The PlanetScale CLI (the command is pscale) is the official command-line tool for PlanetScale databases. According to the official description, PlanetScale is not just a database, and its CLI is not just a collection of commands; pscale brings branches, deploy requests, and other PlanetScale concepts directly into the user's command line.
Main capabilities and uses:
- Access and manage PlanetScale databases via the command line, covering core concepts such as branches and deploy requests.
- Provides MCP server integration: you can use the hosted PlanetScale MCP server, at https://planetscale.com/docs/connect/mcp。
- Supports GitHub Actions: install and use pscale in GitHub Actions via setup-pscale-action.
- For AI agents and automation: you can run pscale agent-guide (or use pscale --skill to get an installable skill file); see AGENTS.md for related instructions; if you need to operate workflows (checklists, security reviews, schema suggestions), you can install planetscale/skills.
Installation methods (officially provided):
- Install via Homebrew Tap, or download the binary from the releases page.
- Some commands require the MySQL 8 client to be present in PATH, which can be installed via the corresponding command.
- There is a corresponding command to upgrade to the latest version.
- You can download .deb or .rpm from the releases page and install them with sudo dpkg -i and sudo rpm -i respectively.
- Arch: pscale-cli-bin.
- Can be installed via scoop, or download the binary from the releases page.
- Download the precompiled binary and copy it to the desired location.
- You can also install bin, suitable for all macOS, Windows, and Linux platforms.
- Ready-made Docker container images are provided; you can pull the latest image or a specific version; if you need a shell alias to run the latest version via docker when entering pscale, the official example is also provided. For more advanced examples that require a service token and distinguish between pseudo-terminal or non-interactive mode commands, refer to the officially provided shell function.
Local development:
- You can run commands, or build pscale, and then test using the pscale binary built in cmd/pscale/.
- The API client is located in internal/planetscale/; this repository no longer depends on planetscale-go. Before modifying API-facing code, please read doc/api-client.md.
Applicable scenarios:
- Developers who need to manage PlanetScale database branches and deploy requests on the command line.
- Teams that want to integrate PlanetScale operations in CI/CD (such as GitHub Actions).
- Users who need to provide a database operation interface for AI agents and automation.
Limitations and supplements:
- Some commands depend on the MySQL 8 client, and you need to ensure it is in PATH.
- The official documentation page is planetscale.com/docs.
- Details about fees, pricing, and platform support are not explained in the provided materials and are not yet provided.
