Getting started with the CLI

The Synteq CLI (synteq) manages your account, servers, apps, and functions from a terminal. It uses the same API as the portal, and every command can print JSON for scripts.

Requires Node.js 20 or newer.

npm install -g synteq
synteq --version

Upgrade:

npm install -g synteq@latest

If your version is below the portal's minimum supported version, every command except login, logout, and settings exits with code 4 and an upgrade hint.

For shell completion (bash, zsh, PowerShell), run synteq autocomplete and follow the printed instructions.

synteq login

The CLI opens the portal in your browser and prints the URL and a code. Confirm the code in the portal.

synteq whoami    # name, email, role, active team, auth mode
synteq logout    # revoke the session and clear stored credentials

Credentials are stored in the OS keychain, or in a file readable only by you when no keychain is available. Config lives in ~/.config/synteq (%APPDATA%\synteq on Windows).

API keys run server, storage, order, and billing commands. They do not run Apps or Functions commands. Create a key in the portal first (see Creating an API key).

echo "$SYNTEQ_API_KEY" | synteq login --with-token

--with-token validates and stores the key. With nothing piped, it prompts with masked input. To use a key without storing it:

export SYNTEQ_API_TOKEN=sk_...
synteq vps list

A command outside the key's scopes fails and names the missing scope. Apps, Functions, whoami, link, status, and the TUI fail with "is a session-only command and cannot be run with an API key"; run synteq login without --with-token for a session.

Commands act on the active team (your portal organization) and its default project.

synteq team            # show the active team
synteq team --list     # list your teams
synteq team acme       # switch by name substring or id prefix
synteq team --pick     # interactive picker
synteq projects        # list projects in the active team
synteq config          # active profile, team, project, and user

Connection profiles keep a separate login per API URL. SYNTEQ_PROFILE overrides the active profile for one shell.

synteq config profile add staging https://api.staging.cloud.synteq.com
synteq config profile use staging
synteq config profile use default

Linking maps a directory and its subdirectories to one app, so app commands don't need --app.

synteq link

The walkthrough picks a team, project, and app, or creates an app (name, <slug>.synteq.app domain, plan, location). Environment variables and GitHub are optional steps; see Deploying and configuring an app.

Without prompts:

synteq link --app my-api
synteq link --app my-api --project 019e... --no-interactive

synteq status shows the linked app and its latest build. synteq link --remove removes the link.

synteq deploy

The CLI uploads the directory, streams the build, and prints the URL when the release is live. A Dockerfile is used if present; otherwise Railpack detects the language. In an unlinked directory, deploy runs the link walkthrough first and stops.

synteq deploy --image registry.example.com/acme/my-api:v3   # deploy a registry image
synteq deploy --no-wait                                      # return once queued
synteq logs                                                  # stream logs until Ctrl-C

mkdir hello-fn && cd hello-fn
synteq function init hello-fn

init creates or reuses the function, links the directory, and writes a starter handler if none exists. Default runtime: Node.js 22 (index.mjs).

export default async function handler(event, context) {
  return { hello: "world", path: event.path };
}

--runtime python312 starts from handler.py:

def handler(event, context):
    return {"hello": "world", "path": event["path"]}

With an existing handler, init infers the runtime and overwrites nothing.

synteq function deploy
synteq function invoke --path /
synteq function logs --lines

Source uploads are limited to 32 files, about 900 KB total, 512 KiB per file; use a Dockerfile for larger projects. invoke calls <slug>.fn.synteq.app without Synteq credentials.

Output is a table on a terminal and JSON when piped or redirected. Force either with -o json or -o table.

synteq apps list -o json | jq '.[].slug'

Pass --yes to commands that confirm and --no-interactive to link. When stdout isn't a terminal, the CLI never opens the TUI or a browser. Exit codes and the JSON error format are in CLI reference.

• Apps overview: plans, builds, domains, and billing.
• Functions overview: runtimes, triggers, credits, and budgets.
• CLI reference: every command, flag, and exit code.