> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.userintuition.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# User Intuition CLI

> Call the same tools as the MCP server from a shell — 72 commands for studies, recruitment, interviews, and analysis, ready for scripts, CI, and ad-hoc debugging.

The User Intuition CLI is the **same binary as the MCP server**, invoked as a plain command-line tool. Every tool the MCP server exposes — `ask_humans`, `list_studies`, `create_assistant`, `analyze_transcripts`, all 72 of them — is reachable as a subcommand. No MCP client required.

## When to reach for the CLI

* **Shell scripts and CI jobs.** Pipe study results into `jq`, write a cost-gate before launching a Panel study, automate cleanup of test assistants.
* **Cron and scheduled work.** Run nightly status sweeps, refresh cached reports, alert on long-running studies.
* **Ad-hoc debugging.** Pin down whether a problem is the tool, the backend, or your MCP client — by isolating the call from the agent.
* **Onboarding a teammate.** A single `userintuition-mcp call list_studies` line teaches more than three paragraphs of API docs.

## When to use the MCP server instead

If an AI agent should *choose* the tool and fill in arguments (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor), use the [MCP server](/mcp-server/overview). The CLI assumes you already know which tool and which arguments.

## What you get

The CLI ships with the Node build of the MCP server (`@userintuition-ai/mcp` on npm, `0.2.6+`). It uses the same `USERINTUITION_API_KEY`, the same input validation, and the same backend endpoints — the only thing that changes is the transport.

<Note>
  The CLI is **Node-only**. The Python build (`uvx userintuition-mcp`) speaks MCP only — use the [REST API](/api-reference/introduction) for Python-first shell work.
</Note>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quickstart" icon="rocket" href="/cli/quickstart">
    Install the binary and make your first call in under two minutes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Command reference" icon="terminal" href="/cli/commands">
    Every subcommand, every flag, with examples.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Recipes" icon="book" href="/cli/recipes">
    Practical patterns — CI cost gates, lifecycle scripts, batch operations.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" icon="wrench" href="/cli/troubleshooting">
    Auth errors, missing binaries, common pitfalls.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>