Reference

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

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.