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AE CLI User Guide

Last updated 10/14/2026

On this page:Get to know AE CLI · Install, log in, and upgrade · Complete your first task · Common scenarios and how to ask · Advanced usage · Security and FAQ

Parent section: Capability Center. Search keywords: CLI, ae-cli, command line, Coding Agent, Skill, installation, login, authorization, Capability Gateway.

  • Connect from coding agents such as Codex and Claude Code: Coding Agent.
  • Connect to external services through a tool protocol: MCP.
  • Capture reusable task methods: Skill.
  • Set up tasks that run on a schedule: Automations.
note

Agentic Engine CLI (command name ae-cli) is the command-line client for Agentic Engine. It provides a stable, structured interface for both AI agents and manual use. After you install and authorize it, local AI agents such as Codex, Claude Code, and WorkBuddy can query data, build dashboards, manage tracking, and follow up on engagement and data development tasks directly, within the scope of your account permissions. You only need to describe what you want in natural language.

Get to know AE CLI​

Intended for​

Product and data analysts can have AI find existing reports, read data, compare trends, and then turn the results into conclusions.

Tracking and data teams can manage tracking plans, verify events and properties, and view collection errors, and can also have AI help generate plans and sample code.

Growth and experimentation teams can query experiment configurations, metric trends, and experiment reports, with less switching back and forth between pages.

Operations teams can view journeys, tasks, campaigns, channels, and performance data, and quickly put together execution status and review materials.

Data development teams can view tables, Flows, integration tasks, and run status to support daily troubleshooting and release checks.

What problems it solves​

What you want to doWhat AI can do for you
View dataFind reports and dashboards, read data, compare time periods, break down by dimension, export results
Analyze experimentsView experiment info, sample size, metric results, and trends; prepare review materials
Manage metadataFind events, properties, and metrics; check naming, types, relationships, and scope of impact
Handle trackingGenerate and maintain tracking plans, import and export, run checks, view collection errors and real-time data
Analyze operationsView journeys, tasks, campaigns, channels, audiences, and performance data
Manage data tasksView tables, Flows, integration tasks, SQL run results, and production instances
Analyze community feedbackSearch posts and comments, analyze topics and sentiment, view live stream performance
Use knowledge basesCreate and maintain knowledge bases, search pages, read source text, answer business questions
Manage AgentsManage Agents, models, MCP, Skills, attachments, and automation tasks
Team collaborationCreate Agent Teams, start tasks, continue conversations, view results and artifacts
System AdminView members, permissions, usage, quotas, channels, and system configuration

The capabilities available may differ by company, project, and account. AI performs operations based on the current login environment and your permissions.

How it works​

You ask in natural language → local AI agent (Claude Code, Codex, WorkBuddy, etc.) → ae-cli → your Agentic Engine project → verifiable results

Once you have installed the CLI and its companion Agent Skills, the Skills tell your AI Agent which commands are available, when to use each command, and what to confirm before write operations, so you do not need to memorize commands.

  • Permission boundary: The CLI uses exactly your account and project permissions and never gets access to any extra data. Final permissions are verified by the server.
  • Credentials: Stored encrypted on your machine, separately for each Agentic Engine address. Switching environments never reuses another environment's credentials.
  • Write operations: For operations that change the current state, such as creating dashboards, creating audiences, or sending pushes, have the AI propose a plan first and run it only after you confirm.

CLI vs. MCP: To let an agent use the built-in business capabilities of Agentic Engine (analytics, engagement, tracking, data development, knowledge bases, and more), use the CLI first. MCP lets an agent connect to external tools and business services; see MCP.

Install, log in, and upgrade​

Prerequisites​

  • Agentic Engine has been upgraded to version 6.x.
  • Your account has access to the target project.
  • You have the Agentic Engine address: the address you normally use to open Agentic Engine in your browser, provided by your admin.
  • Node.js 20 or later is installed on your machine, and the machine can access the npm registry. The first Skills installation also requires access to GitHub.
  • Your machine's network can reach the Agentic Engine address.

