unifly

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/hyperb1iss/unifly
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/hyperb1iss/unifly "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/unifly" ~/.claude/skills/hyperb1iss-unifly-unifly && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: skills/unifly/SKILL.md
source content

unifly: UniFi Network Management

unifly is a Rust CLI for managing Ubiquiti UniFi network infrastructure. It unifies the modern Integration API (REST, API key), the Session API (cookie plus CSRF), and Site Manager cloud APIs behind a single coherent interface, plus real-time WebSocket event streaming. 28 top-level commands cover devices, clients, networks, WiFi, firewall policies and zones, NAT policies, ACLs, DNS, traffic matching lists, hotspot vouchers, DPI, stats, backups, cloud fleet queries, and a raw API escape hatch.

Unique capabilities worth leading with when the user's task suits them:

  • Dual-API enrichment merges Integration and Session data (e.g. client bytes, hostnames, uplink MACs only exist in the Session API; configuration CRUD only exists in Integration). On UniFi OS, API key mode can already reach session HTTP; Hybrid adds the WebSocket session for live monitoring.
  • Real-time event streaming via
    unifly events watch
    over WebSocket.
  • Firewall policy reordering via
    reorder --get
    /
    reorder --set
    for deterministic, round-trippable ordering edits.
  • unifly api
    raw passthrough
    for endpoints unifly does not wrap.
  • Multi-profile (
    -p home
    ,
    -p office
    ) for managing multiple controllers from one command line.

Prerequisites

Verify availability before running any command:

command -v unifly >/dev/null 2>&1 && unifly --version || echo "unifly not installed"

If unifly is not installed, prefer

brew install hyperb1iss/tap/unifly
on macOS or
cargo install --git https://github.com/hyperb1iss/unifly.git unifly
elsewhere. After install, run
unifly config init
for a local controller or
unifly config cloud-setup
for Site Manager. See
examples/config.toml
for manual configuration.

Authentication Modes

unifly supports four modes. API key mode is enough for most HTTP automation on UniFi OS controllers. Choose Hybrid when the task needs live WebSocket features (

events watch
) or you want maximum compatibility.

ModeCredentialsWhat It Unlocks
integration
API keyIntegration API plus session HTTP on UniFi OS: CRUD, device commands, stats, reservations, admin, event list
session
Username + passwordSession HTTP + WebSocket only: events watch, stats, device commands, DPI control, admin, backups
hybrid
API key + username/passEverything above, including session WebSocket plus enriched records with maximum controller compatibility
cloud
Site Manager API keyConnector-routed Integration CRUD plus
unifly cloud
fleet commands against
api.ui.com

Session WebSocket still rejects API keys, so

events watch
needs
session
or
hybrid
. Cloud mode does not expose Session API endpoints or WebSocket streaming.

For the complete command-to-API gate matrix (which commands require which auth mode), consult

references/concepts.md
.

Command Inventory

All commands follow

unifly [global-flags] <command> <action> [args]
.

CommandAliasesActions
devices
dev
,
d
list, get, adopt, remove, restart, locate, port-cycle, stats, pending, upgrade, provision, speedtest, tags
clients
cl
list, find, get, roams, wifi, authorize, unauthorize, block, unblock, kick, forget, reservations (
res
), set-ip, remove-ip
cloud
hosts [get], sites, switch, devices, isp [query], sdwan [get, status]
networks
net
,
n
list, get, create, update, delete, refs
wifi
w
list, get, neighbors, channels, create, update, delete
firewall
fw
policies {list, get, create, update, patch, delete, reorder}, zones {list, get, create, update, delete}
nat
policies {list, get, create, update, delete}
acl
list, get, create, update, delete, reorder
dns
list, get, create, update, delete
traffic-lists
list, get, create, update, delete
hotspot
list, get, create, delete, purge
events
list, watch
alarms
list, archive, archive-all
stats
site, device, client, gateway, dpi
dpi
apps, categories, status, enable, disable
topology
topo
(no subcommands)
system
sys
info, health, sysinfo, backup {create, list, download, delete}, reboot, poweroff
settings
list, get, set, export
sites
list, create, delete
admin
list, invite, revoke, update
wans
list
vpn
servers {list, get}, tunnels {list, get}, status, health, site-to-site {list, get, create, update, delete}, remote-access {list, get, create, update, suggest-port, download-config, delete}, clients {list, get, create, update, delete}, connections {list, get, restart}, peers {list, get, create, update, delete, subnets}, magic-site-to-site {list, get}, settings {list, get, set, patch}
radius
profiles
countries
(no subcommands)
api
Raw API passthrough (GET/POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE any path)
config
init, cloud-setup, show, set, profiles, use, set-password
tui
(no subcommands)
completions
bash, zsh, fish, powershell, elvish

For flag details and gotchas, consult

references/commands.md
. Every entity command accepts
--help
at runtime as the authoritative reference.

