companion-clis — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install

---
name: companion-clis
description: Companion CLIs for Runpod workflows — HuggingFace, GitHub, Docker, and AWS. Use runpod-build-template for complete template project authoring, and the ComfyUI model-repair guide in runpod-templates for imported workflows lacking model download metadata.
compatibility: Linux, macOS, Windows
metadata:
  author: runpod
  version: "1.8.0" # x-release-please-version
  concepts: [container-image, network-volume, hub-repo]
license: Apache-2.0
---

# Companion CLIs

For creating or improving a documented template project, start with
[runpod-build-template](../runpod-build-template/SKILL.md); return here for the selected
CLI operation.

Four CLIs commonly needed alongside Runpod. Each has its own **credentials + command reference** in [`reference/`](reference/) — plus a one-time `<cli>-setup.md` for install (only opened if the CLI isn't installed). Load only the one the task needs, not all four.

If the request starts with an imported ComfyUI workflow whose model filenames lack
verified URLs or hashes, route to the
[ComfyUI model-repair guide](../runpod-templates/reference/comfyui-model-repair.md) in
runpod-templates. Return here when the
exact Hugging Face repository/file is already known and the task is simply to
download, cache, or bake that artifact.

| CLI | Use it to | Full reference |
|-----|-----------|----------------|
| `hf` (HuggingFace) | Download models from the Hub to cache/bake into images | [reference/huggingface.md](reference/huggingface.md) |
| `gh` (GitHub) | Manage worker repos + cut releases (Hub indexes releases) | [reference/github.md](reference/github.md) |
| `docker` | Build/validate/push images to Docker Hub for Runpod to pull | [reference/docker.md](reference/docker.md) |
| `aws` (S3) | Read/write network-volume storage over Runpod's S3 API | [reference/aws.md](reference/aws.md) |

Each requires credentials before use. Read the per-tool reference for auth steps and commands; install is a separate one-time `<cli>-setup.md`.

These CLIs are usually one step inside a larger job. For the whole job the verified example is
in [runpod/golden-paths/README.md](../runpod/golden-paths/README.md) — baking vs mounting a
model ([25](../runpod/golden-paths/25-bake-vs-mount/README.md)), building a minimal image
([22](../runpod/golden-paths/22-minimal-pod-image/README.md)), or moving data to a network
volume ([07](../runpod/golden-paths/07-network-volume-handoff.md)).

These are third-party CLIs on their own release trains, so **`<cli> --help` is authoritative
for flags and subcommands** — the references here cover the Runpod-specific usage and the
traps, not the tool's full surface. Check `--help` before reporting that one of them cannot do
something.

## Windows: choose the shell, then set up WSL2 if needed

Check existing native, WSL2 or remote tools before installing another copy. The Windows
`hf` and `gh` setup recipes in this skill use WSL2 and their Linux installers. If choosing
that route and WSL2 is missing, run this in PowerShell as Administrator, then restart if
prompted:

```powershell
wsl --install
```

Afterward open the Ubuntu app to finish setup, then follow the **Linux** instructions in
each reference. Keep commands, credentials and paths in the selected environment. File
authoring alone does not require installing these CLIs.

## HuggingFace CLI

Download models locally so they're cached for a Docker build/run. Auth and `hf download` recipes: **[reference/huggingface.md](reference/huggingface.md)** (install: [reference/huggingface-setup.md](reference/huggingface-setup.md)).

- Use the standalone `hf` CLI, **not** `pip install huggingface_hub` (that's the older `huggingface-cli` with different syntax).
- Auth via `hf auth login`, or `export HF_TOKEN=hf_...` (env var wins over saved token).

## GitHub CLI

Manage worker repositories and cut releases. Auth and commands: **[reference/github.md](reference/github.md)** (install + SSH-key setup: [reference/github-setup.md](reference/github-setup.md)).

- **The Hub indexes releases, not commits** — every Hub listing update needs a new `gh release create`.
- One SSH key (`ssh-keygen -t ed25519`) registers with both GitHub (`gh ssh-key add`) and HuggingFace (paste in browser).

## Docker

Build, validate, and push images to Docker Hub. Credentials and commands: **[reference/docker.md](reference/docker.md)** (install: [reference/docker-setup.md](reference/docker-setup.md)).

- **Always build `--platform=linux/amd64`** — Runpod runs on x86 Linux.
- **Always use explicit semantic tags; never `latest`** — `latest` doesn't track the newest push, so workers can silently pull the wrong image.
- Docker Hub auth uses a **personal access token**, not your password. For private images, register the credential once in Console → Container Registry Settings.

## AWS CLI

Access network-volume storage over Runpod's S3-compatible API (bucket name = network volume ID). Credentials, region rules, and commands: **[reference/aws.md](reference/aws.md)** (install: [reference/aws-setup.md](reference/aws-setup.md)).

- Runpod's S3 API, **not AWS**: access key = Runpod **user id** (`user_...`), secret = S3 API key (`rps_...`).
- **S3 API keys are Console-only.** No `runpodctl`/REST/GraphQL creates them — if they're not already in `~/.aws/credentials`/env and S3 access is needed, **stop and ask the user** to generate them (Settings > S3 API Keys).
- Every command needs `--region DATACENTER --endpoint-url https://s3api-DATACENTER.runpod.io/` (datacenter = the volume's DC, not an AWS region).
- For large/many-file transfers with reliable resume, see [reference/aws.md → optional resumable volume transfers](reference/aws.md#optional-resumable-volume-transfers-community-tool).