mvanhorn Tesla — Printing Press CLI
Prerequisites: Install the CLI
This skill drives the tesla-pp-cli binary. You must verify the CLI is installed before invoking any command from this skill. If it is missing, install it first:
- Install via the Printing Press installer. It defaults binaries to
$HOME/.local/binon macOS/Linux and%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\PrintingPress\binon Windows:npx -y @mvanhorn/printing-press-library install tesla --cli-only - Verify:
tesla-pp-cli --version - Ensure the reported install directory is on
$PATHfor the agent/runtime that will invoke this skill.
If the npx install fails (no Node, offline, etc.), fall back to a direct Go install (requires Go 1.26.6 or newer):
go install github.com/mvanhorn/printing-press-library/library/devices/tesla/cmd/tesla-pp-cli@latest
If --version reports "command not found" after install, the runtime cannot see the binary directory on $PATH. Do not proceed with skill commands until verification succeeds.
When to Use This CLI
Use tesla-pp-cli when you want a JSON-first CLI for your Tesla owner account: vehicle state inspection, climate/lock/charge commands, charging cost analytics, and an MCP surface for AI agents to drive your car. Faster than the iOS app for one-off commands, more agent-friendly than TeslaPy, and ships a local SQLite that delivers TeslaMate-style analytics (drives, charges, vampire drain, cost ledger) without standing up Postgres+Grafana. Best fit for owners with pre-2021 Models S/X or 3/Y on the old REST endpoints; newer vehicles get a clear shim via tesla reachability.
Unique Capabilities
These capabilities aren't available in any other tool for this API.
Composite truth from local state
ready— Single yes/no answer to "can I leave in 5 minutes?" with reasoned blocker list - SOC vs trip distance, plugged-in, doors closed, sentry off, cabin within 3F of target, no mid-install updateMost-asked Tesla owner question; the iOS app makes it a 6-tap diagnostic, agents need a one-call truth
tesla ready 5YJ3E1EA6XXXXXXXX --json
Local analytics that beat the dashboard
cost ledger— Per-session cost, monthly spend, home-vs-Supercharger ratio with tariff-window aware $/kWhCharging cost is the #1 Tesla-owner spreadsheet exercise; this is the first pure-CLI replacement for the TeslaMate dashboard
tesla cost ledger --since 2026-04-01 --group supercharger --jsoncost what-if— "If you had only charged at home you would have saved $X over the last 90 days." Re-runs charge rows with home $/kWh substituted for Supercharger sessionsMost Tesla owners suspect they could save by charging at home but lack proof; this puts a dollar figure on it
tesla cost what-if --only-home --since 90d --jsontimeline— Stitched drives + charges from synced vehicle_states polls - start/end, distance, energy, efficiency, address-resolved lat/lngLets agents reason over the same data TeslaMate exposes, without standing up Docker+Postgres+Grafana
tesla timeline --since "last week" --jsonvampire— SOC delta vs idle time, flags suspicious sentry sessions or app-wake eventsWarranty-dispute evidence and rogue-sentry detection; TeslaMate dashboard only otherwise
tesla vampire --threshold 1.5pct/24h --since 30d --json
Charging intelligence nobody else exposes
supercharger watch— Single-poll snapshot of free stalls at a saved Supercharger; --watch repeats every N seconds with JSON-lines transitionsAvoids the I-90 Issaquah queue at peak; pageable from an agent on a drive
tesla supercharger watch 1000 --free-stalls 2 --watch --json
Security audit nobody else does
keys audit— Lists every enrolled key with last-seen, role, form-factor; flags keys not seen >90d as stale candidates for removalSecurity-minded owners worry about old phones and abandoned NFC cards still pairing with their car; this is the quarterly review
tesla keys audit --stale-after 90d --json
Reachability mitigation
doctor— Detects signed-command-required errors, classifies the vehicle as REST-friendly vs signed-command-required, prints tesla-control enrollment URL when neededTesla's 2024-2026 signed-command rollout is the #1 user-facing landmine for any Tesla CLI; this is the only one that surfaces it clearly
tesla doctor --json
Discovery Signals
This CLI was generated with browser-observed traffic context.
