version);
+			next();
+		},
+		function (next) {
+			process.stdout.write('\n  git hash: ');
+			childProcess.execSync('git rev-parse HEAD', {
+				stdio: 'inherit',
+			});
+			next();
+		},
+		function (next) {
+			var config = require('../../config.json');
+			process.stdout.write('\n  database: ' + config.database);
+			next();
+		},
+		db.init,
+		function (next) {
+			db.info(db.client, next);
+		},
+		function (info, next) {
+			process.stdout.write('\n        version: ' + info.version);
+			process.stdout.write('\n        engine:  ' + info.storageEngine);
+			next();
+		},
+	], function (err) {
+		if (err) { throw err; }
+		process.exit();
+	});
+}
+
+exports.build = build.build;
+exports.buildTargets = buildTargets;
+exports.activate = activate;
+exports.listPlugins = listPlugins;
+exports.listEvents = listEvents;
+exports.info = info;
diff --git a/src/cli/paths.js b/src/cli/paths.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..df5532cacd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/paths.js
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var path = require('path');
+
+var baseDir = path.join(__dirname, '../../');
+var loader = path.join(baseDir, 'loader.js');
+var app = path.join(baseDir, 'app.js');
+var pidfile = path.join(baseDir, 'pidfile');
+
+module.exports = {
+	baseDir: baseDir,
+	loader: loader,
+	app: app,
+	pidfile: pidfile,
+};
diff --git a/src/reset.js b/src/cli/reset.js
similarity index 53%
rename from src/reset.js
rename to src/cli/reset.js
index d45c48deb5..85831d366d 100644
--- a/src/reset.js
+++ b/src/cli/reset.js
@@ -3,79 +3,85 @@
 require('colors');
 var path = require('path');
 var winston = require('winston');
-var nconf = require('nconf');
 var async = require('async');
-var db = require('./database');
-var events = require('./events');
+var fs = require('fs');
 
-var Reset = {};
+var db = require('../database');
+var events = require('../events');
+var meta = require('../meta');
+var plugins = require('../plugins');
+var widgets = require('../widgets');
 
-Reset.reset = function (callback) {
-	db.init(function (err) {
-		if (err) {
-			winston.error(err);
-			throw err;
-		}
+var dirname = require('./paths').baseDir;
 
-		if (nconf.get('t')) {
-			var themeId = nconf.get('t');
+exports.reset = function (options, callback) {
+	var map = {
+		theme: function (next) {
+			var themeId = options.theme;
 			if (themeId === true) {
-				resetThemes(callback);
+				resetThemes(next);
 			} else {
-				if (themeId.indexOf('nodebb-') !== 0) {
+				if (!themeId.startsWith('nodebb-theme-')) {
 					// Allow omission of `nodebb-theme-`
 					themeId = 'nodebb-theme-' + themeId;
 				}
 
-				resetTheme(themeId, callback);
+				resetTheme(themeId, next);
 			}
-		} else if (nconf.get('p')) {
-			var pluginId = nconf.get('p');
+		},
+		plugin: function (next) {
+			var pluginId = options.plugin;
 			if (pluginId === true) {
-				resetPlugins(callback);
+				resetPlugins(next);
 			} else {
-				if (pluginId.indexOf('nodebb-') !== 0) {
+				if (!pluginId.startsWith('nodebb-plugin-')) {
 					// Allow omission of `nodebb-plugin-`
 					pluginId = 'nodebb-plugin-' + pluginId;
 				}
 
