CLI Installation & Connection

Use busabase-cli for terminal work, agent scripts, and CI. It connects to the same REST API as the SDK and OpenAPI integrations.

Install

Use Node.js 24.18.0 or later, as required by the CLI package.

npm install -g busabase-cli
busabase-cli --help

To try it without a global installation:

npx busabase-cli --help

Sign in to Cloud

busabase-cli login --device-code

Open the authorization URL shown in the terminal and approve the connection in your browser. Select or create an API key with the permissions your work needs; read is enough for the checks below. The CLI saves the connection in ~/.busabase/.env.

For CI or other non-interactive environments, supply BUSABASE_BASE_URL, BUSABASE_API_KEY, and BUSABASE_SPACE_ID through the environment. See API Tokens for keys and permissions.

Choose the workspace and verify

busabase-cli whoami
busabase-cli space list
busabase-cli space use "Marketing"
busabase-cli bases list --output json

Replace Marketing with your workspace's name, slug, or id. Confirm the target before continuing. These checks read existing data; they do not create or merge changes. For multiple accounts, see CLI accounts and workspaces.

Connect to Local / Desktop

With Busabase already running on your machine:

busabase-cli login --base-url http://localhost:15419
busabase-cli health
busabase-cli bases list

The open-source local server requires no authentication by default. For a self-hosted deployment, run busabase-cli login and choose the appropriate self-hosted option with your team's base URL.

Continue with your agent

busabase-cli skill
busabase-cli skill install

The first command prints the operating manual; the second installs it into your agent's skills directory. See Agent Skills. Propose edits through Change Requests, and review them according to your workspace's permissions.

Other ways to connect: Integration overview · CLI · SDK · MCP · OpenAPI / REST · Agent Skills · Webhooks