- Capture coverage: 58 API entries from 60 total network entries
- Protocols: firebase (75% confidence), rest_json (75% confidence)
- Auth signals: bearer_token — headers: authorization; cookie — cookies: _abck, bm_sz; api_key — query: key
- Generation hints: browser_clearance_required, requires_browser_auth
- Candidate command ideas: create_auto_conditioning_start — Derived from observed POST /api/{id}/vehicles/5YJ3E1EA6XXXXXXXX/command/auto_conditioning_start traffic.; create_auto_conditioning_stop — Derived from observed POST /api/{id}/vehicles/5YJ3E1EA6XXXXXXXX/command/auto_conditioning_stop traffic.; create_diagnostic — Derived from observed POST /mobile-app/macgyver/diagnostic traffic.; create_door_lock — Derived from observed POST /api/{id}/vehicles/5YJ3E1EA6XXXXXXXX/command/door_lock traffic.; create_door_unlock — Derived from observed POST /api/{id}/vehicles/5YJ3E1EA6XXXXXXXX/command/door_unlock traffic.; create_fireperf:fetch — Derived from observed POST /v1/projects/tesla-prod/namespaces/fireperf:fetch traffic.; create_hermes — Derived from observed POST /api/{id}/vehicles/5YJ3E1EA6XXXXXXXX/jwt/hermes traffic.; create_keys — Derived from observed POST /api/{id}/users/keys traffic.
Command Reference
charging — Supercharger queue position and charging status
tesla-pp-cli charging— Current Supercharger queue position (which stall, ETA)
diagnostics — Vehicle diagnostic feature config
tesla-pp-cli diagnostics— Vehicle diagnostic feature flags
energy_sites — Powerwall and solar energy site config
tesla-pp-cli energy_sites create-set-backup-reserve— Set Powerwall backup reserve percenttesla-pp-cli energy_sites create-set-operation— Set Powerwall operation modetesla-pp-cli energy_sites get-calendar-history— Historical energy data per day/monthtesla-pp-cli energy_sites get-live-status— Real-time Powerwall solar/grid/battery powertesla-pp-cli energy_sites get-rate-tariffs— Utility rate plans for Powerwall schedulingtesla-pp-cli energy_sites get-site-info— Energy site config (capacity, type, address)tesla-pp-cli energy_sites get-site-status— Backup-reserve and operation mode
logs — Client-side telemetry sink
tesla-pp-cli logs— Forward client-side log events (mostly internal use)
notification_preferences — Push notification settings
tesla-pp-cli notification_preferences— Update push notification preferences
products — Vehicles, Powerwalls, and solar products owned by the user
tesla-pp-cli products— List vehicles, Powerwalls, and solar products owned
users — Account config, feature flags, orders, and key/credential management
tesla-pp-cli users create-keys— Add a virtual phone key or BLE keytesla-pp-cli users get-app-config— Mobile app feature flags and runtime configtesla-pp-cli users get-feature-config— Account-level feature gatingtesla-pp-cli users get-orders— Tesla orders (new vehicle deliveries, accessory purchases)
vehicles — Per-vehicle data, climate, locks, remote start, and Hermes telemetry token
tesla-pp-cli vehicles create-actuate-trunk— Open/close trunk or frunk; which_trunk = front | reartesla-pp-cli vehicles create-add-charge-schedule— Add a charging schedule (location + time window)tesla-pp-cli vehicles create-add-precondition-schedule— Add a preconditioning scheduletesla-pp-cli vehicles create-adjust-volume— Set volume to specific leveltesla-pp-cli vehicles create-auto-conditioning-start— POST /api/1/vehicles/{vehicle_id}/command/auto_conditioning_starttesla-pp-cli vehicles create-auto-conditioning-stop— POST /api/1/vehicles/{vehicle_id}/command/auto_conditioning_stoptesla-pp-cli vehicles create-bioweapon-mode— Toggle bioweapon defense mode (HEPA recirculation)tesla-pp-cli vehicles create-cancel-software-update— Cancel pending software updatetesla-pp-cli vehicles create-charge-max-range— Set