basecamp

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/kavinrajsi/basecamp-chat

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/kavinrajsi/basecamp-chat "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/.claude/skills" ~/.claude/skills/kavinrajsi-basecamp-chat-basecamp && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: .claude/skills/skill.md

safety · automated scan (low risk)

This is a pattern-based risk scan, not a security review. Our crawler flagged:

makes HTTP requests (curl)

Always read a skill's source content before installing. Patterns alone don't mean the skill is malicious — but they warrant attention.

source content

/basecamp - Basecamp Workflow Command

Full CLI coverage: 130 endpoints across todos, cards, messages, files, schedule, check-ins, timeline, recordings, templates, webhooks, subscriptions, lineup, and campfire.

Agent Invariants

MUST follow these rules:

Always use
--json
for structured, predictable output
Parse URLs first with
```
basecamp url parse "<url>"
```
to extract IDs
Comments are flat - reply to parent recording, not to comments
Check context via
```
.basecamp/config.json
```
before assuming project
Rich text fields accept Markdown - the CLI converts to HTML automatically
Project scope is mandatory — via
```
--in <project>
```
or
```
.basecamp/config.json
```
. There is no cross-project query mode. For cross-project data, use
```
basecamp recordings <type>
```
or loop through projects individually.

Output Modes

basecamp <cmd> --json      # JSON envelope with data, summary, breadcrumbs (recommended)
basecamp <cmd> --quiet     # Raw JSON data only, no envelope
basecamp <cmd> --agent     # Machine-readable, no interactive prompts
basecamp <cmd> --ids-only  # Just IDs, one per line
basecamp <cmd> --count     # Just the count
basecamp <cmd> --stats     # Include session stats in output

Pagination

basecamp <cmd> --limit 50   # Cap results (default varies by resource)
basecamp <cmd> --all        # Fetch all (may be slow for large datasets)
basecamp <cmd> --page 1     # First page only, no auto-pagination

--all

and

--limit

are mutually exclusive.

--page

cannot combine with either.

Smart Defaults

```
--assignee me
```
resolves to current user
```
--due tomorrow
```
/
```
--due +3
```
/
```
--due "next week"
```
- natural date parsing
Project from
```
.basecamp/config.json
```
if
```
--in
```
not specified

Quick Reference

Note: Most queries require project scope (via
--in <project>
or
.basecamp/config.json
). For cross-project data, use
basecamp recordings <type>
or loop through projects individually.

Task	Command
List projects	`basecamp projects --json`
My todos (in project)	`basecamp todos --assignee me --in <project> --json`
All todos (cross-project)	`basecamp recordings todos --json` (filter client-side)
Overdue todos	`basecamp todos --overdue --in <project> --json`
Create todo	`basecamp todo --content "Task" --in <project> --list <list> --json`
Create todolist	`basecamp todolists create --name "Name" --in <project> --json`
Complete todo	`basecamp done <id> --json`
List cards	`basecamp cards --in <project> --json`
Create card	`basecamp card --title "Title" --in <project> --json`
Move card	`basecamp cards move <id> --to <column> --in <project> --json`
Post message	`basecamp message --subject "Title" --content "Body" --in <project> --json`
Post to campfire	`basecamp campfire post --content "Message" --in <project> --json`
Add comment	`basecamp comment --content "Text" --on <recording_id> --in <project> --json`
Search	`basecamp search "query" --json`
Parse URL	`basecamp url parse "<url>" --json`
Download file	`basecamp files download <id> --in <project>`
Watch timeline	`basecamp timeline --watch`

URL Parsing

Always parse URLs before acting on them:

basecamp url parse "https://3.basecamp.com/2914079/buckets/41746046/messages/9478142982#__recording_9488783598" --json

Returns:

account_id

project_id

type

recording_id

comment_id

(from fragment).

URL patterns:

```
/buckets/27/messages/123
```
- Message 123 in project 27

/buckets/27/messages/123#__recording_456

- Comment 456 on message 123

```
/buckets/27/card_tables/cards/789
```
- Card 789
```
/buckets/27/card_tables/columns/456
```
- Column 456 (for creating cards)
```
/buckets/27/todos/101
```
- Todo 101
```
/buckets/27/uploads/202
```
- Upload/file 202
```
/buckets/27/documents/303
```
- Document 303
```
/buckets/27/schedule_entries/404
```
- Schedule entry 404

Replying to comments:

# Comments are flat - reply to the parent recording_id, not the comment_id
basecamp url parse "https://...messages/123#__recording_456" --json
# Returns recording_id: 123 (parent), comment_id: 456 (fragment) - comment on 123, not 456
basecamp comment --content "Reply" --on 123 --in <project>

Decision Trees

Finding Content

Need to find something?
├── Know the type + project? → basecamp <type> --in <project> --json
├── Need cross-project data? → basecamp recordings <type> --json (ONLY cross-project option)
│   (types: todos, messages, documents, comments, cards, uploads)
│   Note: Defaults to active status; use --status archived for archived items
├── Full-text search? → basecamp search "query" --json
└── Have a URL? → basecamp url parse "<url>" --json

Modifying Content

Want to change something?
├── Have URL? → basecamp url parse "<url>" → use extracted IDs
├── Have ID? → basecamp <resource> update <id> --field value
├── Change status? → basecamp recordings trash|archive|restore <id>
└── Complete todo? → basecamp done <id>

Common Workflows

Link Code to Basecamp Todo

# Get commit info and comment on todo (use printf %q for safe quoting)
COMMIT=$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)
MSG=$(git log -1 --format=%s)
basecamp comment --content "Commit $COMMIT: $(printf '%s' "$MSG")" --on <todo_id> --in <project>

