salesforce-crm-cli

A JSON-first CLI and MCP server for the Salesforce REST API — built for humans and AI agents alike.

102 commands across 20 command groups. Every command works as both a CLI subcommand and an MCP tool — defined once, registered everywhere.

npm install -g salesforce-crm-cli
salesforce --help

What This Is

The official Salesforce CLI (sf/sfdx) is a developer toolchain for deploying Apex code, managing orgs, and CI/CD. This is different.

salesforce-crm-cli is purpose-built for CRM data operations and AI agent integration:

• Query accounts, contacts, leads, opportunities via SOQL/SOSL
• Create, update, delete any Salesforce record
• Run Bulk API 2.0 jobs for mass data operations
• Execute composite requests and record trees in a single API call
• Run anonymous Apex and call Apex REST endpoints
• Expose every command as an MCP tool for Claude, Cursor, and other AI agents

All output is JSON. No spinners, no prompts, no noise — optimized for piping and agent consumption.

Quick Start

Install

npm install -g salesforce-crm-cli

Authenticate

Option A — Access Token (fastest)

salesforce login \
  --access-token <your_token> \
  --instance-url https://yourorg.salesforce.com

Option B — OAuth Username/Password Flow

salesforce login \
  --client-id <connected_app_consumer_key> \
  --username <[email protected]> \
  --password <password+security_token>

Option C — Environment Variables

export SALESFORCE_ACCESS_TOKEN="your_token"
export SALESFORCE_INSTANCE_URL="https://yourorg.salesforce.com"
salesforce status

Verify

salesforce status        # Show current auth info
salesforce limits get    # Check API limits for your org

Authentication

Auth is resolved in priority order:

| Priority | Method | How | |----------|--------|-----| | 1 (highest) | CLI flags | --access-token, --instance-url | | 2 | Environment variables | SALESFORCE_ACCESS_TOKEN + SALESFORCE_INSTANCE_URL (or SF_ACCESS_TOKEN + SF_INSTANCE_URL) | | 3 | Stored config | ~/.salesforce-cli/config.json (set by salesforce login) |

Command Groups

Core CRM Objects

Each object has 7 commands: list, get, create, update, delete, search, describe

| Group | Salesforce Object | Key Fields | |-------|------------------|------------| | accounts | Account | Name, Type, Industry, Phone, Website, AnnualRevenue | | contacts | Contact | FirstName, LastName, Email, Phone, Title, AccountId | | leads | Lead | FirstName, LastName, Company, Email, Status, LeadSource | | opportunities | Opportunity | Name, StageName, Amount, CloseDate, AccountId | | cases | Case | Subject, Status, Priority, Origin, ContactId, AccountId | | tasks | Task | Subject, Status, Priority, ActivityDate, WhoId, WhatId | | events | Event | Subject, StartDateTime, EndDateTime, Location, WhoId | | campaigns | Campaign | Name, Type, Status, StartDate, EndDate, BudgetedCost | | users | User | Username, Name, Email, IsActive, ProfileId |

# Examples
salesforce accounts list --limit 10 --pretty
salesforce contacts get 003xx000004TNEAAA4
salesforce leads create --first-name "Jane" --last-name "Doe" --company "Acme" --email "[email protected]"
salesforce opportunities update 006xx000001TNEAAA4 --stage "Closed Won" --amount "75000"
salesforce accounts describe --pretty

Query & Search

# SOQL
salesforce query run --soql "SELECT Id, Name, Amount FROM Opportunity WHERE StageName = 'Prospecting'"
salesforce query explain --soql "SELECT Id FROM Lead WHERE CreatedDate = TODAY"
salesforce query more --url "/services/data/v62.0/query/01gxx000000..."

# SOSL
salesforce search run --sosl "FIND {Acme} IN ALL FIELDS RETURNING Account(Id, Name), Contact(Id, Name)"
salesforce search suggest --text "Acme" --sobject Account

Generic SObject Operations

Work with any SObject type — including custom objects (CustomObject__c):

salesforce sobjects list                                    # All SObject types in org
salesforce sobjects describe CustomObject__c               # Full metadata + field list
salesforce sobjects get CustomObject__c a00xx000000001AAA  # Get by record ID
salesforce sobjects create CustomObject__c --data '{"Name":"Test","Custom_Field__c":"value"}'
salesforce sobjects update CustomObject__c a00xx000000001AAA --data '{"Custom_Field__c":"updated"}'
salesforce sobjects delete CustomObject__c a00xx000000001AAA
salesforce sobjects upsert CustomObject__c --external-field "External_Id__c" --external-value "EXT-001" --data '{"Name":"Test"}'

Bulk API 2.0

For mass data operations (200+ records):

# Create an ingest job
salesforce bulk ingest-create --sobject Account --operation insert

# Upload CSV
salesforce bulk ingest-upload --job-id 7500x000000xxxxAAA \
  --csv "Name,Industry\nAcme Corp,Technology\nGlobex Inc,Finance"