charge limit to Max Range (100%)tesla-pp-cli vehicles create-charge-port-door-close— Close the charge porttesla-pp-cli vehicles create-charge-port-door-open— Open the charge porttesla-pp-cli vehicles create-charge-standard— Set charge limit to Standard (~90%)tesla-pp-cli vehicles create-charge-start— Start chargingtesla-pp-cli vehicles create-charge-stop— Stop chargingtesla-pp-cli vehicles create-climate-keeper-mode— Climate keeper mode: 0=off, 1=on, 2=dog, 3=camptesla-pp-cli vehicles create-door-lock— POST /api/1/vehicles/{vehicle_id}/command/door_locktesla-pp-cli vehicles create-door-unlock— POST /api/1/vehicles/{vehicle_id}/command/door_unlocktesla-pp-cli vehicles create-erase-user-data— Erase guest-session user datatesla-pp-cli vehicles create-flash-lights— Flash headlightstesla-pp-cli vehicles create-guest-mode— Enable/disable Guest modetesla-pp-cli vehicles create-hermes— POST /api/1/vehicles/{vehicle_id}/jwt/hermestesla-pp-cli vehicles create-honk-horn— Honk the horntesla-pp-cli vehicles create-max-defrost— Toggle max defrosttesla-pp-cli vehicles create-media-next-favorite— Next favorite stationtesla-pp-cli vehicles create-media-next-track— Next tracktesla-pp-cli vehicles create-media-prev-favorite— Previous favorite stationtesla-pp-cli vehicles create-media-prev-track— Previous tracktesla-pp-cli vehicles create-media-toggle-playback— Toggle play/pausetesla-pp-cli vehicles create-media-volume-down— Volume downtesla-pp-cli vehicles create-media-volume-up— Volume uptesla-pp-cli vehicles create-navigation-gps-request— Send lat/lng directly to navigationtesla-pp-cli vehicles create-remote-start-drive— POST /api/1/vehicles/{vehicle_id}/command/remote_start_drivetesla-pp-cli vehicles create-remove-charge-schedule— Remove charging schedule by idtesla-pp-cli vehicles create-remove-precondition-schedule— Remove preconditioning schedule by idtesla-pp-cli vehicles create-reset-valet-pin— Reset Valet PINtesla-pp-cli vehicles create-schedule-software-update— Schedule the pending software updatetesla-pp-cli vehicles create-seat-heater-request— Set seat heater level (0-3) at a seat position (0=driver, 1=passenger, 2-5=rear)tesla-pp-cli vehicles create-set-charge-limit— Set charge limit percent (50-100)tesla-pp-cli vehicles create-set-charging-amps— Set charging amps drawtesla-pp-cli vehicles create-set-sentry-mode— Enable/disable Sentry modetesla-pp-cli vehicles create-set-temps— Set driver and passenger climate temps (Celsius)tesla-pp-cli vehicles create-set-valet-mode— Enable/disable Valet mode with optional PINtesla-pp-cli vehicles create-share— Send navigation destination to the car (address or coordinates)tesla-pp-cli vehicles create-speed-limit-activate— Activate Speed Limit modetesla-pp-cli vehicles create-speed-limit-clear-pin— Clear Speed Limit PINtesla-pp-cli vehicles create-speed-limit-deactivate— Deactivate Speed Limit modetesla-pp-cli vehicles create-speed-limit-set-limit— Set Speed Limit value (mph)tesla-pp-cli vehicles create-steering-wheel-heater-request— Toggle steering wheel heatertesla-pp-cli vehicles create-sun-roof-control— Sun roof: state = vent | closetesla-pp-cli vehicles create-trigger-homelink— Trigger HomeLink garage doortesla-pp-cli vehicles create-wake-up— Wake the vehicle from sleeptesla-pp-cli vehicles create-window-control— Vent or close all windows; command = vent | closetesla-pp-cli vehicles get-compose-image— Compose a rendered image of the configured vehicletesla-pp-cli vehicles get-data-charge-state— Charge state subset (faster than full vehicle_data)tesla-pp-cli vehicles get-data-climate-state— Climate state subsettesla-pp-cli vehicles get-data-drive-state— Drive state (location, speed, shift) subsettesla-pp-cli vehicles get-data-gui-settings— GUI settings (units, time