flare-cli

name	flare-cli
description	Use this skill when the task is to authenticate, configure, expose, inspect, update, log, or close Cloudflare Tunnel plus Cloudflare Access sessions with `flare`. Trigger on requests about sharing localhost securely, creating preview URLs for local apps, exposing static files or Docker services, or cleaning up Cloudflare resources created by flare-cli.
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"Gladium AI","version":"1.0.0","category":"developer-tools","tags":["cloudflare","tunnel","access","preview","localhost","docker"]}

Flare CLI

Use this skill to operate flare safely and consistently.

Use This Skill For

• Exposing an existing local HTTP service with local:http
• Launching and exposing a command with local:command
• Sharing static files or a directory with builtin:static or builtin:file-browser
• Exposing Docker containers or Compose services
• Authenticating or configuring Cloudflare account, zone, and domain settings
• Inspecting, updating, logging, or closing active sessions

Core Rules

• Prefer flare over raw cloudflared or manual Cloudflare dashboard changes when the task fits the CLI surface.
• Start with flare doctor for first-run setup and troubleshooting.
• Use flare auth login for interactive authentication instead of editing credential files manually.
• Prefer --json when another agent or script will consume the result.
• Match the origin type to the workload instead of wrapping everything in local:command.
• Close disposable sessions with flare close so the tunnel, DNS record, and Access app are removed.
• Do not use forceful teardown or preserve remote resources unless the user explicitly asks.

Quick Workflow

1. Verify prerequisites with flare doctor.
2. Authenticate with flare auth login, or inspect current auth with flare auth whoami.
3. Expose the target with flare serve <origin-type> ....
4. Inspect or update the session with flare status, flare logs, or flare update.
5. Clean up with flare close <session-id>.

Prerequisites

• flare installed and available on PATH, or use the repo-local binary while developing
• cloudflared installed
• Docker installed for docker:* origin types
• A Cloudflare account with a managed domain
• Cloudflare Zero Trust enabled for Access policies

Standard Command Path

flare doctor
flare auth login
flare serve local:http --url http://localhost:3000 --subdomain preview --auth otp --json
flare status <session-id> --json
flare close <session-id>

For static sites:

flare serve builtin:static --path ./dist --subdomain preview --spa --auth otp

For containerized services:

flare serve docker:container --image nginx:alpine --container-port 80 --subdomain demo

Origin Selection

• local:http: the service is already running on a local URL
• local:command: you need flare to launch the process that serves HTTP
• builtin:static: serve a static directory or SPA build output
• builtin:file-browser: share a directory with upload/download controls
• docker:container: run and expose a single container
• docker:compose-service: start and expose one Compose service

Troubleshooting

• Run flare doctor if setup looks wrong.
• Use flare auth whoami to confirm the current token and discovered account context.
• Use flare list --stale to spot leaked or unhealthy sessions.
• Use flare logs <session-id> and flare status <session-id> --json before rerunning a failed session.
• If serve fails during provisioning, verify cloudflare.account_id, cloudflare.zone_id, and cloudflare.domain in config.