-				resetPlugin(pluginId, callback);
+				resetPlugin(pluginId, next);
 			}
-		} else if (nconf.get('w')) {
-			resetWidgets(callback);
-		} else if (nconf.get('s')) {
-			resetSettings(callback);
-		} else if (nconf.get('a')) {
-			require('async').series([resetWidgets, resetThemes, resetPlugins, resetSettings], function (err) {
-				if (!err) {
-					winston.info('[reset] Reset complete.');
-				} else {
-					winston.error('[reset] Errors were encountered while resetting your forum settings: %s', err);
-				}
-
-				callback();
-			});
-		} else {
-			process.stdout.write('\nNodeBB Reset\n'.bold);
-			process.stdout.write('No arguments passed in, so nothing was reset.\n\n'.yellow);
-			process.stdout.write('Use ./nodebb reset ' + '{-t|-p|-w|-s|-a}\n'.red);
-			process.stdout.write('    -t\tthemes\n');
-			process.stdout.write('    -p\tplugins\n');
-			process.stdout.write('    -w\twidgets\n');
-			process.stdout.write('    -s\tsettings\n');
-			process.stdout.write('    -a\tall of the above\n');
-
-			process.stdout.write('\nPlugin and theme reset flags (-p & -t) can take a single argument\n');
-			process.stdout.write('    e.g. ./nodebb reset -p nodebb-plugin-mentions, ./nodebb reset -t nodebb-theme-persona\n');
-			process.stdout.write('         Prefix is optional, e.g. ./nodebb reset -p markdown, ./nodebb reset -t persona\n');
-
-			process.exit(0);
+		},
+		widgets: resetWidgets,
+		settings: resetSettings,
+		all: function (next) {
+			async.series([resetWidgets, resetThemes, resetPlugins, resetSettings], next);
+		},
+	};
+
+	var tasks = Object.keys(map)
+		.filter(function (x) { return options[x]; })
+		.map(function (x) { return map[x]; });
+
+	if (!tasks.length) {
+		process.stdout.write('\nNodeBB Reset\n'.bold);
+		process.stdout.write('No arguments passed in, so nothing was reset.\n\n'.yellow);
+		process.stdout.write('Use ./nodebb reset ' + '{-t|-p|-w|-s|-a}\n'.red);
+		process.stdout.write('    -t\tthemes\n');
+		process.stdout.write('    -p\tplugins\n');
+		process.stdout.write('    -w\twidgets\n');
+		process.stdout.write('    -s\tsettings\n');
+		process.stdout.write('    -a\tall of the above\n');
+
+		process.stdout.write('\nPlugin and theme reset flags (-p & -t) can take a single argument\n');
+		process.stdout.write('    e.g. ./nodebb reset -p nodebb-plugin-mentions, ./nodebb reset -t nodebb-theme-persona\n');
+		process.stdout.write('         Prefix is optional, e.g. ./nodebb reset -p markdown, ./nodebb reset -t persona\n');
+
+		process.exit(0);
+	}
+
+	async.series([db.init].concat(tasks), function (err) {
+		if (err) {
+			winston.error('[reset] Errors were encountered during reset', err);
+			throw err;
 		}
+
+		winston.info('[reset] Reset complete');
+		callback();
 	});
 };
 
 function resetSettings(callback) {
-	var meta = require('./meta');
 	meta.configs.set('allowLocalLogin', 1, function (err) {
 		winston.info('[reset] Settings reset to default');
 		callback(err);
@@ -83,10 +89,7 @@ function resetSettings(callback) {
 }
 
 function resetTheme(themeId, callback) {
-	var meta = require('./meta');
-	var fs = require('fs');
-
-	fs.access(path.join(__dirname, '../node_modules', themeId, 'package.json'), function (err) {
+	fs.access(path.join(dirname, 'node_modules', themeId, 'package.json'), function (err) {
 		if (err) {
 			winston.warn('[reset] Theme `%s` is not installed on this forum', themeId);
 			callback(new Error('theme-not-found'));
@@ -108,8 +111,6 @@ function resetTheme(themeId, callback) {
 }
 
 function resetThemes(callback) {
-	var meta = require('./meta');
-
 	meta.themes.set({
 		type: 'local',
 		id: 'nodebb-theme-persona',
@@ -163,13 +164,11 @@ function resetPlugins(callback) {
 
