Devin CLI
Devin CLI is Cognition’s local coding agent — it runs in your terminal with access to your files and environment. Use it for fast interactive work; /handoff transfers context to a cloud Devin session when the task outgrows your laptop or you want Devin to keep working while you step away.
Hub: Tokenminning in Devin.
Install
curl -fsSL https://cli.devin.ai/install.sh | bashAuthenticate with your Devin account. Full reference: CLI quickstart .
CLI usage draws from the same plan quota and on-demand credits as cloud sessions and Devin Desktop — see Token usage.
Local vs cloud
| Situation | Stay on CLI | Hand off to cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Quick grep-level fix | ✓ | |
| Needs your local secrets/env | ✓ | |
| Multi-hour autonomous implementation | ✓ | |
| Browser QA, VM, parallel managed Devins | ✓ | |
| You are stepping away mid-task | ✓ |
Official guidance: run Devin CLI for quick fixes and code exploration; use /handoff for longer tasks. You can track the cloud session from the terminal or app.devin.ai .
Hand off to cloud
/handoff fix the flaky integration tests in CIDevin CLI packages conversation context and the current git branch, then creates a cloud session that continues where you left off. Without a task description, the cloud session resumes automatically from the prior state.
Details: Handoff docs .
Adaptive routing
Adaptive is Cognition’s model router — it picks a lighter model for simple tasks and escalates for harder work. Default to Adaptive on self-serve plans to cut inference cost on routine CLI work. Enterprise admins must enable Adaptive before it is available.
Same router exists in Devin Desktop and pairs well with Devin Local.
Extensibility and context cost
CLI shares the same extensibility stack as cloud Devin:
| Feature | Token impact | Docs |
|---|---|---|
| Rules / AGENTS.md | Always-on instructions per turn | CLI rules |
| MCP servers | Tool schemas in context | CLI MCP |
| Skills | Metadata until invoked | Skills |
| Subagents | Independent context chains | Subagents |
Trim rules and disable unused MCP servers the same way you would on Desktop — see MCP and Rules.
CLI can import settings from Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code, Copilot, OpenCode, and Zed via configuration import — audit imported MCP and rules for duplicate bloat.
Editor integrations
Devin CLI runs inside other editors via ACP (Agent Client Protocol):
Devin Desktop’s Agent Command Center can manage local and cloud sessions from one view.
Enterprise controls
Enterprise teams configure CLI through local agent controls and team settings . Consumption rolls into the same ACU analytics as Desktop — Get Consumption API .