Getting started

The Frontline CLI ships two binaries that share the same API key store:

frontline — Public REST API client: agents, workflows, billing, tables, objects, tools, raw GETs.
max — Max chat & admin client: send messages, manage conversations, REPL.

Install

npm install -g @getfrontline/cli

Or run any command on demand:

npx @getfrontline/cli --help

Requires Node 18+.

First-time setup

frontline auth login <api-key>
frontline auth whoami

Generate your API key from the Frontline app: click your user name in the bottom-left of the sidebar → Settings, then choose Bring your own Agent (for a personal USER key) or Developer (for an account-level GENERAL key). See Authentication for the full breakdown and which scope each command needs.

The same login also authenticates max:

max auth whoami

Profiles

You can store multiple API keys side-by-side and switch between them:

frontline auth profiles list             # all saved profiles + active one
frontline auth profiles use prod         # switch active profile
frontline auth logout                    # remove active profile
frontline auth logout --profile staging  # remove a specific profile

Every command accepts a one-off --profile <name> override for scripting and CI.

Output formats

All frontline commands print JSON to stdout by default so they pipe into jq and other tools cleanly. Opt into human-readable output with:

--pretty — key/value blocks, spinners, icons.
--table — tabular rendering for list endpoints.

Errors always go to stderr in human form; in default JSON mode they also appear on stdout as structured JSON so scripts can branch on ok/error fields.

Global flags

Available on every frontline command:

Flag	Purpose
`--api-key <key>`	Override the stored API key for one call.
`--profile <name>`	Use a specific saved profile.
`--debug`	Verbose request/response logs.
`--pretty`	Human-readable output.
`--table`	Tabular output for list endpoints.

max exposes a similar set: --api-key, --profile, --base-url, --debug, --pretty, --json.

Your first call

frontline agents list --table

Or with the Max binary:

max "Hola Max"

For the full command reference, browse the frontline and max groups in the sidebar.

Claude Code skills

Optional: install Frontline skills into Claude Code (auto-detected on npm install):

frontline setup --claude-skills          # install new skills
frontline setup --claude-skills --force  # overwrite existing

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause
"No API key found"	Run `frontline auth login <key>`.
"Missing or invalid API key"	Key expired or revoked. Create a new one in Settings → Bring your own Agent (personal) or Settings → Developer (account).
`401 Unauthorized` on a write	You're using a `GENERAL` key on a `USER`-only endpoint (e.g. creating an agent, publishing a flow). Generate a personal key under Bring your own Agent.
"Request timed out"	Network issue or backend slow. Retry.
`429 Too Many Requests`	Rate limit (1000 req/min per account). Back off.
CLI outdated error	Upgrade with `npm i -g @getfrontline/cli@latest`.

Need help using the platform itself?

These docs cover the CLI. For walkthroughs of the Frontline app — setting up channels, configuring agents in the UI, billing in-product, troubleshooting end-user flows — head to https://help.getfrontline.ai.