 function resetWidgets(callback) {
 	async.waterfall([
-		require('./plugins').reload,
-		require('./widgets').reset,
+		plugins.reload,
+		widgets.reset,
 		function (next) {
 			winston.info('[reset] All Widgets moved to Draft Zone');
 			next();
 		},
 	], callback);
 }
-
-module.exports = Reset;
diff --git a/src/cli/running.js b/src/cli/running.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..edd9627ee8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/running.js
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var fs = require('fs');
+var childProcess = require('child_process');
+
+var fork = require('../meta/debugFork');
+var paths = require('./paths');
+
+var dirname = paths.baseDir;
+
+function getRunningPid(callback) {
+	fs.readFile(paths.pidfile, {
+		encoding: 'utf-8',
+	}, function (err, pid) {
+		if (err) {
+			return callback(err);
+		}
+
+		pid = parseInt(pid, 10);
+
+		try {
+			process.kill(pid, 0);
+			callback(null, pid);
+		} catch (e) {
+			callback(e);
+		}
+	});
+}
+
+function start(options) {
+	if (options.dev) {
+		process.env.NODE_ENV = 'development';
+		fork(paths.loader, ['--no-daemon', '--no-silent'], {
+			env: process.env,
+			cwd: dirname,
+			stdio: 'inherit',
+		});
+		return;
+	}
+	if (options.log) {
+		process.stdout.write('\nStarting NodeBB with logging output\n'.bold);
+		process.stdout.write('\nHit '.red + 'Ctrl-C '.bold + 'to exit'.red);
+
+		process.stdout.write('\nThe NodeBB process will continue to run in the background');
+		process.stdout.write('\nUse "' + './nodebb stop'.yellow + '" to stop the NodeBB server\n');
+		process.stdout.write('\n\n'.reset);
+	} else if (!options.silent) {
+		process.stdout.write('\nStarting NodeBB\n'.bold);
+		process.stdout.write('  "' + './nodebb stop'.yellow + '" to stop the NodeBB server\n');
+		process.stdout.write('  "' + './nodebb log'.yellow + '" to view server output\n');
+		process.stdout.write('  "' + './nodebb restart'.yellow + '" to restart NodeBB\n\n'.reset);
+	}
+
+	// Spawn a new NodeBB process
+	fork(paths.loader, process.argv.slice(3), {
+		env: process.env,
+		cwd: dirname,
+	});
+	if (options.log) {
+		childProcess.spawn('tail', ['-F', './logs/output.log'], {
+			cwd: dirname,
+			stdio: 'inherit',
+		});
+	}
+}
+
+function stop() {
+	getRunningPid(function (err, pid) {
+		if (!err) {
+			process.kill(pid, 'SIGTERM');
+			process.stdout.write('Stopping NodeBB. Goodbye!\n');
+		} else {
+			process.stdout.write('NodeBB is already stopped.\n');
+		}
+	});
+}
+
+function restart(options) {
+	getRunningPid(function (err, pid) {
+		if (!err) {
+			process.stdout.write('\nRestarting NodeBB\n'.bold);
+			process.kill(pid, 'SIGTERM');
+
+			options.silent = true;
+			start(options);
+		} else {
+			process.stdout.write('NodeBB could not be restarted, as a running instance could not be found.\n');
+		}
+	});
+}
+
+function status() {
+	getRunningPid(function (err, pid) {
+		if (!err) {
+			process.stdout.write('\nNodeBB Running '.bold + '(pid '.cyan + pid.toString().cyan + ')\n'.cyan);
+			process.stdout.write('\t"' + './nodebb stop'.yellow + '" to stop the NodeBB server\n');
+			process.stdout.write('\t"' + './nodebb log'.yellow + '" to view server output\n');
+			process.stdout.write('\t"' + './nodebb restart'.yellow + '" to restart NodeBB\n\n');
+		} else {
+			process.stdout.write('\nNodeBB is not running\n'.bold);
+			process.stdout.write('\t"' + './nodebb start'.yellow + '" to launch the NodeBB server\n\n'.reset);
+		}
+	});
+}
+
+function log() {
+	process.stdout.write('\nHit '.red + 'Ctrl-C '.bold + 'to exit'.red);
+	process.stdout.write('\n\n'.reset);
+	childProcess.spawn('tail', ['-F', './logs/output.log'], {
+		cwd: dirname,
+		stdio: 'inherit',
+	});
+}
+
+exports.start = start;
+exports.stop = stop;
+exports.restart = restart;
+exports.status = status;
+exports.log = log;
