Plaud CLI

Plaud CLI lets you pull transcripts, summaries, and audio files from your Plaud account by typing short commands in a terminal. Built for power users who want speed, automation, or scripted workflows.

What is the CLI?

CLI stands for Command-Line Interface. Instead of clicking buttons in an app, you type a short command in a terminal and the computer does it. Every Plaud CLI command starts with the word plaud.

The CLI is most useful for three things:

• Speed — plaud files lists your recordings faster than scrolling through the app
• Automation — set up CLI commands to run automatically on a schedule
• Computers without a screen — works on a Mac mini or home server that doesn't have a monitor

Who is this for?

⚠️ Heads up: Plaud CLI is designed for users comfortable with a terminal: typing commands, copying file paths, running scripts. If that's not you, Plaud MCP is the better starting point. It gives your AI assistant access to Plaud without any commands.

This guide is for power users who want to script Plaud, automate exports, or pull transcripts and summaries from a terminal. If chatting with your AI about your recordings is enough for you, use Plaud MCP instead.

What can Plaud CLI do?

Once installed, here are the main commands:

💡 What's a recording ID and how do I get one? Run plaud files first — your recordings will be listed in a table with an ID column on the left (a long string of letters and numbers). Copy the ID of the recording you want, then paste it into commands like plaud transcript <id> in place of <id>.

A quick example

Imagine you want every Q2-budget conversation collected in one folder for your CFO. You'd open a terminal and run:

plaud search "Q2 budget" --from 2026-04-01 --to 2026-06-30

You get a list of matching recordings with their IDs. Then for each one:

plaud summary <id> -o filename.md

(-o tells the CLI to save the output to a file.)

Five minutes later, you have a folder of clean Markdown summaries without Plaud app having to be opened, or copy-pasting from the web. Drop the folder into Slack, Notion, or attach it to an email.

💡 Where do my saved files go? They land in whatever folder your terminal is currently in — usually your home folder if you just opened Terminal (Mac) or PowerShell (Windows). Open Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows) to find them. If you'd rather save somewhere specific, use a full path like ~/Downloads/filename.md (Mac) instead of just filename.md.

How do I install it?

Three steps. About a minute total if you already have Node.js.

Step 1 — Install Node.js

Plaud CLI runs on Node.js, a free piece of software. If you don't already have it, download and install it from nodejs.org — just like installing any other app.

Step 2 — Install the Plaud CLI

In the same terminal, run:

npm install -g @plaud-ai/cli

Wait until it finishes in usually under a minute.

Step 3 — Sign in

Run:

plaud login

A browser window opens. Sign in with your usual Plaud account. You only need to do this once, and the CLI remembers you thereafter.

That's it. Try it by running plaud files to see your most recent recordings.

📚 Want to go deeper? For advanced options and the full command reference, see the Plaud CLI developer docs.

What Plaud CLI is unable to do

Worth setting expectations clearly:

• It is unable to record audio — recording still happens on your Plaud device
• It is unable to edit recordings or transcripts
• It is unable to replace your AI assistant. For chat-style use ("summarize this for me"), use Plaud MCP instead

FAQ

Is Plaud CLI free?

Plaud CLI is currently free for all active Plaud accounts. We may introduce pricing in the future as Plaud's plans evolve, but any change will be announced ahead of time.

Does Plaud CLI work on Windows, Mac, and Linux?

Yes, all three. On Windows, use PowerShell or Command Prompt; on Mac and Linux, use Terminal. You'll need Node.js installed on whichever system you use.

Can I download the original audio files?

Yes, plaud audio <id> returns a temporary download link for the original audio. The link expires after 24 hours.

Can I script Plaud CLI commands?

Yes, that's one of the main reasons people use Plaud CLI. Commands work like any standard terminal command, so you can include them in scripts or scheduled jobs.

Something's not working. What should I check?

Try these in order:

1. Permission denied during install? On Mac/Linux, add sudo at the start: sudo npm install -g @plaud-ai/cli. On Windows, run PowerShell as administrator.
2. plaud: command not found displayed after install? Close your terminal, reopen it, and try again. If still missing, confirm npm install finished without errors.
3. Commands fail with "not authenticated"? Run plaud login again to re-authorize.
4. node or npm not found? You need Node.js (v20+). Install from nodejs.org.
5. On a corporate network? Some networks block npm. Ask your IT team to allowlist it.

I'm not a developer — should I still try Plaud CLI?

Plaud CLI assumes you're comfortable installing Node.js, opening a terminal, and typing commands. If that sounds intimidating, Plaud MCP is the friendlier alternative. It lets your AI assistant access Plaud without you typing commands directly.

What's the difference between Plaud CLI and Plaud MCP?

• Plaud CLI is for running commands directly in a terminal, for instance "download all transcripts from this week into a folder"
• Plaud MCP is for using your AI assistant to ask questions about your recordings, such as "summarize Tuesday's call"

Many power users install both. If you only want to script things or pull files out of Plaud, Plaud CLI is what you want.