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The Cadence CLI is a command-line tool that provides comprehensive access to Cadence workflow operations, domain management, and administrative functions.

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What is the Cadence CLI?

The Cadence CLI (cadence) is a powerful tool for interacting with Cadence workflow systems. It supports:
  • Workflow execution management (start, stop, signal, query)
  • Domain configuration and management
  • Task list operations and monitoring
  • Administrative operations for cluster management
  • Batch operations for bulk workflow processing

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Architecture

The CLI is built using the urfave/cli/v2 framework and communicates with Cadence through:
  • Frontend Service: Primary API for workflow and domain operations
  • Admin Service: Administrative operations requiring elevated privileges
  • Transport Protocols: Supports both TChannel (default) and gRPC

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CLI Components

The CLI is organized into several top-level command groups: 
cadence [command] [subcommand] [flags]
Main Command Groups:
  • domain - Domain registration, updates, and management
  • workflow - Workflow execution operations
  • tasklist - Task list monitoring and operations
  • admin - Administrative operations (requires elevated access)
  • cluster - Cluster information and operations

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Common Usage Patterns

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Connecting to Cadence

All CLI commands require connecting to a Cadence frontend service: 
cadence --address localhost:7933 [command]
You can also set the address via environment variable: 
export CADENCE_CLI_ADDRESS=localhost:7933
cadence [command]

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Working with Domains

Most workflow operations require specifying a domain: 
cadence --domain my-domain workflow list
Or using environment variable: 
export CADENCE_CLI_DOMAIN=my-domain
cadence workflow list

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Using Aliases

The CLI provides short aliases for common commands: 
cadence wf list           # Short for: workflow list
cadence d describe        # Short for: domain describe
cadence tl describe       # Short for: tasklist describe

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Global Flags

These flags are available for all commands:
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--address
string
default:""
Frontend service address in host:port format. Can also be set via CADENCE_CLI_ADDRESS environment variable.
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--domain
string
Cadence workflow domain for operations. Can also be set via CADENCE_CLI_DOMAIN environment variable.
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--context-timeout
int
default:"90"
Optional timeout for RPC calls in seconds. Can also be set via CADENCE_CONTEXT_TIMEOUT environment variable.
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--jwt
string
Optional JWT token for authorization. Can also be set via CADENCE_CLI_JWT environment variable.
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--jwt-private-key
string
Optional path to private key for creating JWT. Can also be set via CADENCE_CLI_JWT_PRIVATE_KEY environment variable.
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--transport
string
Transport protocol: grpc or tchannel (default). Can also be set via CADENCE_CLI_TRANSPORT_PROTOCOL environment variable.
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--tls-cert-path
string
Path to TLS certificate for secure connections. Can also be set via CADENCE_CLI_TLS_CERT_PATH environment variable.

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Configuration

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Environment Variables

The CLI supports configuration through environment variables: 
export CADENCE_CLI_ADDRESS=localhost:7933
export CADENCE_CLI_DOMAIN=my-domain
export CADENCE_CONTEXT_TIMEOUT=120
export CADENCE_CLI_TRANSPORT_PROTOCOL=grpc

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Authentication

For JWT authentication: 
# Using JWT token directly
cadence --jwt "eyJhbGc..." workflow list

# Using private key to generate JWT
cadence --jwt-private-key /path/to/key.pem workflow list

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Output Formats

Many commands support multiple output formats:
  • Table (default): Human-readable table format
  • JSON: Machine-readable JSON output using --format json
# Table format (default)
cadence workflow list

# JSON format
cadence workflow list --format json

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Getting Help

Use the --help flag with any command to see available options: 
cadence --help
cadence workflow --help
cadence workflow start --help

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Version Information

Check CLI and server compatibility: 
cadence --version
The output includes:
  • CLI feature version (for compatibility checking)
  • Release version
  • Build commit hash

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Next Steps

Installation

Install the Cadence CLI on your system

Workflow Commands

Manage workflow executions

Domain Commands

Configure and manage domains

Admin Commands

Administrative operations

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