diff --git a/src/cli/setup.js b/src/cli/setup.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f10e7def9b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/setup.js
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var winston = require('winston');
+var async = require('async');
+
+var install = require('../../install/web').install;
+
+function setup() {
+	var install = require('../install');
+	var build = require('../meta/build');
+	var prestart = require('../prestart');
+
+	winston.info('NodeBB Setup Triggered via Command Line');
+
+	process.stdout.write('\nWelcome to NodeBB!\n');
+	process.stdout.write('\nThis looks like a new installation, so you\'ll have to answer a few questions about your environment before we can proceed.\n');
+	process.stdout.write('Press enter to accept the default setting (shown in brackets).\n');
+
+	async.series([
+		install.setup,
+		prestart.loadConfig,
+		build.buildAll,
+	], function (err, data) {
+		// Disregard build step data
+		data = data[0];
+
+		var separator = '     ';
+		if (process.stdout.columns > 10) {
+			for (var x = 0, cols = process.stdout.columns - 10; x < cols; x += 1) {
+				separator += '=';
+			}
+		}
+		process.stdout.write('\n' + separator + '\n\n');
+
+		if (err) {
+			winston.error('There was a problem completing NodeBB setup', err);
+			throw err;
+		} else {
+			if (data.hasOwnProperty('password')) {
+				process.stdout.write('An administrative user was automatically created for you:\n');
+				process.stdout.write('    Username: ' + data.username + '\n');
+				process.stdout.write('    Password: ' + data.password + '\n');
+				process.stdout.write('\n');
+			}
+			process.stdout.write('NodeBB Setup Completed. Run \'./nodebb start\' to manually start your NodeBB server.\n');
+
+			// If I am a child process, notify the parent of the returned data before exiting (useful for notifying
+			// hosts of auto-generated username/password during headless setups)
+			if (process.send) {
+				process.send(data);
+			}
+		}
+
+		process.exit();
+	});
+}
+
+exports.setup = setup;
+exports.webInstall = install;
diff --git a/src/cli/upgrade-plugins.js b/src/cli/upgrade-plugins.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..db04d5cc35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/upgrade-plugins.js
@@ -0,0 +1,216 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var async = require('async');
+var prompt = require('prompt');
+var request = require('request');
+var cproc = require('child_process');
+var semver = require('semver');
+var fs = require('fs');
+var path = require('path');
+
+var paths = require('./paths');
+
+var dirname = paths.baseDir;
+
+function getModuleVersions(modules, callback) {
+	var versionHash = {};
+
+	async.eachLimit(modules, 50, function (module, next) {
+		fs.readFile(path.join(dirname, 'node_modules', module, 'package.json'), { encoding: 'utf-8' }, function (err, pkg) {
+			if (err) {
+				return next(err);
+			}
+
+			try {
+				pkg = JSON.parse(pkg);
+				versionHash[module] = pkg.version;
+				next();
+			} catch (err) {
+				next(err);
+			}
+		});
+	}, function (err) {
+		callback(err, versionHash);
+	});
+}
+
+function getInstalledPlugins(callback) {
+	async.parallel({
+		files: async.apply(fs.readdir, path.join(dirname, 'node_modules')),
+		deps: async.apply(fs.readFile, path.join(dirname, 'package.json'), { encoding: 'utf-8' }),
+	}, function (err, payload) {
+		if (err) {
+			return callback(err);
+		}
+
+		var isNbbModule = /^nodebb-(?:plugin|theme|widget|rewards)-[\w-]+$/;
+		var moduleName;
+		var isGitRepo;
+
+		payload.files = payload.files.filter(function (file) {
+			return isNbbModule.test(file);
+		});
+
+		try {
+			payload.deps = JSON.parse(payload.deps).dependencies;
+			payload.bundled = [];
+			payload.installed = [];
+		} catch (err) {
+			return callback(err);
+		}
+
+		for (moduleName in payload.deps) {
+			if (isNbbModule.test(moduleName)) {
+				payload.bundled.push(moduleName);
+			}
+		}
+
