Integrations & API

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Using the Hubstaff CLI

The Hubstaff CLI uses Hubstaff API Version 2. For the full CLI reference, releases, and advanced usage, visit the Hubstaff CLI GitHub repository.

What is the Hubstaff CLI?

The Hubstaff CLI is a command-line interface for the Hubstaff Public API. It allows developers and technical users to interact with Hubstaff directly from a terminal for scripting, automation, and API workflows.

Why use the Hubstaff CLI?

The Hubstaff CLI helps technical users run API operations from a terminal without manually building every request in a separate API client. This can be useful for testing API access, checking available data, scripting common workflows, or validating authentication before building a larger integration.

The CLI uses the Hubstaff API schema to expose available operations and supports both read and write requests, depending on the endpoint and the permissions of the authenticated user.

Before you begin

Before installing and using the CLI, make sure you have:

  • A Hubstaff account
  • A Personal Access Token (PAT) from the Hubstaff developer portal
  • The required permissions for the organization or data you want to access

Install the Hubstaff CLI

macOS / Linux (Homebrew)

brew install netsoftholdings/tap/hubstaff

macOS / Linux (Shell installer)

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/NetsoftHoldings/hubstaff-cli/releases/latest/download/hubstaff-installer.sh | sh

Windows

Run the following command in PowerShell:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://github.com/NetsoftHoldings/hubstaff-cli/releases/latest/download/hubstaff-installer.ps1 | iex"

After installation, verify the CLI is available:

hubstaff --version

Authenticate

Authenticate once using your Hubstaff Personal Access Token (PAT):

hubstaff config set-pat YOUR_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN

The CLI exchanges your PAT for access and refresh tokens and automatically refreshes authentication when needed.

You can also configure a default organization if you commonly work with the same organization:

hubstaff config set organization 12345

To confirm your configuration and connectivity, run:

hubstaff check

Discover available commands

Use the built-in help commands to view available resources and operation-specific options.

View available command groups:

hubstaff list

View help for a resource group:

hubstaff projects --help

View detailed help for a specific operation:

hubstaff projects list --help

The Hubstaff CLI organizes commands into groups based on the type of resource or operation.

Command group Purpose Examples
users View authenticated users and retrieve user details. hubstaff users me
hubstaff users show
orgs Manage and view organizations. hubstaff orgs list
hubstaff orgs show
projects List, view, and create projects. hubstaff projects list
hubstaff projects create
members Manage organization members. hubstaff members list
hubstaff members create
tasks Work with tasks and assignments. hubstaff tasks list
hubstaff tasks create
activities Retrieve time and activity data. hubstaff activities list
hubstaff daily-activities list
notes Create and retrieve work notes. hubstaff notes list
hubstaff notes create
config Manage CLI authentication and configuration settings. hubstaff config set-pat
hubstaff config show

For the complete command reference, available options, and advanced usage examples, see the Hubstaff CLI GitHub documentation.

Example commands

Read operations

Retrieve the authenticated user:

hubstaff users me

List projects:

hubstaff projects list

Retrieve a specific project:

hubstaff projects get 123

Write operations

Create a project:

hubstaff projects create --body-json '{"name":"New","status":"active"}'

Update a project using a json file:

hubstaff projects update 123 --body-file patch.json

Output formats

The Hubstaff CLI supports two primary output formats.

Format Description Example
Compact output (default) Provides concise, terminal-friendly results optimized for quick viewing. USER_ID NAME ROLE STATUS
130 Jane Smith owner active
133 John Doe manager active
JSON output (--json) Returns the full API response structure. Useful for debugging, scripting, or piping output to other tools. hubstaff members list –json

Example:

hubstaff members list –json

Additional resources

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