Scripting and automation

Output formats

Choose the format with --output: human (the default, for people), json or ndjson.

rcc --output json catalog list
rcc --output ndjson instance status --watch
rcc --quiet --output json instance status

• json writes one JSON document to standard output when the command finishes. --json is short for it.
• ndjson writes one JSON object per line, one for each event and each result, which suits commands that keep producing output, such as --watch.
• Progress and diagnostics always go to standard error, so they never mix with the result on standard output. --quiet turns progress off.
• Tokens, passwords, private keys and similar fields are hidden in the output. The one-time JupyterLab link printed by rcc instance open --print isn’t, so keep it out of your logs.

When troubleshooting, add -v (repeatable: -vv says more), or --debug for a full traceback of an unexpected local error.

Exit codes

Code	Meaning
0	The command completed locally.
1	A service, network, TLS or protocol error, or an unexpected local error.
2	Wrong usage, bad local configuration, or failed authentication.
5	The local wait timed out; the operation may still be running on the service.
130	Interrupted by the user; the operation on the service is unaffected.

Exit code 0 only says the command itself worked, not that the instance is healthy: rcc instance status can exit 0 while reporting an instance that is failed, or no instance at all. Check both the exit code and the state in the JSON result.

Retrying after a timeout or interruption

When rcc instance create times out (exit code 5) or is interrupted (130), the instance may still be on its way. Find out what the service has before deciding to retry:

rcc --output json instance status
rcc instance logs

If you do retry the same creation, pass the same --idempotency-key as the first attempt so a second instance is not created.

Shell completion

rcc completion <shell> prints a completion script to standard output for bash, zsh, fish or powershell.

Shell	This session only	Every new terminal
bash	source <(rcc completion bash)	add eval "$(rcc completion bash)" to ~/.bashrc
zsh	source <(rcc completion zsh)	add eval "$(rcc completion zsh)" to ~/.zshrc, after compinit
fish	rcc completion fish | source	rcc completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/rcc.fish
PowerShell	rcc completion powershell | Out-String | Invoke-Expression	add the same line to $PROFILE

Finding commands and troubleshooting

rcc --help
rcc instance --help
rcc instance create --help
rcc capabilities   # which CLI features the service currently offers

When a command fails, check in this order:

rcc doctor            # installation, sign-in and service health
rcc auth status       # is the token valid
rcc instance status   # the instance's current state
rcc instance logs     # startup events and container logs