+		// Whittle down deps to send back only extraneously installed plugins/themes/etc
+		payload.files.forEach(function (moduleName) {
+			try {
+				fs.accessSync(path.join(dirname, 'node_modules', moduleName, '.git'));
+				isGitRepo = true;
+			} catch (e) {
+				isGitRepo = false;
+			}
+
+			if (
+				payload.files.indexOf(moduleName) !== -1 &&	// found in `node_modules/`
+				payload.bundled.indexOf(moduleName) === -1 &&	// not found in `package.json`
+				!fs.lstatSync(path.join(dirname, 'node_modules', moduleName)).isSymbolicLink() &&	// is not a symlink
+				!isGitRepo	// .git/ does not exist, so it is not a git repository
+			) {
+				payload.installed.push(moduleName);
+			}
+		});
+
+		getModuleVersions(payload.installed, callback);
+	});
+}
+
+function getCurrentVersion(callback) {
+	fs.readFile(path.join(dirname, 'package.json'), { encoding: 'utf-8' }, function (err, pkg) {
+		if (err) {
+			return callback(err);
+		}
+
+		try {
+			pkg = JSON.parse(pkg);
+		} catch (err) {
+			return callback(err);
+		}
+		callback(null, pkg.version);
+	});
+}
+
+function checkPlugins(standalone, callback) {
+	if (standalone) {
+		process.stdout.write('Checking installed plugins and themes for updates... ');
+	}
+
+	async.waterfall([
+		async.apply(async.parallel, {
+			plugins: async.apply(getInstalledPlugins),
+			version: async.apply(getCurrentVersion),
+		}),
+		function (payload, next) {
+			var toCheck = Object.keys(payload.plugins);
+
+			if (!toCheck.length) {
+				process.stdout.write('OK'.green + '\n'.reset);
+				return next(null, []);	// no extraneous plugins installed
+			}
+
+			request({
+				method: 'GET',
+				url: 'https://packages.nodebb.org/api/v1/suggest?version=' + payload.version + '&package[]=' + toCheck.join('&package[]='),
+				json: true,
+			}, function (err, res, body) {
+				if (err) {
+					process.stdout.write('error'.red + '\n'.reset);
+					return next(err);
+				}
+				process.stdout.write('OK'.green + '\n'.reset);
+
+				if (!Array.isArray(body) && toCheck.length === 1) {
+					body = [body];
+				}
+
+				var current;
+				var suggested;
+				var upgradable = body.map(function (suggestObj) {
+					current = payload.plugins[suggestObj.package];
+					suggested = suggestObj.version;
+
+					if (suggestObj.code === 'match-found' && semver.gt(suggested, current)) {
+						return {
+							name: suggestObj.package,
+							current: current,
+							suggested: suggested,
+						};
+					}
+					return null;
+				}).filter(Boolean);
+
+				next(null, upgradable);
+			});
+		},
+	], callback);
+}
+
+function upgradePlugins(callback) {
+	var standalone = false;
+	if (typeof callback !== 'function') {
+		callback = function () {};
+		standalone = true;
+	}
+
+	checkPlugins(standalone, function (err, found) {
+		if (err) {
+			process.stdout.write('Warning'.yellow + ': An unexpected error occured when attempting to verify plugin upgradability\n'.reset);
+			return callback(err);
+		}
+
+		if (found && found.length) {
+			process.stdout.write('\nA total of ' + String(found.length).bold + ' package(s) can be upgraded:\n');
+			found.forEach(function (suggestObj) {
+				process.stdout.write('  * '.yellow + suggestObj.name.reset + ' (' + suggestObj.current.yellow + ' -> '.reset + suggestObj.suggested.green + ')\n'.reset);
+			});
+			process.stdout.write('\n');
+		} else {
+			if (standalone) {
+				process.stdout.write('\nAll packages up-to-date!'.green + '\n'.reset);
+			}
+			return callback();
+		}
+
+		prompt.message = '';
+		prompt.delimiter = '';
+
+		prompt.start();
+		prompt.get({
+			name: 'upgrade',
+			description: 'Proceed with upgrade (y|n)?'.reset,
+			type: 'string',
+		}, function (err, result) {
+			if (err) {
+				return callback(err);
+			}
+
+			if (['y', 'Y', 'yes', 'YES'].indexOf(result.upgrade) !== -1) {
+				process.stdout.write('\nUpgrading packages...');
+				var args = ['i'];
+				found.forEach(function (suggestObj) {
