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The Private Connect CLI (connect) enables you to expose, access, and manage services across your development infrastructure.

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Installation

npm install -g private-connect
Or use the install script: 
curl -fsSL https://privateconnect.co/install.sh | bash

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Quick Start

  1. Authenticate your agent: 
    connect up
  2. Expose a local service: 
    connect expose localhost:3306 --name mysql
  3. Access a remote service: 
    connect reach mysql

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Command Structure

All commands follow the pattern: 
connect <command> [arguments] [options]

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Global Options

These options are available for most commands:
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--hub
string
default:"https://hub.privateconnect.co"
Hub server URL
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--config
string
Path to custom config file
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--help
boolean
Show help for a command

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Core Workflow

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Exposing Services

Make your local services accessible to teammates: 
connect expose localhost:5432 --name staging-db
connect expose localhost:8080 --name api --public

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Reaching Services

Access services exposed by your team: 
connect reach staging-db
connect reach api --port 8000

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Environment Management

Share or clone entire environments: 
# Share your environment
connect share --name "staging-env" --expires 24h

# Clone a teammate's environment
connect clone alex

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Command Categories

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Service Commands

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Infrastructure Commands

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Utility Commands

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Integration Commands

  • connect mcp - AI assistant integration (Model Context Protocol)

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Exit Codes

The CLI uses standard exit codes:
  • 0 - Success
  • 1 - General error (authentication, network, configuration)
  • 2 - Command usage error (invalid arguments)

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Environment Variables

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PRIVATECONNECT_TOKEN
string
Pre-authenticated token for CI/CD environments
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CONNECT_DAEMON
boolean
Internal flag indicating daemon mode
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CONNECT_PROXY_FOREGROUND
boolean
Run proxy in foreground mode

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Configuration

Configuration is stored in ~/.privateconnect/config.json: 
{
  "agentId": "agent_xxx",
  "token": "tok_xxx",
  "apiKey": "pk_xxx",
  "hubUrl": "https://hub.privateconnect.co",
  "label": "macbook-pro",
  "workspaceId": "ws_xxx"
}

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Common Patterns

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Local Development

Connect to your team’s staging database: 
connect reach staging-db
psql -h localhost -p 5432

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Sharing with Webhooks

Expose your local API for webhook testing: 
connect expose localhost:3000 --name webhook-test --public

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Multi-Service Projects

Use a project config file (pconnect.yml): 
services:
  - name: postgres
    port: 5432
  - name: redis
    port: 6379
  - name: api
    port: 8080
Then connect to all services: 
connect dev

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Troubleshooting

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Check Agent Status

connect daemon status

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View Logs

connect daemon logs

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Diagnostics

Run connectivity diagnostics: 
connect reach my-service --check

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Port Conflicts

Ports are automatically selected when conflicts occur. To use a specific port: 
connect reach mysql --port 13306

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