rp CLI reference

Reference for the rp CLI that ships with the runpod Python package: log in, scaffold apps, run live dev sessions, deploy, and manage SSH keys and Pods.

The rp CLI is installed with the runpod Python package. Use it to authenticate, develop and deploy apps, and work with Pods and SSH keys. The same CLI is also available under the name runpod, so rp flash deploy and runpod flash deploy are equivalent.

The rp CLI is separate from runpodctl, which is a standalone binary with a different set of commands.

Command summary

# Auth
rp login

# Apps
rp flash init my-app
rp flash dev main.py
rp flash deploy
rp flash app list
rp flash env list --app my-app
rp flash undeploy --app my-app

# Secrets and registries
rp secret add SECRET_NAME
rp registry add REGISTRY_NAME

# Logs and updates
rp logs POD_ID --follow
rp update

# SSH
rp ssh add
rp ssh list
rp ssh POD_ID

# Pods
rp pod list
rp pod create
rp pod connect POD_ID

App lifecycle commands live under rp flash. Login, secrets, registries, logs, updates, SSH, and Pod commands live at the root. Run rp --help or rp COMMAND --help for details on any command.

rp login

Authenticate with Runpod and save your credentials to ~/.runpod/config.toml:

rp login                       # Approve access in your browser
rp login --api-key API_KEY     # Store a key directly
rp login --profile staging     # Save credentials to a named profile

Use --profile PROFILE_NAME with either login method to update only that profile. The default profile is default. To print the approval URL instead of opening a browser, add --no-open.

rp flash init

Scaffold a new app project:

rp flash init my-app   # Create a project in a new my-app directory
rp flash init .        # Create a project in the current directory

This writes main.py (an app with one queue function and a local entrypoint), requirements.txt, and .runpodignore. Existing files aren’t overwritten unless you add --force. See Build an app.

rp flash dev

Run a live development session for the app defined in a file:

rp flash dev main.py

The session creates temporary endpoints, runs the function marked with @runpod.local_entrypoint, and streams worker logs back to your terminal. Edit your code, then press Enter to re-run. Workers pick up the new code automatically.

See Dev sessions for how sessions work. To run the entrypoint once and exit, which is useful for scripts and CI, add --once:

rp flash dev main.py --once

When you press Ctrl-C, the session waits for the running entrypoint to finish and then deletes its endpoints. If cleanup fails, the command exits with an error and lists the endpoint IDs you need to delete.

App discovery imports your modules synchronously. Keep blocking work inside an entrypoint or a remote function. If discovery hangs on an import, interrupt it with Ctrl-C.

rp flash deploy

Build and deploy the app in the current project:

rp flash deploy

This packages and deploys every app found in the current directory. To deploy another directory, pass its path, for example rp flash deploy path/to/project. Flags:

Flag	Description
--env, -e	Deploy to a specific environment. Defaults to the app’s environment, which is default unless set in code.
--exclude PACKAGES	Leave a comma-separated list of packages out of the artifact, for example --exclude scipy,pandas. They must then come from the worker image.
--python-version VERSION	The worker Python version used to pick dependency wheels, from 3.10 to 3.14. Defaults to the Python running the CLI.
--build-only	Build the artifact without deploying it, and write APP_NAME-artifact.tar.gz to the current directory. This replaces flash build.

To learn what goes into the artifact, including ignore rules and the size limit, see Deploy an app.

rp flash app

Manage the apps you’ve deployed:

rp flash app list              # List your apps
rp flash app get APP_NAME      # Show an app's details
rp flash app delete APP_NAME   # Delete an app (add --yes to skip the prompt)

rp flash env

Manage an app’s environments, such as dev, staging, and production:

rp flash env list --app my-app       # List environments
rp flash env get ENVIRONMENT_NAME    # Show an environment's endpoints and status
rp flash env add ENVIRONMENT_NAME    # Create an environment
rp flash env delete ENVIRONMENT_NAME # Delete an environment

The env commands use the app in the current directory. If the directory has no app or more than one, pass --app APP_NAME.

rp flash undeploy

Delete an environment’s endpoints and the environment itself:

rp flash undeploy --app my-app              # Undeploy the default environment
rp flash undeploy --app my-app --env staging

The app and its build history remain. --app is optional when the current directory has one app. Add --yes to skip the confirmation prompt.

Undeploying an app doesn’t delete network volumes it created. Volumes continue to incur storage charges until you delete them. See Network volumes to learn how to delete a volume.

Secrets and registries

Store secrets that your app reads with runpod.Secret, and save credentials for private container registries:

rp secret add SECRET_NAME       # Create a secret (prompts for the value)
rp secret list                  # List secrets
rp secret delete SECRET_NAME    # Delete a secret

rp registry add REGISTRY_NAME   # Save registry credentials (prompts for username and password)
rp registry list                # List saved credentials
rp registry delete REGISTRY_NAME

rp secret add also accepts --value and --description, and rp registry add accepts --username and --password. If you leave them out, the CLI prompts for them, which keeps the values out of your shell history. Reference a secret in code with env={"HF_TOKEN": runpod.Secret("SECRET_NAME")}, and registry credentials with registry_auth="REGISTRY_NAME".

rp logs

Show a Pod’s container and system logs, such as a Pod started by @app.task:

rp logs POD_ID                    # Show recent logs
rp logs POD_ID --follow           # Stream new logs as they arrive
rp logs POD_ID --tail 500         # Backfill the last 500 lines (default 100)
rp logs POD_ID --type container   # Only container logs (all, container, or system)

rp update

Update the runpod package, which includes the CLI, to the latest version:

rp update
rp update --version 2.0.0   # Install a specific version

rp ssh

Manage SSH keys on your account and connect to Pods:

rp ssh add       # Add a key to your account
rp ssh list      # List the keys on your account
rp ssh POD_ID    # Open a terminal on a Pod

rp ssh add generates a new key if you don’t pass one. To use an existing key, pass --key or --key-file. Keys are stored in ~/.runpod/ssh/.

rp pod

Work with Pods:

rp pod list
rp pod create
rp pod connect POD_ID    # Same as rp ssh POD_ID

Next steps

• Get started with the SDK.
• See how Flash CLI commands map to rp.