Output Formats

All list and get commands accept

--output
/
-o
:

FormatFlagUse Case
table
-o table
Human display (default)
json
-o json
Agent processing, pipe to
jq
json-compact
-o json-compact
Single-line JSON for scripting
yaml
-o yaml
Config file output
plain
-o plain
One ID per line for
xargs
pipelines

Default for agent use:

-o json
. Emit structured output, pipe through
jq
, and only fall back to
table
when the result is being shown to a human.

Power Patterns

These patterns unlock unifly's most distinctive capabilities. For full recipes with runnable shell scripts, consult

references/workflows.md
.

--from-file
for complex create/update

Most entities accept

--from-file <path.json>
(or
-F
) instead of flag salad:
networks
,
wifi
,
firewall policies
,
firewall zones
,
nat policies
,
acl
,
dns
,
traffic-lists
,
hotspot
,
vpn site-to-site
,
vpn remote-access
,
vpn clients
, and
vpn peers
. Construct the JSON payload, validate it, then apply. See
examples/
for payload templates.

unifly networks create -F examples/network-iot-vlan.json
unifly firewall policies create -F examples/firewall-block-iot.json

Real-time event streaming

# All events
unifly events watch

# Filter by EventCategory (case-insensitive): Device, Client, Network,
# System, Admin, Firewall, Vpn, Unknown
unifly events watch --types "Firewall,Admin"

# JSON stream for piping into alerting
unifly events watch --types Client -o json | jq -c 'select(.severity == "warning")'

Firewall policy reorder (round-trippable)

# Read current order for a zone pair
unifly firewall policies reorder --source-zone <zid> --dest-zone <zid> --get

# Write back an explicit order
unifly firewall policies reorder --source-zone <zid> --dest-zone <zid> \
  --set "<id1>,<id2>,<id3>"

Raw API escape hatch

For endpoints unifly does not wrap (including UniFi v2 routes and Integration paths), use

unifly api
. It routes through the Session client, so CSRF token management and session caching are automatic.

unifly api "v2/api/site/default/traffic-flow-latest-statistics"
unifly api "cmd/stamgr" -m post -d '{"cmd":"kick-sta","mac":"aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff"}'
unifly api "api/s/default/set/setting/teleport" -m put -d '{"enabled":true}'

Session API VPN payloads and settings

unifly vpn site-to-site
wraps Session API
rest/networkconf
records whose
purpose
is
site-vpn
. This is the current CRUD path for manual IPsec and OpenVPN site-to-site records exposed by the controller.

unifly vpn site-to-site list -o json
unifly vpn site-to-site get <id> -o json
unifly vpn site-to-site create -F site-to-site.json
unifly vpn site-to-site update <id> -F site-to-site.json
unifly vpn site-to-site delete <id>

unifly vpn remote-access
wraps Session API
rest/networkconf
records whose
purpose
is
remote-user-vpn
. This is the current CRUD path for L2TP, OpenVPN, and WireGuard remote-access servers exposed by the controller.

unifly vpn remote-access list -o json
unifly vpn remote-access get <id> -o json
unifly vpn remote-access create -F remote-access.json
unifly vpn remote-access update <id> -F remote-access.json
unifly vpn remote-access suggest-port -o json
unifly vpn remote-access download-config <id> --path .
unifly vpn remote-access delete <id>

unifly vpn clients
wraps Session API
rest/networkconf
records whose
purpose
is
vpn-client
. This is the current CRUD path for configured OpenVPN and WireGuard client profiles exposed by the controller.

unifly vpn clients list -o json
unifly vpn clients get <id> -o json
unifly vpn clients create -F vpn-client.json
unifly vpn clients update <id> -F vpn-client.json
unifly vpn clients delete <id>

unifly vpn peers
wraps the Session v2 API WireGuard peer endpoints for remote-access VPN servers.
list
can enumerate all peers or scope to a single server ID;
create
,
update
, and
delete
require the parent remote-access server ID.

unifly vpn peers list -o json
unifly vpn peers list <server-id> -o json
unifly vpn peers get <server-id> <peer-id> -o json
unifly vpn peers create <server-id> -F peer.json
unifly vpn peers update <server-id> <peer-id> -F peer.json
unifly vpn peers delete <server-id> <peer-id>
unifly vpn peers subnets -o json

unifly vpn connections
wraps the Session v2 API VPN client connection inventory exposed at
v2/api/site/<site>/vpn/connections
.
restart
issues the same controller action the web UI uses for a single connection.

unifly vpn connections list -o json
unifly vpn connections get <id> -o json
unifly vpn connections restart <id>

unifly vpn magic-site-to-site
wraps the Session v2 API
magicsitetositevpn/configs
inventory endpoint. It is currently read-only.

