docuseal-cli

Agent Protocol

Rules for agents:

• Supply ALL required flags — the CLI will not prompt for missing parameters.
• Output is always JSON.
• Use -d key=value (bracket notation) or -d '{"..": ".."}' (JSON) for body and array parameters.

Authentication

Set environment variables:

• DOCUSEAL_API_KEY — API key (required). Get yours at https://console.docuseal.com/api
• DOCUSEAL_SERVER — global (default), europe, or full URL for self-hosted (e.g. https://docuseal.yourdomain.com)

Available Commands

Command Group	What it does
templates	list, retrieve, update, archive, create-pdf, create-docx, create-html, clone, merge, update-documents
submissions	list, retrieve, archive, create, send-emails, create-pdf, create-docx, create-html, documents
submitters	list, retrieve, update

Read the matching reference file for detailed flags and examples.

Common Mistakes

#	Mistake	Fix
1	Forgetting -d template_id=<id> on submissions create	--template-id is a flag; submitters and other body params go via -d
2	Passing a plain file path as a URL	--file accepts a local path; for remote files use -d "documents[0][file]=https://..."
3	Expecting array params as comma-separated	Arrays use bracket notation: -d "template_ids[]=1" -d "template_ids[]=2"
4	Using templates create-pdf without a Pro plan	Commands marked (Pro) require a DocuSeal Pro subscription
5	Sending to multiple recipients with submissions create	Use submissions send-emails --emails a@b.com,c@d.com for bulk; submissions create is per-submitter

Security

The CLI accepts user-provided file paths, remote URLs (documents[0][file]=https://...), and HTML content as template input. This is by design — all content originates from the authenticated user and is sent directly to the DocuSeal API over HTTPS. The CLI does not fetch, render, or execute remote content locally; it passes references to the server for processing. No user input is interpolated into shell commands.

Common Patterns

List templates:

docuseal templates list --q "NDA" --limit 20

Create a template from a PDF and send for signing:

docuseal templates create-pdf --file contract.pdf --name "NDA"
docuseal submissions send-emails --template-id 1001 --emails signer@example.com

Create a submission with pre-filled fields (bracket notation):

docuseal submissions create --template-id 1001 \
  -d "submitters[0][email]=john@acme.com" \
  -d "submitters[0][values][Company Name]=Acme Corp"

Create a submission with pre-filled fields (JSON):

docuseal submissions create --template-id 1001 \
  -d '{"submitters": [{"email": "john@acme.com", "values": {"Company Name": "Acme Corp"}}]}'

Check signing status:

docuseal submissions list --template-id 1001 --status pending

Update a submitter:

docuseal submitters update 201 --email new@acme.com --send-email

When to Load References

• Creating or managing templates → references/templates.md
• Sending documents for signing or tracking status → references/submissions.md
• Using dynamic content variables in DOCX → references/docx-variables.md
• Embedding field tags in PDF/DOCX → references/field-tags.md
• Writing HTML templates with field tags → references/html-fields.md
• Listing or updating signers → references/submitters.md