ClickUp CLI
<p align="center">
<img src="docs/assets/clickup-cli-logo.svg" alt="clickup-cli" width="80" />
</p>
<h1 align="center">clickup-cli</h1>
<p align="center">
A CLI for the <a href="https://clickup.com/api/">ClickUp API</a>, optimized for AI agents and human users.<br/>
Covers all ~130 endpoints across 28 resource groups and 4 utility commands.
</p>
<p align="center">
<a href="https://crates.io/crates/clickup-cli"><img src="https://img.shields.io/crates/v/clickup-cli" alt="crates.io" /></a>
<a href="https://www.npmjs.com/package/@nick.bester/clickup-cli"><img src="https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@nick.bester/clickup-cli" alt="npm" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/nicholasbester/clickup-cli/releases"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/nicholasbester/clickup-cli" alt="GitHub release" /></a>
<a href="https://github.com/nicholasbester/clickup-cli/actions"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/nicholasbester/clickup-cli/ci.yml" alt="CI" /></a>
<a href="https://codecov.io/gh/nicholasbester/clickup-cli"><img src="https://img.shields.io/codecov/c/github/nicholasbester/clickup-cli" alt="Coverage" /></a>
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<a href="https://clickup-cli.com/">Documentation</a>
</p>
## Why?
ClickUp's API responses are massive. A single task list query returns deeply nested JSON — statuses, assignees, priorities, custom fields, checklists, dependencies — easily **12,000+ tokens** for just 5 tasks. For AI agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, etc.) operating within context windows, this is a serious problem: a few API calls can consume most of an agent's available context.
clickup-cli solves this with **token-efficient output by default**:
```
Full API JSON for 5 tasks: ~12,000 tokens (450 lines)
clickup-cli table output: ~150 tokens (7 lines)
Reduction: ~98%
```
The CLI flattens nested objects, selects only essential fields, and renders compact tables. Agents get the information they need without drowning in JSON. When you need the full response, `--output json` is always available.
Beyond token efficiency, the `clickup-cli` CLI (or `clkup` for short) gives AI agents a simple, predictable interface to ClickUp: `clickup-cli <resource> <action> [ID] [flags]`. No SDK, no auth boilerplate, no JSON parsing — just shell commands with structured output.
## Install
### npm (any platform with Node.js)
```bash
npm install -g @nick.bester/clickup-cli
```
### Homebrew (macOS or Linux)
```bash
brew tap nicholasbester/clickup-cli
brew install clickup-cli
```
To upgrade to the latest version:
```bash
brew upgrade clickup-cli
```
Works on Linux too — the tap ships native x86_64 and arm64 Linux binaries.
### macOS / Linux (pre-built binary)
Download the latest release for your platform:
```bash
# macOS Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)
curl -L https://github.com/nicholasbester/clickup-cli/releases/latest/download/clickup-macos-arm64.tar.gz | tar xz
sudo mv clickup-cli clkup /usr/local/bin/
# macOS Intel
curl -L https://github.com/nicholasbester/clickup-cli/releases/latest/download/clickup-macos-x86_64.tar.gz | tar xz
sudo mv clickup-cli clkup /usr/local/bin/
# Linux x86_64
curl -L https://github.com/nicholasbester/clickup-cli/releases/latest/download/clickup-linux-x86_64.tar.gz | tar xz
sudo mv clickup-cli clkup /usr/local/bin/
# Linux ARM64
curl -L https://github.com/nicholasbester/clickup-cli/releases/latest/download/clickup-linux-arm64.tar.gz | tar xz
sudo mv clickup-cli clkup /usr/local/bin/
```
**Alpine / musl Linux:**
```sh
curl -L https://github.com/nicholasbester/clickup-cli/releases/latest/download/clickup-linux-x86_64-musl.tar.gz | tar xz
mv clickup-cli clkup /usr/local/bin/
```
### Arch Linux (AUR)
```bash
yay -S clickup-cli-bin
# or
paru -S clickup-cli-bin
```
`clickup-cli-bin` wraps the prebuilt Linux binaries — no Rust toolchain required. Auto-updated on every release.
### Windows
Download `clickup-windows-x86_64.zip` from the [latest release](https://github.com/nicholasbester/clickup-cli/releases/latest), extract it, and add `clickup-cli.exe` (and optionally `clkup.exe`) to your PATH.
### From crates.io (any platform)
Requires [Rust](https://rustup.rs/) 1.70+:
```bash
cargo install clickup-cli
```
### Docker
```bash
docker build -t clickup-cli .
docker run -i --rm -e CLICKUP_TOKEN=pk_xxx -e CLICKUP_WORKSPACE=12345 clickup-cli mcp serve
```
### From source
```bash
git clone https://github.com/nicholasbester/clickup-cli.git
cd clickup-cli
cargo install --path .