format)tesla-pp-cli vehicles get-data-vehicle-config— Vehicle config (model, options, trim)tesla-pp-cli vehicles get-data-vehicle-state— Vehicle state (locks, software, sentry) subsettesla-pp-cli vehicles get-mobile-enabled— Is mobile control enabled in the cartesla-pp-cli vehicles get-nearby-chargers— Nearby Supercharger sites with stall availability subfieldtesla-pp-cli vehicles get-release-notes— Release notes for the current/queued software updatetesla-pp-cli vehicles get-service-data— Open service appointments and recent service history for this vehicletesla-pp-cli vehicles get-vehicle-data— Full vehicle state snapshot: charge, climate, drive, GUI, vehicle config, and software
Finding the right command
When you know what you want to do but not which command does it, ask the CLI directly:
tesla-pp-cli which "<capability in your own words>"
which resolves a natural-language capability query to the best matching command from this CLI's curated feature index. Exit code 0 means at least one match; exit code 2 means no confident match — fall back to --help or use a narrower query.
Recipes
Snap then ready
tesla snap --all --json && tesla ready 5YJ3E1EA6XXXXXXXX --json
Capture vehicle state for every car on the account, then check whether your primary vehicle is ready to drive.
Morning ready check
tesla ready 5YJ3E1EA6XXXXXXXX --json --select ready,blockers
One JSON object: is the car ready to drive, and if not, why not. Use --select to limit response size for agents.
Monthly charging-cost report
tesla cost ledger --since 30d --group supercharger,home --json --select total_usd,sessions,kwh_added,supercharger_ratio
Per-month breakdown with dotted-path --select so the agent sees only the rollup fields, not every session.
Preconditioning before leaving
tesla vehicles create-auto-conditioning-start 5YJ3E1EA6XXXXXXXX --json
Start climate preconditioning. Run tesla ready <vin> ten minutes later to confirm cabin warmed up.
Supercharger queue watcher
tesla supercharger watch 1000 --free-stalls 2 --watch --json
Subscribe to free-stall transitions at a saved site; emits one JSON line per transition. Pipe to an agent for alerting.
Local SOC history via analytics
tesla-pp-cli analytics --select battery_level,captured_at --limit 30 --json
Pull the 30 most recent vehicle-state rows from the local SQLite for trend analysis; same data TeslaMate would surface in Grafana.
Recipe: Remote commands from anywhere (Fleet path — default)
# 1. Install tesla-control (clone+build, not go install @latest)
git clone https://github.com/teslamotors/vehicle-command.git
cd vehicle-command && go build -o tesla-control ./cmd/tesla-control
mv tesla-control ~/go/bin/ && cd ..
# 2. Generate keypair and scaffold public-key host
tesla-pp-cli auth fleet-template --gen-key --dest ./tesla-keys-host
cd tesla-keys-host && vercel deploy --prod
# 3. Register at developer.tesla.com with the Vercel hostname, copy client_id and client_secret
# 4. Register with Tesla (key-file auto-detected from ~/.tesla/)
tesla-pp-cli auth fleet-register \
--public-key-domain <your-host>.vercel.app \
--client-id <id> \
--client-secret-file <secret-file>
# 5. User OAuth login
tesla-pp-cli auth fleet-login
# 6. ONE-TIME: Enroll virtual key at the car (BLE+NFC required, must be at car)
tesla-control -ble -vin <VIN> add-key-request owner cloud_key
# Tap NFC card or phone key when the car prompts
# 7. Now remote commands work from anywhere
tesla-pp-cli command climate_on --vehicle <name> --send
tesla-pp-cli command unlock --vehicle <name> --send
After the one-time BLE+NFC pairing at the car, all signed commands work from anywhere with internet. Per-call cost: $0.001 plus a $0.02 wake if the car is asleep. Inside the $10/mo personal-use credit, that lands at roughly $0 net.
