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The Hyperline CLI lets you manage your billing operations directly from the terminal. It’s designed to be agent-first — optimized for AI agents like Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and any tool that can run shell commands.

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Why a CLI for AI agents?

AI agents work with tools to accomplish tasks. Today, most agents use MCP (Model Context Protocol) to connect to external services. While MCP works well, it has limitations when used at scale:
  • Context bloat — MCP servers expose dozens of tools, each with full schemas that consume valuable context window space.
  • Slower on complex tasks — For multi-step workflows, agents using MCP need to discover tools, read schemas, and format structured requests for each operation. On complex questions, MCP agents can loop for minutes trying to find the right tool combination.
CLIs solve these problems:
  • Token-efficient — Short commands like hyperline customers list are natural for a text-predicting model to write and require minimal context to understand.
  • No tool discovery overhead — Agents don’t need to load a catalog of tools or read JSON schemas. They just run commands and read the output.
  • Composable — CLI output can be piped, filtered with jq, or chained with other commands — patterns that agents handle natively.

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Installation

npm install -g @hyperline/cli
Verify the installation: 
hyperline --version

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Authentication

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Browser login

The simplest way to authenticate — opens your browser to securely log in with your Hyperline account: 
hyperline login
Credentials are stored locally in ~/.hyperline/. To log out: 
hyperline logout

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API key

For server environments, CI/CD pipelines, or AI agents running without a browser: 
# Via environment variable
export HYPERLINE_API_KEY=sk_test_...

# Or inline
hyperline customers list --api-key sk_test_...
API keys can be generated from your account Settings.
Keep your API key secret. Do not commit it to version control — use environment variables or a secrets manager instead.
For sandbox environments, set the base URL via environment variable or flag:
export HYPERLINE_API_URL=https://api.sandbox.hyperline.co

# Or per-command
hyperline customers list --base-url https://api.sandbox.hyperline.co

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Company selection

If you have access to multiple companies, the CLI uses the last used company by default. To switch to a specific company: 
hyperline company select

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Usage

The CLI follows a consistent hyperline <resource> <action> pattern: 
# List customers
hyperline customers list

# Get a specific invoice
hyperline invoices get --id inv_xxxxx

# Create a new customer
hyperline customers create --name "Acme Inc" --currency USD

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Available resources

ResourceDescription
customersCreate, update, list, and manage your customer base
subscriptionsHandle subscription lifecycle, cancellations, and templates
invoicesCreate, list, and manage invoices and transactions
productsDefine and update your product catalog
quotesGenerate and manage quotes
walletsPrepaid wallet management and top-ups
couponsCreate discount coupons and promotion codes
webhooksConfigure webhook endpoints
paymentsTrack and manage payments
analyticsAccess billing metrics
exportsExport your billing data
custom-propertiesExtend resources with custom fields
taxesView tax rates and configurations
invoicing-entitiesManage your billing entities
Use --help on any command to see available actions and options: 
hyperline customers --help
hyperline invoices list --help

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Output formats

By default, the CLI outputs human-readable text. Use --output json for structured output: 
# Human-readable output
hyperline customers list

# JSON output for scripting
hyperline customers list --output json

# Pipe to other tools
hyperline customers list --output json | jq '.[].name'

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Global options

OptionDescription
--api-key <key>API key (overrides HYPERLINE_API_KEY)
--base-url <url>API base URL (overrides HYPERLINE_API_URL)
--output <format>json or text (default: text)
--helpShow help
--versionShow version

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Setting up for AI agents

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Claude Code

Add the Hyperline CLI to your project’s CLAUDE.md so Claude knows it’s available: 
## Tools

Hyperline CLI is available for billing operations.
Authenticate with: `export HYPERLINE_API_KEY=sk_...`
Usage: `hyperline <resource> <action> [options]`
Use `--output json` when you need to process the data.

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Cursor / Windsurf

Add instructions to your project rules (.cursor/rules/ or .windsurfrules) so the agent knows to use the CLI: 
## Billing

Use the Hyperline CLI for any billing-related tasks.
Run `hyperline <resource> <action>` commands in the terminal.
Use `--output json | jq` for filtering and processing data.

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Any agent with shell access

Any AI agent that can execute shell commands can use the Hyperline CLI. Set the HYPERLINE_API_KEY environment variable in the agent’s environment, and the CLI is ready to use — no additional configuration or tool registration needed.

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CLI vs MCP — which should I use?

CLIMCP
Best forAI agents with shell access, scripting, automationAI assistants without terminal access (Claude.ai, ChatGPT)
Setupnpm install -g @hyperline/cliAdd MCP server URL to your client
AuthAPI key or browser loginOAuth or API key
Context costMinimal — just command stringsHigher — full tool schemas loaded in context
Multi-step tasksExcellent — pipe, chain, and compose commandsCan struggle with complex workflows
Works withClaude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, any terminal-based agentClaude.ai, ChatGPT, any MCP-compatible client
You can use both. The MCP server is great for conversational AI assistants, while the CLI shines for agents that work in the terminal.

Hyperline MCP Server

Learn how to set up the Hyperline MCP server for AI assistants without terminal access.