```
### Two binaries
Every install method ships **two** binaries with identical behaviour:
- `clickup-cli` — canonical name (use this in scripts, CI, MCP configs)
- `clkup` — short alias, handy for daily interactive typing
Pick whichever you prefer; both accept the same flags and subcommands.
### Verify installation
```bash
clickup-cli --version
# or
clkup --version
```
## Quick Start
```bash
# Configure your API token
clickup-cli setup
# Or non-interactive
clickup-cli setup --token pk_your_token_here
# Verify
clickup-cli auth whoami
```
## Usage Examples
```bash
# Hierarchy navigation
clickup-cli workspace list
clickup-cli space list
clickup-cli folder list --space 12345
clickup-cli list list --folder 67890
# Task management
clickup-cli task list --list 12345
clickup-cli task create --list 12345 --name "My Task" --priority 3
clickup-cli task get abc123
clickup-cli task update abc123 --status "in progress"
clickup-cli task search --status "in progress" --assignee 44106202
# Comments and collaboration
clickup-cli comment list --task abc123
clickup-cli comment create --task abc123 --text "Looking good!"
clickup-cli comment reply COMMENT_ID --text "Thanks!"
# Time tracking
clickup-cli time start --task abc123 --description "Working on feature"
clickup-cli time stop
clickup-cli time list --start-date 2026-03-01 --end-date 2026-03-31
# Goals and views
clickup-cli goal list
clickup-cli view list --space 12345
clickup-cli view tasks VIEW_ID
# Tags and custom fields
clickup-cli tag list --space 12345
clickup-cli field list --list 12345
clickup-cli field set FIELD_ID --value "some value" TASK_ID
# Chat (v3)
clickup-cli chat channel-list
clickup-cli chat message-send --channel CHAN_ID --text "Hello team"
# Docs (v3)
clickup-cli doc list
clickup-cli doc get DOC_ID
# Output modes
clickup-cli task list --list 12345 --output json # Full JSON
clickup-cli task list --list 12345 --output json-compact # Default fields as JSON
clickup-cli task list --list 12345 --output csv # CSV
clickup-cli task list --list 12345 -q # IDs only
clickup-cli task list --list 12345 --fields id,name,status # Custom fields
# Auto-detect task ID from git branch (on a branch like feat/CU-abc123-foo)
clickup-cli task get # Resolves to abc123 from the branch
clickup-cli task update --status "in progress"
clickup-cli comment create --text "Looking good!"
clickup-cli field set FIELD_ID --value "some value"
```
### Auto-detect task ID from git branch
When a git-tracked branch follows a common naming convention, `clickup-cli` resolves the task ID automatically:
- ClickUp default IDs — `feat/CU-abc123-foo` → `abc123`
- Custom task IDs — `PROJ-42-add-login` → `PROJ-42` (auto-injects `custom_task_ids=true&team_id=<ws>`)
Prefixes stripped case-insensitively: `feature/`, `feat/`, `fix/`, `hotfix/`, `bugfix/`, `release/`, `chore/`, `docs/`, `refactor/`, `test/`, `ci/`, `perf/`, `build/`, `style/`. Custom-ID matches whose prefix is `FEATURE`, `FEAT`, `BUGFIX`, `BUG`, `FIX`, `HOTFIX`, `RELEASE`, `CHORE`, `DOCS`, `DOC`, `REFACTOR`, `TEST`, `CI`, `PERF`, `BUILD`, `STYLE`, `WIP`, or `TMP` are rejected.
Resolution order (highest priority first): explicit CLI arg → `CLICKUP_TASK_ID` env var → git branch. Explicit `CU-abc123` is transparently stripped to `abc123`. Destructive or ambiguous commands (`task delete`, `task link`, `task unlink`, `guest share-task`, `guest unshare-task`) never auto-detect — pass the ID explicitly.
