base44-cli

Base44 CLI

Create and manage Base44 apps (projects) using the Base44 CLI tool.

⚡ IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED - Read This First

This skill activates on ANY mention of "base44" or when a base44/ folder exists. DO NOT read documentation files or search the web before acting.

Your first action MUST be:

1. Check if base44/config.jsonc exists in the current directory
2. If NO (new project scenario):
   • This skill (base44-cli) handles the request
   • Guide user through project initialization
   • Do NOT activate base44-sdk yet
3. If YES (existing project scenario):
   • Transfer to base44-sdk skill for implementation
   • This skill only handles CLI commands (login, deploy, entities push)

Critical: Local Installation Only

NEVER call base44 directly. The CLI is installed locally as a dev dependency and must be accessed via a package manager:

• npx base44 <command> (npm - recommended)
• yarn base44 <command> (yarn)
• pnpm base44 <command> (pnpm)

WRONG: base44 login RIGHT: npx base44 login

MANDATORY: Authentication Check at Session Start

CRITICAL: At the very start of every AI session when this skill is activated, you MUST:

1. Check authentication status by running:

   npx base44 whoami
   

2. If the user is logged in (command succeeds and shows an email):

   • Continue with the requested task

3. If the user is NOT logged in (command fails or shows an error):

   • STOP immediately
   • DO NOT proceed with any CLI operations
   • Ask the user to login manually by running:

     npx base44 login
     

   - Wait for the user to confirm they have logged in before continuing
   

This check is mandatory and must happen before executing any other Base44 CLI commands.

Overview

The Base44 CLI provides command-line tools for authentication, creating projects, managing entities, and deploying Base44 applications. It is framework-agnostic and works with popular frontend frameworks like Vite, Next.js, and Create React App, Svelte, Vue, and more.

When to Use This Skill vs base44-sdk

Use base44-cli when:

• Creating a NEW Base44 project from scratch
• Initializing a project in an empty directory
• Directory is missing base44/config.jsonc
• User mentions: "create a new project", "initialize project", "setup a project", "start a new Base44 app"
• Deploying, pushing entities, or authenticating via CLI
• Working with CLI commands (npx base44 ...)

Use base44-sdk when:

• Building features in an EXISTING Base44 project
• base44/config.jsonc already exists
• Writing JavaScript/TypeScript code using Base44 SDK
• Implementing functionality, components, or features
• User mentions: "implement", "build a feature", "add functionality", "write code"

Skill Dependencies:

• base44-cli is a prerequisite for base44-sdk in new projects
• If user wants to "create an app" and no Base44 project exists, use base44-cli first
• base44-sdk assumes a Base44 project is already initialized

State Check Logic: Before selecting a skill, check:

• IF (user mentions "create/build app" OR "make a project"):
  • IF (directory is empty OR no base44/config.jsonc exists): → Use base44-cli (project initialization needed)
  • ELSE: → Use base44-sdk (project exists, build features)

Project Structure

A Base44 project combines a standard frontend project with a base44/ configuration folder:

my-app/
├── base44/                      # Base44 configuration (created by CLI)
│   ├── config.jsonc             # Project settings, site config
│   ├── .types/                  # Auto-generated TypeScript types (created by `types generate`)
│   │   └── types.d.ts           # Module augmentation for @base44/sdk
│   ├── entities/                # Entity schema definitions
│   │   ├── task.jsonc
│   │   └── board.jsonc
│   ├── functions/               # Backend functions (optional); automations live in function.jsonc
│   │   └── my-function/
│   │       ├── function.jsonc
│   │       └── index.ts
│   ├── agents/                  # Agent configurations (optional)
│   │   └── support_agent.jsonc
│   └── connectors/              # OAuth connector configurations (optional)
│       └── googlecalendar.jsonc
├── src/                         # Frontend source code
│   ├── api/
│   │   └── base44Client.js      # Base44 SDK client
│   ├── pages/
│   ├── components/
│   └── main.jsx
├── index.html                   # SPA entry point
├── package.json
└── vite.config.js               # Or your framework's config

Key files:

• base44/config.jsonc - Project name, description, site build settings
• base44/entities/*.jsonc - Data model schemas (see Entity Schema section)
• base44/functions/*/function.jsonc - Function config and optional automations (CRON, simple triggers, entity hooks)
• base44/agents/*.jsonc - Agent configurations (optional)
• base44/.types/types.d.ts - Auto-generated TypeScript types for entities, functions, and agents (created by npx base44 types generate)
• base44/connectors/*.jsonc - OAuth connector configurations (optional)
• src/api/base44Client.js - Pre-configured SDK client for frontend use

config.jsonc example:

