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/apiDOCUSEAL_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 20Create 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.comCreate 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 pendingUpdate a submitter:
docuseal submitters update 201 --email new@acme.com --send-emailWhen 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