Reference
CLI
crow is a thin client for the same API the MCP server and the dashboard use. It's published to npm as crow-nest and needs Node 20 or newer.
npx crow-nest login # run it without installing
npm i -g crow-nest # or install it; the command is then `crow`crow --version prints the version. About once a day, after a command finishes, the CLI checks npm and prints one line if a newer version exists. It stays quiet with --json, when CI is set, or when CROW_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1.
Set CROW_API to point the CLI at another API, for staging or local development (the default is https://api.crow-nest.com).
Commands
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
crow login | Signs you in: prints a code and opens crow-nest.com/device to approve it. The token is kept in your system's keychain |
crow publish [dir] | Builds and publishes the project in dir (default: the current folder). The first publish asks for a name and visibility and writes .crow.json with the app's ID |
crow share <app> [--public | --link | --org | --private] [--add email] [--remove email] | Changes who can open an app |
crow ls | Lists your apps |
crow open <app> | Opens the app's address in your browser |
crow whoami | Prints which account you are signed in as (name, email, and company if you are in one) |
crow logout | Removes the stored token |
Building
crow publish works with projects, not just folders. It recognizes Vite, React, Next.js, Astro, SvelteKit, Nuxt and Remix, runs the project's build on your machine, checks the output will work on Crow Nest, and publishes it. Nothing is ever built on Crow Nest's servers. A plain folder of web files is published as is.
.crow.json
After the first publish, .crow.json in your project holds the app's ID, so later crow publish runs update the same app. Commit it if your team publishes the same app; delete it to publish as a new app.