Recipe: Switching between paths
The --via flag overrides the default transport:
tesla-pp-cli command set_charge_limit --vehicle <name> --send -- percent=80
tesla-pp-cli command unlock --vehicle <name> --send --via fleet
tesla-pp-cli command flash_lights --vehicle <name> --send --via ble
tesla-pp-cli command honk_horn --vehicle <name> --send --via hermes
Defaults: pre-2021 vehicles use REST, post-2021 vehicles use Fleet when enrolled. Use --via=hermes to force the Hermes relay path (free, but only for infotainment commands — charge, climate, honk, media). Use --via=ble for local Bluetooth commands.
Recipe: Deploy your tesla agent to a cloud Mac mini
# On laptop:
tesla auth export --out tesla-bundle.enc
scp tesla-bundle.enc user@mac-mini:~/
# On Mac mini:
tesla auth import ~/tesla-bundle.enc
tesla-pp-cli command honk_horn --vehicle <name> --send --via fleet
Export creates an Argon2id plus AES-256-GCM bundle of the REST bearer, the Fleet bearer, and the enrolled ECDSA keypair. Copy it over Tailscale or any secure channel. Import on the remote, enter the passphrase, and the same Fleet creds plus the same enrolled key work from the new host. The car does not need to re-enroll; key identity rides on the keypair.
Path-decision flowchart
Text form (rendered consistently across SKILL.md viewers):
Is the vehicle pre-2021?
Yes -> REST (default path, no extra setup)
No -> Continue.
Is Fleet API enrolled?
Yes -> Fleet API (default for all signed commands, roughly $0/mo within personal-use credit)
No -> Continue.
Is the car within Bluetooth range of this host?
Yes -> BLE (free, all commands, no internet needed)
No -> Continue.
Is Hermes relay running and only need infotainment commands?
Yes -> Hermes (free, but only charge/climate/honk/media — no unlock/lock/trunk)
No -> Set up Fleet API (see Auth Setup below)
Deploying to a second host (cloud Mac mini, Pi)?
Use Fleet + `tesla auth export` and `tesla auth import` on the remote.
Auth Setup
Step 1: Install tesla_auth (required)
The CLI requires tesla_auth for OAuth login. Install it first:
cargo install tesla_auth
# or on macOS: brew install adriankumpf/tap/tesla_auth
Step 2: Owner API Login
tesla-pp-cli auth login
This subprocesses into tesla_auth, which opens Tesla's OAuth page in a native window. Log in there (Tesla owns MFA, captcha, SMS codes - we never see them), and tesla_auth captures the tokens. The CLI stores them in ~/.config/tesla-pp-cli/config.toml (mode 0600). Bearer tokens last 8h; the CLI silently re-mints them on 401 using the long-lived refresh token.
Headless/CI fallbacks when you already have a refresh token:
auth login --paste— reads a refresh token from stdinauth login --refresh-token <tok>— supplies the token as a flag
Step 3: For 2021+ Vehicles (Fleet API + Virtual Key)
2021+ Teslas require signed commands via the Fleet API. This is a one-time setup:
Install tesla-control (clone and build —
go install @latestfails due to upstream replace directives):git clone https://github.com/teslamotors/vehicle-command.git cd vehicle-command go build -o tesla-control ./cmd/tesla-control mv tesla-control ~/go/bin/ # or somewhere on your $PATHScaffold public-key host and generate keypair:
tesla-pp-cli auth fleet-template --gen-key --dest ./tesla-keys-host cd tesla-keys-host && vercel deploy --prodRegister at developer.tesla.com: Create an app with allowed origin/redirect pointing to your deployed host and
http://localhost:8585/callback. Copy theclient_idandclient_secret.Register with Tesla (the
--key-fileis auto-detected from~/.tesla/):tesla-pp-cli auth fleet-register \ --client-id <id> \ --client-secret-file <secret-path> \ --public-key-domain <your-host>.vercel.appComplete user OAuth:
tesla-pp-cli auth fleet-loginEnroll virtual key at the car (BLE+NFC required — the car must be nearby):
tesla-control -ble -vin <VIN> add-key-request owner cloud_key # Tap your NFC card or phone key when the car promptsThis step cannot be done remotely — you must be at the car with Bluetooth and an NFC credential.
