CCXT CLI

The CCXT CLI (ccxt-cli on npm) exposes the entire unified CCXT API as a terminal command. Anything you can call in code — fetchTicker, fetchOHLCV, createOrder, fetchBalance, withdraw, exchange-specific implicit methods — you can call as:

ccxt <exchangeId> <methodName> [args...] [options]

It supports 100+ exchanges, REST and WebSocket, public and private endpoints, live terminal dashboards, and interactive OHLCV charts.

Installation

npm install -g ccxt-cli     # installs the `ccxt` command
ccxt --help

One-off use without installing (note -p ccxt-cli — the package name differs from the binary name):

npx -y -p ccxt-cli ccxt kraken fetchTicker BTC/USD

From a clone of the CCXT repository (contributor mode — uses the local source tree instead of the published package):

npm run cli.ts -- kraken fetchTicker BTC/USD    # runs cli/ts/cli.ts against local ts/

Quick start

# Public data — no API keys needed
ccxt kraken fetchTicker BTC/USD
ccxt kraken fetchOrderBook ETH/BTC
ccxt bybit fetchOHLCV BTC/USDT 15m
ccxt okx fetchTrades BTC/USDT

# Private data — needs API keys (see Authentication)
ccxt kraken fetchBalance
ccxt binance fetchOpenOrders BTC/USDT

# Place an order (start with --sandbox and small amounts!)
ccxt binance createOrder BTC/USDT limit buy 0.001 60000 --sandbox

Every run prints the CCXT version, the resolved call (e.g. kraken.fetchTicker ("BTC/USD")), the result, and timing. Use --raw to suppress everything except the JSON result.

Discovering methods and arguments

ccxt --help                 # all options, commands, and the config path for your OS
ccxt methods kraken         # every method the exchange supports (its `has` capabilities)
ccxt explain createOrder    # required/optional arguments for any unified method
ccxt history                # your previously executed commands

ccxt explain <method> output shows the argument order you must follow:

Method: createOrder
Usage:
  binance createOrder <symbol> <type> <side> <amount> [price] [params]
Arguments:
  - symbol       (required) — Market symbol e.g., BTC/USDT
  - type         (required) — e.g., limit or market
  - side         (required) — order side e.g., buy or sell
  - amount       (required)
  - price        (optional) — Price per unit of asset e.g., 26000.50
  - params       (optional) — Extra parameters for the exchange

Argument rules (important)

Arguments are positional and must follow the method's signature order. The CLI auto-converts each argument:

Rule 1 — pad skipped optionals with undefined. To pass limit without since:

ccxt binance fetchOHLCV BTC/USDT 1h undefined 10    # since=undefined, limit=10

Rule 2 — --param key=value appends to the trailing params object. Repeat it for multiple keys. Values are coerced the same way (true, false, null, numbers, strings):

ccxt binance createOrder BTC/USDT market buy 0.01 undefined --param test=true --param clientOrderId=myOrder

Rule 3 — when using --param, explicitly fill ALL earlier optional positionals with undefined. If you leave gaps, the CLI mis-assigns arguments (a known quirk — the params object can end up in the wrong position). Correct:

ccxt bybit fetchOHLCV BTC/USDT 15m undefined undefined --param until=1722161166530   # ✅
ccxt bybit fetchOHLCV BTC/USDT --param until=1722161166530                           # ❌ args get scrambled

Authentication

Private methods (fetchBalance, createOrder, fetchMyTrades, ...) need credentials. Three sources:

1. Environment variables

Pattern: <EXCHANGEID>_<CREDENTIAL> upper-cased. The credential names come from each exchange's requiredCredentials (apiKey, secret, password, uid, walletAddress, privateKey, ...):

export BINANCE_APIKEY=your_api_key
export BINANCE_SECRET=your_secret
ccxt binance fetchBalance

# okx also needs a passphrase:
export OKX_APIKEY=... OKX_SECRET=... OKX_PASSWORD=...

Pass --no-keys to ignore detected credentials and force unauthenticated calls.

2. Config file (persistent)

The CLI keeps a config at $CACHE/ccxt-cli/config.json, keyed by exchange id. ccxt --help prints the exact path for your OS:

• macOS: ~/Library/Caches/ccxt-cli/config.json
• Linux: ~/.cache/ccxt-cli/config.json (or $XDG_CACHE_HOME/ccxt-cli/)
• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\ccxt-cli\cache\config.json

{
  "binance": {
    "apiKey": "your apiKey here",
    "secret": "your secret here",
    "options": { "defaultType": "swap" }
  },
  "okx": { "apiKey": "...", "secret": "...", "password": "..." }
}

Any key in the exchange object is set as a property on the exchange instance — so options lets you set persistent per-exchange behavior. To store the config somewhere else: ccxt config ./some/path/config.json.

3. keys.json / keys.local.json in the current directory

If the working directory contains keys.json and/or keys.local.json (same shape as the config file), they are loaded too and override the config file. This is how the CLI picks up credentials inside the CCXT repo.

Precedence: config.json < keys.json < keys.local.json; environment variables fill only credentials still missing.

Market type, sandbox, and demo flags

ccxt binance fetchBalance --swap       # options.defaultType = 'swap' (perps)
ccxt binance fetchBalance --spot       # ... 'spot'
ccxt binance fetchBalance --future     # ... 'future'
ccxt binance fetchBalance --option     # ... 'option'

ccxt okx fetchTrades BTC/USDT --sandbox   # testnet URLs (same as --testnet)
ccxt bybit fetchBalance --demo            # demo-trading mode (live host, simulated funds)

--sandbox requires the exchange to declare test URLs; otherwise it fails (with TypeError: Invalid URL or NotSupported). Exchanges with demo-trading portals (binance, bybit, okx, gate, ...) use --demo with API keys generated in the demo portal.