Method 1: Let an AI agent install it for you (recommended)​

Send the following text to an AI agent that can operate a terminal (such as Codex, Claude Code, or WorkBuddy), and replace the address in it with your Agentic Engine address:

Read https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ThinkingAIAgenticEngine/ae-cli/main/cli-installation-guide.md and follow its instructions to install or upgrade Agentic Engine CLI (ae-cli) for me. My Agentic Engine address is https://your-ae-host.example.com. Install only ae-cli and the companion Skills, and don't modify the current project. If you need me to log in and authorize, or if admin permissions are required, pause and let me know.

The AI agent completes these steps in order:

  1. Checks the Node.js and npm versions. If a version is too old, it uses a version manager such as nvm, fnm, or Volta to install under your user directory, and never uses sudo npm install -g.
  2. Installs ae-cli and the companion Skills.
  3. Starts the login and sends you the authorization link. After you complete authorization in your browser, it finishes logging in.
  4. Runs ae-cli update to install the CLI and Skills versions required by the current environment.
  5. Reports the Node.js version, CLI version, Agentic Engine address, login status, and Skills sync result.

After installation, close and reopen the AI agent, or start a new task, so that it loads the newly installed Skills.

Method 2: Manual installation​

First, confirm that your Node.js version is 20 or later:

node --version

If your version is too old, installing the Skills may fail with errors related to EBADENGINE or styleText. Upgrade or switch Node.js first. Then install the CLI and the companion Skills, and confirm the version:

npm install -g @thinkingai/ae-cli
npx -y skills add ThinkingAIAgenticEngine/ae-cli -g -y
ae-cli --version

If another tool on your machine already uses the command name ae-cli, check it before you replace it.

Log in and authorize​

ae-cli auth login --host https://your-ae-host.example.com
ae-cli auth status --host https://your-ae-host.example.com

Login uses the device code flow: your browser opens the authorization page. Check that the verification code on the page matches the one shown in the terminal, and then click Authorize. Go back to the terminal and check the login status. If authenticated is true, you're logged in.

  • If your current environment can't open a browser, add --no-browser to the login command.
  • When an AI agent logs in for you, you can do it in two steps: first run the login command with --no-wait to get the authorization link. After you complete authorization, run it again with --device-code and the returned device code. If the device code expires, repeat the first step.
  • You can also copy a CLI Token from External Access in Agentic Engine, and then import it with ae-cli auth set-token --host <address>. The input isn't echoed, and the command output never includes the token.

Sync to the required version​

Each Agentic Engine environment requires a specific CLI version. After you install or upgrade, run:

ae-cli update --host https://your-ae-host.example.com
ae-cli --version

ae-cli update installs the CLI and Skills versions that the current environment requires, regardless of the latest version on npm, so don't upgrade by installing latest directly with npm. To see which version will be installed first, add --dry-run.

Starting with the 6.0.37 and 6.1.9 maintenance lines, regular commands sync automatically when they detect a version mismatch. After a successful sync, they return AE_CLI_VERSION_SYNCED; just run the original command again.

Install curated scenario Skills​

ThinkingAI has distilled years of service experience into scenario Skills that cover high-frequency scenarios such as LTV analysis and anomaly diagnosis. You can have AI install them directly:

Install https://github.com/ThinkingAIAgenticEngine/scenario-skills for me

You can also install them interactively by business category in the terminal:

npx skills@latest add ThinkingAIAgenticEngine/scenario-skills

After installation​

Reopen your AI Agent or start a new task so it can load the Skills. Then follow Complete your first task to check the connection and start read-only queries. If the AI still treats your request as ordinary chat, check that the CLI and Skills are installed, and reload them.

Complete your first task​

Start with read-only checks on your first use, then select a project, dashboard, and report step by step. If objects have duplicate names, cannot be found, or have no data, have the AI stop and explain, without guessing or substituting similar objects.

Select a project​

Check whether AE CLI is available: confirm the current version, login status, and host; then list the first 5 projects I can access, returning only the project name and project ID. Only view for now. Do not modify anything, and do not go on to query data. Wait until I choose a project before taking the next step.

Select a dashboard​

In the project I just chose, list the first 5 dashboards, returning only the name, ID, and update time. If there are duplicate names, keep all candidates and let me choose; do not guess, and do not modify any content.

