> This page is for CLI. > For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL. > For a complete documentation index, see https://developer.deel.com/llms.txt. > For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://developer.deel.com/_mcp/server. # AI agents and the CLI > How coding agents use the Deel CLI, and how it complements the MCP server Coding agents such as Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex do their work in a shell: they read help output, run commands, and parse the results. The Deel CLI gives them Deel operations in exactly that form. No Deel-specific plugin, software development kit (SDK), or tool definition is needed; an agent that can run `deel --help` can run every command. ## What an agent session looks like Given a task such as "add a 500 bonus to contract C123," an agent lists the available commands, reads the exact contract with `--help --json`, generates a body skeleton, fills it in, then calls. The discovery steps run offline, needing neither a token nor network access, so the agent can plan the call completely before making it. See [Discover before calling](/cli/agents/workflows#discover-before-calling) for the full sequence. ## Behavior an agent depends on These CLI properties are what let an agent use it without a special integration: | Property | Effect on agent behavior | | --------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `--help --json` contracts | The agent reads flags, request fields, types, and enumerations instead of guessing field names from prose | | `--generate-input` skeletons | The agent starts from a complete, correctly typed body and only fills in values | | JSON envelope on stdout | Results are parsed, not scraped; `--fields` and `--jq` keep them small | | JSON errors on stderr with `error.code` | The agent can tell a fixable input mistake from an authorization or policy problem | | Deterministic idempotency keys | An agent that retries after an ambiguous failure cannot create a duplicate record | | Non-interactive detection | With `CI=true`, or `CLAUDE_CODE`, `CURSOR`, or `CODEX` present, output is JSON even on a pseudo-terminal. Note that `deel auth login` still prompts when stdin is a TTY, so pipe the token in or use `DEEL_TOKEN` | | Local request log | Every request the agent made is recorded with the token masked, so a session can be audited afterwards | ## Which agents Any agent that can execute shell commands can use the CLI. The table lists the environments the CLI recognizes and where its instructions usually live. | Agent | Detected through | Where to put CLI instructions | | ---------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | | Claude Code | `CLAUDE_CODE` | `CLAUDE.md` in the project or home directory | | Cursor | `CURSOR` | A rule file under `.cursor/rules/` | | OpenAI Codex | `CODEX` | `AGENTS.md` in the project | | CI runners and hosted agents | `CI=true` | The job definition or the agent's system prompt | | Other agents | Not detected; output is JSON whenever stdout is not a terminal | The agent's system prompt or tool description | This detection only changes whether output is JSON by default; it never changes what a command actually does. ## CLI or MCP server Deel provides two integration interfaces for AI clients, depending on your transport, authentication, and operational requirements. | | Deel CLI | [Deel MCP server](/mcp) | | -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Best for | Agents that execute work in a shell: coding agents, automation agents, CI | Conversational assistants: Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor chat, custom MCP clients | | Interface | Commands and JSON | MCP tools over HTTP | | Authentication | Personal access token, stored in the OS keychain or injected as a secret | OAuth2 handled by the client, or a personal access token | | Discovery | `deel --help`, `--help --json`, `--generate-input` | `tools/list` | | Runs in | Wherever the agent runs commands: laptop, container, CI runner | On Deel infrastructure; nothing to install | The two can be used together: a chat assistant connected through MCP and a coding agent using the CLI in the repository are governed by the same token scopes. ## Trust model An agent using the CLI acts with the permissions of the token it holds. Limit what a mistake can do with three practices: * **Scope the token** to the operations the agent needs and nothing more. * **Keep the agent in the demo environment** (`DEEL_ENV=demo`) until the workflow is proven, then switch to production deliberately. * **Leave local logging on.** The log records every request, with the token masked and bodies omitted, which makes an agent session reviewable. [Agent workflows](/cli/agents/workflows) covers these in detail. ## Next steps #### [Set up a coding agent](/cli/agents/setup) Install the CLI where the agent runs and add the instruction block #### [Agent workflows](/cli/agents/workflows) Discovery, request bodies, errors, retries, jobs, and guardrails #### [Command structure](/cli/usage/command-structure) Details of --help --json and --generate-input #### [MCP server](/mcp) Connect conversational AI clients to Deel