By name: strapi-cli description: 'Use when user says "Strapi CLI", "create a Strapi app", "strapi develop", "build/start Strapi", or "export/import Strapi data". Scaffold and run a Strapi v5 project.' tags: [strapi, cli, cms, scaffolding, headless-cms]
Strapi CLI
Scaffold, run, and manage a Strapi v5 project from the command line.
Use This Skill For
- Creating a new Strapi project
- Running the dev server, building, and starting in production
- Exporting / importing / transferring content between environments
- Generating APIs, types, and listing routes/services
- Managing admin users from the terminal
Prerequisites
- Node.js LTS and a package manager (
yarnrecommended;npmworks but hides prompts for interactive commands likeadmin:create-user) - Scaffolder:
create-strapi(run vianpx, no global install) - In-project CLI:
@strapi/strapi, invoked asnpm run strapi,yarn strapi, ornpx strapi
Create a Project
npx create-strapi@latest my-strapi-project
cd my-strapi-project
npm run develop # admin panel → http://localhost:1337/admin
strapi new, strapi install, and strapi watch-admin from v4 were
removed in v5. Use create-strapi to scaffold and develop for watch mode.
Command Reference
The local strapi binary takes a category of subcommands. Prefix with your
package manager (npm run strapi <cmd> / yarn strapi <cmd>).
Development
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
strapi develop |
Dev server with file watcher + auto-restart. Content-Type Builder is available here. Add --no-watch-admin to disable admin hot reload. |
strapi start |
Production-style run. Content-Type Builder is disabled (no restarts). |
strapi build |
Build the admin panel for production. |
strapi console |
Open a REPL with the strapi instance loaded. |
Data management
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
strapi export |
Export content + config to .tar (optionally .gz, .enc). |
strapi import |
Import an export archive or unpacked directory (-f <file>). |
strapi transfer |
Stream data directly between two Strapi instances. |
Code generation
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
strapi generate |
Interactive generator: API, controller, service, content-type, plugin, policy, middleware. |
strapi ts:generate-types |
Regenerate TypeScript types from the schema. |
strapi openapi generate |
Emit an OpenAPI spec for your content API. |
Cloud
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
strapi login / logout |
Authenticate with Strapi Cloud. |
strapi deploy |
Deploy the project to Strapi Cloud. |
Listing & admin
strapi routes:list,policies:list,middlewares:list,content-types:list,controllers:list,services:liststrapi admin:create-user,admin:reset-user-password,admin:list-users(useyarn, notnpm, so prompts render)
Rules
- Use
developwhile modeling content;startfor production runs only. - Run interactive admin commands with
yarn, nevernpm(npm swallows the prompts). - Treat exports as backups before a risky migration or upgrade.
- Never commit the generated
.env,APP_KEYS, or admin tokens.
Next Step
After the server is up, model content with building-with-strapi, or wire
an AI client with strapi-mcp-setup.