# Deepgram CLI — Getting Started

The `dg` CLI lets you transcribe files, stream live audio, synthesize speech, analyze text, and manage your Deepgram account from the terminal.

## Prerequisites

- Python 3.10 or later
- A Deepgram API key ([get one free](https://console.deepgram.com/signup))

## Quick Start

```bash
```

## Core Workflows

### Transcribe audio

```bash
```

### Text-to-speech

```bash
```

### Text intelligence

```bash
```

### Account management

```bash
```

Account commands are flag-based. Run `dg keys --help` or `dg projects --help` for the full set.

## Output Formats

The CLI defaults to human-readable output in the terminal. Use `-o` or `--output` to switch formats:

```bash
```

`-o` belongs to `dg` itself, so it goes before the subcommand name. After the subcommand it fails to parse and exits `1`. On `dg speak` the collision is quieter: there, a bare `-o` is the output file path, not a format.

[Agent-friendly mode](/guides/home-developer-tools-cli-getting-started#agent-friendly-mode) selects JSON on its own, without `-o`. A piped stdout alone does not trigger it.

For `dg -o json listen`, parse errors and progress output go to stderr, so redirecting stderr leaves stdout carrying the payload:

```bash
```

Some command-level errors still print to stdout — an authentication failure is the common one — so check the exit code rather than assuming stdout parses.

## Exit Codes

Most command and usage outcomes use these exit codes, so scripts and CI steps can branch on them:

| Code | Meaning                                                                        |
| ---- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `0`  | Success                                                                        |
| `1`  | Command, execution, or usage error, such as an unknown command or invalid flag |
| `2`  | Root-level user interrupt                                                      |

```bash
```

:::callout{intent="note"}
Exit codes are enforced as of CLI `0.3.0`. Earlier versions exited `0` regardless of outcome, so a pipeline that ignored the exit code may begin surfacing failures it previously swallowed. `dg listen --mic` and `dg mcp` currently handle Ctrl-C themselves and exit `0`; do not rely on an interrupt exit code for those commands.
:::

## Agent-Friendly Mode

The CLI auto-detects AI agent environments, including Claude Code, Aider, and OpenAI Codex, and adjusts its behavior:

- Disables interactive prompts
- Defaults to JSON output

To force the mode on:

```bash
```

`--agent-friendly` does something different on a subcommand: it prints that command’s parameter documentation as JSON and exits without running it.

```bash
```

## Other Commands

The CLI also includes commands for models, requests, profiles, updates, debugging, starter scaffolding, audio probing, and coding-assistant skills:

```bash
```

## Next Steps

- [Install the CLI](/guides/home-developer-tools-cli-installation) — More installation methods including pip, pipx, and Homebrew
- [Authenticate](/guides/home-developer-tools-cli-authentication) — Learn about authentication options
- [Speech-to-Text](/guides/home-developer-tools-cli-speech-to-text) — Full transcription reference
- [Text-to-Speech](/guides/home-developer-tools-cli-text-to-speech) — Full TTS reference

## Related pages

- [Amazon SageMaker](./amazon-sagemaker-index.md)
- [API Reference](./api-reference-index.md)
- [Aura](./aura-index.md)
- [Changelog](../changelog.md)
- [Deepgram's Docs](../index.md)
- [Docker/Podman](./docker-podman-index.md)
- [Flux TTS](./flux-tts-index.md)
- [Guides](./guides-index.md)
- [Home](./home-index.md)
- [Intelligence](./intelligence-index.md)

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