Disable for one invocation with `CLICKUP_GIT_DETECT=0`, or permanently in config:
```toml
[git]
enabled = false # disable branch detection
verbose = false # suppress the "resolved task X from branch Y" breadcrumb
```
## Command Groups
| Group | Commands |
|-------|----------|
| `setup` | Configure token and workspace |
| `auth` | whoami, check |
| `workspace` | list, seats, plan |
| `space` | list, get, create, update, delete |
| `folder` | list, get, create, update, delete |
| `list` | list, get, create, update, delete, add-task, remove-task |
| `task` | list, search, get, create, update, delete, time-in-status, add-tag, remove-tag, add-dep, remove-dep, link, unlink, move, set-estimate, replace-estimates |
| `checklist` | create, update, delete, add-item, update-item, delete-item |
| `comment` | list, create, update, delete, replies, reply |
| `tag` | list, create, update, delete |
| `field` | list, set, unset |
| `task-type` | list |
| `attachment` | list, upload |
| `time` | list, get, current, create, update, delete, start, stop, tags, add-tags, remove-tags, rename-tag, history |
| `goal` | list, get, create, update, delete, add-kr, update-kr, delete-kr |
| `view` | list, get, create, update, delete, tasks |
| `member` | list |
| `user` | invite, get, update, remove |
| `chat` | channel-list, channel-create, channel-get, channel-update, channel-delete, dm, message-list, message-send, message-update, message-delete, reaction-list, reaction-add, reaction-remove, reply-list, reply-send, and more |
| `doc` | list, create, get, pages, add-page, page, edit-page |
| `webhook` | list, create, update, delete |
| `template` | list, apply-task, apply-list, apply-folder |
| `guest` | invite, get, update, remove, share-task, unshare-task, share-list, unshare-list, share-folder, unshare-folder |
| `group` | list, create, update, delete |
| `role` | list |
| `shared` | list |
| `audit-log` | query |
| `acl` | update |
| **Utilities** | |
| `status` | Show current config, token (masked), workspace |
| `completions` | Generate shell completions (bash, zsh, fish, powershell) |
| `agent-config` | show, inject — CLI reference for AI agent configs |
| `mcp` | serve — MCP server for native LLM tool integration |
## AI Agent Integration
Two ways to connect AI agents to ClickUp:
### Recommended: CLI Mode (shell commands)
The CLI approach is **the most token-efficient way** to give an agent ClickUp access. Injecting the command reference costs ~1,000 tokens once, and every command returns compact table output (~150 tokens for 5 tasks). There are no tool schemas consuming context. Works with any LLM/agent framework.
```bash
clickup-cli agent-config inject # Auto-detects: CLAUDE.md, agent.md, .cursorrules, etc.
clickup-cli agent-config inject AGENT.md # Or specify any file explicitly
clickup-cli agent-config show # Preview the block
```
Auto-detection checks for existing files in order: `CLAUDE.md`, `agent.md`, `AGENT.md`, `.cursorrules`, `.github/copilot-instructions.md`. Falls back to creating `CLAUDE.md` if none exist.
The agent then runs CLI commands directly — the full ClickUp API in ~1,000 tokens of instructions.
### Alternative: MCP Server (native tool calls)
For Claude Desktop, Cursor, and other MCP-capable tools that prefer native tool integration. Note: MCP tool schemas consume more tokens in the agent's context than the CLI reference approach.
Generate the MCP config automatically:
```bash
clickup-cli agent-config init --mcp
```
Or add `.mcp.json` to your project root manually:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"clickup-cli": {
"command": "/opt/homebrew/bin/clickup-cli",
"args": ["mcp", "serve"]
}
}
}
```
This exposes 144 tools covering 100% of the ClickUp API as native tool calls with token-efficient compact responses. See the [MCP documentation](https://clickup-cli.com/mcp) for full setup.
### Limiting MCP tools
By default `clickup-cli mcp serve` exposes all 144 tools. You can restrict this at startup to shrink the LLM's context and enforce access control. Flags and matching env vars:
| Flag | Env var | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `--profile <name>` | `CLICKUP_MCP_PROFILE` | Preset: `all` (default), `read`, `safe` |
| `--read-only` | `CLICKUP_MCP_READ_ONLY=1` | Alias for `--profile read` |
| `--groups a,b,c` | `CLICKUP_MCP_GROUPS` | Include only these resource groups |
| `--exclude-groups x,y` | `CLICKUP_MCP_EXCLUDE_GROUPS` | Drop these groups |
| `--tools t1,t2` | `CLICKUP_MCP_TOOLS` | Include only these tools by exact name |
| `--exclude-tools t1` | `CLICKUP_MCP_EXCLUDE_TOOLS` | Drop these tools |
`--read-only` agent:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"clickup": {
"command": "clickup-cli",
"args": ["mcp", "serve", "--read-only"]
}
}
}
```
Task-focused agent (task + comment + time groups only):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"clickup": {
"command": "clickup-cli",
"args": ["mcp", "serve", "--groups", "task,comment,time"]
}
}
}
```
Filtered tools are rejected at `tools/call` as well as hidden from `tools/list`, so a misbehaving agent can't smuggle a destructive call past the filter.
