# appwrite-cli

A skill that explains when to keep an Appwrite project in appwrite.config.json and when a one-off appwrite client call is enough.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 1900 installs · ★ 28
- Author: appwrite
- License: BSD-3-Clause · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/appwrite/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/appwrite-cli/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-20
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/appwrite-cli

## What it does

The skill splits Appwrite CLI work into two modes. A real project — repo, schema, functions, deploys, CI — lives in `appwrite.config.json`: init once, then pull and push. A one-off like inspecting a user or patching a single row goes through `appwrite client`, and scaffolding a project for it is wasted effort.

Auth is a separate layer. Your session or API key sits in global CLI prefs, while the project binding sits in the config. `init project` talks to the console and needs a login session, so CI passes the key with `appwrite client --key "$APPWRITE_API_KEY"` and commits the config without secrets. `APPWRITE_PROJECT_ID` and `APPWRITE_ENDPOINT` override the file without touching it.

For application code against TablesDB the skill points to `appwrite generate`. The generator reads the local config and emits a wrapper where database, table, payloads and query fields are checked by TypeScript. It never inspects the remote schema, so a stale config produces stale code — run `appwrite pull table` first. One more trap: `--force` skips prompts, and without it a push in CI or from an agent fails because there is no TTY. Ask the user, then pass the flag.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add appwrite/skills --skill appwrite-cli -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/appwrite-cli/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/appwrite-cli/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add appwrite/skills --skill appwrite-cli -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/appwrite-cli/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add appwrite/skills --skill appwrite-cli -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/appwrite-cli/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install appwrite/skills appwrite-cli
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/appwrite-cli/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add appwrite/skills --skill appwrite-cli -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/appwrite/skills --path skills/appwrite-cli
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/appwrite-cli/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add appwrite/skills --skill appwrite-cli -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/appwrite/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/appwrite-cli/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- keep an Appwrite project in config instead of scattered API calls
- link a folder to a project in one command
- deploy functions in CI where no TTY exists
- generate typed code from a table schema
- separate auth from the project binding

## Example prompts
- init the Appwrite project and pull the table schema
- generate a typed TablesDB client
- deploy the api function in CI with the key from an env var

## Source text · SKILL.md · BSD-3-Clause

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 1c47ae60f057c695.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 1c47ae60f057c695
````text
---
name: appwrite-cli
description: How to use the Appwrite CLI well. Covers when to use appwrite.config.json vs `appwrite client`, pull/push vs one-shot service calls, type-safe SDK and model generation, query flags, CI auth, Cloud regional endpoints, function/site variables, and traps that `--help` will not mention. Does not catalog commands — run `appwrite <command> --help` for flags. Use whenever running `appwrite`, deploying or pulling functions/sites/tables, generating application code from a table schema, initializing or linking a project, scripting Appwrite, or when the user mentions the Appwrite CLI, appwrite.config.json, `appwrite generate`, `appwrite types`, or `appwrite client`.
---


# Appwrite CLI

`appwrite <command> --help` already lists flags. Read it instead of guessing.

## Config vs `client`

A **real project** (repo, schema, functions, deploys, CI) lives in `appwrite.config.json`. Init once. Pull and push after that. Do not `appwrite client --project-id` on every command — the config already names the project.

A **one-off** (inspect a user, patch one row, poke a remote you will not return to) uses `appwrite client`. Do not scaffold a project for a single API call.

```bash
# Good — project
appwrite login
appwrite list-projects --json
appwrite init project --project-id <ID>
appwrite pull table
# edit appwrite.config.json, then:
appwrite push table --force

# Bad — project treated as a pile of API calls
appwrite tablesdb create-table --database-id main --table-id songs ...
appwrite tablesdb create-varchar-column --database-id main --table-id songs ...
# the next clone has no record of this

# Good — one-off (already logged in)
appwrite client --project-id <ID>
appwrite users get --user-id <ID> --json

# Bad — one-off that litters a repo
cd ~/some-unrelated-app && appwrite init project
```

No session? `appwrite client --endpoint https://<REGION>.cloud.appwrite.io/v1 --key "$APPWRITE_API_KEY" --project-id <ID>`.

`appwrite client --project-id` writes `appwrite.config.json` in this directory (or updates one found walking up). That is how you link a folder quickly. Do not run it at the root of an unrelated repo. `APPWRITE_PROJECT_ID` / `APPWRITE_ENDPOINT` override the file without touching it — use those when you are already inside a project and need a one-shot against something else.

## Auth is not the project

| Layer | Lives in | Set with |
|---|---|---|
| Who you are (session or API key) | global CLI prefs | `appwrite login` or `appwrite client --key` |
| Which project | `appwrite.config.json` | `init project`, `pull`, or `client --project-id` |

`init project` talks to the **console**. It needs a login session. An API key cannot list organizations.

```bash
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 1c47ae60f057c695

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 1c47ae60f057c695 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

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