WORKWAY CLI Installation

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Install the WORKWAY CLI globally using pnpm or npm
• Authenticate with the WORKWAY platform using workway login
• Initialize a new workflow project with workway init
• Start a local development server with workway dev
• Deploy a workflow to production with workway deploy

The WORKWAY CLI connects your local development environment to the WORKWAY platform. Deploy, test, and manage workflows from your terminal.

Use Claude Code

You can complete this entire lesson by asking Claude Code. Try these prompts:

> Install the WORKWAY CLI globally with pnpm

> Help me authenticate with workway login

> Create a new workflow project with workway init

> Show me how to test my workflow locally with curl

> Deploy my workflow to production

Claude Code will run the commands, explain each step, and help troubleshoot any issues.

Quick Start: Your First Workflow in 5 Minutes

Step 1: Install the CLI

pnpm add -g @workwayco/cli
# or: npm install -g @workwayco/cli

Step 2: Authenticate

workway login

A browser window opens. Sign in with your WORKWAY account.

Step 3: Verify Authentication

workway whoami

You should see your email and organization.

Step 4: Create a New Project

mkdir my-first-workflow
cd my-first-workflow
workway init

Step 5: Start Development Server

workway dev

Step 6: Test Your Workflow

In a new terminal:

curl http://localhost:8787/execute -d '{}'

Step 7: Deploy to Production

When ready:

workway deploy

Your workflow is now live.

Installation

Via npm

npm install -g @workwayco/cli

Via pnpm (recommended)

pnpm add -g @workwayco/cli

Verify Installation

workway --version

Authentication

Login to WORKWAY

workway login

This opens a browser window for OAuth authentication. After approval, your session is stored locally.

Check Auth Status

workway whoami

Output:

Logged in as: [email protected]
Organization: Your Org
Plan: Developer

Project Setup

Initialize a New Project

mkdir my-workflow
cd my-workflow
workway init

This creates:

my-workflow/
├── wrangler.toml       # Cloudflare Workers config
├── src/
│   └── index.ts        # Workflow entry point
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json

Link Existing Project

cd existing-project
workway link

Select the workflow to link from your WORKWAY account.

Essential Commands

Local Development

Start Dev Server

workway dev

This starts wrangler in development mode with:

• Hot reload on file changes
• Local D1 database
• Mocked integrations
• Request logging

Test a Workflow Locally

curl http://localhost:8787/execute \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"input": "test"}'

Deployment

Deploy to Production

workway deploy

Output:

Deploying my-workflow...
✓ Build complete (1.2s)
✓ Uploaded to Cloudflare (0.8s)
✓ Workflow live at: https://my-workflow.workway.co

Deployment ID: abc123

Environment Variables

# Set production secret
workway secret put API_KEY

# List secrets
workway secret list

Project Configuration

wrangler.toml

name = "my-workflow"
main = "src/index.ts"
compatibility_date = "2024-01-01"

[vars]
ENVIRONMENT = "production"

[[d1_databases]]
binding = "DB"
database_name = "my-workflow-db"
database_id = "your-database-id"

package.json scripts

{
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "workway dev",
    "deploy": "workway deploy",
    "test": "workway test",
    "logs": "workway logs --tail"
  }
}

Praxis

Install the WORKWAY CLI and verify it works:

Praxis: Ask Claude Code: "Help me install and configure the WORKWAY CLI"

After installation, run through these commands:

workway --version
workway login
workway whoami

Then initialize a test project:

mkdir test-workflow && cd test-workflow
workway init

Examine the generated files with Claude Code to understand the project structure.

Reflection

• How does having a CLI tool change your development-to-deployment workflow?
• What manual steps in your current process could the CLI automate?