| name | cf-export |
| description | Use when exporting project artifacts (package.json, lockfiles, .cdsrc.json, default-env.json, .npmrc) from a running SAP BTP CF app. |
CF Export
Purpose
Use cf-export to pull exact CAP/CF project artifacts from a live Cloud Foundry container. This is the CLI equivalent of the "Export" feature in the SAP Tools VS Code extension. It is useful for local development setup, debugging deployment issues, or capturing the exact lockfile and config that a running app was built with.
If cf-export is missing, install it: npm install -g @saptools/cf-export
First Steps
- Identify what the user needs: full set of artifacts, only specific files (e.g. pnpm-lock + default-env), or a particular remote root.
-a / --app is always required. --region, --org, --space are optional. If the user only mentions the app name, try short form first. The tool checks if a target is already set in the environment. Only ask the user for region/org/space and pass explicit flags when the tool errors with "Error: --region is required" (or --org / --space).- Use
--remote-root (the "root url") when the app files live in a non-standard path inside the container (common for multi-package or custom build roots).
- Default behavior exports everything that exists. Use
--file to be selective.
Command Choice
Export all artifacts (short form):
cf-export -a my-cap-app --out ./exported
With full flags:
cf-export -r ap10 -o my-org -s dev -a my-cap-app --out ./exported
With custom remote root:
cf-export -a my-cap-app --remote-root /home/vcap/app/srv --out ./out
Selective files:
cf-export -a my-cap-app --file package.json --file pnpm-lock.yaml --file default-env.json
Troubleshooting
- Error: --region is required (or --org / --space) → Ask the user for the missing target details and pass them using explicit flags.
- Files not found in expected location → use
--remote-root /path/inside/container.
- Auth failures → ensure
SAP_EMAIL / SAP_PASSWORD are set and the cf CLI can reach the region.
- Unknown region → pass
--region explicitly.
Live CF commands require the app to be running and SSH enabled for file fetches.
Related Tools
@saptools/cf-files — lower-level file download and gen-env.@saptools/cf-sync — provides the region catalog.