# Process the job
salesforce bulk ingest-close --job-id 7500x000000xxxxAAA

# Monitor
salesforce bulk ingest-status --job-id 7500x000000xxxxAAA
salesforce bulk ingest-results --job-id 7500x000000xxxxAAA --type successful

# Bulk query
salesforce bulk query-create --soql "SELECT Id, Name FROM Account"
salesforce bulk query-status --job-id 7500x000000xxxxAAA
salesforce bulk query-results --job-id 7500x000000xxxxAAA

Composite API

Multiple API calls in a single HTTP request:

# Composite — supports cross-request references
salesforce composite run --requests '[
  {"method":"POST","url":"/services/data/v62.0/sobjects/Account","referenceId":"newAccount","body":{"Name":"Acme Corp"}},
  {"method":"POST","url":"/services/data/v62.0/sobjects/Contact","referenceId":"newContact","body":{"LastName":"Smith","AccountId":"@{newAccount.id}"}}
]'

# Batch — independent requests
salesforce composite batch --requests '[
  {"method":"GET","url":"/services/data/v62.0/sobjects/Account/001xx000003GYQ"},
  {"method":"GET","url":"/services/data/v62.0/sobjects/Contact/003xx000004TNE"}
]'

# Tree — parent + children in one call
salesforce composite tree --sobject Account --records '[
  {"attributes":{"type":"Account"},"Name":"Parent Corp","Contacts":{"records":[
    {"attributes":{"type":"Contact"},"LastName":"Smith"}
  ]}}
]'

# Collections — up to 200 records in one call
salesforce composite collection --method create --records '[
  {"attributes":{"type":"Lead"},"LastName":"Jones","Company":"ACME"},
  {"attributes":{"type":"Lead"},"LastName":"Brown","Company":"Globex"}
]'

Reports & Dashboards

salesforce reports list --pretty
salesforce reports get 00Oxx0000001AAAAAA
salesforce reports run 00Oxx0000001AAAAAA --pretty
salesforce reports dashboards-list
salesforce reports dashboards-get 01Zxx0000001AAAAAA

Apex

# Execute anonymous Apex
salesforce apex execute --code "System.debug('Hello World');"

# Call custom Apex REST endpoint
salesforce apex rest --path "/MyEndpoint/action" --method POST --body '{"key":"value"}'

# Run tests
salesforce apex test-run --class-ids "01pxx000000001AAA,01pxx000000002AAA"
salesforce apex test-results --run-id 707xx0000000001AAA

Limits & Metadata

salesforce limits get --pretty         # API limits and current usage
salesforce limits versions             # All supported API versions
salesforce limits resources            # All available REST resources

Output Flags

All commands output JSON. Control the format with:

| Flag | Description | |------|-------------| | --pretty | Pretty-print JSON with indentation | | --quiet | Suppress output (exit code only) | | --fields <fields> | Select specific fields (comma-separated) | | --output <format> | json (default) or pretty |

Global Options

Available on every command:

| Flag | Description | |------|-------------| | --access-token <token> | Override stored access token | | --instance-url <url> | Override stored instance URL | | --api-version <version> | API version (default: v62.0) | | --pretty | Pretty-print JSON output | | --quiet | Suppress all output | | --fields <fields> | Select specific response fields |

MCP Server Setup

Use salesforce-crm-cli as an MCP server to give AI agents (Claude, Cursor, etc.) direct Salesforce access.

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "salesforce": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["salesforce-crm-cli", "mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SALESFORCE_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token-here",
        "SALESFORCE_INSTANCE_URL": "https://yourorg.salesforce.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor / VS Code

Add to .cursor/mcp.json or .vscode/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "salesforce": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["salesforce-crm-cli", "mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SALESFORCE_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token-here",
        "SALESFORCE_INSTANCE_URL": "https://yourorg.salesforce.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using Global Install

If installed globally (npm install -g salesforce-crm-cli):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "salesforce": {
      "command": "salesforce",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": {
        "SALESFORCE_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-token-here",
        "SALESFORCE_INSTANCE_URL": "https://yourorg.salesforce.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Once connected, all 102 commands are available as MCP tools. The agent can query accounts, create leads, run SOQL, trigger Apex, and more — all with full type validation on every input.

