The CarsXE CLI lets you query vehicle data straight from your terminal — no browser, no code, no boilerplate. It works on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and is designed to integrate naturally with shell scripts, AI agents, and developer workflows.

Requirements

• Node.js 22 or higher — nodejs.org

Installation

Install the CLI globally with npm:

npm install -g @carsxe/cli

Verify the installation:

carsxe --version

Setup

Save your API key once — it is stored locally and used automatically for every command:

carsxe config set-key YOUR_API_KEY

The key is saved to a local config file:

Using an environment variable instead

If you prefer not to save the key to disk, set the CARSXE_API_KEY environment variable. The environment variable takes precedence over the saved config file.

export CARSXE_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY

$env:CARSXE_API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"

set CARSXE_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY

To make the variable permanent on Linux/macOS, add the export line to your ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or ~/.profile.

Global Options

These options apply to every command:

Run carsxe <command> --help to see all options for any specific command.

Commands

specs — Vehicle Specifications

Decode a VIN and get full vehicle specifications: make, model, year, engine, trim, equipment, and more.

carsxe specs --vin 1HGBH41JXMN109186

market-value — Market Value

Get the current estimated market value of a vehicle.

carsxe market-value --vin 1HGBH41JXMN109186 --mileage 45000 --state CA --condition clean

history — Vehicle History

Get a full vehicle history report including past owners, accidents, title status, and odometer readings.

carsxe history --vin 1HGBH41JXMN109186

recalls — Safety Recalls

Check for open safety recalls on a vehicle.

carsxe recalls --vin 1HGBH41JXMN109186

lien-theft — Lien & Theft Check

Check whether a vehicle has active liens or has been reported stolen.

carsxe lien-theft --vin 1HGBH41JXMN109186

international-vin — International VIN Decoder

Decode a VIN from a non-US vehicle (European, Asian, and other markets).

carsxe international-vin --vin WBAFR7C57CC811956

plate-decoder — License Plate Decoder

Look up vehicle information from a license plate number.

carsxe plate-decoder --plate ABC1234 --country US --state CA

plate-image — Plate Image Recognition

Extract and decode a license plate from an image URL.

carsxe plate-image --image https://example.com/car-photo.jpg

vin-ocr — VIN OCR from Image

Extract a VIN from a photo of a VIN plate or dashboard sticker.

carsxe vin-ocr --image https://example.com/vin-sticker.jpg

ymm — Year / Make / Model

Look up vehicle data when you don't have a VIN — search by year, make, and model instead.

carsxe ymm --year 2020 --make Toyota --model Camry --trim LE

images — Vehicle Images

Retrieve photos of a vehicle by make, model, and year.

carsxe images --make Toyota --model Camry --year 2020 --angle front --size Large

obd — OBD-II Code Decoder

Decode a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) from your OBD-II scanner.

carsxe obd --code P0300

config — Configuration

Manage your saved API key.

# Save your API key
carsxe config set-key YOUR_API_KEY
# Show active key and its source
carsxe config get-key
# Remove the saved key
carsxe config remove-key

Output Formats

By default all commands return pretty-printed JSON. Two flags change the format:

Table view — human-friendly two-column layout, great for quick inspection:

carsxe --table obd --code P0300

Nested objects are flattened with dot notation (e.g. engine.cylinders). Arrays of primitives are joined on a single line.

Raw JSON — compact single-line output:

carsxe --raw specs --vin 1HGBH41JXMN109186

What's next?

• Grab your API key from the CarsXE dashboard
• Browse the full Vehicle Specifications API
• Learn about authentication
• Check the full list of error codes