Read reports and verify the results​

Read the dashboard I just chose. First confirm whether its reports still exist and have data, then pick a report with data and preview no more than 100 rows. Tell me the actual time range, whether the data was truncated, and the most worthwhile question to ask next. Read only; do not modify anything.

After receiving the results, verify the project and report, event and metric definitions, time range, filters, and data completeness. Once everything is correct, ask follow-up questions about trends or causes.

Common scenarios and how to ask​

You can copy any of the prompts below directly: replace the placeholders in parentheses with real objects from your project, and then send the prompt to the AI. Prompts marked "read-only" only query data and don't modify anything. For prompts marked "run after confirmation", the AI proposes a plan first and creates or modifies anything only after you confirm.

How to phrase requests so AI gets them right​

An easy-to-execute task usually includes five kinds of information: the target environment or project, the actual objects, the time range, how far AI is allowed to go, and what to do when there are duplicate names or no data.

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In "Project Name", find existing reports related to "New users by channel". If there are multiple candidates, first return their names and IDs for me to choose. After I choose, read the last 14 complete calendar days and compare them with the previous 14 days; only read and analyze, and do not modify the reports. Finally, give me three conclusions, each with supporting data, the actual time range, and whether the data is complete. If the object does not exist or has no data, stop and explain; do not switch to a similar object.

If you only say "Take a look at the data for me", AI still needs to confirm the project, objects, time, and permission boundaries. Making this information clear the first time is usually faster.

Useful phrases to add:

  • "Read the current state first. Don't modify anything."
  • "First return no more than 5 candidates, with names and IDs, and let me choose."
  • "Prefer existing reports and saved metrics. Don't redefine the metric definitions."
  • "Confirm that the object exists and has data before you start the analysis."
  • "If there are duplicate names, nothing is found, or there is no data, stop and explain. Don't guess."
  • "Preview at most 100 rows. If you need the complete results, use export instead of stitching pages together."
  • "First give me the plan, the scope of impact, and the rollback method, and write only after I confirm."
  • "After you finish, read the results again to confirm that the changes have taken effect."
  • "When you give conclusions, include the data source, object IDs, time range, and a note on completeness."

Check core metrics (read-only)​

Use this to get an overall picture of a core gameplay feature over a period of time before you decide where to dig deeper.

Show me how (core action) performed overall over the last 7 days: how many users triggered it each day and how many times in total, as a daily trend.

Confirm: which project, and which event the AI selected. If it picked the wrong event, correct it directly and it reruns the query. What to ask next: "Break down yesterday's triggering users by channel."

If the results look wrong: break the big question into smaller ones. Start with "How many users logged in each day over the last 7 days?" and add metrics after you confirm the event works.

Locate drop-off with funnels (read-only)​

Show me the conversion funnel from (starting event) to (ending event) over the last 7 days:
(step 1) → (step 2) → (step 3) → (step 4),
with a 1-day conversion window, count the users and conversion rate at each step, and tell me which step has the biggest drop-off.

Confirm: the event for each funnel step (the AI lists them and waits for your confirmation), and the conversion window (usually 1 day; for campaigns, you can extend it to 3 days). If a step has 0 users, first suspect that the wrong event was selected or that there's no data in the time range.

Quick reference for common analysis models (read-only)​

Analysis typeQuestion it answersPrompt to copy
Events AnalysisHow often an action happens and how it trendsShow the daily number of users who triggered (event) and the number of times over the last 7 days, as a daily trend.
Funnel AnalysisWhich step loses the most usersBuild a funnel from (step A → step B → step C) with a 1-day window, and find the step with the biggest drop-off.
Retention AnalysisWhether users keep coming backCalculate the next-day retention rate of users who did (registration) over the last 7 days, with (login) as the return event.
Distribution AnalysisWhere users or values are concentratedShow the user distribution of (top-up amount) over the last 7 days, grouped into ranges.

Save as a dashboard (run after confirmation)​

Build a dashboard from the (Funnel Analysis) and (Events Analysis) we just did.
First list the dashboard name, the reports it will include, and the definition of each report. Create it only after I confirm.

