> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.geogen.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Global Options

> Flags that work on every CLI command

These flags apply to every `geogen` subcommand. They must appear **before** the subcommand (e.g. `geogen --json entities list`, not `geogen entities list --json`).

| Flag               | Description                                                                                        |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--json`           | Print raw JSON output instead of human-readable tables. Errors are printed as `{ "error": "…" }`.  |
| `--api-key <key>`  | Override the API key for this invocation only. Takes precedence over env vars and the config file. |
| `--base-url <url>` | Override the API base URL for this invocation only. Default: `https://api.geogen.io`.              |
| `-V`, `--version`  | Print the CLI version.                                                                             |
| `-h`, `--help`     | Print help text. Works on every subcommand too: `geogen entities create --help`.                   |

## `--json`

The default output is a formatted table optimized for humans. Pass `--json` for clean structured output:

```bash theme={null}
geogen --json entities list | jq '.[].entity.name'
```

This is the recommended mode for scripts and CI jobs. Table rendering may evolve between minor versions, but JSON output mirrors the underlying `/v1` API and is stable.

## `--api-key` and `--base-url`

These exist for two cases:

1. **Multi-workspace scripts**: pass a different key per call without juggling env vars.
2. **Staging or self-hosted backends**: point at a non-production base URL.

```bash theme={null}
geogen --api-key wsk_prod entities list
geogen --base-url https://staging.geogen.io workspace
```

See [Authentication](/cli/authentication) for the full resolution order.

## Exit codes

| Code | Meaning                                                                                     |
| ---- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `0`  | Command succeeded.                                                                          |
| `1`  | Command failed. Error message printed to stderr, or to stdout as JSON when `--json` is set. |

Standard output is reserved for command results; status, info, and error messages go to stderr. That means `geogen --json entities list > entities.json` produces a clean JSON file even if status messages would otherwise be printed.