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CLI

vidlab is the VidLab API from your shell: find a model, price it, run it, wait and save the file, in one command. It is for scripts, CI and people who live in a terminal; your agent can use it too. Node.js 18.17 or newer, no other dependencies.

bash

npx @vidlab/cli models --kind video

Install it once to drop the npx @vidlab/cli:

bash

npm install -g @vidlab/cli

Your key

vidlab login checks a key and saves it in the macOS Keychain or the Linux Secret Service (else a private file under ~/.config/vidlab). VIDLAB_API_KEY, when it is set, always wins. The key is never printed and never passed on a command line.

bash

vidlab login

Commands

bash

vidlab models --kind video --search seedance      # find
vidlab model seedance-2.5                         # its inputs and every price
vidlab estimate seedance-2.5 --prompt "a red fox" --duration 5 --resolution 720p
vidlab run seedance-2.5 --prompt "a red fox" --duration 5 --max-price 2 --wait --out fox.mp4
vidlab get gen_... --wait                         # read a job later, download when done
vidlab upload ./photo.png                         # prints the link; --image ./photo.png does this by itself
vidlab formats                                    # our ad formats: a finished video from a brief
vidlab format run drama-ad --input brief="A tired dad finally sleeps." --max-price 6 --wait --out ad.mp4
vidlab balance
vidlab setup                                      # the VidLab skill for Claude Code and Codex, and a check of your key

--max-price on run is the request's max_cost_usd: a route dearer than it is skipped. On format run it approves the price up to that amount.
run always sends an Idempotency-Key, so its own retries never pay twice.
--json on every command prints one JSON document, errors included: {"error": {"code", "message", "status", "hint"}}.
Exit codes: 0 done, 1 API or network error, 2 usage error, 3 the generation or format run failed (nothing charged), 4 still running when --wait ran out, 5 a format run needs answers.
--base-url (or VIDLAB_BASE_URL) points it at another address; the default is https://vidlab.ai.

Input

--prompt, --image <link or file> (repeat for several), --duration, --resolution, --aspect-ratio, --video, --audio, --end-image, --text, --voice, --seed, --n, and --param key=value for any field a model lists (vidlab model <id>). A local file is uploaded first and its link sent.