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Install and authenticate

Connect your terminal to a Simplified workspace and verify access.
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1. Check the prerequisites

You need a Simplified account, access to the workspace you want to use, and Node.js 22 or newer with npm installed. Check your environment:

node --version
npm --version

2. Install the CLI

npm install -g simplified-cli
simplified --version
simplified --help

The npm package is named simplified-cli; the installed command is simplified. To update later, run npm install -g simplified-cli@latest.

3. Create an API key

Open Simplified API settings in the workspace you want to use. Create a key and copy it when it is displayed. A key belongs to one workspace; use a separate key for each workspace you manage.

4. Save a named profile

Choose a name that identifies the workspace or client:

simplified auth:login my-workspace

Paste the key into the hidden prompt. The CLI saves the profile and makes it active. Keep keys out of scripts and source control. Profiles are stored locally in ~/.simplified/config.json with file permissions set to 0600.

5. Verify the connection

simplified auth:whoami

Check the returned workspace and accessible teamspaces. For social workflows, also inspect the connected accounts:

simplified accounts:list

An empty accounts result does not mean authentication failed. Connect the social accounts in Simplified, or check that you selected the right teamspace. You can use assets, brand kits, and projects without a social account.

Continue to your first draft, or choose a teamspace.

Manage multiple workspace profiles

simplified auth:login client-acme
simplified auth:list
simplified auth:use my-workspace
simplified auth:whoami

auth:list masks saved keys and marks the active profile. Switching profiles changes which workspace your commands can access. Check the teamspace context after switching; a teamspace ID from another workspace will not grant access.

Remove a saved profile when you no longer need it:

simplified auth:logout client-acme

Omit the name to remove the active profile. Removing a local profile does not revoke the API key in Simplified.

Use a secret in CI

Set SIMPLIFIED_API_KEY through your CI system’s secret manager. On a fresh runner with no saved active profile, commands read it automatically:

simplified auth:whoami

Credentials are resolved in this order:

  1. A command’s --api-key value.
  2. The active saved profile.
  3. SIMPLIFIED_API_KEY.

A saved profile takes precedence over the environment variable. For predictable CI runs, use a dedicated runner environment without a developer’s saved profile. See automation for output handling and retries, or troubleshooting if authentication fails.