After the dashboard is created, the AI returns a link to it, which opens a real dashboard in Agentic Engine. Your account needs permission to create reports and dashboards.

Find causes with follow-up questions (read-only)​

Real analysis usually takes several rounds of follow-up questions: change only one dimension per round, and the "to be verified" items from one round become the questions for the next. Take "revenue growth has stalled" as an example:

  1. Look at the big picture: "Show the number of Paying Users and logged-in users each day over the last 14 days as a daily trend, and tell me roughly what the Payment Rate is."
  2. Break down by channel: "Break down Paying Users and Revenue over the last 7 days by Source Channel, and list the average payment per paying user for each channel."
  3. Break down by new and returning payers: "Split the payments over the last 7 days by 'is first payment', and show how many users and how much revenue come from first purchases and repeat purchases."
  4. Segment by amount: "Segment the paying users over the last 7 days by Cum. Revenue (0–30, 30–98, 98–328, 328–648, and above 648), show the share of users in each tier, and then list the bundles with the highest Revenue."

When the analysis is done, have the AI write it up as a report that separates facts, judgments, and recommended actions:

Turn the analysis we just did into a report with this fixed structure:
summary of conclusions, data definitions, key facts, cause analysis, items to verify, recommended actions.
Keep facts and judgments separate, and mark anything speculative as to be verified instead of presenting it as a conclusion.

Audit and govern data assets​

The semantic quality of your data assets sets the ceiling on how well AI can retrieve data: when event names are messy, properties have no comments, and definitions are inconsistent, AI can only guess. Audit first, then analyze.

ScenarioPrompt to copyRead/write
Asset auditAudit the tracking assets in my current project: count the total number of events and properties; find events and properties that are missing display names or comments; find events with non-standard names; and find events with no data reported in the last 90 days. First output the scope of the check, the rules used, and a categorized list. Don't modify any assets.Read-only
Semantic completionBased on the audit results, generate suggestions for events and properties that are missing display names or comments. Output the original field name, suggested display name, suggested comment, and reason for the change. Give me only the suggestion table; I'll review it before anything is changed.Run after confirmation
Data quality self-checkCheck data quality over the last 7 days: whether the reporting volume of core events suddenly dropped to zero or spiked; the null rate and abnormal enum values of key properties; and assets that are disconnected or have had no data for a long time. Output the symptoms, possible causes, and evidence that needs manual confirmation. Don't modify any assets.Read-only

"No data" doesn't mean "useless": it's normal for events from periodic campaigns not to be reported most of the time. Check with the business team before you clean anything up.

Design tracking plans and generate tracking code​

AI can give you a plan that works in practice only if you explain the business flow clearly. Instead of just saying "Design tracking for me", give it the complete user path and the metrics you care about most:

Generate a tracking plan for the quest module.
Business goal: understand how players complete quests and where they drop off, find the quests where players get stuck, and see how rewards affect retention.
Player behavior path: open the quest list → accept a quest → do the quest → complete it → claim the reward → leave.
Definition: completed = the quest goal is achieved, which is not the same as claiming the reward.
Dimensions needed: quest type, time to complete, reward type, next action after completion; player level, account type.

The AI outputs a first draft of the plan for review, including event names, display names, trigger timing, properties, property types, sample values, and validation methods, and reuses existing super properties in the project where possible. After the plan passes review, you can go on to generate code:

Generate (Android / iOS / Web / server-side) tracking code for me based on the tracking plan.

For the first generation, we recommend outputting code snippet files and merging them after a manual review. For specific API parameters, the SDK documentation for the corresponding platform prevails.

View experiment results (read-only)​

Requires the Experiment module

AI can view experiment configurations, groups, and metric results, compare the performance of different Experiment Groups, and summarize significance, trends, and risks that need attention. When you review an experiment, you can have it turn the data directly into easy-to-read conclusions.

Help me review the current performance of (experiment name). Compare the key and secondary metrics across groups, and tell me which results are already clear.

From analysis to engagement​

Requires the Engage module. Push channels must first be configured and enabled in Agentic Engine, and the events and properties referenced in audience conditions must already exist.