## Configuration
### Config Files
| Level | File | Use case |
|-------|------|----------|
| **Project** | `.clickup.toml` | Per-project token/workspace (team repos, CI) |
| **Global** | `~/.config/clickup-cli/config.toml` | Personal default |
Create a project-level config:
```bash
clickup-cli agent-config init --token pk_xxx --workspace 12345
```
This creates `.clickup.toml` in the current directory. Add it to `.gitignore` if it contains a token. Project config takes priority over global config.
### Token Resolution (highest priority wins)
1. `--token` CLI flag
2. `CLICKUP_TOKEN` environment variable
3. `.clickup.toml` (project-level)
4. `~/.config/clickup-cli/config.toml` (global)
### Workspace Resolution
1. `--workspace` CLI flag
2. `CLICKUP_WORKSPACE` environment variable
3. `.clickup.toml` (project-level)
4. `~/.config/clickup-cli/config.toml` (global)
### Check Current Config
```bash
clickup-cli status
```
```
clickup-cli vX.Y.Z
Config: ~/.config/clickup-cli/config.toml
Token: pk_abc...wxyz
Workspace: 1234567
```
## Shell Completions
```bash
# Bash
clickup-cli completions bash > ~/.bash_completion.d/clickup-cli
# Zsh
clickup-cli completions zsh > ~/.zfunc/_clickup-cli
# Fish
clickup-cli completions fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/clickup-cli.fish
# PowerShell
clickup-cli completions powershell > clickup-cli.ps1
```
## Output Modes
| Flag | Description |
|------|-------------|
| _(default)_ | Aligned table with essential fields |
| `--output json` | Full API response |
| `--output json-compact` | Default fields as JSON |
| `--output csv` | CSV format |
| `-q` / `--quiet` | IDs only, one per line |
## Exit Codes
| Code | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| 0 | Success |
| 1 | Client error (bad input) — includes CLI usage/parse errors |
| 2 | Auth/permission error (401, 403) |
| 3 | Not found (404) |
| 4 | Rate limited (429) |
| 5 | Server error (5xx) |
## Related projects
Other community tools in the ClickUp ecosystem — picking the right one depends on your use case:
**CLIs**
- [`triptechtravel/clickup-cli`](https://github.com/triptechtravel/clickup-cli) — Go CLI focused on developer workflows. Auto-detects task IDs from git branch names (`CU-abc123`), tight GitHub PR integration.
- [`dang3r/clickupy`](https://github.com/dang3r/clickupy) — Python CLI + library. Has a FUSE mount mode if you want to browse ClickUp like a filesystem.
- [`code-gorilla-au/clickup-cli`](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/code-gorilla-au/clickup-cli) — another Go CLI.
- [`techlove/gitclick`](https://github.com/techlove/gitclick) — narrow-scope ClickUp ↔ GitHub PR sync.
**MCP servers**
- [ClickUp's official MCP](https://developer.clickup.com/docs/connect-an-ai-assistant-to-clickups-mcp-server) — hosted, OAuth, curated tool set.
- [`taazkareem/clickup-mcp-server`](https://github.com/taazkareem/clickup-mcp-server), [`hauptsacheNet/clickup-mcp`](https://github.com/hauptsacheNet/clickup-mcp), [`Nazruden/clickup-mcp-server`](https://github.com/Nazruden/clickup-mcp-server) — community-maintained Node/TypeScript MCP servers.
**Where this project fits**
Rust binary, zero runtime dependency, ~130 REST endpoints + 144 MCP tools (100% API coverage), statically linked musl build for Alpine / distroless containers, and token-efficient output tuned for LLM agents. Use this when you want one binary that covers both the CLI and MCP roles without a Node/Python toolchain.
## Star History
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</a>
## License
[Apache-2.0](LICENSE)
TDQS
Scored across 143 tools
Each tool has a distinct purpose with clear resource-action naming (e.g., task_create vs task_get). Over 140 tools are all uniquely disambiguated by their resource and action, avoiding any ambiguity.
All tools follow the consistent pattern clickup_<resource>_<action> in snake_case. No mixing of conventions like camelCase or inconsistent verb forms.
143 tools is large but appropriate for a comprehensive CLI covering ClickUp's many features (tasks, docs, chat, goals, time tracking, etc.). While exceeding the typical 3-15 range, the scope justifies the count.
The tool surface is extremely complete, covering CRUD for all major resources (tasks, lists, folders, spaces, docs, comments, checklists, chat, goals, tags, webhooks, views, time entries) plus search, sharing, guest management, and workspace info.