Algolia CLI

Manage Algolia search infrastructure from the terminal using the algolia CLI.

When to Use This Skill vs. algolia-mcp

Rule of thumb: If the user wants to read or analyze data → algolia-mcp. If they want to change, move, or manage data → algolia-cli.

Setup

Run /algolia-cli:setup to install the CLI and configure a profile, or follow Getting Started.

Tip: algolia auth login is the easiest way to set up credentials — it handles OAuth sign-in and profile creation in one step. Use algolia profile add for non-interactive / CI setups where you already have an API key.

Command Quick Reference

Auth

Profile

Application

API Keys

Search

Indices

Objects (Records)

Settings

Rules

Synonyms

Crawler

Most crawler commands support --dry-run to preview the request without sending it: create, run, pause, reindex, unblock, test.

Auth: Crawler commands require ALGOLIA_CRAWLER_USER_ID and ALGOLIA_CRAWLER_API_KEY env vars, or crawler_user_id/crawler_api_key in the profile config file.

Synonym Type Guide

Choosing the right synonym type matters for search quality:

• synonym (regular/two-way): All terms are interchangeable. Use when the words truly mean the same thing in both directions. Example: "sneakers" ↔ "trainers" — searching either should find the other.
• oneWaySynonym: Only the input term expands to include the synonyms, not the reverse. Use when a short/abbreviated term should match longer/specific terms, but not vice versa. Example: "TV" → "television", "flat screen" — searching "TV" finds "television" results, but searching "television" does NOT return "TV" results.

Rule of thumb: If the user says "searching X should also match Y", that's one-way (input: X, synonyms: [Y]). If they say "X and Y should be equivalent/interchangeable", that's two-way.

Describe

Key Conventions

1. Always use non-interactive mode. Destructive commands need -y (or --confirm) to skip confirmation prompts. This includes objects delete, indices delete/clear/copy/move, rules import/delete, synonyms delete, and apikeys delete. Without -y, the CLI will hang waiting for user input. Note: objects import, objects update, and synonyms import do not have a -y flag — they run non-interactively by default.
2. ndjson format. objects browse, objects import, rules browse/import, and synonyms browse/import use newline-delimited JSON (one JSON object per line), not JSON arrays.
3. Profile flag. Use -p <profile> to target a non-default profile. Omit it to use the default.
4. Credential precedence. Environment variables override all other configuration. The resolution order is: env vars > CLI flags (--application-id, --api-key) > profile config file > default profile. Supported env vars: ALGOLIA_APPLICATION_ID, ALGOLIA_API_KEY, ALGOLIA_ADMIN_API_KEY, ALGOLIA_SEARCH_HOSTS, ALGOLIA_CRAWLER_USER_ID, ALGOLIA_CRAWLER_API_KEY. If env vars are set, --profile/-p is ignored for those credentials.
5. Wait flag. Use -w (or --wait) when subsequent commands depend on the operation completing (e.g., import then search).
6. Pipe between commands. Copy data across indices: algolia objects browse SRC | algolia objects import DST -F -
7. JSON output. Use --output json (or -o json) when you need machine-readable output.

Common Workflows

Migrate records between indices (with field filtering)

algolia objects browse SOURCE --attributesToRetrieve objectID,title,price \
  | algolia objects import DEST -F - -w

Full index backup

algolia objects browse MY_INDEX > my_index_records.ndjson
algolia settings get MY_INDEX > my_index_settings.json
algolia rules browse MY_INDEX > my_index_rules.ndjson
algolia synonyms browse MY_INDEX > my_index_synonyms.ndjson

Note: settings use .json (standard JSON), everything else uses .ndjson (newline-delimited JSON).

Restore from backup

algolia objects import MY_INDEX -F my_index_records.ndjson -w
algolia settings import MY_INDEX -F my_index_settings.json -w
algolia rules import MY_INDEX -F my_index_rules.ndjson -c -y -w
algolia synonyms import MY_INDEX -F my_index_synonyms.ndjson -r -w

Direct Invocation

If the skill doesn't trigger automatically, users can invoke it directly:

• /algolia-cli — Load the full skill into context for any Algolia CLI task
• /algolia-cli:setup — Install the CLI and configure a profile

This is useful when the request is brief (e.g., "import my data into Algolia") and the skill might not auto-trigger.

Reference Docs

• Getting Started — Installation and profile setup
• Command Reference — Full syntax, flags, and examples for every command