What is Memberstack CLI
An open-source command-line tool for managing your Memberstack account. Handle apps, members, plans, data tables, custom fields, and more from the terminal.
Memberstack CLI is an open-source command-line tool that lets you manage your Memberstack account from the terminal. From apps to members to plans to permissions: everything you do in the dashboard, you can do from the command line.
Why use a CLI?
The Memberstack dashboard handles day-to-day tasks well. But when you need to work at scale (bulk imports, automated workflows, scripted operations), a web UI slows you down.
The CLI gives you:
- Speed. Run a command and get results. No clicking through pages.
- Automation. Script member imports, plan updates, and data migrations. Combine with cron jobs, CI/CD pipelines, or shell scripts.
- Bulk operations. Import and export members and records in CSV or JSON. Create, update, or delete in bulk with dry-run previews.
- AI agent support. Works with OpenAI Codex, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and dozens of other agents. Install the Agent Skills so your agent knows how to use the CLI.
How it works
The CLI authenticates through OAuth in your browser, no API keys to manage. Your tokens are stored locally at ~/.memberstack/auth.json with restricted file permissions and never leave your machine.
Every command targets your sandbox environment (test mode) by default. Use --mode live or the --live shorthand when you're ready to work with your live environment. See Global Options for all available flags.
memberstack members list --all # sandbox (test mode)
memberstack members list --all --live # liveWhat you can do
| Area | Examples |
|---|---|
| Members | List, create, update, delete, import/export, bulk operations |
| Plans | List, create, update, delete, reorder |
| Prices | Create, update, activate, deactivate, delete |
| Apps | View current app, create, update, delete, restore |
| Data tables | List, create, update, delete, describe schema |
| Records | CRUD, query, import/export, bulk operations |
| Custom fields | List, create, update, delete |
| Permissions | List, create, update, delete, link/unlink to plans and members |
| Auth providers | List, configure, remove (Google, GitHub, Facebook, and more) |
| SSO | List, create, update, delete SSO apps |
| Users | List, get, add, remove, update roles |
| Skills | Add and remove agent skills for Claude Code and Codex |
Why not MCP?
Model Context Protocol (MCP) is the standard for connecting AI agents to external tools. It works, but it comes with trade-offs that a CLI avoids.
- Context bloat. MCP servers load every tool definition into the agent's context window upfront. A single server can burn thousands of tokens before the agent even reads your request. Anthropic's own engineering team documented setups where tool definitions consumed 134,000 tokens before optimization.
- CLIs are nearly free. A CLI command and its
--helpoutput cost a few hundred tokens. The same operation as an MCP tool definition costs thousands. That's context your agent can spend on solving problems, not reading schemas. - Agents are built for terminals. Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Copilot — they all run shell commands natively. No server to keep running, no protocol layer. The agent reads the docs, runs the command, and parses the output.
- No infrastructure. MCP servers need to be installed, configured, and kept alive. A CLI is a single install. Authenticate once and every agent on your machine can use it immediately.
Who built this?
Memberstack CLI is an open-source, community project by Ben Sabic from Flash Brew Digital. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Memberstack. Contributions are welcome on GitHub.
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