Drive Extend from the shell
Install the extend command, run the setup wizard, and your agent gets every processor plus an installable skill generated from the CLI's own command tree.
curl -fsSL https://extend.ai/install.sh | sh
extend setupWhat extend setup does
01
Signs you in
Through your browser with no API key, or with an API key for headless use.
02
Picks your region
US1, US2, or EU1. Everything else can be configured by hand.
03
Installs the extend-cli skill
Writes ~/.agents/skills/extend-cli/SKILL.md, the path Codex, OpenCode, Cursor, and most harnesses read, and symlinks it into ~/.claude/skills/extend-cli for Claude Code.
Other install options
brew install extend-hq/tap/extendHeadless, CI, and remote agent boxes
Skip the wizard. Export a key from the Developers dashboard and install the skill directly. The skill is generated from the installed CLI, so re-run the install after upgrading.
export EXTEND_API_KEY="sk_xxx"
extend skill installVerify the setup
Ask your agent to run a read-only command that spends no credits. A clean list back means the key, the CLI, and the connection all work.
extend extractors listWhat agents do with it
Every command takes a local file path, an Extend file ID, or a public URL across 35+ file types. Results go to stdout; status goes to stderr.
Parse a file
extend parse invoice.pdf > invoice.mdRun an extractor
extend extract invoice.pdf --using ex_abcBatch a folder
extend extract batch invoices/*.pdf --using ex_abcWatch a workflow
RUN=$(extend workflows run doc.pdf --using workflow_abc -o id)
extend workflows runs watch "$RUN"Frequently asked questions
extend setup and extend skill install write ~/.agents/skills/extend-cli/SKILL.md, the path Codex, OpenCode, Cursor, and most other harnesses read, and symlink it into ~/.claude/skills/extend-cli for Claude Code. Pass --target ./.agents/skills/extend-cli/SKILL.md to scope it to one project instead.
Browser login (extend setup or extend login) is best on your own machine: tokens are stored securely, refresh on their own, and are scoped to the workspaces and environments you approve. API keys are long-lived and headless, the right choice for scripts, CI, and agents. When both are configured, EXTEND_API_KEY wins.
extend setup asks for one. Headless, set EXTEND_REGION to us, us2, or eu (default: us). Set EXTEND_WORKSPACE_ID for organization-scoped keys.
Other ways to connect
MCP server
- If your agent
- If your agent calls tools from chat (Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT, and other MCP clients)
- Give it
- The hosted MCP server. OAuth sign-in, nothing to install.
SDK and extend-api skill
- If your agent
- If your agent writes durable integration code with an SDK
- Give it
- The extend-api context file plus the Python, TypeScript, Java, or Go SDK.
