Use Rowset from the CLI

Use the rowset CLI to work with datasets, rows, projects, relationships, schema, assets, previews, and exports from a terminal. The CLI calls the same authenticated REST API available to agents and applications.

Before you begin

You need a Rowset account and an API key. Create the key on the Rowset instance you intend to use.

Install the CLI

Install the latest published release:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/LVTD-LLC/rowset/releases/latest/download/install-rowset-cli.sh | sh

Verify the installation:

rowset --version

Connect to your Rowset instance

Store the API key privately:

export ROWSET_API_KEY="YOUR_ROWSET_API_KEY"
rowset user info

The CLI uses https://rowset.lvtd.dev/api/ by default.

If you want to connect to a self-hosted instance, pass the REST API base as a global option before the command:

rowset --api-base "https://rowset.example.com/api/" user info

To use the same self-hosted instance for every command, set ROWSET_API_BASE instead:

export ROWSET_API_BASE="https://rowset.example.com/api/"
rowset user info

Use the public base URL you expose for the instance, including the /api/ path. The API key must come from that instance.

Verify access

Run:

rowset user info
rowset capabilities

rowset user info returns safe account details for the authenticated user. rowset capabilities returns the feature groups supported by the connected instance. An authentication error usually means the API key and API base came from different Rowset instances, or the key is missing from the environment.

Run common commands

Discover datasets before creating a duplicate:

rowset dataset list
rowset dataset search "customer feedback"

Inspect a dataset before changing its rows:

rowset dataset get "{dataset_key}"
rowset row list "{dataset_key}"

Export a snapshot:

rowset export "{dataset_key}" csv --output dataset.csv

Run rowset --help for all command groups and global configuration options. Use the API overview for authentication details or Connect over MCP when an agent can discover Rowset tools directly.