Using bool-cli

CLI tool for managing projects on Bool.com. Requires Node.js >=18.

Prerequisites

1. 1. Install: INLINECODE0
2. Authenticate: Set BOOL_API_KEY env var, or run bool auth login interactively
3. Verify: Run bool auth status to confirm the connection

The API key is saved to ~/.config/bool-cli/config.json. The BOOL_API_KEY environment variable takes precedence over the saved config.

Important: Non-Interactive Commands

The bool auth login and bool bools delete <slug> commands are interactive (they prompt for input). When using them from an agent:

• - Auth: Set the BOOL_API_KEY environment variable instead of running INLINECODE9
• Delete: Always pass -y / --yes to skip the confirmation prompt: INLINECODE12

Commands Reference

Authentication

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Managing Bools

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Visibility options: private, team, unlisted, INLINECODE16

Versions & Deployment

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Quick Ship (Anonymous Bools)

Ship a project without needing an API key:

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The shipit command stores the slug and secret in .bool/config so subsequent runs in the same directory automatically update the same Bool.

JSON Output

All commands support --json for machine-readable output. Always use --json when you need to parse output programmatically.

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Project Config (.bool/config)

When you deploy, pull, or shipit in a directory, bool-cli stores project metadata in .bool/config:

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This allows you to omit the [slug] argument on subsequent commands when working in the same directory. For example:

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Add .bool/ to your .gitignore to keep secrets local.

Common Workflows

Create and deploy a new Bool (Option A: explicit)

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Create and deploy a new Bool (Option B: auto-create)

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This creates a Bool named after the directory and displays the live URL.

Quick anonymous ship (no API key needed)

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Pull, edit, and redeploy

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Check what's deployed

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Manage visibility

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Deploy a specific subdirectory with exclusions

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Deploy Behavior

• - bool deploy recursively reads the directory and uploads all text files
• Auto-create Bool: If no slug is provided (and no .bool/config exists), a new Bool is created automatically, named after the directory
• Live URL: The live deployment URL is displayed in the output after successful deployment
• Binary files (images, PDFs, archives, fonts, etc.) are automatically skipped
• Default excludes: .git, node_modules, __pycache__, .DS_Store, INLINECODE32
• Custom excludes: Use --exclude <pattern> (repeatable) for additional patterns
• .boolignore: If a .boolignore file exists in the deploy directory, it is respected (gitignore syntax)
• File paths in the payload are relative to the deploy directory

Pull Behavior

• - bool pull <slug> downloads files to ./<slug>/ by default
• Specify a custom output directory: INLINECODE38
• Pull a specific version: INLINECODE39
• Creates subdirectories as needed

Environment Variables

Error Handling

• - All errors print to stderr with a non-zero exit code
• API errors surface the server's error message (e.g., "Bool not found")
• If no API key is configured, commands fail with: INLINECODE46

Tips

• - Use bool bools list --json | jq '.[].slug' to get all slugs for scripting
• The Bool slug (not name) is the identifier used in all commands
• After bool bools create, the slug is derived from the name (e.g., "My Project" -> my-project)
• Use bool bools info <slug> --json to get the latest version number programmatically
• The live URL for any Bool is INLINECODE51