# Install the CLI

> The revnu command. Sign up and set up a new account from a terminal or a coding agent with setup --json and its exit codes, then every API route as a subcommand with JSON on stdout.

Canonical: https://revnu.com/docs/cli
Last updated: 2026-10-19

```bash
npx @revnu/cli setup      # sign up or sign in, then set Revnu up
```

`revnu setup` opens a browser to sign in. Someone new creates their account on the same page, in one click. It then asks for the business's website, shows what Revnu learned with its sources, hands over a Stripe Checkout link and starts Revnu.

To keep the command around:

```bash
npm install -g @revnu/cli
revnu login               # browser sign-in; or `revnu auth login` to paste a token
revnu whoami
```

To connect Revnu to Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, VS Code, Cursor, Claude or ChatGPT as an MCP server instead, [MCP Server Setup](https://revnu.com/docs/mcp.md) is the install guide.

`revnu login` saves its token to `~/.config/revnu/config.json`. Or skip the login and set `REVNU_API_TOKEN` to a token from **Settings → Developers**. `REVNU_API_BASE` overrides the API base for testing. Node 20 or later.

## What the person does, and what the CLI can't do

Two steps are always the person's: signing in (with Google or a code sent to their email) and entering a card on Stripe's page, when their offer asks for one. Everything else the CLI or a coding agent can run. The CLI never takes card details, and no command writes and sends an email or publishes a post of your own. Approving and sending what Revnu drafted goes through `revnu review`, under the same approval settings as the dashboard.

## Set up an account from a coding agent

Claude Code, Codex and Cursor can create and set up an account without loading the MCP server. Run setup with `--json`: it prints one JSON object on stdout, sends progress to stderr, and never waits for input on stdin.

```bash
npx @revnu/cli setup --json --website acme.com
```

Every result carries `stage`, `next` (what to do, in words) and `command` (the command that does it, or `null`). Follow `next` until `stage` is `done`. The stages are `website`, `researching`, `review`, `payment`, `start` and `done`.

### 1. The person signs in

With no saved token, setup starts a sign-in in the background, opens a browser if the machine has one, and waits up to 90 seconds (`--wait <seconds>` changes it). If the person hasn't finished by then, it exits with code 4:

```json
{
  "ok": false,
  "error": "LOGIN_PENDING",
  "message": "Waiting for the person to sign in to Revnu in their browser.",
  "loginUrl": "https://revnu.com/…",
  "browserOpened": true,
  "expiresAt": "2026-10-15T10:15:00.000Z",
  "next": "Ask the person to open loginUrl and sign in; someone new creates their account on the same page, in one click. Then run this command again. …"
}
```

Show the person `loginUrl`, wait for them to say they're done, and run the same command again. The link lasts 15 minutes; a re-run inside that time reuses it. If their browser is on another machine, it ends on a page that won't load. Ask them for that page's address and run `revnu login --code '<url>'`.

### 2. Research, then the review

The website goes in and research takes about a minute. Setup waits for it, then stops at `stage: "review"` with `review.rows`. Each row has an `id`, a `label`, what research `found`, the `sources` it came from, and whether it is `required`. A row with a `question` is something research couldn't answer.

Show the person every row and its sources, and ask what is wrong. These rows become Revnu's memory of the business, so never confirm them on the person's behalf. Then save their answers:

```bash
npx @revnu/cli setup confirm --json --keep-found \
  --row sells="Invoicing for design agencies" \
  --row neverSay="Never call it accounting software"
```

`--keep-found` keeps research's answer for every row you don't pass with `--row`. `--business-name` and `--extra` correct the name and add anything else.

### 3. Checkout: the person's step

At `stage: "payment"`, the `payment` object says what the person is signing up for: `priceUsdPerMonth`, `trialDays`, `freeMonths` and `cardAtCheckout` (whether Stripe's page asks for a card). Offers differ, so read these rather than promising a trial length. Then:

```bash
npx @revnu/cli setup checkout --json
```

The result has `checkoutUrl`. Give it to the person. They open it and finish on Stripe's page themselves; never ask for card details. Running checkout again returns the same link, because a new one would stop the open one working (`--new` forces a new link). Then wait for the stage to move:

```bash
npx @revnu/cli setup --json --wait 90
```

Repeat until `stage` is `start`. An account with a YC deal has no `payment` details and no checkout link: the person adds a card in the dashboard instead, and `next` says so.

### 4. Start

```bash
npx @revnu/cli setup finish --json
```

Revnu starts its first work: it researches the market and queues work for approval. If nobody calls finish, it starts on its own 15 minutes after the trial begins. At `stage: "done"`, the person can talk to Revnu with `revnu agent message`, approve work with `revnu review list`, or connect Slack, iMessage and their email in the dashboard.

`-y` takes the safe steps without asking: it makes the checkout link when none is out, and runs finish. It never confirms the review.

