Hex CLI

1 post · Mar 2025 – Aug 2026

What this trail covers

Hex has evolved its developer experience by introducing a Command Line Interface (CLI) and an MCP server. The CLI allows users to script Hex workflows, create and update projects and cells, move analyses into Hex programmatically, connect workflows with other tools via their CLIs, and make changes to multiple projects at scale. The MCP server handles structured, authenticated access for AI assistants to search the workspace and get data answers through Threads, drawing on semantic models and end-to-end project execution.

All Hex trails

Aug 2026What is the difference between an MCP and a CLI?This post introduces the distinction between CLI and MCP as transports for AI agents interacting with data systems. It details how CLIs are suitable for engineers and analysts due to their familiarity, composability, and low friction for individual work, while MCP is better for business users and shared access due to its structured, authenticated interface and built-in access controls. The post explains the token consumption trade-off of MCP and advocates for using both transports based on the user and their workflow. It highlights Hex's practical implementation with the Hex CLI for inner-loop work and an MCP server for outer-loop integrations, emphasizing the importance of a shared context layer (semantic models, endorsed tables) regardless of the transport.
Apr 2026Introducing the Hex CLIIntroduced the Hex CLI, enabling programmatic management of Hex projects and cells from the terminal. This allows for scripting workflows, moving analyses into Hex, connecting external tools, and making large-scale changes to projects. The CLI supports creating/updating projects and cells, deleting cells, and running projects. A Claude skill is provided to teach agents how to use the CLI.
Dec 2025The Notebook Agent just got even betterThe Notebook Agent has been enhanced with new cell types (chart styling, input parameters, single value cells), improved context awareness (project DAG, cell context), and organization tools (moving/deleting cells, auto-organizing into sections). This allows the agent to build interactive analyses, tidy up messy projects, and debug issues by traversing the project's DAG.
Mar 2025MCPs: What they are and how you can use them with Hex's APIThis post details the integration of Hex's public API endpoints with the Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard through an open-source project called `hex-mcp`. It explains how MCPs enable AI assistants (like Cursor and Claude) to interact with Hex projects programmatically, allowing users to search for, trigger runs of, and check the status of Hex projects using natural language. The post provides a step-by-step guide for setting up this integration, including package installation, API key configuration, and project setup within Cursor. It highlights the benefits of this workflow for data engineers and analytics teams, such as accelerated development times, simplified onboarding, and improved focus by reducing context switching between development environments and Hex.
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