{
  "name": "My App",                    // Required: project name
  "description": "App description",    // Optional: project description
  "entitiesDir": "./entities",         // Optional: default "entities"
  "functionsDir": "./functions",       // Optional: default "functions"
  "agentsDir": "./agents",             // Optional: default "agents"
  "connectorsDir": "./connectors",     // Optional: default "connectors"
  "site": {                            // Optional: site deployment config
    "installCommand": "npm install",   // Optional: install dependencies
    "buildCommand": "npm run build",   // Optional: build command
    "serveCommand": "npm run dev",     // Optional: local dev server
    "outputDirectory": "./dist"        // Optional: build output directory
  }
}

Config properties:

Property	Description	Default
name	Project name (required)	-
description	Project description	-
entitiesDir	Directory for entity schemas	"entities"
functionsDir	Directory for backend functions	"functions"
agentsDir	Directory for agent configs	"agents"
connectorsDir	Directory for connector configs	"connectors"
site.installCommand	Command to install dependencies	-
site.buildCommand	Command to build the project	-
site.serveCommand	Command to run dev server	-
site.outputDirectory	Build output directory for deployment	-

Installation

Install the Base44 CLI as a dev dependency in your project:

npm install --save-dev base44

Important: Never assume or hardcode the base44 package version. Always install without a version specifier to get the latest version.

Then run commands using npx:

npx base44 <command>

Note: All commands in this documentation use npx base44. You can also use yarn base44, or pnpm base44 if preferred.

Available Commands

Authentication

Command	Description	Reference
base44 login	Authenticate with Base44 using device code flow	auth-login.md
base44 logout	Logout from current device	auth-logout.md
base44 whoami	Display current authenticated user	auth-whoami.md

Project Management

Command	Description	Reference
base44 create	Create a new Base44 project from a template	create.md ⚠️ MUST READ
base44 link	Link an existing local project to Base44	link.md
base44 eject	Download the code for an existing Base44 project	eject.md
base44 dashboard open	Open the app dashboard in your browser	dashboard.md

Deployment

Command	Description	Reference
base44 deploy	Deploy all resources (entities, functions, agents, connectors, auth config, and site)	deploy.md

Entity Management

Action / Command	Description	Reference
Create Entities	Define entities in base44/entities folder	entities-create.md
base44 entities push	Push local entities to Base44	entities-push.md
RLS Patterns	Row-level security examples and operators	rls-examples.md ⚠️ READ FOR RLS

Entity Schema (Quick Reference)

ALWAYS follow this exact structure when creating entity files:

File naming: base44/entities/{kebab-case-name}.jsonc (e.g., team-member.jsonc for TeamMember)

Schema template:

{
  "name": "EntityName",
  "type": "object",
  "properties": {
    "field_name": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Field description"
    }
  },
  "required": ["field_name"]
}

Field types: string, number, integer, boolean, array, object, binary String formats: date, date-time, time, email, uri, hostname, ipv4, ipv6, uuid, file, regex, richtext For enums: Add "enum": ["value1", "value2"] and optionally "default": "value1" Entity names: Must be alphanumeric only (pattern: /^[a-zA-Z0-9]+$/)

For complete documentation, see entities-create.md.

Function Management

Action / Command	Description	Reference
Create Functions	Define functions in base44/functions folder	functions-create.md
Configure Automations	CRON, simple triggers, entity hooks in function.jsonc	automations.md
base44 functions deploy [names...] [--force]	Deploy local functions (and automations) to Base44; optionally target specific functions or prune removed ones	functions-deploy.md
base44 functions delete <names...>	Delete one or more deployed functions from Base44	functions-delete.md
base44 functions list	List all deployed functions on Base44 remote	functions-list.md
base44 functions pull [name]	Pull deployed functions from Base44 to local files	functions-pull.md

Agent Management

Agents are conversational AI assistants that can interact with users, access your app's entities, and call backend functions. Use these commands to manage agent configurations.

Action / Command	Description	Reference
Create Agents	Define agents in base44/agents folder	See Agent Schema below
base44 agents pull	Pull remote agents to local files	agents-pull.md
base44 agents push	Push local agents to Base44	agents-push.md

Note: Agent commands perform full synchronization - pushing replaces all remote agents with local ones, and pulling replaces all local agents with remote ones.

