cli

name	cli
description	Tambo CLI reference for project setup and component installation. Agent-friendly with non-interactive mode and exit codes. Use when running tambo init, tambo add, npx tambo commands, or browsing the component library. For guided project creation with tech recommendations, use generative-ui skill. For adding Tambo to existing projects, use add-to-existing-project skill.

Tambo CLI

Agent-friendly CLI for project setup and component management.

Quick Start

npx tambo init --api-key=sk_...              # Initialize with API key
npx tambo add message-thread-full --yes      # Add a component
npx tambo create-app my-app --template=standard  # New app from template

Non-Interactive Mode

The CLI detects non-interactive environments and returns guidance instead of hanging:

# In CI or piped environments, this returns guidance (exit 2) instead of prompting
npx tambo init
# Error: Project name required.
# Run one of:
#   tambo init --project-name=myapp    # Create new project
#   tambo init --project-id=abc123     # Use existing project

Detection Logic

Non-interactive when ANY of these are true:

• process.stdin.isTTY is false (piped input)
• process.stdout.isTTY is false (piped output)
• CI environment variable is set
• GITHUB_ACTIONS=true

Override with FORCE_INTERACTIVE=1 (requires real TTY).

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	Error (network, invalid args, etc.)
2	User action required - check stderr for exact command

Commands for Agents

Initialize Project

# Option 1: Direct API key (simplest for agents)
npx tambo init --api-key=sk_...

# Option 2: Create new project (requires prior auth)
npx tambo init --project-name=myapp

# Option 3: Use existing project
npx tambo init --project-id=abc123

# Skip all prompts with defaults
npx tambo init --yes --project-name=myapp

Add Components

npx tambo add form --yes                    # Skip confirmation
npx tambo add form graph --yes              # Multiple components
npx tambo add form --prefix=src/components  # Custom directory
npx tambo add form --dry-run                # Preview changes
npx tambo add form --legacy-peer-deps       # For dependency conflicts

Component Library

Browse and preview all components at ui.tambo.co.

Available Components

Component	Description
message-thread-full	Complete message thread with all content and interactions
message-thread-panel	Message thread in a side panel or modal context
message-thread-collapsible	Message threads that can be expanded or collapsed
message	Individual messages with markdown support
message-input	Composes and sends messages in a conversation
message-suggestions	AI-generated suggestions to help users compose responses
control-bar	Controls and actions in the interface
input-fields	Reusable input fields with styles and validation
graph	Visualizes graph-based data structures
form	Collects user input with validation support
map	Interactive map with clustering and heatmap support
canvas-space	Displays rendered components from chat messages
thread-history	Chronological history of a conversation thread
thread-dropdown	Dropdown menu for collapsible chat threads
thread-content	Displays messages within a thread
scrollable-message-container	Container that auto-scrolls to new messages
edit-with-tambo-button	Inline AI editor button for interactable components
elicitation-ui	MCP elicitation UI for user input requests
mcp-components	MCP prompt and resource picker buttons

What You Get

Each component includes:

• Source code copied to your project (not a dependency)
• Tambo integration pre-configured with hooks
• Styling via Tailwind CSS (customizable)
• TypeScript with full type definitions

Example: Full Chat Interface

npx tambo add message-thread-full control-bar --yes

This adds a complete chat UI with:

• Message history display
• AI-generated component rendering
• Input bar with send button
• Streaming status indicators

List Components (No Prompts)

npx tambo list --yes

Create New App

npx tambo create-app my-app --template=standard

Authentication

npx tambo auth login --no-browser   # Prints URL instead of opening browser
npx tambo auth status               # Check current auth (no prompts)

Full Setup (One Command)

npx tambo full-send    # Complete setup with components

Agent Docs

The CLI auto-creates/updates AGENTS.md with Tambo documentation:

npx tambo add form --yes   # Also updates AGENTS.md

The generated section includes CLI commands formatted for non-interactive use.

Key Flags Summary

Flag	Commands	Purpose
--yes, -y	init, add, list	Skip all prompts
--api-key	init	Direct API key input
--project-name	init	Create new project
--project-id	init	Use existing project
--no-browser	auth login	Output URL instead of opening
--dry-run	add	Preview without installing
--prefix	add, list	Custom component directory