+					args.push(suggestObj.name + '@' + suggestObj.suggested);
+				});
+
+				cproc.execFile((process.platform === 'win32') ? 'npm.cmd' : 'npm', args, { stdio: 'ignore' }, callback);
+			} else {
+				process.stdout.write('\nPackage upgrades skipped'.yellow + '. Check for upgrades at any time by running "'.reset + './nodebb upgrade-plugins'.green + '".\n'.reset);
+				callback();
+			}
+		});
+	});
+}
+
+exports.upgradePlugins = upgradePlugins;
diff --git a/src/cli/upgrade.js b/src/cli/upgrade.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b2255707f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cli/upgrade.js
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var async = require('async');
+var nconf = require('nconf');
+
+var packageInstall = require('../meta/package-install');
+var upgrade = require('../upgrade');
+var build = require('../meta/build');
+var db = require('../database');
+var meta = require('../meta');
+var upgradePlugins = require('./upgrade-plugins').upgradePlugins;
+
+var steps = {
+	package: function (next) {
+		process.stdout.write('Updating package.json file with defaults... \n'.yellow);
+		packageInstall.updatePackageFile();
+		packageInstall.preserveExtraneousPlugins();
+		process.stdout.write('OK\n'.green);
+		next();
+	},
+	install: function (next) {
+		process.stdout.write('Bringing base dependencies up to date... \n'.yellow);
+		packageInstall.npmInstallProduction();
+		process.stdout.write('OK\n'.green);
+		next();
+	},
+	plugins: function (next) {
+		process.stdout.write('Checking installed plugins for updates... \n'.yellow);
+		async.series([
+			db.init,
+			upgradePlugins,
+			function (next) {
+				process.stdout.write('OK\n'.green);
+				next();
+			},
+		], next);
+	},
+	schema: function (next) {
+		process.stdout.write('Updating NodeBB data store schema...\n'.yellow);
+		async.series([
+			db.init,
+			upgrade.run,
+			function (next) {
+				process.stdout.write('OK\n'.green);
+				next();
+			},
+		], next);
+	},
+	build: function (next) {
+		process.stdout.write('Rebuilding assets...\n'.yellow);
+		async.series([
+			build.buildAll,
+			function (next) {
+				process.stdout.write('OK\n'.green);
+				next();
+			},
+		], next);
+	},
+};
+
+function runSteps(tasks) {
+	tasks = tasks.map(function (key, i) {
+		return function (next) {
+			process.stdout.write(((i + 1) + '. ').bold);
+			return steps[key](next);
+		};
+	});
+
+	async.series(tasks, function (err) {
+		if (err) {
+			process.stdout.write('Error occurred during upgrade');
+			throw err;
+		}
+
+		var message = 'NodeBB Upgrade Complete!';
+		// some consoles will return undefined/zero columns, so just use 2 spaces in upgrade script if we can't get our column count
+		var columns = process.stdout.columns;
+		var spaces = columns ? new Array(Math.floor(columns / 2) - (message.length / 2) + 1).join(' ') : '  ';
+
+		process.stdout.write('\n' + spaces + message.green.bold + '\n\n'.reset);
+
+		process.exit();
+	});
+}
+
+function runUpgrade(upgrades, options) {
+	process.stdout.write('\nUpdating NodeBB...\n'.cyan);
+
+	// disable mongo timeouts during upgrade
+	nconf.set('mongo:options:socketTimeoutMS', 0);
+
+	if (upgrades === true) {
+		var tasks = Object.keys(steps);
+		if (options.package || options.install ||
+				options.plugins || options.schema || options.build) {
+			tasks = tasks.filter(function (key) {
+				return options[key];
+			});
+		}
+		runSteps(tasks);
+		return;
+	}
+
+	async.series([
+		db.init,
+		meta.configs.init,
+		async.apply(upgrade.runParticular, upgrades),
+	], function (err) {
+		if (err) {
+			throw err;
+		}
+
+		process.exit(0);
+	});
+}
+
+exports.upgrade = runUpgrade;
diff --git a/src/meta/build.js b/src/meta/build.js
index b01a92cb86..df68e93375 100644
--- a/src/meta/build.js
+++ b/src/meta/build.js
@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ var aliases = {
 	sounds: ['sound'],
 };
 