Common Workflows

Find an Account and All Its Contacts

# Search by name
salesforce accounts search --where "Name LIKE '%Acme%'"

# Get all contacts for that account
salesforce contacts list --where "AccountId = '001xx000003GYQIAA4'"

Lead-to-Opportunity Pipeline

# Create a lead
salesforce leads create --first-name "Jane" --last-name "Doe" \
  --company "Acme Corp" --email "[email protected]" --source "Web"

# Convert by creating opportunity
salesforce opportunities create --name "Acme Corp — Enterprise" \
  --stage "Prospecting" --close-date "2026-06-30" \
  --amount "75000" --account-id "001xx000003GYQIAA4"

# Create a follow-up task
salesforce tasks create --subject "Discovery call with Jane" \
  --due-date "2026-04-01" --priority "High" \
  --what-id "<opportunity_id>"

Bulk Import Contacts from CSV

salesforce bulk ingest-create --sobject Contact --operation insert
salesforce bulk ingest-upload --job-id <JOB_ID> \
  --csv "FirstName,LastName,Email,AccountId\nJane,Doe,[email protected],001xx000003GYQ\nJohn,Smith,[email protected],001xx000003GYR"
salesforce bulk ingest-close --job-id <JOB_ID>
salesforce bulk ingest-status --job-id <JOB_ID>

Complex SOQL Analytics

# Opportunities by stage with totals
salesforce query run --soql \
  "SELECT StageName, COUNT(Id) Total, SUM(Amount) TotalAmount \
   FROM Opportunity \
   WHERE CloseDate = THIS_QUARTER \
   GROUP BY StageName \
   ORDER BY SUM(Amount) DESC" --pretty

# Accounts with 5+ contacts
salesforce query run --soql \
  "SELECT Account.Name, COUNT(Id) ContactCount \
   FROM Contact \
   GROUP BY Account.Name \
   HAVING COUNT(Id) >= 5 \
   ORDER BY COUNT(Id) DESC \
   LIMIT 20"

Describe a Custom Object

salesforce sobjects describe MyCustomObject__c --pretty
# Returns all fields, types, picklist values, relationships, and metadata

Architecture

src/
├── index.ts              # CLI entry point (Commander.js)
├── mcp.ts                # MCP server entry point
├── core/
│   ├── types.ts          # CommandDefinition — single source of truth
│   ├── client.ts         # HTTP client (retry, rate-limit, timeout)
│   ├── auth.ts           # Token + instance URL resolution
│   ├── config.ts         # ~/.salesforce-cli/config.json
│   ├── errors.ts         # Error hierarchy
│   ├── handler.ts        # Command → HTTP executor
│   └── output.ts         # JSON output formatting
├── factories/
│   └── sobject.ts        # Generates 7 commands per SObject type
├── commands/             # 20 command groups
│   ├── accounts/
│   ├── contacts/
│   ├── leads/
│   └── ...
└── mcp/
    └── server.ts         # Registers all commands as MCP tools

Key design principle: Every command is defined once as a CommandDefinition and automatically registered as both a CLI subcommand and an MCP tool. Adding a command group requires creating one file and one line in commands/index.ts.

Adding Custom SObject Commands

Create src/commands/your-object/index.ts:

import { createSObjectCommands } from '../../factories/sobject.js';

export const allYourObjectCommands = createSObjectCommands({
  objectType: 'YourObject__c',
  group: 'your-object',
  singular: 'your object',
  defaultFields: ['Id', 'Name', 'CreatedDate'],
  writeProperties: [
    { field: 'Name', flags: '-n, --name <name>', description: 'Name', required: true },
    { field: 'Custom_Field__c', flags: '--custom-field <value>', description: 'Custom field' },
  ],
});

Then add to src/commands/index.ts:

import { allYourObjectCommands } from './your-object/index.js';
// ...
export const allCommands: CommandDefinition[] = [
  ...allYourObjectCommands,
  // rest of commands
];

This gives you list, get, create, update, delete, search, and describe for your object automatically.

Development

git clone https://github.com/bcharleson/salesforce-crm-cli
cd salesforce-crm-cli
npm install

# Run in dev mode
npm run dev -- accounts list --pretty

# Type check
npm run typecheck

# Build
npm run build

# Test
npm test

SOQL Quick Reference

-- Basic
SELECT Id, Name FROM Account WHERE Industry = 'Technology' LIMIT 10

-- Date literals (no quotes needed)
SELECT Id FROM Lead WHERE CreatedDate = TODAY
SELECT Id FROM Opportunity WHERE CloseDate = THIS_QUARTER
SELECT Id FROM Task WHERE ActivityDate = LAST_N_DAYS:7

-- Relationships (dot notation)
SELECT Account.Name, LastName, Email FROM Contact WHERE Account.Industry = 'Finance'

-- Aggregates
SELECT StageName, COUNT(Id), SUM(Amount) FROM Opportunity GROUP BY StageName

-- Subqueries
SELECT Name, (SELECT LastName, Email FROM Contacts) FROM Account WHERE AnnualRevenue > 1000000

-- IN / NOT IN
SELECT Id FROM Contact WHERE AccountId IN (SELECT Id FROM Account WHERE Industry = 'Tech')

Tech Stack

• TypeScript (ESM, strict mode)
• Commander.js 14 — CLI framework
• Zod 3 — input validation for all commands
• @modelcontextprotocol/sdk — MCP server
• tsup — build, tsx — dev, vitest — tests
• Node 18+

License

MIT — Brandon Charleson