generated: '2026-09-07'
method: searched
source: >-
  https://documentation.adaptive.live/developer-guide/adaptive-cli,
  https://documentation.adaptive.live/developer-guide/admin-cli,
  https://documentation.adaptive.live/developer-guide/web-cli and
  https://documentation.adaptive.live/developer-guide/booster-cli
description: >-
  `adaptive` is Adaptive's first-party cross-platform CLI and the primary way a human or a
  script actually USES the platform — it is a gateway that fronts each resource's own native
  client (psql, mongosh, kubectl, ssh, RDP, SFTP, S3) while Adaptive performs the
  authentication, authorization and session recording. It is a different surface from the
  Client API: the API administers the workspace, the CLI connects through it. Session history
  is preserved for later playback and audit.
name: adaptive
binary: adaptive
version_documented: v0.2.38
version_note: >-
  Read from the `adaptive version` output shown in the docs. The GitHub releases API for
  adaptive-scale/adaptivecli returns an empty list, so no dated release metadata is
  published; the install script is unpinned. See packages/.
install:
- method: script
  command: curl https://cli.adaptive.live/install.sh | bash
  platforms: [linux, macos]
  detail: >-
    Detects OS and CPU architecture automatically, including Apple Silicon under Rosetta, and
    appends `adaptive` to PATH by editing the correct shell startup file (.zshrc, .bashrc or
    .bash_profile).
  probed: true
  http_status: 200
- method: homebrew
  command: brew tap adaptive-scale/tap
  source: https://github.com/adaptive-scale/homebrew-tap
  detail: First-party Homebrew tap (also adaptive-scale/adaptivecli, "Brew tap for adaptive CLI").
authentication:
  command: adaptive login
  flow: >-
    Opens a browser login prompt and writes a token to ~/.adaptive/token. The token file is
    also read by the Terraform and Pulumi providers.
  logout: adaptive logout
commands:
- name: admin
  summary: Create resources, endpoints, authorizations etc. in Adaptive via CLI
  docs: https://documentation.adaptive.live/developer-guide/admin-cli
- name: cluster
  summary: Create an Adaptive cluster via CLI
- name: completion
  summary: Generate the shell autocompletion script
- name: connect
  summary: Connect to an infrastructure resource via a specified endpoint
- name: context
  summary: Manage contexts for the Adaptive CLI
- name: exec
  summary: Run a one-shot command against a direct endpoint
- name: help
  summary: Help about any command
- name: ingress
  summary: Manage ingresses
  docs: https://documentation.adaptive.live/developer-guide/adaptive-ingress
- name: login
  summary: Log in to Adaptive
- name: logout
  summary: Log out of Adaptive
- name: mcp
  summary: Connect and manage MCP servers via Adaptive
  note: >-
    This manages MCP servers brokered THROUGH Adaptive (the Exo tools/MCP registry). It does
    not expose Adaptive itself over stdio — Adaptive's own MCP server is remote. See mcp/.
- name: plugin
  summary: Adaptive plugins allow users to extend Adaptive's capabilities
  docs: https://documentation.adaptive.live/developer-guide/plugins
- name: s3
  summary: Copy and list objects against an S3 endpoint
  note: Added in v1.1.8; records asciinema events and enforces JIT pre-flight checks.
- name: script
  summary: Execute a script or create a new one
- name: stop
  summary: Stop an endpoint by its name
- name: version
  summary: Show CLI version
command_count: 16
contexts_and_profiles:
  supported: true
  detail: >-
    Kubernetes-style contexts let one CLI install address several Adaptive deployments.
  examples:
  - adaptive login --context-name staging --url https://staging.url.com
  - adaptive login --context-name production --url https://prod.url.com
  - adaptive connect --context-name staging staging.db-001
  - adaptive context
  - adaptive context use staging
  - adaptive context add dev https://dev.url.com
related_clis:
- name: Adaptive CLI - Admin
  docs: https://documentation.adaptive.live/developer-guide/admin-cli
  detail: The `admin` subcommand surface for creating resources, endpoints and authorizations.
- name: Web CLI
  docs: https://documentation.adaptive.live/developer-guide/web-cli
  detail: Browser-hosted terminal; also carries SFTP via Web CLI.
- name: Booster CLI
  docs: https://documentation.adaptive.live/developer-guide/booster-cli
  detail: Separate tool for Adaptive's booster component (see also adaptive-scale/booster-terraform).
- name: Desktop App
  docs: https://documentation.adaptive.live/developer-guide/desktop-app/overview
  detail: GUI counterpart to the CLI for endpoint access.