# Just landed in the Neon CLI > Source: > Published: 2026-08-25 12:00:00+00:00 The [Neon CLI](https://neon.com/docs/cli) moved fast over the last couple of months. It is a key tool for agents, who do all the work without ever opening the Console - let’s take a look at some of recent changes: ## The CLI is now neon First things first, the npm package and docs use neon instead of neonctl. Same binary, shorter name. So, to [install it](https://neon.com/docs/cli/install), For agents, set up skills and the MCP server in one shot: neonctl still works as an alias - no re-auth is required if you already used the old name. ## Agent tooling: neon init, mcp, and skills If you're wiring up a coding agent, you have three focused entry points: - full onboarding: OAuth, API key, MCP server, editor extension, and agent skills`neon init` - MCP server only`neon mcp` - agent skills only`neon skills` `neon init` is the one-shot setup. Use `mcp` or `skills` when you only need one piece. To refresh skills you've already installed, run `neon skills update` . ## New commands for branch-first workflows: link, checkout, env pull These three commands are the [core loop for local (and agent) development](https://neon.com/blog/branch-first-dev-loop): [neon link](https://neon.com/docs/cli/link) writes a local .neon context (orgId, projectId, branchId). You can use --agent for non-interactive JSON mode. Once linked, you can drop --project-id / --branch on most commands. The CLI walks up parent folders to find .neon, and adds it to .gitignore on first write. [neon checkout](https://neon.com/docs/cli/checkout) pins the active branch in that context, the same way you'd switch a git branch. [neon env pull](https://neon.com/docs/cli/env) writes branch-scoped Neon variables (DATABASE_URL, unpooled URL, and credentials for enabled services). Only Neon-managed keys are rewritten; the rest of your [env](https://neon.com/docs/cli/env) file is left alone. A recent refinement - pull only the services you name (postgres, auth, data-api, object-storage, or ai-gateway): ## Debug Postgres via neon inspect db This [diagnostics tool](https://neon.com/docs/cli/inspect) bundles read-only diagnostics against Postgres stats and catalogs, with connection resolution handled by the CLI: Examples of what you get: - table/index sizes - bloat estimates - unused indexes - sequential scans - long-running and stalled queries - locks - pg_stat_statements outliers/calls - vacuum stats - replication slots/subscriptions - and Neon Local File Cache hit rate / working set ( [inspect](https://neon.com/docs/cli/inspect),[deep dive](https://neon.com/blog/neon-inspect-db),[changelog](https://neon.com/docs/changelog/2026-07-24#debug-postgres-from-the-terminal-with-neon-inspect-db)). Omit the database name to inspect every database on the branch (the output adds a `database` column). It works against a linked branch, or any Postgres URL via --db-url. Same checks are also available on the Neon MCP server as `inspect_database` . ## Jump to the Console: neon open A cool trick: run To [open](https://neon.com/docs/cli/open) the linked project's dashboard in your browser. ## See the pinned branch: neon status This command [prints the branch](https://neon.com/docs/cli/config#current-branch) in .neon with no network call, so it's safe for shell prompts: ## Credentials: api-keys and profile We shipped these two command groups together, useful for CI and multi-account work: ### Mint scoped keys with neon api-keys A [project-scoped key](https://neon.com/docs/cli/api-keys) cannot create projects, mint more keys, or see other projects (i.e. what you’d want for an agent or a CI job). ### Switch accounts with neon profile A profile is a named credentials set. Select it per command with [--profile](https://neon.com/docs/cli/profile): --mint signs in once, stores only the minted key, and leaves no browser session behind. ## Print schema diffs with neon diff [neon diff](https://neon.com/docs/cli/diff) prints a git-style unified schema diff between the branch under review and a compare branch (by default, the reviewed branch's parent) - For a machine-readable output, run --output json or --output yaml - For a historical point in time (timestamp or LSN), use neon branches schema-diff instead ## Call any Neon API route with neon api (agent fallback) Most humans will never need this - this is a fallback for agent automation. Coding agents can now reach for [ neon api](https://neon.com/docs/cli/api) when they need an API route that doesn't have a dedicated CLI command yet. It uses your existing CLI login: ## Snapshots from the terminal: neon snapshots [Point-in-time branch backups](https://neon.com/docs/cli/snapshots) are now first-class in the CLI: You can restore un-finalized (inspect first), then neon snapshots finalize, or pass --finalize to swap immediately. For schedules: neon snapshots schedule get / set. ## What’s new in Auth, Data API, and psql ### Enable Managed Better Auth via neon neon-auth You can now directly enable Auth, configure OAuth providers and domains, tweak email/webhook settings, and manage users [from the terminal](https://neon.com/docs/cli/neon-auth): ### Manage the Data API via neon data-api You can also [provision and manage](https://neon.com/docs/cli/data-api) the Data API (create, get, update, refresh-schema, delete). ### neon psql without a local psql install [neon psql](https://neon.com/docs/cli/psql) connects as a top-level command. If no native psql is on $PATH, the CLI falls back to a built-in client. ## Project create flags and declarative config [neon projects create](https://neon.com/docs/cli/projects) now accepts more up-front control - e.g. you can specify Postgres version, protected branches, logical replication: For declarative branch policy, neon config init scaffolds a starter [neon.ts](https://neon.com/docs/reference/neon-ts) and installs @neon/config / @neon/env. neon link can offer this as a final step. [Backend service commands](https://neon.com/docs/cli) such as neon functions and neon buckets are part of the same CLI surface as Object Storage, Functions, and AI Gateway roll out. ## The latest commands at a glance | Goal | Command | Docs | |---|---|---| | Install / upgrade | `npm i -g neon@latest` | | `neon auth` [auth](https://neon.com/docs/cli/auth)`neon init` [init](https://neon.com/docs/cli/init)`neon mcp` [mcp](https://neon.com/docs/cli/mcp)`neon skills` [skills](https://neon.com/docs/cli/skills)`neon link` [link](https://neon.com/docs/cli/link)`neon checkout ` [checkout](https://neon.com/docs/cli/checkout)`neon env pull [--service …]` [env](https://neon.com/docs/cli/env)`neon open` [open](https://neon.com/docs/cli/open)`neon api-keys …` [api-keys](https://neon.com/docs/cli/api-keys)`neon profile …` [profile](https://neon.com/docs/cli/profile)`neon diff [branch]` [diff](https://neon.com/docs/cli/diff)`neon api ` [api](https://neon.com/docs/cli/api)`neon inspect db ` [inspect](https://neon.com/docs/cli/inspect)`neon snapshots …` [snapshots](https://neon.com/docs/cli/snapshots)`neon neon-auth …` [neon-auth](https://neon.com/docs/cli/neon-auth)`neon data-api …` [data-api](https://neon.com/docs/cli/data-api)`neon psql` [psql](https://neon.com/docs/cli/psql)## What to put in AGENTS.md Drop this into your project's AGENTS.md (or Cursor rules) so coding agents default to the branch-first loop: