Integrations

CLI & Skills

title: CLI & Skills subtitle: Automate browsers and manage workflows from the command line slug: integrations/cli

The skyvern CLI gives you direct access to browser automation, workflow management, credential storage, and more — all from your terminal. Use it in shell scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or for quick one-off tasks.

Install

$pip install skyvern

Set your API key:

$export SKYVERN_API_KEY="YOUR_KEY"  # get one at https://app.skyvern.com

Optionally run the interactive setup wizard to configure your environment:

$skyvern init

Command reference

Services

$skyvern run server            # Start the local API server
$skyvern run mcp               # Start the MCP server (stdio transport)
$skyvern run mcp --http        # Start the MCP server (HTTP transport)
$skyvern status                # Check if services are running
$skyvern stop                  # Stop running services

Browser automation

All browser commands operate on an active session. Create one first, then run actions against it.

$# Browser session management
$skyvern browser session create              # Start a cloud browser session
$skyvern browser session create --timeout 30 # Custom timeout (minutes)
$skyvern browser session list                # List active sessions
$skyvern browser session get --session pbs_xxx
$skyvern browser session connect --cdp ws://localhost:9222  # Connect to local Chrome
$skyvern browser session close               # Close the active session
$
$# Navigation
$skyvern browser navigate --url https://example.com
$
$# AI-powered actions
$skyvern browser act --prompt "Click the Sign In button"
$skyvern browser extract --prompt "Get all product names and prices"
$skyvern browser validate --prompt "Is the user logged in?"
$
$# Precision actions (CSS/XPath selectors or natural language intent)
$skyvern browser click --selector "#submit-btn"
$skyvern browser click --intent "the checkout button"
$skyvern browser type --selector "#email" --text "user@example.com"
$skyvern browser select --selector "#country" --value "US"
$skyvern browser scroll --direction down --amount 500
$skyvern browser press-key --key Enter
$skyvern browser hover --selector ".menu-item"
$skyvern browser wait --selector "#results" --state visible
$
$# Screenshots
$skyvern browser screenshot
$skyvern browser screenshot --full-page --output page.png
$
$# Run JavaScript
$skyvern browser evaluate --expression "document.title"
$
$# Full task automation (multi-step agent)
$skyvern browser run-task --prompt "Find the cheapest flight from NYC to LA"
$skyvern browser login --url https://app.example.com --credential-id cred_xxx

Every browser command supports --json for machine-readable output, and --session / --cdp to target a specific session. If omitted, the CLI uses the last active session automatically.

Workflows

$skyvern workflow list                              # List all workflows
$skyvern workflow get --workflow-id wpid_xxx         # Get workflow details
$skyvern workflow create --file workflow.json         # Create from JSON definition
$skyvern workflow update --workflow-id wpid_xxx --file updated.json
$skyvern workflow delete --workflow-id wpid_xxx
$skyvern workflow run --workflow-id wpid_xxx          # Execute a workflow
$skyvern workflow run --workflow-id wpid_xxx --params '{"url": "https://example.com"}'
$skyvern workflow status --run-id wr_xxx              # Check run status
$skyvern workflow cancel --run-id wr_xxx              # Cancel a running workflow

Credentials

Credentials are created interactively via stdin so secrets never appear in shell history.

$skyvern credentials add            # Interactive credential creation (password or credit card)
$skyvern credential list            # List stored credentials
$skyvern credential get --id cred_xxx
$skyvern credential delete --id cred_xxx

Note: credentials (plural) is used for the interactive add command; credential (singular) for list/get/delete. Both forms are intentional.

Workflow blocks

$skyvern block schema --block-type task     # Show the JSON schema for a block type
$skyvern block validate --file block.json   # Validate a block definition

MCP setup

Register Skyvern’s MCP server with your AI coding tool in one command:

$skyvern setup claude-code        # Register with Claude Code (global)
$skyvern setup claude-code --project  # Register with Claude Code (project-level)
$skyvern setup claude-desktop     # Register with Claude Desktop
$skyvern setup cursor             # Register with Cursor
$skyvern setup windsurf           # Register with Windsurf
$skyvern setup codex              # Register with Codex

Other

$skyvern docs                     # Open documentation in your browser
$skyvern quickstart               # One-command setup + start
$skyvern init browser             # Initialize browser configuration only

CLI vs MCP: when to use which

Use caseCLIMCP
Shell scripts and CI/CDYesNo
One-off browser tasksYesYes
AI assistant integration (Claude, Cursor, Codex)NoYes
Credential creation (secrets via stdin)YesNo
Starting/stopping servicesYesNo
Composing with Unix pipes (--json output)YesNo
Natural language orchestration by an AI agentNoYes

The CLI and MCP server share the same underlying logic. The CLI is for humans and scripts; MCP is for AI assistants that call tools programmatically.

Skills

Skills are bundled reference markdown files that teach AI coding tools how to use Skyvern. They are not the same as MCP tools — they are documentation that an AI agent can load to learn the CLI and API.

$skyvern skill list                  # List available skills
$skyvern skill show skyvern          # Render a skill in the terminal
$skyvern skill path skyvern          # Print the absolute path to a skill file
$skyvern skill path                  # Print the skills directory
$skyvern skill copy --output ./docs  # Copy all skills to a local directory
$skyvern skill copy skyvern -o .     # Copy a single skill

Skills are plain markdown files. You can load them into any AI coding tool that supports custom instructions:

Claude Code — add the skill path as a custom instructions file or use skyvern setup claude-code which configures MCP (the richer integration path).

Codex — copy the skill into your project’s .codex/skills/ directory:

$skyvern skill copy skyvern -o .codex/skills/

Any tool — point your tool at the file path returned by skyvern skill path skyvern.

JSON output

All commands support --json for structured output, making it easy to compose with jq and other tools:

$# Extract the session ID from a new session
$SESSION=$(skyvern browser session create --json | jq -r '.session_id')
$
$# Extract data and pipe to a file
$skyvern browser extract --prompt "Get all links" --json | jq '.extracted' > links.json
$
$# Check workflow run status in a script
$STATUS=$(skyvern workflow status --run-id wr_xxx --json | jq -r '.status')

Troubleshooting

Make sure the package is installed and on your PATH:

$pip install skyvern
$which skyvern

If using a virtual environment, activate it first. You can also run via module:

$python3 -m skyvern --help

Verify your API key is set:

$echo $SKYVERN_API_KEY

You can also pass it directly:

$skyvern credentials add --api-key YOUR_KEY

Get an API key from Settings in the Skyvern dashboard.

Browser commands require an active session. Create one first:

$skyvern browser session create

Or specify a session explicitly:

$skyvern browser navigate --url https://example.com --session pbs_xxx