Content
# Releasebot
Lightweight command-line and MCP access to the [Releasebot](https://releasebot.io) catalog: read release notes, changelogs, and product announcements from your terminal or as context for any AI agent.
This repo publishes two packages:
| Package | What it is | Install |
| ------------------------------------ | -------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| [`@releasebot-io/cli`](packages/cli) | CLI (binary: `releasebot`) | `npm i -g @releasebot-io/cli` |
| [`@releasebot-io/mcp`](packages/mcp) | MCP server for AI agents | `npx -y @releasebot-io/mcp` |
## Getting an API key
First, sign up for a Releasebot account at **<https://releasebot.io/sign-up>**
Then, generate a key at **<https://releasebot.io/notifications>**. Keys look like `rb_` followed by 32 characters. Free accounts start with 500 API credits.
- `search` is **free** (no credits charged).
- `releases`, `search-releases`, `all`, and `feed` charge **1 credit per release** returned (min 1 credit per request).
- Responses include an `X-Credits-Remaining` header; a `402` means you're out (upgrade at <https://releasebot.io/billing>).
| Plan | Credits / month |
| ---- | --------------- |
| Free | 500 |
| Pro | 5,000 |
| Max | Unlimited |
---
## CLI
```bash
npm install -g @releasebot-io/cli
# or run without installing:
npx @releasebot-io/cli search openai
```
### Authenticate
```bash
releasebot auth set rb_your_api_key # saved to ~/.releasebot/credentials.json (mode 0600)
releasebot auth status
```
You can also set `RELEASEBOT_API_KEY` in your environment instead of saving a file. The env var takes precedence.
### Commands
```bash
# Search for vendors or products. Returns a list of matches which can be used to return releases.
releasebot search "github"
# Keyword search across all release notes (any vendor/product)
releasebot search-releases "dark mode"
releasebot grep "CVE-2024" --limit 50 # 'grep' is an alias
# Return recent releases for a vendor
releasebot releases openai
# Return recent releases for a specific product (vendor-slug/product-slug)
releasebot releases openai/chatgpt --limit 20
# Return releases on or before a date
releasebot releases apple --before 2025-01-01
# All releases across every vendor/product, newest-first
releasebot all --limit 50
# Your followed feed (vendors/products you follow on releasebot.io)
releasebot feed
```
Every data command supports `--json` for raw output (and emits bare TSV when piped), plus `-l/--limit <n>`.
```bash
releasebot releases openai --json | jq '.releases[].slug'
```
---
## MCP Server
> MCP access is also available via our hosted server at https://releasebot.io/mcp
Add Releasebot to any MCP client. Example for Claude Desktop / Cursor (`claude_desktop_config.json` or `.cursor/mcp.json`):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"releasebot": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@releasebot-io/mcp"],
"env": { "RELEASEBOT_API_KEY": "rb_your_api_key" }
}
}
}
```
If you've already run `releasebot auth set`, the server picks up the key from `~/.releasebot/credentials.json` and you can omit the `env` block.
### Tools
- **`search_vendor`** — search vendors and products by keyword. Args: `query` (required), `maxResults`, `pageOffset`.
- **`search_releases`** — list recent releases scoped to a vendor/product. Provide at least one of `vendorSlug`, `vendorId`, `productSlug`, `productId`. Optional: `limit`, `offset`, `before`.
- **`search_release_content`** — general keyword search across all release notes (any vendor/product), newest-first. Args: `query` (required), `limit`, `offset`, `before`.
---
## Configuration
| Variable | Purpose |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `RELEASEBOT_API_KEY` | API key (overrides the saved credentials file) |
| `RELEASEBOT_API_URL` | Override the API base URL (default `https://releasebot.io/api/v1`) |
---
## Development
This is a pnpm workspace.
```bash
pnpm install
pnpm build # builds lib, then mcp + cli
pnpm typecheck
```
- `packages/lib` (`@releasebot-io/lib`) is a private, unpublished helper holding the shared API client and types. It is bundled into the CLI and MCP outputs at build time.
- `packages/mcp` and `packages/cli` are published to npm.
## License
MIT