StepPrompt to copyRead/write
Engagement suggestionsBased on the analysis conclusions we just reached, generate engagement suggestions in the format "target audience, trigger conditions, recommended actions, expected metrics to observe, risks and exclusion conditions". Give me the plan first; don't create any audiences or outreach tasks.Read-only
JourneyTurn the care outreach for (target audience) into a journey. First list a draft: audience definition, trigger conditions, wait conditions, outreach channels, frequency control rules, and exit conditions. Create it only after I confirm.Run after confirmation
Performance analysisShow me how (journey name) performed over the last 7 days: entered users, reached users, converted users, and exit reasons at each node, with the definition of each metric.Read-only
Performance dashboardBuild a dashboard of this journey's performance, including goal metrics, process metrics, segmentation dimensions, and a time filter. Give me a configuration draft first, and create it only after I confirm.Run after confirmation

When reviewing existing operation tasks, you can also analyze sending, delivery, failure reasons, and subsequent conversions:

Help me review yesterday's re-engagement task. Check sending and delivery, the main reasons for failure, and the subsequent activity and payment behavior of re-engaged users. Only read and analyze; do not modify the task.

Cross-system workflows and scheduled tasks​

tip

For cross-system workflows, first install the CLI or MCP for the corresponding external tool in your AI agent (for example, lark-cli for Feishu). Otherwise, the prompts below will fail. For external actions such as sending messages or creating documents, always review a draft and confirm first.

ScenarioPrompt to copy
Multi-source data integrationCombine the payment data in Agentic Engine with the campaign data in (Feishu sheet) into one report aligned by day. First list the data granularity, date fields, metric definitions, and missing-value rules on both sides. Merge them only after I confirm, and don't modify the external file.
Daily report to a work groupCheck today's active user data, turn it into a daily report, and send it to our work group. Include core metrics, period-over-period changes, anomalies, and links to the original analysis. Show me a draft first, and send it only after I confirm.
Weekly report as an online docTurn this week's data into a weekly report as a Feishu doc, structured as: metrics overview, daily trends, interpretation of changes, review of engagement actions, and to-dos for next week. Generate a draft first, and create the doc only after I confirm.
Scheduled monitoringCreate an automation for me: after a version release, query the core metrics (metric 1, metric 2) of (project) every 30 minutes, turn the results into a monitoring card, and send it to (Feishu group). If any metric drops more than 10% below its average over the previous 7 days, highlight it in red in the message. First list the execution plan, query definitions, and message format, and turn it on only after I confirm.

Run a scheduled task manually once first, and turn it on only after you confirm that the format and definitions are correct. For monitoring, start at an interval of 30 minutes; for daily reports, once a day is enough. To set up recurring tasks in Agentic Engine, see Automations.

Create and reuse analysis assets (run after confirmation)​

AssetApplicable questionsConfirm before creating
Custom propertyCombine multiple original fields into an analysis dimensionFormula, null handling, scope of impact
User tagsLock in stable user classification rulesCalculation period, data source, update frequency
CohortsSelect audiences to analyze or engageEntry conditions, exclusion conditions, validity period
Reports and dashboardsStandardize how high-frequency metrics are viewedMetric definitions, filters, access permissions
Cross-project reuseMove common analysis structures to other projectsEvent mapping, property mapping, definition differences
Design a draft (custom property / tag / cohort / dashboard) for (goal).
First list the events and properties it depends on, the calculation or filter logic, the update method, permissions, and migration risks.
Don't create it yet; wait for my confirmation.

When you have many projects, batch operations save the most time. For example: "Using the structure of the version monitoring dashboard, create one for each of projects A, B, and C, and list the differences when you're done."

DataOps Platform​

Requires the DataOps Platform.

ScenarioPrompt to copy
Database, table, and Flow queriesList the databases, tables, and Flows accessible in the current environment, summarized by last update time and status.
Data retrieval and debuggingBased on (business question), generate a query approach and a draft SQL statement. First explain the tables, join conditions, time range, and validation method. Don't perform any write operations.
Flow buildingDesign a Flow for (business domain): list the node orchestration, schedule, and release plan. Don't create it yet.
Wide table processingProcess (event table) into (wide table). First give me the field list, aggregation granularity, partitioning strategy, and Incremental Update logic, and create the table and Flow only after I confirm.
Run troubleshootingSummarize the failed instances over the last (N) days, categorize them by Flow and failure reason, and suggest fixes.

