CLI

crsdk is the developer CLI for the build-from-source workflow: place the Sony SDK, compile and run the REST server, and build the camera-control MCP bundle. It ships inside the repo — there is nothing to install from npm — and builds itself on first use.

git clone https://github.com/crsdk/alpha-sdk-api.git
cd alpha-sdk-api
./crsdk doctor    # first run also builds the CLI itself

Run it as crsdk, not ./crsdk

The CLI is a bundled ./crsdk wrapper rather than an npm package. To drop the ./, add the repo to your PATH once, from the repo root:

export PATH="$PWD:$PATH"   # add this line to your shell profile to persist it

The rest of this page uses crsdk; run it from inside your clone.

Interactive shell

The quickest way to drive everything — and where most human devs should start — is the interactive shell. Run crsdk with no command in a terminal to drop into a full-screen shell (crsdk tui launches it explicitly). It runs the same commands documented below, with completion so you don’t have to remember them.

Type a command, or press / to browse a command palette.
↑ / ↓ move the selection; Tab or Enter accepts it and chains into the next argument (e.g. mcp → install → agent → scope).
Output streams into the canvas above the input bar; ↑ / ↓ scroll it when no palette is open.
Esc closes the palette, or exits the shell.
start in the shell launches the server in the background so the shell stays responsive; stop it with stop.

Without a terminal (e.g. in a script or CI), run commands directly — crsdk tui reports that it needs a TTY.

First run

Place the SDK — accept Sony’s EULA and extract it into shared/:
Terminal window
```
crsdk install --zip <sony-camera-remote-sdk.zip>
```
Build the server:
Terminal window
```
crsdk build
```
Run it on :8080:
Terminal window
```
crsdk start
```

Check the toolchain, SDK, and build state at any time with crsdk doctor.

Commands

SDK

Command	What it does
`install --zip <p>`	Accept Sony’s EULA and extract the SDK into `shared/`
`update --zip <p>`	Archive the current SDK, then install a new one
`versions`	List the active and archived SDK versions
`use <name>`	Swap an archived SDK version back into `shared/`

Server

Command	What it does
`doctor`	Check toolchain, SDK, and build state
`build [--clean]`	Compile the native REST server from source
`upgrade`	`git pull` the repo, then rebuild the server
`start [--port N]`	Run the built server (default `:8080`)
`status`	Check whether the server is running
`stop`	Stop a running server

MCP camera-control bundle

Builds the Camera Control MCP server that lives in mcp/.

Command	What it does
`gen:mcp`	Regenerate the flat tools from `api/openapi.yaml`
`build:mcp`	Compile `mcp/src` → `mcp/dist`
`pack:mcp`	Build `alpha-camera.mcpb` for Claude Desktop

Docs MCP

Command	What it does
`mcp status`	Show which Docs MCP servers are configured
`mcp install <agent> <scope>`	Add a docs MCP server for `claude-code` / `vscode` / `cursor`, at `user` or `project` scope

Misc

Command	What it does
`tui`	Launch the interactive shell (also: bare `crsdk`)
`help`	Show all commands
`version`	Print the CLI version

Connect vs. spawn

The CLI runs the server; your app connects to it. Two patterns:

Connect (default) — run crsdk start, then point your client at http://localhost:8080.
Spawn — set CRSDK_BINARY to the built binary (api/server/build/CameraWebApp) and let your app manage the server’s lifecycle. The example apps show both.

Building from source in depthThe manual CMake recipe behind crsdk build, the platform matrix, and what to ship.