Resend CLI

Installation

Before running any resend commands, check whether the CLI is installed:

resend --version

If the command is not found, install it using one of the methods below:

cURL (macOS / Linux):

curl -fsSL https://resend.com/install.sh | bash

Homebrew (macOS / Linux):

brew install resend/cli/resend

Node.js:

npm install -g resend-cli

PowerShell (Windows):

irm https://resend.com/install.ps1 | iex

After installing, verify:

resend --version

Agent Protocol

The CLI auto-detects non-TTY environments and outputs JSON — no --json flag needed.

Rules for agents:

• Supply ALL required flags. The CLI will NOT prompt when stdin is not a TTY.

• Pass --quiet (or -q) to suppress spinners and status messages.

• Exit 0 = success, 1 = error.

• Error JSON goes to stderr, success JSON goes to stdout:

{"error":{"message":"...","code":"..."}}

• Use --api-key or RESEND_API_KEY env var. Never rely on interactive login.

• All delete/rm commands require --yes in non-interactive mode.

Authentication

Auth resolves: --api-key flag > RESEND_API_KEY env > config file (resend login --key). Use --profile or RESEND_PROFILE for multi-profile.

Global Flags

Flag

Description

--api-key <key>

Override API key for this invocation

-p, --profile <name>

Select stored profile

--json

Force JSON output (auto in non-TTY)

-q, --quiet

Suppress spinners/status (implies --json)

Available Commands

Command Group

What it does

emails

send, get, list, batch, cancel, update

emails receiving

list, get, attachments, forward, listen

domains

create, verify, update, delete, list

logs

list, get, open

api-keys

create, list, delete

automations

create, get, list, update, delete, stop, open, runs

events

create, get, list, update, delete, send, open

broadcasts

create, send, update, delete, list

contacts

create, update, delete, segments, topics

contact-properties

create, update, delete, list

segments

create, get, list, delete, contacts

templates

create, publish, duplicate, delete, list

topics

create, update, delete, list

webhooks

create, update, listen, delete, list

auth

login, logout, switch, rename, remove

whoami / doctor / update / open / commands

Utility commands

Read the matching reference file for detailed flags and output shapes.

Dry-run: Only emails send and broadcasts create support --dry-run (payload validation before send/create). They print { "dryRun": true, "request": { ... } } on stdout without calling the API. There is no --dry-run on emails batch, broadcasts send, or other commands yet.

Common Mistakes

#

Mistake

Fix

1

**Forgetting --yes on delete commands**

All delete/rm subcommands require --yes in non-interactive mode — otherwise the CLI exits with an error

2

**Not saving webhook signing_secret**

webhooks create shows the secret once only — it cannot be retrieved later. Capture it from command output immediately

3

**Omitting --quiet in CI**

Without -q, spinners and status text still go to stderr (not stdout). Use -q for JSON on stdout with no spinner noise on stderr

4

**Using --scheduled-at with batch**

Batch sending does not support scheduled_at — use single emails send instead

5

**Expecting domains list to include DNS records**

List returns summaries only — use domains get <id> for the full records[] array

6

Sending a dashboard-created broadcast via CLI

Only API-created broadcasts can be sent with broadcasts send — dashboard broadcasts must be sent from the dashboard

7

**Passing --events to webhooks update expecting additive behavior**

--events replaces the entire subscription list — always pass the complete set

8

**Expecting logs list to include request/response bodies**

List returns summary fields only — use logs get <id> for full request_body and response_body

Common Patterns

Send an email:

resend emails send --from "you@domain.com" --to user@example.com --subject "Hello" --text "Body"

Send a React Email template (.tsx):

resend emails send --from "you@domain.com" --to user@example.com --subject "Welcome" --react-email ./emails/welcome.tsx

Domain setup flow:

resend domains create --name example.com --region us-east-1

# Configure DNS records from output, then:

resend domains verify <domain-id>

resend domains get <domain-id>  # check status

Create and send a broadcast:

resend broadcasts create --from "news@domain.com" --subject "Update" --segment-id <id> --html "<h1>Hi</h1>" --send

CI/CD (no login needed):

RESEND_API_KEY=re_xxx resend emails send --from ... --to ... --subject ... --text ...

Check environment health:

resend doctor -q

When to Load References

• Sending or reading emails → references/emails.md

• Setting up or verifying a domain → references/domains.md

• Managing API keys → references/api-keys.md

• Creating or sending broadcasts → references/broadcasts.md

• Managing contacts, segments, or topics → references/contacts.md, references/segments.md, references/topics.md

• Defining contact properties → references/contact-properties.md

• Working with templates → references/templates.md

• Viewing API request logs → references/logs.md

• Creating automations or sending events → references/automations.md

• Setting up webhooks or listening for events → references/webhooks.md

• Auth, profiles, or health checks → references/auth.md

• Multi-step recipes (setup, CI/CD, broadcast workflow) → references/workflows.md

• Command failed with an error → references/error-codes.md

• Resend SDK integration (Node.js, Python, Go, etc.) → Install the resend skill

• AI agent email inbox → Install the agent-email-inbox skill