+exports.aliases = aliases;
+
 aliases = Object.keys(aliases).reduce(function (prev, key) {
 	var arr = aliases[key];
 	arr.forEach(function (alias) {
diff --git a/src/prestart.js b/src/prestart.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9b592cf4af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/prestart.js
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var nconf = require('nconf');
+var url = require('url');
+var winston = require('winston');
+var path = require('path');
+
+var pkg = require('../package.json');
+var dirname = require('./cli/paths').baseDir;
+
+function setupWinston() {
+	winston.remove(winston.transports.Console);
+	winston.add(winston.transports.Console, {
+		colorize: true,
+		timestamp: function () {
+			var date = new Date();
+			return nconf.get('json-logging') ? date.toJSON() :
+				date.getDate() + '/' + (date.getMonth() + 1) + ' ' +
+				date.toTimeString().substr(0, 8) + ' [' + global.process.pid + ']';
+		},
+		level: nconf.get('log-level') || (global.env === 'production' ? 'info' : 'verbose'),
+		json: !!nconf.get('json-logging'),
+		stringify: !!nconf.get('json-logging'),
+	});
+}
+
+function loadConfig(configFile) {
+	winston.verbose('* using configuration stored in: %s', configFile);
+
+	nconf.file({
+		file: configFile,
+	});
+
+	nconf.defaults({
+		base_dir: dirname,
+		themes_path: path.join(dirname, 'node_modules'),
+		upload_path: 'public/uploads',
+		views_dir: path.join(dirname, 'build/public/templates'),
+		version: pkg.version,
+	});
+
+	if (!nconf.get('isCluster')) {
+		nconf.set('isPrimary', 'true');
+		nconf.set('isCluster', 'false');
+	}
+
+	// Ensure themes_path is a full filepath
+	nconf.set('themes_path', path.resolve(dirname, nconf.get('themes_path')));
+	nconf.set('core_templates_path', path.join(dirname, 'src/views'));
+	nconf.set('base_templates_path', path.join(nconf.get('themes_path'), 'nodebb-theme-persona/templates'));
+
+	nconf.set('upload_path', path.resolve(nconf.get('base_dir'), nconf.get('upload_path')));
+
+	if (nconf.get('url')) {
+		nconf.set('url_parsed', url.parse(nconf.get('url')));
+	}
+
+	// Explicitly cast 'jobsDisabled' as Bool
+	var castAsBool = ['jobsDisabled'];
+	nconf.stores.env.readOnly = false;
+	castAsBool.forEach(function (prop) {
+		var value = nconf.get(prop);
+		if (value) {
+			nconf.set(prop, typeof value === 'boolean' ? value : String(value).toLowerCase() === 'true');
+		}
+	});
+	nconf.stores.env.readOnly = true;
+}
+
+function versionCheck() {
+	var version = process.version.slice(1);
+	var range = pkg.engines.node;
+	var semver = require('semver');
+	var compatible = semver.satisfies(version, range);
+
+	if (!compatible) {
+		winston.warn('Your version of Node.js is too outdated for NodeBB. Please update your version of Node.js.');
+		winston.warn('Recommended ' + range.green + ', '.reset + version.yellow + ' provided\n'.reset);
+	}
+}
+
+exports.setupWinston = setupWinston;
+exports.loadConfig = loadConfig;
+exports.versionCheck = versionCheck;
diff --git a/src/upgrade.js b/src/upgrade.js
index 7229c87227..5c9cd6ea2d 100644
--- a/src/upgrade.js
+++ b/src/upgrade.js
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ var file = require('../src/file');
  * 3. Add your script under the "method" property
  */
 
-var Upgrade = {};
+var Upgrade = module.exports;
 
 Upgrade.getAll = function (callback) {
 	async.waterfall([
@@ -212,4 +212,3 @@ Upgrade.incrementProgress = function (value) {
 	process.stdout.write('    [' + (filled ? new Array(filled).join('#') : '') + new Array(unfilled).join(' ') + '] (' + this.current + '/' + (this.total || '??') + ') ' + percentage + ' ');
 };
 
-module.exports = Upgrade;