Getting Started with the Public CLI

The recommended way to install the CLI is with pipx, which installs it into an isolated environment and puts the public command on your PATH without affecting any other Python projects:

pipx install publicdotcom-cli

Alternatively, install with uv:

uv tool install publicdotcom-cli

Verify the installation by printing the help output:

public --help

You should see a list of available command groups: auth, accounts, market, portfolio, instruments, and order.

Run the login command. It will open a browser window where you authorize the CLI against your Public account, then store the resulting credentials locally:

public auth login

Credentials are saved in your OS keychain by default. The CLI handles token refresh automatically, but you can also trigger it manually:

public auth refresh

To remove stored credentials at any time, run:

public auth logout

Most trading commands require an account ID. Start by listing all accounts linked to your login:

public accounts list

The output shows each account along with its ID, type, and options level. Copy the account ID you want to use and set it as the default so you don't have to pass it on every command:

public accounts set-default YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID

You can verify your holdings at any time with:

public portfolio show

Before placing an order it's good practice to check the current market price. Pass one or more tickers to the quotes command:

public market quotes AAPL

You can quote multiple symbols in a single call:

public market quotes AAPL MSFT TSLA

Add the --json flag to any command to get machine-readable output, useful for scripting:

public market quotes AAPL --json

The CLI uses JSON files to describe orders, which makes it easy to version-control and reuse order templates. There are two steps: run a preflight check first, then place the order with the same file.

Create an order file

Save the following as order.json. This example buys 1 share of AAPL at market price, good for the day:

{
  "instrument": {
    "symbol": "AAPL",
    "type": "EQUITY"
  },
  "orderSide": "BUY",
  "orderType": "MARKET",
  "expiration": {
    "timeInForce": "DAY"
  },
  "quantity": "1"
}

Run a preflight check

The preflight command validates the order and returns an estimated cost breakdown — including buying-power impact and regulatory fees — without submitting anything live:

public order preflight-single --file order.json

Place the order

Once you've reviewed the preflight output, place the order using the same file:

public order place --file order.json

The command returns an order ID. Use it to check the order status:

public order get ORDER_ID

If you need to cancel before it fills:

public order cancel ORDER_ID