unifly vpn magic-site-to-site list -o json
unifly vpn magic-site-to-site get <id> -o json

unifly vpn settings
wraps the Session API
rest/setting
records for the VPN feature toggles the controller exposes today:
teleport
,
magic-site-to-site-vpn
,
openvpn
, and
peer-to-peer
.

unifly vpn settings list -o json
unifly vpn settings get peer-to-peer -o json
unifly vpn settings set teleport --enabled true
unifly vpn settings patch peer-to-peer -F peer-to-peer.json

site-to-site get
,
remote-access get
,
clients get
,
connections get
,
peers get
, and
magic-site-to-site get
return redacted records with summary fields and the sanitized controller payload under
fields
.

settings get
returns a redacted wrapper with
key
,
enabled
, and
fields
.
patch
accepts either the raw session setting body or that wrapper shape and will send the inner
fields
object back to the controller.

Bulk operations via filter DSL

hotspot purge --filter
accepts the Integration filter DSL for bulk deletion without ID iteration:

unifly hotspot purge --filter "status.eq('UNUSED')"
unifly hotspot purge --filter "name.contains('Conference')"

TUI handoff for human verification

Propose a change, let a human visually confirm in the TUI before committing:

# Agent inspects, proposes. Human runs unifly tui and verifies on
# screen 4 (Networks) or 5 (Firewall) before the agent applies the change.
unifly tui

Multi-profile targeting

unifly -p home devices list
unifly -p office firewall policies list
UNIFI_PROFILE=warehouse unifly system health

Essential Gotchas

  1. Default list limit is 25. The CLI prints a truncation hint when results hit the default. For enumeration, always pass
    --all
    or
    --limit 200
    (or higher).
  2. Environment variables use the
    UNIFI_
    prefix, not
    UNIFLY_
    .
    Relevant vars:
    UNIFI_URL
    ,
    UNIFI_API_KEY
    ,
    UNIFI_USERNAME
    ,
    UNIFI_PASSWORD
    ,
    UNIFI_SITE
    ,
    UNIFI_PROFILE
    ,
    UNIFI_OUTPUT
    ,
    UNIFI_INSECURE
    ,
    UNIFI_TIMEOUT
    ,
    UNIFI_TOTP
    . The only
    UNIFLY_*
    var is
    UNIFLY_THEME
    for the TUI.
  3. --yes
    /
    -y
    skips confirmation prompts for mutations. Required for non-interactive use.
  4. API key mode covers most commands on UniFi OS, including Session API endpoints (stats, device commands, Wi-Fi observability, client enrichment). Use Hybrid only when live WebSocket streaming is needed (
    events watch
    , TUI live refresh). Client and device enrichment fields work in API key mode.
  5. Cloud support is Integration-only.
    unifly cloud ...
    talks to Site Manager and
    auth_mode = "cloud"
    routes Integration-backed commands through the connector, but Session-only features still need direct controller access.
  6. Exit codes are meaningful.
    0
    on success, non-zero on error. Capture stderr for diagnostics.

Agent Workflow

  1. Verify the tool exists with
    command -v unifly
    .
  2. Check auth mode with
    unifly config show
    before running commands that require Session or Integration specifically.
  3. Run
    unifly system health -o json
    as the first touch to confirm connectivity.
  4. Inspect before mutating:
    list
    /
    get
    the entity first, capture IDs.
  5. For complex creates, write a JSON payload and use
    --from-file
    .
  6. After mutations, re-fetch the entity with
    get
    to confirm state.
  7. For irreversible operations (delete, reboot, poweroff), surface a summary to the user before running even with
    --yes
    .

Additional Resources

Reference Files

  • references/commands.md
    : Per-command flag reference with gotchas (non-obvious flags, dual-API boundaries, correct argument forms)
  • references/concepts.md
    : UniFi networking concepts, dual-API gate matrix, auth decision tree, environment variables, platform config paths, MFA/TOTP, error taxonomy
  • references/workflows.md
    : Runnable automation recipes (event streaming, safe firewall reorder, bulk DHCP reservations, ad-blocking via DNS policies, cafe voucher flow, incident response)

Example Files

  • examples/config.toml
    : Multi-profile config template
  • examples/network-iot-vlan.json
    : VLAN creation payload for
    --from-file
  • examples/firewall-block-iot.json
    : Firewall policy payload
  • examples/nat-masquerade.json
    : NAT masquerade policy payload
  • examples/nat-port-forward.json
    : Destination NAT (port forward) payload
  • examples/wifi-iot.json
    : WiFi SSID payload
  • examples/vpn-remote-access-wireguard.json
    : WireGuard remote-access VPN payload
  • examples/vpn-site-to-site-ipsec.json
    : IPsec site-to-site tunnel payload
  • examples/vpn-client-openvpn.json
    : OpenVPN client payload
  • examples/vpn-wireguard-peer.json
    : WireGuard peer configuration payload