CLI

The CLI is a practical option when you want repeatable organization-scoped workflows without building your own client first.

What the CLI Talks To

The CLI talks to the Boarbs RPC API at YOUR_URL/api/rpc with your organization API key.

That means it is not limited to the public REST explorer at /api/docs.

Install

Boarbs CLI requires Node.js 20 or newer.

npm install -g @boarbs/cli

Configure Once

boarbs auth login --key sk_... --url https://YOUR_DOMAIN --org org_...
boarbs auth whoami

boarbs auth login writes your config to ~/.boarbs/config.json.

You can also use environment variables:

BOARBS_API_KEY=sk_...
BOARBS_API_URL=https://YOUR_DOMAIN
BOARBS_ORG_ID=org_...

Environment variables override the saved config.

Output Mode

By default, the CLI prints JSON.

Use the top-level --table flag when you want list-style output in a readable table:

boarbs --table boards list
boarbs --table posts list --limit 50

Single-object commands still return JSON.

Available Command Groups

Common Examples

# List boards in a readable table
boarbs --table boards list

# Fetch a board by slug
boarbs boards get --slug feature-requests

# Create a post
boarbs posts create \
  --board brd_123 \
  --title "Dark mode in dashboard" \
  --email [email protected]

# Update post metadata
boarbs posts update pst_123 \
  --assigned-to usr_123 \
  --eta 2026-04-01

# Clear assignee and ETA
boarbs posts update pst_123 \
  --assigned-to null \
  --eta null

# Mark a status as the default for new posts
boarbs statuses update sts_123 --is-default

# Create a private tag
boarbs tags create --name enterprise --color "#7c3aed" --private

# Toggle a vote by user ID instead of email
boarbs votes toggle --post pst_123 --user-id usr_123

# Keep a roadmap internal
boarbs roadmaps update rm_123 --visibility TEAM_MEMBERS

Command Notes That Matter

Boards

• boards get accepts --id or --slug
• boards create and boards update support --slug, --description, --icon, and --visibility

Posts

• posts list filters by IDs, not display names
• --status accepts one or more status IDs
• --tag accepts one or more tag IDs
• posts assign <id> --user USER_ID assigns a post
• use null in posts update to clear --assigned-to or --eta

Comments

• comment commands work on public comments
• the CLI does not currently expose a separate internal comment command

Statuses

• categories are INBOX, PLANNED, IN_PROGRESS, COMPLETED, and CANCELED
• statuses update <id> --is-default changes the default status for new posts

Tags

• tags create --private creates an internal-only tag
• tags update <id> --public or --private flips visibility

Votes

• votes toggle accepts either --email or --user-id
• voting also doubles as a practical way to subscribe that identity to the post

Roadmaps

• visibility values are EVERYONE and TEAM_MEMBERS
• type values are CUSTOM_COLUMNS and DATE_BASED
• sort values are TOP_UPVOTED, RECENT, TRENDING, DUE_DATE, and PENDING

What the CLI Does Not Cover Yet

The current CLI does not expose command groups for:

• API key management
• embed session creation
• subscriptions
• members
• portal users
• billing

If you need those flows, use the app UI or the relevant API integration path.

When to Use the API Instead

Use the API directly when:

• another backend or service needs to call Boarbs
• you want REST/OpenAPI schemas
• you need an integration surface the CLI does not expose
• you are building embed session creation into your product

Next Steps

• API — Understand the REST/RPC split and API key model
• API Explorer — Inspect the current REST/OpenAPI surface
• Embed — Use Boarbs inside your product with server-created sessions