Account Commands

Updated Oct 16, 20258 min read

Manage account authentication, switch between accounts, and view account details.

Overview

Account commands allow you to:

  • View current account information
  • List all accessible accounts (including sub-accounts)
  • Switch between parent and sub-accounts
  • Test credential validity
  • Logout and remove stored credentials

These commands are essential for multi-tenant setups where you manage multiple Cakemail accounts or sub-accounts.

Commands

account show

Display detailed information about the currently active account.

Usage

cakemail account show

Examples

Show current account:

$ cakemail account show

Output:

ā„¹ Current account context: 456
{
  "id": "456",
  "name": "My Company",
  "email": "admin@example.com",
  "plan": "professional",
  "contact_limit": 10000,
  "contacts_used": 6789,
  "email_limit": 100000,
  "emails_sent_this_month": 45678,
  "created_at": "2023-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "status": "active"
}

Extract account ID:

$ cakemail account show -f json | jq -r '.data.id'

Output:

456

Check account limits:

$ cakemail account show -f json | jq '{contacts: {limit: .data.contact_limit, used: .data.contacts_used}, emails: {limit: .data.email_limit, used: .data.emails_sent_this_month}}'

Output:

{
  "contacts": {
    "limit": 10000,
    "used": 6789
  },
  "emails": {
    "limit": 100000,
    "used": 45678
  }
}

Notes

  • Shows account currently set in .env file
  • Displays usage limits and current usage
  • Includes account plan and status
  • Use to verify which account you're operating on

Related Commands

account list

List all accounts you have access to, including parent and sub-accounts.

Usage

cakemail account list [options]

Options

  • -r, --recursive - Include nested sub-accounts (default: true)

Examples

List all accessible accounts:

$ cakemail account list

Output:

Available accounts:

ā€¢ My Company (ID: 456) (current)
  Client A (ID: 457)
  Client B (ID: 458)
  Client C (ID: 459)

ā„¹ Total accessible accounts: 4

List only direct sub-accounts:

$ cakemail account list --no-recursive

Output:

Available accounts:

ā€¢ My Company (ID: 456) (current)
  Client A (ID: 457)
  Client B (ID: 458)

ā„¹ Total accessible accounts: 3

Account Hierarchy

Main Account (456)
ā”œā”€ā”€ Sub-Account A (457)
ā”œā”€ā”€ Sub-Account B (458)
ā”‚   ā””ā”€ā”€ Nested Sub-Account (460)  [shown with --recursive]
ā””ā”€ā”€ Sub-Account C (459)

Notes

  • Current account marked with ā€¢ (green dot)
  • Includes main account and all sub-accounts
  • --recursive shows nested sub-accounts
  • Account IDs used with account use

Related Commands

account use

Switch the active account context to operate on a different account.

Usage

cakemail account use <id>

Arguments

  • id - Account ID to switch to (required)

Examples

Switch to sub-account:

$ cakemail account use 457

Output:

āœ“ Now using: Client A (ID: 457)

Verify switch:

$ cakemail account show

Output:

ā„¹ Current account context: 457
{
  "id": "457",
  "name": "Client A"
}

Switch back to main account:

$ cakemail account use 456

Output:

āœ“ Now using: My Company (ID: 456)

Switch to nested sub-account:

$ cakemail account use 460

How It Works

  1. Verifies account exists and you have access
  2. Updates CAKEMAIL_CURRENT_ACCOUNT_ID in .env file
  3. All subsequent commands operate on new account context
  4. Persists across CLI sessions

Use Cases

Agency managing multiple clients:

# Work on Client A's campaigns
$ cakemail account use 457
$ cakemail campaigns list

# Switch to Client B
$ cakemail account use 458
$ cakemail campaigns list

# Switch back to agency account
$ cakemail account use 456

Multi-brand company:

# Manage Brand A
$ cakemail account use 457
$ cakemail lists list

# Manage Brand B
$ cakemail account use 458
$ cakemail lists list

Notes

  • Account switch persists in .env file
  • Must have access to target account
  • All commands use switched account until changed again
  • Does not affect authentication (uses same credentials)

Related Commands

account test

Validate that your stored credentials are working correctly.

Usage

cakemail account test

Examples

Test credentials:

$ cakemail account test

Output (success):

āœ“ Credentials are valid

Authenticated as: admin@example.com
Account: My Company

Output (failure):

āœ— Invalid credentials

Use Cases

  1. After authentication - Verify login worked
  2. Troubleshooting - Check if credentials expired
  3. Before automation - Ensure credentials valid before running scripts
  4. Account verification - Confirm you're authenticated to correct account

Notes

  • Tests credentials stored in .env file
  • Requires CAKEMAIL_EMAIL and CAKEMAIL_PASSWORD in .env
  • Quick way to verify authentication status
  • Shows account name if credentials valid

Related Commands

account logout

Remove stored credentials from .env file (logout).

Usage

cakemail account logout [options]

Options

  • -f, --force - Skip confirmation prompt (use in scripts)

Examples

Logout with confirmation:

$ cakemail account logout

Output:

āš  Log out and remove credentials?

