CLI reference

The abstract command signs you in and saves an API key on your machine, so a script or an agent can call the API.

Install

curl -fsSL https://abstract.inc/install.sh | bash

The installer supports macOS and Linux on arm64 and x64. It downloads the binary for your machine, checks its SHA-256 against the release’s checksums.txt, and puts it in ~/.local/bin. On Alpine, install libstdc++ and libgcc first.

Variable	Effect
`ABSTRACT_INSTALL_DIR`	Installs into another directory.
`ABSTRACT_VERSION`	Installs one release, for example `0.1.0`.

Commands

Command	What it does
`abstract login`	Signs in through a browser and saves an API key on this machine.
`abstract token`	Prints the saved API key and nothing else, for a script or an agent.
`abstract status`	Shows the saved key’s non-secret prefix and checks the key against the API. `--json` prints that as JSON.
`abstract logout`	Revokes the saved key on the account and signs out.
`abstract logout --local`	Removes the saved key from this machine only. The key stays active.
`abstract skill`	Prints the skill that teaches an agent the Abstract API.
`abstract skill install`	Saves that skill where your agents read skills.
`abstract --help`	Prints every command on one screen.
`abstract --version`	Prints the version.

The command prints a link and a code. Open the link in a browser, sign in, and confirm the code. The CLI then creates a key named abstract-cli@<hostname> and saves it. On a machine that is already signed in, it keeps the existing key, so an agent can run abstract login without checking first. The account needs a payment method or credit before the CLI can create a key. Set one up at abstract.inc/start?setup=billing.

abstract token

Use it inside a command, and never print its output:

curl -s https://api.abstract.inc/v1/models -H "Authorization: Bearer $(abstract token)"
ABSTRACT_API_KEY="$(abstract token)" python your_program.py

abstract status

The command calls GET /v1/models with the saved key. If the API answers 401, it tells you to run abstract logout --local, then abstract login. When the refused key came from ABSTRACT_API_KEY, it tells you to fix or unset that variable instead.

abstract skill install

The command saves the skill for every agent it finds in your home directory:

Agent	Directory
Claude Code	`~/.claude/skills/abstract`
Codex	`~/.codex/skills/abstract`
Cursor	`~/.cursor/skills/abstract`
OpenCode	`~/.config/opencode/skills/abstract`
Gemini CLI	`~/.gemini/skills/abstract`
GitHub Copilot	`~/.copilot/skills/abstract`
Shared	`~/.agents/skills/abstract`

An agent that is already running may need a new session to load the skill.

Files

Path	Content
`~/.config/abstract/credentials.json`	The saved key, readable by you alone.

ABSTRACT_CONFIG_DIR names another directory for this file. Without it, a set XDG_CONFIG_HOME moves the file to $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/abstract/credentials.json. A set ABSTRACT_API_KEY takes the saved key’s place, for abstract token, abstract status and every other command, and ABSTRACT_BASE_URL names another API. The only other files the CLI writes are scripts that some commands run, cached in ~/.cache/abstract/<name>/<version>.

Exit codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success.
1	An error you can fix. The command prints one line that says what went wrong.
2	A usage error. The command prints one line that names the help to read.

Set up an agent

Paste this into an agent with a terminal, such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or OpenCode:

Set up Abstract for me. Run curl -fsSL https://abstract.inc/install.sh | bash, then abstract login, and show me the link and code it prints. After I confirm, run abstract status. Use $(abstract token) as the API key and never print it. Then run abstract skill install, read the skill it installs, and follow it for every call to the Abstract API.

Get started

Robot models

LLM models

Reference