CopilotKit CLI
Use the CopilotKit CLI to create apps, sign in to Cloud-Hosted Enterprise Intelligence, select projects, provision runtime API keys, import historical conversations, and install agent skills.
What is this?#
The CopilotKit CLI helps you create CopilotKit apps connected to Enterprise Intelligence, whether cloud-hosted or self-hosted. It handles browser sign-in, project selection, project-scoped runtime API keys, historical thread import, and local project configuration so your app can use durable threads and conversation history.
Use the CLI when you want to start a new app, import historical ADK or LangGraph conversations, or install CopilotKit agent skills for your coding agent.
Prerequisites#
- Node.js 20+
- A CopilotKit account for Cloud-Hosted Enterprise Intelligence
- An OpenAI API key or another model provider key for the starter app you choose
Start a new app#
Creating vs. adding to an existing app
create (aliased as init) scaffolds a brand-new project in its own directory — it prompts for an app name and does not detect or bootstrap an app you already have. To add CopilotKit to an existing app, follow the manual installation in the Quickstart instead.
Run create#
npx copilotkit@latest createThe CLI prompts for the app name and framework, opens browser sign-in when needed, scaffolds the starter, and connects the app to a cloud-hosted Enterprise Intelligence project.
Sign in#
If you are not already signed in, the CLI opens a browser login flow. Complete login in the browser, then return to the terminal.
If the browser does not open, the CLI prints a login URL and supports a manual paste fallback.
Select a project#
Choose an existing cloud-hosted project or create a new one. A project is where your app's threads, messages, and platform metadata are stored.
The CLI writes the selected project to .copilotkit/project.json:
{
"projectId": "proj_...",
"projectSlug": "support-assistant",
"clerkOrgId": "org_..."
}Use the generated environment#
The CLI writes the hosted platform URLs and project-scoped runtime API key to .env.
INTELLIGENCE_API_URL=https://...
INTELLIGENCE_GATEWAY_WS_URL=wss://...
INTELLIGENCE_API_KEY=cpk_...Keep INTELLIGENCE_API_KEY on the server side. It is a runtime key for the selected project, not a frontend token.
Start development#
npm run devThe starter runs your local app and runtime while storing durable threads in the cloud-hosted project selected by the CLI.
Import and synchronize historical conversations#
Use import from a CopilotKit app created with the CLI and Enterprise Intelligence enabled. The importer targets the Enterprise Intelligence project already selected for the current directory.
npx copilotkit@latest import --source adk --dry-runnpx copilotkit@latest import --source langgraph --dry-runThe command runs interactively by default. Start with --dry-run to discover source agent keys, conversation counts, skips, and the estimated upload size without opening an import batch.
If you need to import into a different project, select it before continuing with the real import:
npx copilotkit@latest project selectThis changes the project selected for the current directory and writes its project-scoped runtime key to the starter's generated .env.
Before the real import, export the destination values from that .env:
export INTELLIGENCE_API_URL="https://..."
export INTELLIGENCE_API_KEY="cpk_..."The importer reads --api-url and --api-key or the current process environment. It does not load .env or .copilotkit/project.json automatically. COPILOTKIT_API_KEY is also accepted for the key.
Project selection updates the app configuration; the importer still receives its destination through flags or exported environment variables.
For the full adoption flow, see Import & Synchronize Thread History. Source-specific setup lives in Synchronize ADK threads and Synchronize LangGraph threads.
Auth commands#
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
npx copilotkit@latest login | Opens the browser sign-in flow and stores a local CLI session. |
npx copilotkit@latest whoami | Shows the signed-in user and active organization. |
npx copilotkit@latest logout | Clears the local CLI session. |
Project commands#
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
npx copilotkit@latest project select | Selects or creates a cloud-hosted Enterprise Intelligence project for the current directory. |
npx copilotkit@latest import --source adk --dry-run | Previews historical Google ADK conversation threads before import. |
npx copilotkit@latest import --source langgraph --dry-run | Previews historical LangGraph conversation threads before import. |
npx copilotkit@latest license create | Issues a CopilotKit license token for flows that require one. |
npx copilotkit@latest license list | Lists license metadata for the current user or organization. |
Re-running project select is safe when you need to move a CLI-created app to a different cloud-hosted project. The command updates .copilotkit/project.json and provisions a project-scoped API key for the selected project.
Skills commands#
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
npx copilotkit@latest skills install | Installs CopilotKit agent skills for supported coding agents. |
npx copilotkit@latest skills onboard | Installs skills, then starts agent-assisted onboarding for an existing app. |
Next steps#
- Cloud-hosted platform: Cloud-Hosted Enterprise Intelligence — login, projects, API keys, threads, and plans in the hosted web app
- Add threads: use the Threads Drawer for a drop-in thread switcher, or Headless Threads to build your own thread UI
- Synchronize thread history: Import & Synchronize Thread History — import existing ADK or LangGraph conversations and keep future CopilotKit runs synchronized
- Self-hosting: Self-Hosting Enterprise Intelligence — run the Enterprise Intelligence Platform in your own Kubernetes cluster