More scenarios​

  • Local data integration: "Import the data in (local file path) into Agentic Engine. First identify the file structure and list the field mappings and types. Run the import only after I confirm."
  • Community insights (requires Omni Insights): "Summarize the community discussions about (new version) over the past week, including trending topics, positive and negative feedback, and risks that need priority attention."
  • Knowledge base: "Find pages about (topic) in (knowledge base name), read the original text, then answer (question) and cite the source pages."
  • Platform management (requires admin permissions): "List the channels configured in the system and the usage summary for the last 30 days. Read-only; don't modify anything."

The CLI can do more than can be listed here. Just tell the AI what you need, and it determines whether it can do it and what configuration is still missing.

Verify results​

Whenever you get a number, ask four questions first: Which event was used? Which metric definition? What time range? What filters? If a definition is wrong, correct it on the spot and have the AI rerun the query. If the retrieved data doesn't match a dashboard, have the AI list its query conditions one by one and compare them with the configuration of the report in the dashboard.

LevelDescriptionExample
FactDirectly reproducible from data"The payment conversion rate over the last 7 days was 30.46%."
JudgmentAn interpretation of facts"Drop-off is concentrated between the store and starting a top-up, possibly related to how prices are shown."
To be verifiedCurrent data isn't enough to confirm it"Needs to be verified with store impression tracking."

When the AI stops to ask you "Which one does this term mean?", it's not an error: when a term matches multiple metrics or events, the AI leaves the choice of definition to you. If the same ambiguity keeps coming up, capture the default definition in a Skill or Knowledge base.

Advanced usage​

Command reference​

For daily use, you don't need to memorize commands; the AI agent finds the right command through Skills. When you troubleshoot or write scripts, view the help like this. You can keep appending --help to subcommands at each level:

ae-cli --help
ae-cli analysis --help
ae-cli project member --help
CategoryRoot commandsPurpose
Analytics and projectsanalysis、analysis-meta、analysis-governance、project、metadata、personal-semantic-preference、project-semanticReports, dashboards, ad hoc analysis, alerts, tags, and cohorts; event and property catalogs, metrics, and tracking governance; data asset search and lineage; projects, members, roles, and permissions; data table and dimension table binding; personal semantic preferences; project asset package export
Data and trackingtracking、data-integrationTracking plans, SDK samples, collection diagnostics, and code generation; checking, transforming, and uploading local CSV, JSON, and Excel data
Community insightscommunityCommunity posts, comments, topics, sentiment, live streams, and reports
Engagementengage-flow、engage-task、engage-setting、engage-scene、engage-activity、engage-workbench、engage-queryEngagement flows, tasks and outreach content, channel and audience settings, scenes and strategies, campaigns and special topics, workbench and to-dos, engagement queries and async exports
DataOps Platformdataops_repo、dataops_datatable、dataops_flow、dataops_ide、dataops_integration、dataops_operationsData warehouses and data sources, tables and views, development flows and scheduling, IDE queries, data integration, operations and alerts
Agent platformkb、agent、context、memory、team、systemKnowledge bases and Q&A; Agents, automations, models, MCP, Skills, and attachments; current page context; user memory; Agent Team; system administration such as members, sandboxes, usage, quotas, and channels
General toolscapability、auth、config、sync、model、updateCapability discovery and generic invocation; login and accounts; environment management; syncing Skills and MCP; switching sandbox models; syncing to the required version

Capability Gateway​

Long-tail capabilities without dedicated commands are discovered and called dynamically through the Capability Gateway:

ae-cli capability list --domain analysis
ae-cli capability search "dashboard list" --domain analysis
ae-cli capability inspect analysis.dashboard.list
ae-cli capability dry-run analysis.dashboard.list --input '{"project_id":1}'
ae-cli capability run analysis.dashboard.list --input '{"project_id":1}'

--input accepts inline JSON, a JSON file path, or a file path prefixed with @, and you can also use - to read from standard input. dry-run already includes parameter validation and shows the risk level. Use run only after you confirm everything is correct.

