Use the Unity command-line interface (CLI)

Install the Unity CLI standalone binary and use it to install Editors, add modules, and open projects from a terminal.

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Last updated 4 days ago

Note

The Unity CLI is experimental.

Use the Unity CLI to install Unity Editors, add modules, and manage projects from a terminal without the Unity Hub desktop application. The CLI is a standalone binary that works in CI pipelines, automation scripts, and terminal-first workflows. The Unity CLI works well for:

Continuous integration (CI) and build agents where installing the full Hub is undesirable.
Scripting and automation that needs structured output (JSON or TSV) and predictable exit codes.
Users who prefer a terminal-first workflow for everyday Hub tasks.

For command syntax, options, and flags, refer to Unity CLI reference. If you have existing scripts that use the Hub CLI's

-- --headless

syntax, refer to Migrate from the Hub CLI for a comparison of syntax and behavior changes.

Common Unity CLI tasks

The following commands cover the most common CLI tasks:


unity --help                                # Top-level helpunity install lts                           # Install the latest LTS Editorunity install-modules -e 6000.3.7f1 -m ios  # Add the iOS moduleunity editors -i                            # List installed Editorsunity open ./MyProject                      # Open a project

Install the Unity CLI

To install the Unity CLI:

Open a terminal.
Run the install script for your operating system.

curl -fsSL https://public-cdn.cloud.unity3d.com/hub/prod/cli/install.sh | UNITY_CLI_CHANNEL=beta bash

After the script completes, verify the CLI is available by running

unity --version

. If the command is not found, add the install directory to your shell's

PATH

or reopen your terminal.

Note

The CLI is self-contained, so you can install it on machines that don't run the Unity Hub desktop application, such as headless CI workers.

Update the Unity CLI

To update the CLI to the latest release:

Open a terminal.
Run the self-update command:


unity upgrade

The CLI replaces the current binary with the latest available release.

Install a Unity Editor

To install a Unity Editor:

Open a terminal.
Run
```
unity install
```
with the version you want. Use a version alias such as
```
lts
```
or a specific version string such as
```
6000.3.7f1
```
:


unity install ltsunity install 6000.3.7f1

The Editor downloads and installs to the configured install path. To add modules at install time, use

-m

followed by one or more module IDs:


unity install lts -m ios android webgl

For all options, version aliases, and module IDs, refer to Unity CLI reference.

Add modules to an installed Editor

To add modules to an Editor you already installed:

Open a terminal.
Run
```
unity install-modules
```
with
```
-e
```
for the Editor version and
```
-m
```
for the module IDs:


unity install-modules -e 6000.3.7f1 -m android ios

The modules download and install for the specified Editor version.

Important

You can only add modules to Editors installed through the Hub or the CLI. Reinstall manually installed Editors through the Hub or CLI before adding modules.

For all options and module IDs, refer to Unity CLI reference.

Open a project

To open a Unity project:

Open a terminal.
Run
```
unity open
```
with the path to the project:


unity open ./MyProject

Unity opens the project in the Editor version specified in the project's settings. You can omit the

open

keyword when the first argument is a path:


unity ./MyProject

To sign in to your Unity account:

Open a terminal.
Run the login command, which opens a browser-based sign-in flow:


unity auth login

The CLI stores your session so you can use other commands without signing in again. To check whether you're signed in, run

unity auth status

. For all auth commands, refer to Unity CLI reference.

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Documentation

Development

User Acquisition

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Industry

Unity command-line interface (CLI)

Unity command-line interface (CLI)

Use the Unity command-line interface (CLI)

Common Unity CLI tasks

Install the Unity CLI

Update the Unity CLI

Install a Unity Editor

Add modules to an installed Editor

Open a project

Use the Unity command-line interface (CLI)

Common Unity CLI tasks

Install the Unity CLI

Update the Unity CLI

Install a Unity Editor

Add modules to an installed Editor

Open a project

Sign in