render-cli

name	render-cli
description	Render CLI for deploying and managing services, databases, and blueprints on Render. Use when user mentions render, deploying to render, render services, or render databases. Check `which render` first — if missing, offer: `brew install render` (macOS) or curl installer. Covers deploys, services, SSH, psql, blueprints, and CI workflows.

Prerequisites

Before any render command, verify the CLI is available:

which render

If not found, ask the user:

Render CLI not found. Install it?

macOS:

brew install render

Linux/macOS (alternative):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/render-oss/cli/refs/heads/main/bin/install.sh | sh

After install, authenticate:

render login

Then set the active workspace:

render workspace set

If found but not authed, render services will fail — run render login.

Core Commands

Command	Purpose
render services	List services and datastores
render deploys create <id>	Trigger a deploy
render deploys list <id>	Deploy history
render ssh <id>	SSH into a service
render psql <id>	Postgres session
render blueprints validate	Validate render.yaml
render workspaces	List workspaces

Workflows

First-time setup

brew install render   # or curl installer
render login
render workspace set
render services       # verify access

Deploy a service

render services                          # pick service
render deploys create <SERVICE_ID>       # trigger deploy
render deploys create <ID> --wait        # block until done
render deploys create <ID> --commit <SHA>  # specific commit
render deploys create <ID> --image <URL>   # docker image

Database access

render psql <DATABASE_ID>                    # interactive session
render psql <DATABASE_ID> -c "SELECT 1"      # one-shot query
render psql <DATABASE_ID> -o json            # JSON output

Debug a service

render ssh <SERVICE_ID>                  # interactive shell
render ssh <SERVICE_ID> --ephemeral      # throwaway shell

Validate blueprints

render blueprints validate               # defaults to ./render.yaml
render blueprints validate my-render.yaml

CI / Non-Interactive Mode

Use RENDER_API_KEY (not login tokens) for automation:

RENDER_API_KEY=$RENDER_API_KEY render deploys create "$SERVICE_ID" --output json --confirm

• --confirm skips prompts
• --output / -o: json, yaml, text, interactive
• RENDER_OUTPUT env var sets default output format

Config

• Config path: ~/.render/cli.yaml
• Override: RENDER_CLI_CONFIG_PATH env var
• Re-auth: render login if token expires

Decision Points

• User says "deploy to render" → render deploys create
• User says "check render services" → render services
• User needs DB access → render psql
• User needs shell access → render ssh
• User has render.yaml → render blueprints validate
• render not installed → offer install, don't silently fail
• render not authed → run render login

References

• Docs: https://render.com/docs/cli
• Releases: https://github.com/render-oss/cli/releases
• Source: https://github.com/render-oss/cli