Output format​

By default, commands output a unified JSON structure (ok, data, _notice) that's easy for AI agents to read:

  • --format table: Supported list commands display results as a table for easier manual review.
  • --jq <expression>: Filters the business result before output.
  • --dry-run: Previews only, without running.
  • --yes: Skips the interactive confirmation for high-risk write operations. Use it only after you've confirmed the scope of impact.

Multiple environments and accounts​

Credentials are stored separately for each Agentic Engine address. When you use both test and production environments, manage them with config:

ae-cli config list
ae-cli config add https://host-b.example.com --label staging --use
ae-cli config use staging
ae-cli config current

When you need multiple accounts in the same environment, add --add to the login command, then use ae-cli auth list to view them and ae-cli auth use --account <account> to switch between them. ae-cli auth logout logs out of the current account. Running ae-cli config or ae-cli auth directly in a terminal opens an interactive selector.

Security and FAQ​

Security and permissions​

  • The CLI never gets permissions beyond your account's scope. Company isolation, resource ownership, and final permissions are all verified by the server.
  • For write operations, do a dry-run first, or have the AI propose the plan, scope of impact, and rollback method first, and run it only after you confirm. High-risk operations such as deletion also ask for a second confirmation.
  • Don't paste passwords, tokens, or other credentials into the conversation. The CLI output never includes tokens either.
  • Admin commands under system require the account to have the root or agent_admin role. If you get a permission error, don't retry or work around it; contact your admin to confirm.
  • Install only Node.js, @thinkingai/ae-cli, and the official Skills. Don't disable TLS verification, and don't use untrusted mirror sources.

Troubleshoot installation and authorization issues​

SymptomCommon causesSolution
Installation fails or downloads time outNetwork, npm registry, or proxy restrictionsCheck your network and proxy, use a dependency source approved by your team, and keep the full error message
Still not logged in after authorizationBrowser authorization wasn't completed, or the device code expiredRun the login command again to complete authorization, then check the login status
Target project not foundThe account has no permission, or you're connected to the wrong environmentCheck the Agentic Engine address, account, and project ID
The AI doesn't recognize Agentic Engine capabilitiesSkills aren't installed, or the current AI agent hasn't reloaded themReinstall the Skills, then restart the AI agent
"Command not found" or version mismatchThe CLI or Skills version differs from the version the environment requiresRun ae-cli update --host <address>, then restart the AI agent
Can't connect to a private deploymentMismatched address, port, certificate, or intranet configurationVerify the connection parameters with your deployment team, then check the proxy and certificates

Can I treat the AI's conclusions as facts?​

No. First look at the metric definitions, time range, and filters it used. Data results are facts; explanations of causes are judgments that need further verification. Important business decisions should still be reviewed by the person responsible.

Why do I sometimes get different answers to the same question?​

The question may be missing a time range, definition, or dimension, or the semantic information in the project may be incomplete. Turn high-frequency tasks with fixed definitions into Skills, and for exploratory questions, let the AI ask more follow-up questions.

Why can't I find a capability that others can use?​

Check the following in order: the CLI version, the version of the Skills the AI has loaded, whether the capability is deployed in the current environment, and whether your account has permission. You can start by running ae-cli capability list to see which capabilities are available in the current environment.

What if queries take a long time?​

When the data volume is small, AI can read the results directly. Complete details or large-range queries may require an export task. You can have AI save the task information and continue downloading and analyzing when the task finishes, so you don't have to keep waiting on the current page.

Can AI run tasks on a schedule?​

AE CLI supports Agent automation tasks, which you can also configure under Automations on the platform. Run a task manually first to confirm that the project, permissions, output format, and exception handling meet your expectations before scheduling it to run regularly.

What should I provide when I run into a problem?​

Provide your customer success manager with the Agentic Engine URL, the output of ae-cli --version, the target project, the task goal, the time the issue occurred, the steps to reproduce it, and the full error message. Do not send passwords, Tokens, or other credentials.

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