Reference

Technical reference for Kick CLI credentials, workspace selection, command discovery, common examples, output modes, and exit codes.

Use this page when you need exact CLI behavior for credentials, workspace selection, output formats, exit codes, or finding current commands.

Find all commands

The CLI's built-in help is the source of truth for the current command list and flags.

Start at the root:

kick --help

Then inspect a command group:

kick transactions --help
kick reports --help

For command-specific flags, run --help on the command:

kick reports profit-loss --help
kick transactions find --help

This avoids stale docs when commands or flags change.

Credential lookup order

The CLI resolves credentials in this order:

1. --token <value>

2. KICK_PAT

3. KICK_API_TOKEN

4. OS keychain from kick login

5. ~/.config/kick/credentials

KICK_API_TOKEN is the older environment variable name. Prefer KICK_PAT.

Workspace selection

List workspaces:

kick workspaces list

Run a command in a workspace:

kick --workspace <workspace-id> transactions find --limit 10

If you work across multiple clients, pass --workspace explicitly. This is safer than relying on a remembered default.

Common command examples

These examples are not a complete command list. Use kick --help and command-specific --help output for the current list.

Authentication and context:

kick login
kick whoami
kick auth status
kick logout

Workspace lookup:

kick workspaces list
kick workspaces get <id>

Transaction lookup:

kick --workspace <workspace-id> transactions find --limit 10
kick --workspace <workspace-id> transactions get <id>

Reports:

kick --workspace <workspace-id> reports profit-loss
kick --workspace <workspace-id> reports balance-sheet
kick --workspace <workspace-id> reports trial-balance

Activity:

kick --workspace <workspace-id> activity list
kick --workspace <workspace-id> activity logs

Local MCP server:

kick --workspace <workspace-id> mcp serve

Output modes

• --output auto - table in a terminal, structured output when piped.

• --output table - human-readable table.

• --output json - formatted JSON.

• --output json-compact - compact JSON for scripts and agent contexts.

• --output yaml - YAML.

Data goes to stdout. Diagnostics, progress messages, and errors go to stderr.

For examples, see Kick CLI use case library and additional workflows.

Exit codes

• 0 - success

• 1 - generic failure

• 2 - usage error

• 3 - network error

• 4 - authentication or authorization error

• 5 - not found

• 6 - rate limited

• 130 - interrupted

Safety reminders

• Use read-only commands for lookup and reporting.

• Use write commands only when the workflow needs them.

• Keep PATs out of source control and shared docs.

• Confirm workspace and entity IDs before running commands on client data.

• Treat generated output as a draft until an accountant reviews it.

For more detail, see Permissions and Security and CLI Troubleshooting.