---
title: "RunAPI CLI — Run 130+ AI Models from Your Terminal"
url: "https://runapi.ai/cli.md"
canonical: "https://runapi.ai/cli"
locale: "en"
---

# RunAPI CLI

One binary calls 130+ AI models — Suno, Veo, Kling, Flux, Claude, GPT, and the rest — with JSON-first output that maps cleanly to scripts, CI pipelines, and agent runtimes.

## Install

**curl (Linux / macOS):**

```bash
curl -fsSL https://runapi.ai/cli/install.sh | sh
```

**Homebrew:**

```bash
brew install runapi-ai/tap/runapi
```

**Go source build (Go 1.22+):**

```bash
go install github.com/runapi-ai/cli/cmd/runapi@latest
```

## Quickstart

```bash
# Authenticate
runapi login

# Generate an image
runapi nano-banana generate \
  --input '{"prompt":"a hummingbird drinking espresso","aspect_ratio":"1:1"}'

# Generate music (async)
TASK_ID=$(runapi suno generate --async \
  --input '{"prompt":"indie rock about coding"}' | jq -r .id)
runapi wait "$TASK_ID" --service suno --action generate
```

## What Is RunAPI CLI?

RunAPI CLI is a single Go binary that calls 130+ AI models from 18 providers through one unified API. Instead of installing separate SDKs for Suno, Kling, Flux, Claude, and GPT, you run one command — runapi <service> <action> — and get structured JSON back. It handles authentication, async polling, and output formatting so your shell scripts, CI pipelines, and agent runtimes stay clean. Every request is billed per-call with no monthly minimum, and the CLI stores your API key locally so you authenticate once and run commands from any directory.

## Features

- **JSON-first output** — Every command returns structured JSON for scripts and pipelines.
- **Async + polling** — `--async` flag to fire-and-forget, `runapi wait` to poll.
- **Agent runtime** — Install skills into Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI with `runapi agent install-skill`.

## What Can You Generate?

- **Image Generation** — Flux, Nano Banana, Recraft, Ideogram, Seedream, GPT Image, Imagen 4 — generate and edit images from text prompts.
- **Video Generation** — Kling, Veo, Runway, Luma, Hailuo, Wan, Seedance — text-to-video generation with async polling built in.
- **Music & Audio** — Suno for music, ElevenLabs for text-to-speech and voice cloning, InfiniteTalk for talking avatars.
- **LLM Chat & Completion** — Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Qwen — streaming chat completions via the OpenAI-compatible endpoint.

## FAQ

### How do I install the RunAPI CLI?

Three options: curl -fsSL https://runapi.ai/cli/install.sh | sh (auto-detects OS and arch), brew install runapi-ai/tap/runapi (Homebrew), or go install github.com/runapi-ai/cli/cmd/runapi@latest (Go source build).

### What platforms does the CLI support?

macOS and Linux on both amd64 and arm64 architectures. The curl install script auto-detects your OS and CPU, verifies a SHA-256 checksum, and writes the binary to /usr/local/bin.

### Can I use the CLI in CI pipelines?

Yes. Use the curl installer in your CI/CD pipeline and set RUNAPI_API_KEY as an environment variable. The CLI supports headless authentication via runapi auth import-token for non-interactive environments.

### What AI models can I run from the CLI?

Over 130 models across 18 providers: Suno for music, Kling and Veo for video, Flux and Nano Banana for images, ElevenLabs for audio, and Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek for LLMs.

### How does async task handling work?

Use the --async flag to fire-and-forget. The CLI returns a task ID immediately. Then use runapi wait TASK_ID to poll until completion. JSON output makes it easy to extract task IDs with jq.

### How much does the RunAPI CLI cost?

The CLI itself is free and open source. You pay only for API calls on a per-request basis with no monthly minimum. Image generation starts at $0.02 per image, video generation from $0.10 per clip, and LLM calls are billed per token at roughly 50% below official provider pricing.

### Does the CLI work with agent runtimes like Claude Code?

Yes. RunAPI publishes installable model skills for Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, and other MCP-compatible agent runtimes. Run runapi skill install to add a model skill, then the agent can call RunAPI models as native tools without manual API configuration.


## Links

- [Model catalog](https://runapi.ai/models)
- [MCP Server](https://runapi.ai/mcp)
- [SDKs](https://runapi.ai/sdk)
- [Skills](https://runapi.ai/skills)
- [Pricing](https://runapi.ai/pricing)
- [API docs](https://runapi.ai/docs)
- [GitHub](https://github.com/runapi-ai/cli)