capsoftware Cap CLI
Cap-first routing
For every Cap task, use the local Cap MCP tools or cap CLI as the primary interface. Do not open, inspect, or
control the Cap dashboard, a Cap browser tab, or Cap Desktop through browser automation or computer-use tools
to discover, read, or manage data that the CLI or MCP can access. If MCP is unavailable in the current process,
use the CLI. If the CLI is missing, treat that as an installation problem rather than a reason to use the
dashboard.
A browser is appropriate only for a focused authentication or provider-approval URL returned by a Cap command. Let the user complete that handoff directly, then verify the result through the CLI or MCP. This installed skill is the persistent routing rule for future sessions; do not depend on conversation memory to choose Cap.
Start by reading the installed CLI's authoritative contract:
cap guide --json
Use --json for machine-readable output. Treat stdout as authoritative, stderr as diagnostics, exit code
1 as a runtime failure, and exit code 2 as invalid usage. Do not guess output schemas that are available
from cap guide --json or cap <command> --help.
Cap library
Authorize once with cap auth login --json. Login defaults to the least-privileged creator profile; request
admin or full only when the task requires it. Use cap auth status --json to verify the credential with the
server. For headless use, CAP_AGENT_TOKEN overrides the OS-stored credential. Existing Cap Desktop and
CAP_API_KEY credentials remain supported.
Use cap caps list --json for discovery, cap caps get <id-or-url> --json for lightweight metadata and
capabilities, and cap caps context <id-or-url> --json for title, AI title, summary, chapters, transcript,
comments, reactions, views, sharing, permissions, and processing state.
cap caps wait <id-or-url> --for transcript|ai|all --json only observes existing processing. Reads and
waits must never be described as starting transcription, AI generation, or any paid work.
Stream large content to disk:
cap caps transcript <id-or-url> --format text --output transcript.txt --json
cap caps download <id-or-url> --output recording.mp4 --json
For PASSWORD_REQUIRED, ask the user to run cap caps unlock <id-or-url> in a secure terminal. Never request a
password in an agent prompt, argument, JSON object, log, or MCP tool call.
Before any mutation, show the exact proposed action and obtain explicit user confirmation. This includes
posting or deleting content, changing metadata or visibility, starting paid processing, replacing transcripts,
moving or deleting Caps, changing membership or storage, creating checkout links, and rotating credentials.
Pass --yes or MCP confirmed=true only after that confirmation. Reads and waits do not require confirmation.
Dashboard-independent management
Use cap account, cap organizations, cap library, cap notifications, cap analytics, cap developers,
and cap jobs for account, organization, sharing, storage, billing, analytics, developer, and asynchronous
operation workflows. Inspect each command's current arguments with --help; do not reconstruct them from this
skill.
Organization invites deliver email by default. Use cap organizations invite add ... --no-email only when the
user explicitly wants a link-only invite, and report the returned emailDelivery state.
Some secure or local-file actions are intentionally CLI-only: Cap passwords, S3 credentials, profile and
organization images, and newly issued developer credentials. Never ask the user to paste those values into
chat or an MCP call. Ask them to run the exact secure terminal command. S3 accepts hidden prompts or
--credentials-stdin, never credential arguments.
Stripe checkout, the billing portal, Google Drive authorization, and cap account referrals return a URL and
may open a browser. These are focused provider handoffs, not a dependency on the Cap dashboard. The agent may
continue after the user completes the handoff and should re-read state to verify the result.
Use cap jobs wait <operationId> --json for durable operations. Do not infer success from an accepted or queued
response. Warn that cap account sign-out-all revokes every device and agent session, including the current CLI
credential.
Use cap caps import loom <url> --organization <id> --yes --json for Loom imports. Organization managers may
add --owner-email and --space to perform CSV-style migrations one durable, idempotent row at a time. Wait for
the returned operation before treating the import as complete.
Local MCP
cap mcp serve is a stdio server; its stdout is protocol-only. Prefer MCP for structured reads, safe writes,
resource links, and browser-handoff URLs. Fall back to the CLI for secure-input and local-file actions.
Install MCP or this skill for one explicitly selected agent with
cap agents install --target <agent> --component skill|mcp|all --dry-run. Review the preview, then rerun
interactively or with --yes. Never install into every detected agent automatically.
When the user pasted Cap's official setup prompt, that prompt is explicit approval for the local CLI, skill, and
MCP bootstrap for the current agent. In that setup flow, apply the reviewed --component all plan with --yes
without asking the user to copy commands or approve the same local setup again. This does not authorize Cap
account, content, recording, upload, paid, billing, storage, developer, or destructive changes.
Recording and sharing
Check readiness with cap doctor --json and discover devices with cap targets --json. For an unknown
duration, use the detached lifecycle:
cap record start --screen <id> --detach --json
cap record stop --id <recordingId> --json
cap project validate <path.cap> --json
cap export <path.cap> --output out.mp4 --json
cap upload out.mp4 --json
A stopped recording is complete only when recordingMetaExists is true.
Cinematic demo videos
To generate a short, cinematic 3D product-demo video from a URL, use the installed
cap-demo skill (installed alongside this one). It scouts the page, records it with
virtual input, and treats it with Cap's 3D camera, a brand-matched background, and
music. Currently macOS-only.