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CLI

The Ren CLI, ren, manages spaces, projects, tasks, and settings from a terminal or script, and coding agents with shell access can run it. The CLI supports more operations than the MCP server.

Use the web app to chat with Ren and review its work. Use MCP for AI tools that can’t run shell commands, like chat websites.

Install

The installer uses npm and needs Node.js 18 or later.

curl -fsSL https://useren.ai/install | bash

The installer runs ren init after installation. To skip initialization, use curl -fsSL https://useren.ai/install | bash -s -- --no-init. To install version 0.2.4, use curl -fsSL https://useren.ai/install | bash -s -- --version 0.2.4. You can also install with npm:

npm install -g @renai-labs/cli

Sign in

  1. Run ren init. It opens Ren in your browser. Sign in to connect the CLI to your account. Use ren init --no-browser to print the sign-in URL instead.

  2. Run ren whoami to confirm. It shows your user, your organization, and your role.

Check it worked

Ask your coding agent:

Summarize my Ren setup using the ren CLI.

Check that the answer names your organization and lists its spaces and projects.

See active devices

Each connected CLI appears under Settings → Preferences → Devices as CLI · followed by the computer’s name. Select Remove to revoke its access, which takes effect on its next request.

Switch profiles

A profile stores a signed-in account. ren init creates the first profile as default. To add another account, use a different profile name:

ren init --profile work

Then list and switch between profiles:

ren auth profile list
ren auth profile switch work

To use a profile for a single command, add --profile <name> or set REN_PROFILE. To act in another organization with the same account, run ren org list, then ren org switch <org>.

ren auth logout removes the active profile’s sign-in from this computer. Profiles are stored in ~/.config/ren/auth.json.

Limits

  • The CLI can’t send chat messages. ren sessions create creates an empty chat. Send messages through the web app or a channel.
  • You can only invite people to your organization from the web app.
  • Signing in to an app or a custom MCP with OAuth opens your browser.

For every command and flag, run ren --help or ren <command> --help. Run ren upgrade to update the CLI.