Run tesla-pp-cli doctor to verify setup.
Agent Mode
Add --agent to any command. Expands to: --json --compact --no-input --no-color --yes.
Pipeable — JSON on stdout, errors on stderr
Filterable —
--selectkeeps a subset of fields. Dotted paths descend into nested structures; arrays traverse element-wise. Critical for keeping context small on verbose APIs:tesla-pp-cli charging --agent --select id,name,statusPreviewable —
--dry-runshows the request without sendingOffline-friendly — sync/search commands can use the local SQLite store when available
Non-interactive — never prompts, every input is a flag
Explicit retries — use
--idempotentonly when an already-existing create should count as success
Response envelope
Commands that read from the local store or the API wrap output in a provenance envelope:
{
"meta": {"source": "live" | "local", "synced_at": "...", "reason": "..."},
"results": <data>
}
Parse .results for data and .meta.source to know whether it's live or local. A human-readable N results (live) summary is printed to stderr only when stdout is a terminal AND no machine-format flag (--json, --csv, --compact, --quiet, --plain, --select) is set — piped/agent consumers and explicit-format runs get pure JSON on stdout.
Agent Feedback
When you (or the agent) notice something off about this CLI, record it:
tesla-pp-cli feedback "the --since flag is inclusive but docs say exclusive"
tesla-pp-cli feedback --stdin < notes.txt
tesla-pp-cli feedback list --json --limit 10
Entries are stored locally at ~/.tesla-pp-cli/feedback.jsonl. They are never POSTed unless TESLA_FEEDBACK_ENDPOINT is set AND either --send is passed or TESLA_FEEDBACK_AUTO_SEND=true. Default behavior is local-only.
Write what surprised you, not a bug report. Short, specific, one line: that is the part that compounds.
Output Delivery
Every command accepts --deliver <sink>. The output goes to the named sink in addition to (or instead of) stdout, so agents can route command results without hand-piping. Three sinks are supported:
| Sink | Effect |
|---|---|
stdout |
Default; write to stdout only |
file:<path> |
Atomically write output to <path> (tmp + rename) |
webhook:<url> |
POST the output body to the URL (application/json or application/x-ndjson when --compact) |
Unknown schemes are refused with a structured error naming the supported set. Webhook failures return non-zero and log the URL + HTTP status on stderr.
Named Profiles
A profile is a saved set of flag values, reused across invocations. Use it when a scheduled agent calls the same command every run with the same configuration - HeyGen's "Beacon" pattern.
tesla-pp-cli profile save briefing --json
tesla-pp-cli --profile briefing charging
tesla-pp-cli profile list --json
tesla-pp-cli profile show briefing
tesla-pp-cli profile delete briefing --yes
Explicit flags always win over profile values; profile values win over defaults. agent-context lists all available profiles under available_profiles so introspecting agents discover them at runtime.
Exit Codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | Success |
| 2 | Usage error (wrong arguments) |
| 3 | Resource not found |
| 4 | Authentication required |
| 5 | API error (upstream issue) |
| 7 | Rate limited (wait and retry) |
| 10 | Config error |
Argument Parsing
Parse $ARGUMENTS:
- Empty,
help, or--help→ showtesla-pp-cli --helpoutput - Starts with
install→ ends withmcp→ MCP installation; otherwise → see Prerequisites above - Anything else → Direct Use (execute as CLI command with
--agent)
MCP Server Installation
Install the MCP binary from this CLI's published public-library entry or pre-built release, then register it:
claude mcp add tesla-pp-mcp -- tesla-pp-mcp
Verify: claude mcp list
Direct Use
- Check if installed:
which tesla-pp-cliIf not found, offer to install (see Prerequisites at the top of this skill). - Match the user query to the best command from the Unique Capabilities and Command Reference above.
- Execute with the
--agentflag:tesla-pp-cli <command> [subcommand] [args] --agent - If ambiguous, drill into subcommand help:
tesla-pp-cli <command> --help.