Public Command Line Interface

CLI for TechSnif

Query TechSnif story clusters from your terminal -- multi-source coverage links, social discussion URLs, semantic search across clusters, and upcoming tech events, all with structured JSON output. Works well for OpenClaw skills, shell scripts, CI jobs, and any automation that needs structured tech news data. For the full picture on agent access, see our agents overview.

Quick Start

The public CLI is API-only. It talks to https://api.techsnif.com, does not need API keys, and exposes only the stable public command set.

Terminal

npx @techsnif/cli@0.4.1 stories --sort newest --limit 5 --json

TechSnif CLI for OpenClaw

TechSnif CLI is a strong fit for OpenClaw because it is direct, JSON-friendly, and easy to wrap in skills. But it is not OpenClaw-specific. The same commands work for local shell scripts, CI jobs, agent runtimes, internal automations, and any workflow that wants a clean terminal interface to public TechSnif data.

If you want a ready-made OpenClaw skill, use the TechSnif skill on ClawHub.

If you prefer chat-native tool use, use MCP. If you prefer command execution and shell composition, use the CLI. Both sit on top of the same public intelligence surface.

Install

Install globally if you want a persistent techsnif command, or run it on demand with npx.

Global Install

npm install -g @techsnif/cli

Use techsnif ... directly in any shell session.

Run Without Installing

npx @techsnif/cli --help

Good for one-off use, CI jobs, and agent workflows.

What You Can Do

The public package exposes five read-only commands. Every command returns story clusters -- ranked groupings of coverage from multiple publishers (TechCrunch, The Verge, Ars Technica, Reuters, and others). TechSnif is just another source in the cluster alongside the original outlets.

`stories`

Browse top story clusters ranked by prominence or newest, with publisher and tier filters.

`story`

Get full story cluster detail with all coverage links and direct social post URLs (tweets, Reddit, LinkedIn, Bluesky).

`search`

Search across story clusters by headline keyword, with optional publisher and platform filters.

`events`

List upcoming tech industry events with dates, locations, and URLs.

`platforms`

List social discussion platforms active across current stories, with story counts per platform.

Command Reference

`techsnif stories [--sort rank|newest] [--tier 1|2|3] [--publisher ...] [--platform ...] [--has-discussion] [--limit ...] --json`

List top story clusters. Sort by prominence (default) or newest. Filter by headline tier, lead publisher name, discussion platform (x, bluesky, threads, linkedin, forums, mastodon), or only stories with social discussion links. Max 80 results.

`techsnif story <slug> [--platform ...] [--publisher ...] [--brief] [--open] --json`

Get full story cluster detail including all coverage links (lead, sub-stories, more) and direct URLs to social discussion posts (tweets, Reddit threads, LinkedIn posts, Bluesky, etc.). Filter discussion by platform, coverage by publisher, or use --brief to skip the article body. Use --open to open URLs in your browser.

`techsnif search <query> [--publisher ...] [--platform ...] [--has-discussion] [--limit ...] --json`

Search across story clusters by headline keyword. Filter by publisher, discussion platform, or only stories with social discussion. Max 50 results.

`techsnif events [--limit ...] --json`

List upcoming tech industry events with dates, locations, and URLs. Max 50 results.

`techsnif platforms --json`

List social discussion platforms active across current stories, with story counts per platform.

Example Commands

Terminal

techsnif stories --json
techsnif stories --sort newest --limit 10 --json
techsnif stories --publisher TechCrunch --json
techsnif stories --tier 3 --json
techsnif stories --platform x --has-discussion --json
techsnif stories --platform bluesky --json
techsnif story meta-youtube-social-media-trial --json
techsnif story meta-youtube-social-media-trial --platform x --json
techsnif story meta-youtube-social-media-trial --brief --json
techsnif search "AI chip shortage" --json
techsnif search "open source LLM" --limit 5 --json
techsnif search "robotics" --platform x --has-discussion --json
techsnif events --json
techsnif platforms --json

JSON Output

Every public command supports --json and returns a stable envelope that works well for shell pipelines, automation, and AI tools.

Response Shape

{
  "ok": true,
  "data": {},
  "targetEnv": "https://api.techsnif.com"
}

Public Scope

The public CLI is intentionally narrow. It only ships read-only public commands and does not expose private operator workflows, direct database access, or internal provenance tooling.

Included	Not Included
`stories`, `story`, `search`, `events`, `platforms`	DB-backed or internal operator commands
Public API requests to `api.techsnif.com`	Private production access or shell/database control
Structured JSON output for scripts and agents	Repo-local internal workflows

Development Overrides

The default target is https://api.techsnif.com. For local development or staging, override it with --api-url.

Override API Target

techsnif stories --api-url http://localhost:4321 --json

CLI vs MCP

Use the CLI when you want something direct and scriptable from a terminal, especially in OpenClaw-style skill workflows. Use MCP when you want an AI client like Claude Desktop or Cursor to call TechSnif tools inside chat.

CLI

Great for shell scripts, agents, and CI
Simple --json output
Fastest path from terminal to data

MCP

Best for chat-based AI clients
Structured tool calling inside assistants
Helpful when discoverability matters

Security Notes

The public package is API-only and intentionally constrained for public distribution. It does not bundle internal ops code, does not require credentials, and is designed to be safe for general use against TechSnif's public API.

The CLI also sanitizes terminal-bound output and rejects non-HTTP API targets, so it stays boring in the best way: simple, read-only, and predictable.

CLI questions people search for

This page now answers the practical questions developers and agent builders ask before choosing a terminal based news workflow.

What is the TechSnif CLI used for?

The TechSnif CLI gives agents, scripts, and operators a terminal-friendly way to fetch story clusters, coverage links, social discussion URLs, search results, and tech events from TechSnif with structured JSON output.

How are story clusters different from single-source articles?

A story cluster groups coverage of the same topic from multiple publishers (TechCrunch, The Verge, Ars Technica, etc.) into one ranked unit. TechSnif is just another source in the cluster alongside the original publishers. You get the full picture instead of one outlet perspective.

Is the TechSnif CLI good for OpenClaw?

Yes. The CLI is especially useful for OpenClaw style skills and terminal workflows because it is simple to invoke, outputs stable JSON, and does not require authentication.

Do I need an API key to use the TechSnif CLI?

No. The public CLI targets TechSnif public endpoints and is intentionally designed to work without API keys, user accounts, or private infrastructure access.

When should I use the CLI instead of MCP?

Use the CLI when you want direct terminal access, shell composition, cron jobs, CI automation, or lightweight agent workflows. Use MCP when you want the assistant to call tools inside a chat client.

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