Guides

The cs CLI in ten minutes: login, keys, tools, usage

Install @corespeed/cs on Node 20 or Bun, sign in with cs login, mint and rotate API keys, print MCP config, search and call tools, check usage, and read exit codes in scripts.

CoreSpeedThe CoreSpeed team

Illustration: A small friendly robot with a round camera-eye head sits at a plain table holding up a folding pocket multitool whose blades fan out into a key, a small wrench and a tiny magnifying glass.

cs is CoreSpeed's command-line tool. Run it with npx @corespeed/cs on Node 20 or Bun; it has no runtime dependencies. It signs you in through the browser, mints and rotates API keys, prints MCP configuration for your agent, administers connectors and remote MCP servers, calls tools from the terminal, and reports credit usage. Every command runs against the same gateway your agents use.

Ten minutes with cs
  1. 1
    Install and sign in
    npx @corespeed/cs; cs login opens the browser
    The session is stored under CS_CONFIG_DIR, default ~/.config/cs.
  2. 2
    Check who you are
    cs whoami; cs switch changes the organization
  3. 3
    Mint a key for a job
    cs keys create production prints sk-cs- once
    cs keys list, rotate and revoke manage it later.
  4. 4
    Point an agent at CoreSpeed
    cs mcp-config prints an mcpServers block
    cs token prints a session JWT for scripts.
  5. 5
    Find and call a tool
    cs mcp search, cs mcp get, cs mcp call
    Exit code 6 means a person's approval is pending; do not re-send.
  6. 6
    Read usage and exit codes
    cs usage; scripts branch on the exit code
Every command runs against the same gateway your agents use.

How do you install and sign in?

  1. Install it globally, or run it through npx without installing:
npm install -g @corespeed/cs     # or: npx @corespeed/cs --help
cs login                          # browser sign-in; choose an organization
cs whoami                         # the signed-in user and the active organization
  1. cs login opens the browser, lets you choose an organization, and stores a member session on this machine under CS_CONFIG_DIR, which defaults to ~/.config/cs. A separate directory keeps a separate sign-in, such as a second account.
  2. cs switch changes the active organization without signing in again. cs logout removes the stored session.

Run the install command again to update. The stored session is the same session JWT the dashboard holds; the four credentials are compared on the Authentication page.

How do you manage API keys?

  1. cs keys create production mints an sk-cs- member key named production and prints the secret once. Store it in an environment variable where the job runs; never commit it.
  2. cs keys list shows the keys. cs keys rotate with a key id replaces the secret. cs keys revoke with a key id ends it.

A member key acts as you: it reaches your private connections and the organization's shared ones, and role checks bind to you. For an unattended agent, create an agent principal in the dashboard and give it an sk-csa- key, which reaches shared connections only.

How do you point an agent at CoreSpeed?

  1. cs mcp-config prints an mcpServers block for /mcp that carries your session token. Paste it into a client that reads that map.
  2. cs token prints a fresh session JWT for scripts. It goes to stdout, so it pipes cleanly: curl https://api.corespeed.io/connectors -H "Authorization: Bearer $(cs token)" lists the connectors your sign-in can use and the state of each connected account.

Interactive clients such as Claude Code, Codex and Cursor need neither. They sign in through the browser themselves, as described on the MCP server page.

How do you connect apps and call tools?

  1. cs connectors list prints the connectors available to you. cs connectors connect notion opens the connect flow for one app. cs connectors accounts list shows connected accounts and their aliases.
  2. cs remote add registers your organization's own MCP server as a remote connector and needs an org admin. cs remote list shows the registered ones. Their tools appear under the org__ prefix, followed by the slug and the tool name.
  3. Find a tool, read its schema, and call it as yourself:
cs mcp search remember facts
cs mcp get memory__search_memory
cs mcp call memory__search_memory '{"query": "rollout window"}'

cs mcp call runs a metered tool at the same rate your agent would pay, and memory calls are free. If Smart Approval holds the call for a person's decision, the command exits with code 6 and the call has not run. Do not re-send it; a fresh call is a new request and can raise a second card. See Approvals.

How do you read usage and exit codes?

  1. cs usage shows available credit and the plan.
  2. In scripts, read the exit code rather than parsing the message. Results go to stdout; prompts, warnings and errors go to stderr. A failure prints Error: followed by the message.
CodeMeaningWhat a script should do
0SuccessContinue
1A usage error, or the request was refused (not found, conflict, invalid input)Fix the call; do not retry as is
3Not signed in, or the session was rejectedRun cs login
4The account cannot do this now: no active organization, payment required, suspended, or the admin role neededA person fixes the account state
5CoreSpeed unreachable, rate-limited, or answering badlyRetry later
6A cs mcp call is waiting for a human's approval and has not runWait for the decision; do not re-send

A refusal the CLI has no message of its own for prints the API's message with the HTTP status and error code. Every command and flag is listed in the CLI reference.

Can CI use the CLI?

No. cs login needs a browser, and every other command runs under that sign-in; the CLI takes no API key. For CI and headless agents, mint a key once with cs keys create and send it directly from the job, in the Authorization: Bearer header on https://api.corespeed.io/mcp. The CLI itself is not part of the job. Attribution still holds: activity with a key is recorded through the key's owning identity.

FAQ

How do I update? Run the install command again.

Can I sign in to two accounts? Yes. Point CS_CONFIG_DIR at a different directory for the second one.

Does cs mcp call bill my organization? Metered tools are priced in credits at the rates on the pricing page; memory operations and discovery are free. Every charge lands itemized in the organization ledger.

What does exit code 4 with payment required mean? The organization wallet is past its billing threshold. An org admin adds credit on the billing page, and later metered calls run again.