### Exit codes and error codes

| Exit | `error` | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | none | Done; read `stage` and `next`. | Follow `next`. |
| 1 | `REJECTED` | Revnu refused a step, such as a website that doesn't exist. `message` says why. | Fix it with the person. |
| 1 | `API_ERROR`, `LOGIN_FAILED`, `ERROR` | The API, the network or the sign-in failed. | Retry; `LOGIN_FAILED` starts again with `revnu login`. |
| 2 | `USAGE`, `WRONG_STAGE` | A bad flag, or a step that doesn't fit the current stage. | Read `stage` and `next`, then run the right step. |
| 2 | `NO_PENDING_LOGIN` | `revnu login --code` ran with no sign-in waiting. | Start one with `revnu login`. |
| 2 | `ACCOUNT_HAS_OTHER_BUSINESS` | This login is already set up for another website. Nothing changed. | Follow `next`: sign out and sign in with that business's email. |
| 3 | `NOT_AUTHENTICATED` | Not signed in, and nobody can sign in here, such as in CI or with `--no-login`. | A person runs `npx @revnu/cli login`, or set `REVNU_API_TOKEN`. |
| 4 | `LOGIN_PENDING` | The person is signing in at `loginUrl`. | Run the same command again once they have. |

## Commands

```
revnu setup [--website <url>] [-y] [--json] [--wait <seconds>] [--no-login]
revnu setup status [--wait <seconds>]
revnu setup confirm [--keep-found] [--row <id>=<value>]... [--business-name "..."] [--extra "..."]
revnu setup checkout [--open] [--new] [--wait <seconds>]
revnu setup finish
revnu login [--json] [--wait <seconds>]
revnu login --code <url>                    # the browser was on another machine
revnu logout
revnu auth login                            # paste a token instead
revnu auth status                           # which token source is in use, never the token
revnu auth logout
revnu whoami                                # the account and scopes behind the token
revnu mcp                                   # local MCP server over stdio
revnu review list [--status pending|needs_revision] [--limit N]
revnu review get <id>
revnu review approve <id>
revnu review answer <id> --text "..."
revnu review choose <id> --option <value>
revnu review send <id> [--body "..."]
revnu review request-changes <id> --text "..."
revnu review snooze <id> --until <epoch-ms|ISO>
revnu review dismiss <id> [--reason "..."]
revnu agent message "..." [--wait <seconds>] [--client-id <id>] [--queue]
revnu agent poll <requestId>
revnu agent status
revnu agent thread [--limit N]
revnu results [--since <epoch-ms|ISO>]
revnu workflows list
revnu workflows runs <id> [--limit N]
revnu workflows create --json '<body>'      # or --json @body.json
revnu workflows update <id> --json '<body>'
revnu workflows pause <id>
revnu workflows resume <id>
revnu workflows run <id> [--client-id c]    # run it now; the schedule stays
revnu workflows delete <id>
revnu leads list [--status s] [--limit N] [--cursor c] [--workflow-run id]
revnu leads get <id>
revnu leads update <id> [--vertical v] [--archetype a] [--tags a,b] [--clear vertical,archetype,tags]
revnu linkedin person <profile url> [--account name]
revnu blocklist list [--limit N] [--cursor c]
revnu blocklist add <value>... [--reason "..."]
revnu blocklist remove <id>
```

`agent message` waits 60 seconds for the reply by default, up to 300 with `--wait`. A new message stops work Revnu is still doing for this token; pass `--queue` to hand over another job that starts once the current one is done, and `--client-id` so a retry never sends twice. See [Talk to Your Agent](https://revnu.com/docs/talk-to-your-agent.md).

The `--json` body for `workflows create` and `update` is the same object the [create](https://revnu.com/docs/workflow-create.md) and [update](https://revnu.com/docs/workflow-update.md) routes take. `--tags` replaces the whole list; `--tags ""` empties it and `--clear tags` removes it.

## Output

The data commands (`whoami`, `review`, `agent`, `results`, `workflows`, `leads`, `linkedin`, `blocklist`) and `auth status`/`auth logout` print JSON to stdout, so `| jq` works. `login` and `setup` print text, or one JSON object with `--json`. `auth login`, `help` and `version` print text, and `mcp` owns stdout for the MCP transport, so never pipe those.

Exit codes for every command: 0 ok, 1 the API said no or the network failed, 2 usage. `login` and `setup` add 3 (not signed in, nobody to sign in) and 4 (sign-in still in progress).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I create a Revnu account from the terminal?

Yes. `npx @revnu/cli setup` opens Revnu's sign-in page, which creates the account for someone new, then walks through the website, the research review, checkout and the first start. A coding agent runs the same thing with `--json`.

### What does exit code 4 mean?

`LOGIN_PENDING`: the person hasn't finished signing in at `loginUrl` yet. Show them the link and run the same command again once they have. It is not an error to retry.

### Can I see what Revnu would do before signing up?

Yes, without the CLI: POST the website to `https://revnu.com/api/v1/preview` with no token. See [Preview a Plan Without an Account](https://revnu.com/docs/preview.md).

### Can a coding agent pay for the subscription?

The person pays. The CLI hands over a Stripe Checkout link and they finish it on Stripe's page, so card details never pass through the CLI or the API.

### Where is the token stored?

In `~/.config/revnu/config.json` with mode 600, or wherever `XDG_CONFIG_HOME` points. `revnu logout` deletes it. A token from `revnu login` is listed in Settings → Developers as "Revnu CLI", with the agent's name when an agent ran it, and signing in again replaces it.

### Can I use it in CI?

Yes. Set `REVNU_API_TOKEN` as a secret and call the commands directly; nothing is interactive when the token comes from the environment. In CI, `setup` and `login` exit 3 rather than wait for a sign-in nobody can do.