Motie CLI — API Discovery Tool
You have access to the motie CLI tool for discovering and calling APIs published on the Motie marketplace. Use it whenever you need an external API to accomplish a task.
Setup
The CLI requires a Motie API key (starts with mtk_). Check if MOTIE_API_KEY is set in the environment. If not, tell the user to get one at https://beta.motie.dev under Profile > API Key > Generate API Key, then set it:
export MOTIE_API_KEY=mtk_your_key_here
Alternatively, pass --api-key to each command.
The CLI is installed via: npm install -g @saucedocs/motie-cli
Workflow
Always follow this sequence:
Step 1: Search for an API
motie search "<descriptive query>"
Use natural language — the search is semantic (embedding-based), so descriptive queries like "find restaurant availability and reservations" work better than single keywords.
Options: --category <cat>, --tags <tags> (comma-separated), --limit <n> (1-100, default 20)
Response:
{
"listings": [
{
"id": "abc-123",
"name": "Restaurant Availability API",
"short_description": "Real-time restaurant search and reservation availability",
"category": "content_monitoring",
"tags": ["restaurants", "reservations"],
"published_at": "2026-04-03T19:42:55.318Z"
}
],
"total": 1
}
Step 2: Get docs for a listing
Use the id from search results to fetch full API documentation:
motie docs <listing-id>
This returns all available routes with their parameters, request/response schemas, and an example_cli command you can run directly. Read the response carefully — it tells you exactly how to call the API.
Response (abbreviated):
{
"listing": { "id": "...", "name": "...", "description": "..." },
"api": {
"base_url": "https://example.execute-api.us-east-2.amazonaws.com",
"routes": [
{
"method": "GET",
"path": "/v1/restaurants/search",
"description": "Search for restaurants by name or cuisine",
"parameters": [
{ "name": "query", "required": true, "type": "string" },
{ "name": "location", "required": false, "type": "string | null" }
],
"request_body": null,
"response_schema": [ { "id": "string", "name": "string" } ],
"example_cli": "motie call abc-123 /v1/restaurants/search --query <query> [--location <location>]"
}
]
}
}
Step 3: Call the API
Use motie call to invoke any route directly:
motie call <listing-id> <route-path> --<key> <value> ...
Pass all parameters as flags — the CLI automatically places each parameter in the right location (query string, URL path, or request body) based on the route documentation.
Options: --method <METHOD> (auto-detected if omitted), --api-key <key>, --base-url <url>
Examples:
# GET with query params
motie call abc-123 /v1/restaurants/search --query "italian food" --location NYC
# GET with path param
motie call abc-123 /api/v1/airports/{iata} --iata LAX
# POST with body params (method auto-detected)
motie call abc-123 /api/v1/flight-searches --origin_iata LAX --destination_iata JFK --date 2026-05-01
Error handling
All errors output JSON to stderr with exit code 1:
{"error": "Missing API key. Set MOTIE_API_KEY or pass --api-key."}
