> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://helix-isolate-failing-index-entities.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# helix stop

> Stop a background local instance and remove its containers

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Stop a background local instance and remove its containers. Local only.

## Usage

```bash theme={null}
helix stop [INSTANCE]
```

## Arguments

| Argument | Description |
| - | - |
| `INSTANCE` | Local instance to stop. Defaults to `dev`, then the only local instance, then a picker in a terminal; otherwise the command fails and lists the local instances. |

## Options

| Flag | Description | Default |
| - | - | - |
| `--json` | Print `instance` and `wasRunning` as JSON on stdout, and never prompt. | Off |

## Behavior

* `helix stop` is idempotent — if the instance is not running, the CLI exits successfully without error.
* Default in-memory data is wiped when the container is removed.
* For disk-mode instances, `helix stop` removes the Helix and SeaweedFS containers, and any MinIO sidecar left by an older CLI, but keeps the persistent local volumes. Use [`helix prune`](/cli/command-reference/prune) to delete disk-mode data.
* The disk-cache volume of a disk-mode or S3 instance is kept too, so the next start reads recently used data locally.
* Remote S3 data is never touched.

## Examples

```bash theme={null}
# Stop the default 'dev' instance
helix stop dev

# Stop 'dev' or the only local instance, or pick one
helix stop

# Safe to call in scripts even if the instance is already stopped
helix stop staging
```

## Related

* [`helix start`](/cli/command-reference/start) — start a local instance.
* [`helix restart`](/cli/command-reference/restart) — restart a local instance.
* [`helix prune`](/cli/command-reference/prune) — remove all Helix-owned local state for an instance.


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