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Install the Krexel CLI

The CLI ships an already-built website folder to Krexel and includes the Krexel MCP server used by AI clients.

Install

npm install -g krexel

Krexel requires Node.js 20 or newer. Check with node --version.

Log in

Create or copy a key at krexel.com/keys, then run:

krexel login
# Non-interactive alternative:
krexel login --api-key krx_your_key_here

Krexel validates the key against the production API. If KREXEL_API_KEY is set in your shell, the CLI uses it and skips writing any file — your shell is the safest place for a secret. Otherwise it falls back to ~/.krexel/auth.json (mode 600, owner-only).

Ship a site

Build your project first, then pass its output folder and the domain you want to use:

krexel ship ./dist example.com
krexel ship ./out example.com --framework nextjs

Supported framework hints are auto, nextjs, astro, vite, and static. The default is auto.

Wire every AI client in one command

krexel init detects every AI client installed on your machine (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Continue, Claude Desktop) and writes the right MCP config to each. It also runs krexel login for you, so a typical install looks like:

krexel init

Idempotent and safe to re-run. See Install the MCP server for the full reference.

Inspect and roll back

krexel whoami
krexel logs dep_a1b2c3d4
krexel rollback example.com dep_a1b2c3d4

Run krexel --help for the complete command list.

Configuration

VariablePurpose
KREXEL_API_KEYYour krx_… API key. If set in the shell, krexel init skips the prompt and the auth.json file write — your shell is the safest place for a secret.
KREXEL_API_URLAPI endpoint override. Defaults to https://krexel.com (proxied via Vercel). Use https://api.krexel.com only for direct-to-worker debugging.
KREXEL_HOMEState directory override. Defaults to ~/.krexel.
KREXEL_MCP_BINAdvanced override for the MCP-server executable.

Troubleshooting

krexel: command not found — make sure your npm global binary directory is on PATH.

The API key is rejected — create a new key at krexel.com/keys, then run krexel login again.

The MCP server cannot be found — update the CLI with npm install -g krexel@latest; current releases install the MCP server as a dependency.

Next steps