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. Bare rowset capabilities returns a compact available_topics index. Request only the details needed for the task:

rowset capabilities --topic rows --topic schema
rowset capabilities --topic rows --include-use-cases
rowset capabilities --full

--topic is repeatable and also accepts comma-separated IDs. Use --include-use-cases only when examples help. --full returns the complete guide and cannot be combined with --topic. 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.