generated: '2026-08-13'
method: searched
source: >-
  https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/dev-tools/rudder-cli/commands/,
  https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/dev-tools/rudder-cli/installation/, and
  https://github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-iac
docs: https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/dev-tools/rudder-cli/
repo: https://github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-iac
name: rudder-cli
status: Beta
announced: '2026-06-29'
latest_release: v0.23.0
released: '2026-08-07'
description: >-
  rudder-cli is RudderStack's first-party infrastructure-as-code CLI: it renders
  workspace resources — Data Catalog events/properties/categories/custom types,
  Tracking Plans, Event Stream sources, Transformations and libraries, SQL models,
  Data Graphs — as YAML in Git, then validates, previews and applies them to a
  workspace. It also carries RudderTyper v2, which generates type-safe client
  bindings (TypeScript, Swift, Kotlin) from a Tracking Plan. The binary itself is
  catalogued in packages/rudderstack-packages.yml; this artifact enumerates the
  command surface.
  STABILITY WARNING, from the provider: the repository README states this is a
  work in progress and that backwards compatibility is NOT guaranteed at this
  stage.
install:
  macos_arm64: >-
    curl -L https://github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-iac/releases/latest/download/rudder-cli_Darwin_arm64.tar.gz
    | tar -xz rudder-cli && sudo mv rudder-cli /usr/local/bin/
  macos_x86_64: >-
    curl -L https://github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-iac/releases/latest/download/rudder-cli_Darwin_x86_64.tar.gz
    | tar -xz rudder-cli && sudo mv rudder-cli /usr/local/bin/
  linux: >-
    curl -L https://github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-iac/releases/latest/download/rudder-cli_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz
    | tar -xz rudder-cli && sudo mv rudder-cli /usr/local/bin/
  docker: docker run rudderlabs/rudder-cli
  source: git clone https://github.com/rudderlabs/rudder-iac && make build
authentication:
  command: rudder-cli auth login
  token: Workspace-level Service Access Token, or a Personal Access Token on Free and self-hosted plans
  env_var: RUDDERSTACK_ACCESS_TOKEN
  config_dir: ~/.rudder
  detail: authentication/rudderstack-authentication.yml
commands:
  auth:
    - {name: auth login, description: Authenticate the CLI against a RudderStack workspace with a SAT or PAT.}
  core_workflow:
    - {name: import workspace, description: 'Import existing workspace resources into a local project directory as YAML. Supports Data Catalog, Tracking Plans, Event Stream sources, Transformations and libraries, SQL models.', flags: ['-l <project-directory>']}
    - {name: validate, description: 'Validate local YAML for syntax, schema compliance, resource references, transformation code syntax, SQL syntax and warehouse connectivity.', flags: ['-l <project-directory>']}
    - {name: apply, description: Sync local configuration to the workspace., flags: ['-l <project-directory>', '--dry-run']}
    - {name: destroy, description: 'DESTRUCTIVE — permanently remove CLI-managed resources from the workspace based on local project state; lists the plan and asks for confirmation.'}
  workspace:
    - {name: workspace accounts list, description: 'List workspace accounts. Flags include --category source and --json. RudderStack''s own MCP skill names this as the fallback for obtaining an account_id the MCP server cannot surface.'}
    - {name: workspace retl-sources list, description: List Reverse ETL sources in the workspace.}
  retl_sql_models:
    - {name: import retl-sources, description: Import existing Reverse ETL / SQL model resources into the local project.}
    - {name: retl-sources preview, description: Preview the rows a SQL model resource would return.}
    - {name: retl-sources validate, description: Validate a SQL model resource against the warehouse.}
  transformations:
    - {name: transformations test, description: Test a transformation against captured or supplied events.}
    - {name: transformations show-default-events, description: Print the default event payloads used for transformation testing.}
  code_generation:
    - {name: typer generate, description: 'Generate type-safe client bindings from a Tracking Plan (RudderTyper v2).'}
    - {name: typer options kotlin, description: Show RudderTyper generation options for Kotlin.}
    - {name: typer options swift, description: Show RudderTyper generation options for Swift.}
    - {name: typer options typescript, description: Show RudderTyper generation options for TypeScript.}
  tracking_plan_alias:
    - {name: tp apply, description: 'Tracking-plan-scoped apply; documented in the Docker examples as `rudder-cli tp apply --dry-run -l /catalog`.'}
resources_managed:
  - Data Catalog — events, properties, categories, custom types
  - Tracking Plans (including conditional validation variants)
  - Event Stream sources (SDK-based)
  - Transformations and transformation libraries
  - SQL models (Reverse ETL)
  - Data Graphs (Audiences)
  - Reverse ETL warehouse accounts
ci_cd:
  github_actions: https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/dev-tools/rudder-cli/github-actions/transformations/
  gitlab_ci: https://www.rudderstack.com/docs/dev-tools/rudder-cli/gitlab-ci-cd/transformations/
recommended_flow: validate → apply --dry-run → apply
agent_skills:
  note: >-
    RudderStack publishes five first-party agent skills for this CLI. See
    skills/_index.yml.
  files:
    - skills/rudderstack-rudder-cli-setup.md
    - skills/rudderstack-rudder-cli-workflow.md
    - skills/rudderstack-rudder-import-and-evolve.md
    - skills/rudderstack-rudder-transformations.md
    - skills/rudderstack-rudder-typer-workflow.md
alternatives:
  terraform:
    provider: rudderlabs/rudderstack
    version: 4.11.0
    registry: https://registry.terraform.io/providers/rudderlabs/rudderstack/latest
    repo: https://github.com/rudderlabs/terraform-provider-rudderstack
    note: >-
      A second, older infrastructure-as-code path covering sources, destinations
      and connections. RudderStack ships agent skills for it too.