The following will happen:
  ā€¢ Credentials will be removed from .env file
  ā€¢ You will need to re-authenticate

Type 'yes' to confirm: yes

āœ“ Logged out successfully
ā„¹ Credentials removed from .env file

Force logout without confirmation:

$ cakemail account logout --force

Output:

āœ“ Logged out successfully
ā„¹ Credentials removed from .env file

What Gets Removed

The following environment variables are deleted from .env:

  • CAKEMAIL_EMAIL
  • CAKEMAIL_PASSWORD
  • CAKEMAIL_ACCESS_TOKEN
  • CAKEMAIL_CURRENT_ACCOUNT_ID

Use Cases

  1. Security - Remove credentials when done
  2. Switch users - Logout before different user authenticates
  3. Credential rotation - Logout before updating credentials
  4. Shared machines - Logout on shared/public computers

Notes

  • Credentials removed from .env file only
  • Does not affect Cakemail account itself
  • Need to re-authenticate for future commands
  • Confirmation required unless --force is used

Related Commands

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Agency Multi-Client Management

# List all client accounts
$ cakemail account list

# Work on Client A
$ cakemail account use 457
$ cakemail campaigns list
$ cakemail campaigns create -n "Client A Newsletter" -l 123 -s 101

# Switch to Client B
$ cakemail account use 458
$ cakemail campaigns list
$ cakemail campaigns create -n "Client B Promo" -l 124 -s 102

# Return to agency account for reporting
$ cakemail account use 456
$ cakemail reports account

Workflow 2: Credential Verification

# Test credentials
$ cakemail account test

# View account details
$ cakemail account show

# Check access to sub-accounts
$ cakemail account list

# Try switching accounts
$ cakemail account use 457
$ cakemail account show

Workflow 3: Account Switching Script

#!/bin/bash
# Script to run reports across all accounts

ACCOUNTS=(456 457 458 459)

for account_id in "${ACCOUNTS[@]}"; do
  echo "Switching to account $account_id..."
  cakemail account use $account_id

  echo "Generating report..."
  cakemail reports account > "report-$account_id.json"

  echo "Report saved for account $account_id"
done

# Switch back to main account
cakemail account use 456

Workflow 4: Secure Logout

# Check current account
$ cakemail account show

# Verify credentials before logout
$ cakemail account test

# Logout
$ cakemail account logout

# Verify logout
$ cakemail account test
# Output: No credentials found in .env file

# Re-authenticate when needed
$ cakemail config init

Workflow 5: Account Audit

# List all accounts
$ cakemail account list

# Check main account details
$ cakemail account show

# Iterate through sub-accounts
for id in 457 458 459; do
  echo "Checking account $id..."
  cakemail account use $id
  cakemail account show -f json | jq '{id, name, contacts_used, emails_sent_this_month}'
done

# Return to main account
$ cakemail account use 456

Best Practices

  1. Verify Context: Always check current account before operations
  2. Document IDs: Keep list of account IDs and their purposes
  3. Script Safely: Use account use in scripts to ensure correct context
  4. Logout When Done: Remove credentials on shared/public machines
  5. Test Regularly: Verify credentials work before automation runs
  6. Use Account Names: Name sub-accounts clearly for easy identification
  7. Monitor Usage: Regular check account limits and usage
  8. Audit Access: Periodically review which accounts you have access to

Troubleshooting

Error: "No credentials found in .env file"

Credentials not configured.

Solution:

# Initialize CLI and authenticate
$ cakemail config init

# Or set credentials manually in .env
CAKEMAIL_EMAIL=your@email.com
CAKEMAIL_PASSWORD=yourpassword

# Test credentials
$ cakemail account test

Error: "Account not found or not accessible"

Trying to switch to account you don't have access to.

Solution:

# List accessible accounts
$ cakemail account list

# Use valid account ID from list
$ cakemail account use 457

Error: "Invalid credentials"

Credentials expired or incorrect.

Solution:

# Logout
$ cakemail account logout --force

# Re-authenticate
$ cakemail config init

# Test new credentials
$ cakemail account test

Commands Operating on Wrong Account

Forgot to switch account context.

Solution:

# Check current account
$ cakemail account show

# Switch to correct account
$ cakemail account use 458

# Verify switch
$ cakemail account show

# Run commands
$ cakemail campaigns list

Cannot Switch Accounts

May not have multi-account access.

Solution:

# List accounts to verify
$ cakemail account list

# If only one account shown:
# - You may not have sub-accounts
# - Contact Cakemail support for multi-account access
# - Verify you're using correct credentials

.env File Not Updating

File permissions or path issues.

Solution:

# Check .env file exists
$ ls -la .env

# Verify write permissions
$ chmod 644 .env

# Try manual edit if needed
$ vi .env
# Add: CAKEMAIL_CURRENT_ACCOUNT_ID=457

# Test account switch
$ cakemail account show

Sub-Accounts Not Showing

Recursive flag may be needed.

Solution:

# List with recursive flag (default)
$ cakemail account list -r

# Check if you have sub-account access
# Contact Cakemail support if needed

Related Documentation: