CLI Reference

API Dev Studio includes a command-line interface (apidev) for managing mock servers, running the MCP server, and performing common tasks without the GUI.

Installation

The CLI is included with API Dev Studio. After installation, add it to your PATH:

Windows:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\api-dev-studio\

macOS:

/Applications/API Dev Studio.app/Contents/MacOS/

Linux:

/usr/local/bin/

Or download the standalone CLI from the releases page.

Commands

`apidev serve`

Start the mock server for a project.

apidev serve [PROJECT_ID] [OPTIONS]

Options:

Option	Description
`-p, --port <PORT>`	Port to run server on (default: from project settings)
`--host <HOST>`	Host to bind to (default: 127.0.0.1)

Examples:

apidev serve

apidev serve my-project --port 4000

apidev serve --host 0.0.0.0

`apidev mcp`

Start the MCP server for AI assistant integration.

apidev mcp [OPTIONS]

Options:

Option	Description
`--http`	Run in HTTP mode (default: stdio)
`-p, --port <PORT>`	HTTP port (default: 3100)

Examples:

apidev mcp

apidev mcp --http --port 3100

`apidev list`

List projects or endpoints.

apidev list [RESOURCE]

Resources:

projects (default) - List all projects
endpoints [PROJECT_ID] - List endpoints in a project

Examples:

apidev list

apidev list endpoints my-project

`apidev import`

Import an OpenAPI specification.

apidev import <FILE> [OPTIONS]

Options:

Option	Description
`-p, --project <ID>`	Target project ID
`--overwrite`	Overwrite existing endpoints

Examples:

apidev import api-spec.yaml

apidev import api-spec.json --project my-api --overwrite

`apidev export`

Export a project as OpenAPI specification.

apidev export <PROJECT_ID> [OPTIONS]

Options:

Option	Description
`-o, --output <FILE>`	Output file path
`-f, --format <FORMAT>`	Format: json or yaml (default: yaml)

Examples:

apidev export my-project -o api-spec.yaml

apidev export my-project -o api-spec.json --format json

`apidev status`

Show whether the mock server is currently running.

apidev status

`apidev stop`

Stop the running mock server.

apidev stop

`apidev requests`

View and manage logged HTTP requests.

apidev requests <SUBCOMMAND>

Subcommand	Description
`list <PROJECT>`	List recent requests (`-l, --limit`, `-m, --method`, `-s, --status`, `--starred`, `--json`)
`show <ID>`	Show full request details (`--json`)
`delete <ID...>`	Delete specific requests by ID
`clear <PROJECT>`	Clear all requests for a project (`-f, --force`)
`star <ID>`	Star a request (`--unstar` to remove star)

Examples:

apidev requests list my-project --limit 20

apidev requests list my-project --method POST --status 5xx

apidev requests show abc123

apidev requests star abc123

`apidev version`

Show version information.

apidev version

`apidev init`

Initialize a new project in a directory.

apidev init [PATH] [OPTIONS]

Options:

Option	Description
`-n, --name <NAME>`	Project name
`-p, --port <PORT>`	Port number (default: 3001, range: 1024-65535)
`--with-examples`	Add example endpoints (GET /api/users, GET /api/users/:id, POST /api/users, GET /health)
`--force`	Overwrite existing files

Examples:

apidev init

apidev init ./my-api --name "My API" --port 4000 --with-examples

Creates project.json and endpoints.json in the target directory.

`apidev curl`

Import an endpoint from a cURL command.

apidev curl <CURL_STRING> [OPTIONS]

Options:

Option	Description
`-p, --project <PROJECT>`	Target project (required)
`-n, --name <NAME>`	Endpoint name (default: auto-generated)
`--preview`	Preview only, don’t import

Examples:

apidev curl "curl -X POST https://api.example.com/users -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{\"name\":\"test\"}'" -p my-project

apidev curl "curl https://api.example.com/health" -p my-project --preview

`apidev project`

Manage projects.

apidev project <SUBCOMMAND>

Subcommand	Description
`list`	List all projects (`--json` for JSON output)
`create <NAME>`	Create a project (`-p, --port`, `-d, --description`)
`show <NAME>`	Show project details (`--json`)
`update <NAME>`	Update settings (`--new-name`, `-p, --port`, `-d, --description`)
`delete <NAME>`	Delete a project (`-f, --force` to skip confirmation)

`apidev endpoint`

Manage endpoints within a project.

apidev endpoint <SUBCOMMAND>

Subcommand	Description
`list <PROJECT>`	List endpoints (`--json`, `--enabled-only`)
`add <PROJECT>`	Add endpoint (`-n, --name`, `-p, --path`, `-m, --method`, `-s, --status`, `-b, --body`, `--delay`, `--content-type`)
`show <PROJECT> <ENDPOINT>`	Show details (`--json`)
`remove <PROJECT> <ENDPOINT>`	Remove endpoint (`-f, --force`)
`enable <PROJECT> <ENDPOINT>`	Enable an endpoint
`disable <PROJECT> <ENDPOINT>`	Disable an endpoint

Example:

apidev endpoint add my-project -n "Get Users" -p /api/users -m GET -s 200 -b '{"users":[]}'

`apidev environment`

Manage environments and variables. Requires Pro license.

apidev environment <SUBCOMMAND>

Subcommand	Description
`list <PROJECT>`	List environments (`--json`)
`create`	Create environment (`-n, --name`, `-p, --project` optional for global, `--var KEY=VALUE,...`, `--secret KEY,...`)
`show <ID>`	Show details (`--json`, `--reveal` to unmask secrets)
`update <ID>`	Update (`-n, --name`, `--var`, `--secret`)
`delete <ID>`	Delete (`-f, --force`)
`activate <PROJECT> [ENV]`	Set active environment (omit ENV to deactivate)
`duplicate <ID>`	Clone environment (`-n, --name`)

See Environments for details.

`apidev recording`

Manage proxy recordings.

apidev recording <SUBCOMMAND>

Subcommand	Description
`list <ENDPOINT>`	List recordings for an endpoint (`--json`)
`delete <ID>`	Delete a specific recording
`clear <ENDPOINT>`	Clear all recordings (`-f, --force`)
`count <PROJECT>`	Show recording count for a project

`apidev license`

Manage your license.

apidev license <SUBCOMMAND>

Subcommand	Description
`status`	Show current license status
`activate <KEY>`	Activate with a license key
`activate-email <EMAIL>`	Request email-based activation
`check <EMAIL>`	Check activation status after email activation

`apidev settings`

View and update application settings.

apidev settings <SUBCOMMAND>

Subcommand	Description
`show`	Show current settings (`--json`)
`update`	Update a setting (`--theme`, `--default-port`, `--mcp-port`, `--mcp-auto-start`, `--mcp-logging-mode`, `--confirm-before-delete`, `--developer-mode`, `--error-reporting`)

`apidev tunnel`

Manage public URL tunnels. Requires Pro license.

apidev tunnel <SUBCOMMAND>

Subcommand	Description
`start <PROJECT>`	Start a tunnel (`-p, --provider cloudflared\|ngrok`, `-P, --port`)
`stop <PROJECT>`	Stop a running tunnel
`status <PROJECT>`	Show tunnel status
`install`	Check if tunnel binaries are installed

`apidev tls`

Manage HTTPS/TLS certificates.

apidev tls <SUBCOMMAND>

Subcommand	Description
`status`	Show certificate status
`generate`	Generate a self-signed certificate (Pro)
`trust`	Show OS-specific trust instructions

`apidev contract`

Contract testing against OpenAPI specs. Requires Pro license.

apidev contract <SUBCOMMAND>

Subcommand	Description
`validate <PROJECT>`	Validate logged requests against a spec (`-s, --spec <FILE>`, `-l, --limit`, `--json`)
`status <PROJECT>`	Show validation status (`-s, --spec <FILE>`)
`import <PROJECT> <URL>`	Fetch an OpenAPI spec from a URL (`-o, --output <FILE>`)

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
`APIDEV_DATA_DIR`	Override default data directory
`APIDEV_LOG_LEVEL`	Log level: error, warn, info, debug, trace

Exit Codes

Code	Description
0	Success
1	General error
2	Invalid arguments
3	Project not found
4	Port already in use

Examples

Start Development Server

apidev serve my-api --port 3001

curl http://localhost:3001/api/users

CI/CD Integration

apidev import ./openapi.yaml --project test-api --overwrite
apidev serve test-api --port 3001 &
npm test

Claude Desktop Integration

Add to your Claude Desktop config (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apidevstudio": {
      "command": "apidev",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}