# Emdash CLI

Use the EmDash CLI to inspect and manage an EmDash instance from the command line...

- Repository: https://github.com/emdash-cms/emdash (14094 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add emdash-cms/emdash --skill emdash-cli -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add emdash-cms/emdash --skill emdash-cli -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add emdash-cms/emdash --skill emdash-cli -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add emdash-cms/emdash --skill emdash-cli -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Use the EmDash CLI to inspect and manage an EmDash instance from the command line, including content, schema, media, taxonomies, menus, search, authentication, seeds, migrations, generated types, and whole-site export and import.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# EmDash CLI

The EmDash CLI (`emdash`, with the short alias `em`) manages EmDash CMS instances. Commands fall into two categories:

- **Local commands** work with project files or a configured database: `init`, `doctor`, `seed`, `migrate`, `export-seed`, and `secrets`.
- **Remote commands** talk to a running EmDash instance: `types`, `login`, `logout`, `whoami`, `content`, `schema`, `media`, `search`, `taxonomy`, `menu`, and `site`.

Run `npx emdash --help` and `npx emdash <command> --help` for the installed version's exact commands and flags. Resolve the current target with a read command before a destructive or bulk mutation; examples in this skill do not authorize changing an instance the user did not place in scope.

## Authentication

Remote commands resolve auth automatically:

1. `--token` flag
2. `EMDASH_TOKEN` env var
3. Stored credentials from `emdash login`
4. Dev bypass (localhost only, no token needed)

For a localhost development server with the development bypass enabled, the client can authenticate automatically. For a remote instance, run `emdash login --url https://example.com` or provide a scoped token.

## Custom Headers & Reverse Proxies

Sites behind Cloudflare Access or other reverse proxies need auth headers on every request. The CLI supports this via `--header` flags and environment variables.

### Service tokens for automation

```bash
# Provide sensitive headers through the environment in CI.
export EMDASH_HEADERS="CF-Access-Client-Id: xxx
CF-Access-Client-Secret: yyy"
npx emdash whoami --url https://example.com
```

`emdash login --header` persists custom headers to `~/.config/emdash/auth.json` for later commands. Prefer environment-provided headers in CI so a service secret is not written to the credential file or shell history.

### Cloudflare Access Browser Flow

If you don't have service tokens and `cloudflared` is installed, the CLI will automatically:

The rest: https://github.com/emdash-cms/emdash/blob/HEAD/skills/emdash-cli/SKILL.md