Output control and scripting

ccxt kraken fetchTicker BTC/USD --raw            # pristine JSON only — pipe to jq
ccxt kraken fetchTrades BTC/USD --no-table       # plain object dump instead of a table
ccxt kraken fetchTrades BTC/USD --iso8601        # timestamps as ISO8601 in tables
ccxt kraken fetchTicker BTC/USD --clipboard      # copy JSON result to clipboard

Array results render as a table by default; --no-table disables that.

Scripting example:

last=$(ccxt kraken fetchTicker BTC/USD --raw | jq -r '.last')

Scripting facts:

• The CLI exits with code 1 on errors — check $?.
• Errors print to stdout, not stderr, even with --raw — on failure your pipe receives colored non-JSON text. Guard with jq -e or check the exit code before parsing.
• WebSocket/--poll modes stream continuously — for scripts stick to one-shot fetch* calls.
• Each npx invocation pays startup overhead; for repeated calls install globally (npm i -g ccxt-cli) or use --i interactive mode.

Real-time data (WebSocket)

Any watch* method streams continuously until Ctrl+C:

ccxt binance watchTicker BTC/USDT
ccxt binance watchOrderBook BTC/USDT
ccxt binance watchTrades BTC/USDT
ccxt binance watchOrders BTC/USDT      # private

Built-in live terminal dashboards (WebSocket, one or more exchanges, comma-separated, no spaces):

ccxt ticker binance,bybit,okx BTC/USDT      # side-by-side live tickers
ccxt orderbook binance,bybit BTC/USDT       # live depth rendering

Poll a REST method in a rate-limited loop:

ccxt kraken fetchTicker BTC/USD --poll

OHLCV charts

ccxt ohlcv binance BTC/USDT 1h

Fetches candles via REST, generates a self-contained interactive HTML chart (candlesticks + volume), and opens it in the browser. Charts are saved under $CACHE/ccxt-cli/charts/.

Interactive mode

ccxt kraken fetchTicker BTC/USD --i

Keeps the session open and prompts for the next command ([command]:), reusing the process — faster for exploring an exchange (markets stay loaded).

Market cache

loadMarkets() results are cached for 24h under $CACHE/ccxt-cli/markets/, which makes repeat invocations much faster.

ccxt binance fetchTicker BTC/USDT --refresh-markets    # force re-download markets

If a symbol is reported as not found but exists on the exchange, refresh the market cache first.

Note: --no-load-markets (skip market loading) is currently non-functional in released ccxt-cli versions — it is accepted but ignored, and markets load anyway.

Debugging

ccxt kraken fetchTicker BTC/USD --verbose    # full HTTP request/response dump

--verbose is the first thing to reach for on signing, parsing, or rate-limit issues.

⚠️ Do NOT rely on --no-send as a dry run. In current ccxt-cli releases the flag is accepted but silently ignored — the request IS sent to the exchange. Use --sandbox or an exchange-side test param (below) to validate orders safely. There is also no keyless dry-run: private calls fail at signing (AuthenticationError: requires "apiKey") before any request is built.

For CCXT contributors running from the repo: --request / --response print static-test fixture templates for ts/src/test/static/, and --static prints both (add --name "description" to auto-save).

Trading safely

# 1. Test on sandbox/testnet first
ccxt binance createOrder BTC/USDT limit buy 0.001 60000 --sandbox

# 2. Or use the exchange's order-test param where supported
ccxt binance createOrder BTC/USDT market buy 0.01 undefined --param test=true

# 3. Then go live with a small amount, and know how to exit:
ccxt binance createOrder BTC/USDT limit buy 0.001 60000
ccxt binance fetchOpenOrders BTC/USDT
ccxt binance cancelOrder 123456789 BTC/USDT     # order id first, then symbol

• Always test with small amounts, on sandbox first.
• createOrder argument order is symbol type side amount [price] [params] — for market orders pass undefined for price if you need to add --param values after it.
• Never share or commit API keys; prefer environment variables or the config file with restricted permissions.

Common errors

Errors print in red with the CCXT exception class name (ExchangeError subclasses) — the same hierarchy as the CCXT library, so RateLimitExceeded, InsufficientFunds, OrderNotFound, etc. mean exactly what they do in code.

Quirks and pitfalls

• Positional undefined padding is mandatory when skipping optionals and especially before --param (see Argument rules Rule 3).
• Perpetual swaps use the BASE/QUOTE:SETTLE symbol format (BTC/USDT:USDT) or --swap with the plain symbol, depending on the exchange.
• Date-only strings don't auto-convert — "2025-05-01" stays a string; use "2025-05-01T00:00:00Z".
• JSON arguments need shell quotes: '{"recvWindow":5000}'.
• watch* and --poll never exit on their own — Ctrl+C stops them.
• First call per exchange is slow (downloads markets); subsequent calls hit the 24h cache.
• A failed loadMarkets() aborts the call — even public methods die if market loading fails (e.g. geo-block), and the CLI still echoes the resolved call after printing the loadMarkets error, which can be misleading.
• Broken flags in current releases: --no-send and --no-load-markets are accepted but silently ignored — don't rely on either (see Debugging).
• Command history is saved (including any inline arguments) to $CACHE/ccxt-cli/history/commands.json — keep secrets in env vars or config, never as CLI arguments.

Reference: options summary

Learn more

• CCXT documentation: https://docs.ccxt.com
• CLI source and README: https://github.com/ccxt/ccxt/tree/master/cli
• Unified symbols/markets: https://docs.ccxt.com/#/?id=markets
• For writing programs instead of shell commands, see the language skills: /ccxt-typescript, /ccxt-python, /ccxt-php, /ccxt-csharp, /ccxt-go, /ccxt-java