Agent Schema (Quick Reference)

File naming: base44/agents/{agent_name}.jsonc (e.g., support_agent.jsonc)

Schema template:

{
  "name": "agent_name",
  "description": "Brief description of what this agent does",
  "instructions": "Detailed instructions for the agent's behavior",
  "tool_configs": [
    // Entity tool - gives agent access to entity operations
    { "entity_name": "tasks", "allowed_operations": ["read", "create", "update", "delete"] },
    // Backend function tool - gives agent access to a function
    { "function_name": "send_email", "description": "Send an email notification" }
  ],
  "whatsapp_greeting": "Hello! How can I help you today?"
}

Naming rules:

• Agent names must match pattern: /^[a-z0-9_]+$/ (lowercase alphanumeric with underscores, 1-100 chars)
• Valid: support_agent, order_bot
• Invalid: Support-Agent, OrderBot

Required fields: name, description, instructions Optional fields: tool_configs (defaults to []), whatsapp_greeting

Tool config types:

• Entity tools: entity_name + allowed_operations (array of: read, create, update, delete)
• Backend function tools: function_name + description

Connector Management

Connectors let your app connect to external services (Google Calendar, Slack, Stripe, etc.). Most connectors use OAuth to provide access tokens for backend functions to call external APIs. Stripe is the exception — it is provisioned automatically on the server side with no OAuth browser flow.

Action / Command	Description	Reference
Create Connectors	Define connectors in base44/connectors folder	connectors-create.md
base44 connectors list-available	List all available integration types from Base44	connectors-list-available.md
base44 connectors pull	Pull remote connectors to local files	connectors-pull.md
base44 connectors push	Push local connectors to Base44	connectors-push.md

Note: Connector commands perform full synchronization - pushing replaces all remote connectors with local ones (and triggers OAuth for new OAuth connectors), and pulling replaces all local connectors with remote ones.

Connector Schema (Quick Reference)

File naming: base44/connectors/{type}.jsonc (e.g., googlecalendar.jsonc, slack.jsonc)

Schema template:

{
  "type": "googlecalendar",
  "scopes": [
    "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/calendar.readonly",
    "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/calendar.events"
  ]
}

Required fields: type Optional fields: scopes (defaults to [])

Available connector types: Run npx base44 connectors list-available to see all supported integration types.

Note: stripe is also a valid connector type but is not returned by list-available. Treat it as a supported type — it is provisioned automatically by Base44 with no OAuth browser flow. See connectors-create.md for details.

For complete documentation, see connectors-create.md.

Automation Quick Reference

Automations are triggers defined in the automations array inside function.jsonc. They deploy with the function via base44 functions deploy. Four types:

Common fields (all types): name (required), description, function_args, is_active (default: true)

Scheduled One-Time: type: "scheduled", schedule_mode: "one-time", one_time_date (ISO string)

Scheduled CRON: type: "scheduled", schedule_mode: "recurring", schedule_type: "cron", cron_expression, optional ends_type / ends_on_date / ends_after_count

Scheduled Simple: type: "scheduled", schedule_mode: "recurring", schedule_type: "simple", repeat_unit ("minutes" | "hours" | "days" | "weeks" | "months"), optional repeat_interval, start_time, repeat_on_days (0–6), repeat_on_day_of_month (1–31), ends_type / ends_on_date / ends_after_count

Entity Hook: type: "entity", entity_name (matches entity schema name), event_types: array of "create" | "update" | "delete" (at least one)

For full schemas and examples, see automations.md.

Auth Configuration

Manage your app's authentication settings (e.g., username & password login). Auth config is stored in base44/auth/ and synced with Base44 via auth push/auth pull.

Command	Description	Reference
base44 auth password-login <enable|disable>	Enable or disable username & password authentication	auth-password-login.md
base44 auth pull	Pull auth config from Base44 to local files	auth-pull.md
base44 auth push	Push local auth config to Base44	auth-push.md

Note: Auth config is also deployed as part of base44 deploy.

Secrets Management

Manage project secrets (environment variables stored securely in Base44). These commands are hidden from --help output but are fully functional.

Command	Description	Reference
base44 secrets list	List the names of all secrets	secrets-list.md
base44 secrets set	Set one or more secrets (KEY=VALUE or --env-file)	secrets-set.md
base44 secrets delete <key>	Delete a secret by name	secrets-delete.md

Script Execution

Run one-off scripts against your app with the Base44 SDK pre-authenticated. Use it to perform CRUD operations on entities (base44.entities.MyEntity.list/create/update/delete), call backend functions (base44.functions.invoke("myFunction", args)), invoke agents, or access any other resource exposed by the SDK — without deploying a full function. Useful for data migrations, bulk operations, debugging, and automation scripts.

Command	Description	Reference
base44 exec	Run a script (via stdin) with the Base44 SDK pre-authenticated	exec.md

Type Generation

Command	Description	Reference
base44 types generate	Generate TypeScript types (types.d.ts) from entities, functions, agents, and connectors	types-generate.md

Output: base44/.types/types.d.ts — augments @base44/sdk module with typed registries (EntityTypeRegistry, FunctionNameRegistry, AgentNameRegistry, ConnectorTypeRegistry).

No authentication required. Runs entirely locally. Automatically updates tsconfig.json to include the generated types.

Site Management

Command	Description	Reference
base44 site deploy	Deploy built site files to Base44 hosting	site-deploy.md
base44 site open	Open the deployed site in your browser	site-open.md

SPA only: Base44 hosting supports Single Page Applications with a single index.html entry point. All routes are served from index.html (client-side routing).

Quick Start

1. Install the CLI in your project:

   npm install --save-dev base44
   

2. Authenticate with Base44:

   npx base44 login
   

3. Create a new project (ALWAYS provide name and --path flag):

   npx base44 create my-app -p .
   

4. Build and deploy everything:

   npm run build
   npx base44 deploy -y
   

Or deploy individual resources:

• npx base44 entities push - Push entities only
• npx base44 functions deploy - Deploy functions only
• npx base44 functions delete <name> - Delete a deployed function
• npx base44 functions list - List all deployed functions
• npx base44 functions pull - Pull deployed functions to local files
• npx base44 agents push - Push agents only
• npx base44 connectors pull - Pull connectors from Base44
• npx base44 connectors push - Push connectors only
• npx base44 auth pull - Pull auth config from Base44
• npx base44 auth push - Push auth config only
• npx base44 site deploy -y - Deploy site only

Common Workflows

Creating a New Project

⚠️ MANDATORY: Before running base44 create, you MUST read create.md for:

• Template selection - Choose the correct template (backend-and-client vs backend-only)
• Correct workflow - Different templates require different setup steps
• Common pitfalls - Avoid folder creation errors that cause failures

Failure to follow the create.md instructions will result in broken project scaffolding.

Linking an Existing Project

# If you have base44/config.jsonc but no .app.jsonc
npx base44 link --create --name my-app

Deploying All Changes

# Generate types (optional, for TypeScript projects)
npx base44 types generate

# Build your project first
npm run build

# Deploy everything (entities, functions, and site)
npx base44 deploy -y

Generating TypeScript Types

# Generate types from entities, functions, agents, and connectors
npx base44 types generate

This creates base44/.types/types.d.ts with typed registries for the @base44/sdk module. Run this after changing entities, functions, agents, or connectors to keep your types in sync. No authentication required.

Deploying Individual Resources

# Push only entities
npx base44 entities push

# Deploy only functions (all)
npx base44 functions deploy
# Deploy specific functions
npx base44 functions deploy my-function other-function
# Deploy and prune removed functions
npx base44 functions deploy --force

# Push only agents
npx base44 agents push

# Pull connectors from Base44
npx base44 connectors pull

# Push only connectors
npx base44 connectors push

# Deploy only site
npx base44 site deploy -y

Opening the Dashboard

# Open app dashboard in browser
npx base44 dashboard

Authentication

Most commands require authentication. If you're not logged in, the CLI will automatically prompt you to login. Your session is stored locally and persists across CLI sessions.

Troubleshooting

Error	Solution
Not authenticated	Run npx base44 login first
No entities found	Ensure entities exist in base44/entities/ directory
Entity not recognized	Ensure file uses kebab-case naming (e.g., team-member.jsonc not TeamMember.jsonc)
No functions found	Ensure functions exist in base44/functions/ with valid function.jsonc configs
No agents found	Ensure agents exist in base44/agents/ directory with valid .jsonc configs
Invalid agent name	Agent names must be lowercase alphanumeric with underscores only
No connectors found	Ensure connectors exist in base44/connectors/ directory with valid .jsonc configs
Invalid connector type	Run npx base44 connectors list-available to see valid types
Duplicate connector type	Each connector type can only be defined once per project
Connector authorization timeout	Re-run npx base44 connectors push and complete the OAuth flow in your browser
No site configuration found	Check that site.outputDirectory is configured in project config
Site deployment fails	Ensure you ran npm run build first and the build succeeded
Update available message	If prompted to update, run npm install -g base44@latest (or use npx for local installs)