# Complete when done
basecamp done <todo_id>

Track PR in Basecamp

# Create todo for PR work
basecamp todo --content "Review PR #42" --in <project> --assignee me --due tomorrow

# When merged
basecamp done <todo_id>
basecamp campfire post --content "Merged PR #42" --in <project>

Bulk Process Overdue Todos

# Preview overdue todos
basecamp todos sweep --overdue --dry-run --in <project>

# Complete all with comment
basecamp todos sweep --overdue --complete --comment "Cleaning up" --in <project>

Move Card Through Workflow

# List columns to get IDs
basecamp cards columns --in <project> --json

# Move card to column
basecamp cards move <card_id> --to <column_id> --in <project>

Download File from Basecamp

basecamp files download <upload_id> --in <project> --out ./downloads

Resource Reference

Projects

basecamp projects --json                          # List all
basecamp projects show <id> --json                # Show details
basecamp projects create --name "Name" --json     # Create
basecamp projects update <id> --name "New"        # Update

Todos

basecamp todos --in <project> --json              # List in project
basecamp todos --assignee me --in <project>       # My todos
basecamp todos --overdue --in <project>           # Overdue only
basecamp todos --status completed --in <project>  # Completed
basecamp todos --list <todolist_id> --in <project> # In specific list
basecamp todo --content "Task" --in <project> --list <list> --assignee me --due tomorrow
basecamp done <id> [id...]                        # Complete (multiple OK)
basecamp reopen <id>                              # Uncomplete
basecamp todos position <id> --to 1               # Move to top
basecamp todos sweep --overdue --complete --comment "Done" --in <project>

Flags:

--assignee

(todos only - not available on cards/messages),

--status

(completed/pending),

--overdue

--list

--due

--limit

--all

Todolists

Todolists are containers for todos. Create a todolist before adding todos.

basecamp todolists --in <project> --json                          # List todolists
basecamp todolists show <id> --in <project>                       # Show details
basecamp todolists create --name "Name" --in <project> --json     # Create
basecamp todolists create --name "Name" --description "Desc" --in <project>
basecamp todolists update <id> --name "New" --in <project>        # Update

Cards (Kanban)

Note: Cards do NOT support

--assignee

filtering like todos. Fetch all cards and filter client-side if needed. If a project has multiple card tables, you must specify

--card-table <id>

. When you get an "Ambiguous card table" error, the hint shows available table IDs and names.

basecamp cards --in <project> --json              # All cards
basecamp cards --card-table <id> --in <project>   # Cards from specific table (required if multiple)
basecamp cards --column <id> --in <project>       # Cards in column
basecamp cards columns --in <project> --json      # List columns (needs --card-table if multiple)
basecamp cards show <id> --in <project>           # Card details
basecamp card --title "Title" --content "<p>Body</p>" --in <project> --column <id>
basecamp cards update <id> --title "New" --due tomorrow --assignee me
basecamp cards move <id> --to <column_id>         # Move to column (numeric ID)
basecamp cards move <id> --to "Done" --card-table <table_id>  # Move by name (needs table)

Identifying completed cards: Cards in Done columns have

parent.type: "Kanban::DoneColumn"

and

completed: true

. Use this to identify completed cards that haven't been archived.

Limitation: Basecamp does not track when cards are moved between columns. The

updated_at

field updates on any modification and cannot reliably indicate when a card was completed.

Card Steps (checklists):

basecamp cards steps <card_id> --in <project>     # List steps
basecamp cards step create --title "Step" --card <id> --in <project>
basecamp cards step complete <step_id> --in <project>
basecamp cards step uncomplete <step_id>

Column management:

basecamp cards column show <id> --in <project>
basecamp cards column create --title "Name" --in <project>
basecamp cards column update <id> --title "New"
basecamp cards column move <id> --position 2
basecamp cards column color <id> --color blue
basecamp cards column on-hold <id>                # Enable on-hold section
basecamp cards column watch <id>                  # Subscribe to column

Messages

basecamp messages --in <project> --json           # List messages
basecamp messages show <id> --in <project>        # Show message
basecamp message --subject "Title" --content "Body" --in <project>
basecamp messages update <id> --subject "New" --content "Updated"
basecamp messages pin <id> --in <project>         # Pin to top
basecamp messages unpin <id>                      # Unpin

Flags:

--draft

(create as draft),

--message-board <id>

(if multiple boards)

Comments

basecamp comments --on <recording_id> --in <project> --json
basecamp comment --content "Text" --on <recording_id> --in <project>
basecamp comments update <id> --content "Updated" --in <project>

Files & Documents

basecamp files --in <project> --json              # List all (folders, files, docs)
basecamp files --vault <folder_id> --in <project> # List folder contents
basecamp files show <id> --in <project>           # Show item (auto-detects type)
basecamp files download <id> --in <project>       # Download file
basecamp files download <id> --out ./dir          # Download to specific dir
basecamp files folder create --name "Folder" --in <project>
basecamp files doc create --title "Doc" --content "Body" --in <project>
basecamp files doc create --title "Draft" --draft --in <project>
basecamp files update <id> --title "New" --content "Updated"

Subcommands:

folders

uploads

documents

(each with pagination flags)

Schedule

basecamp schedule --in <project> --json           # Schedule info
basecamp schedule entries --in <project> --json   # List entries
basecamp schedule show <id> --in <project>        # Entry details
basecamp schedule show <id> --date 20240315       # Specific occurrence (recurring)
basecamp schedule create "Event" --starts-at "2024-03-15T09:00:00Z" --ends-at "2024-03-15T10:00:00Z" --in <project>
basecamp schedule create "Meeting" --all-day --notify --participants 1,2,3 --in <project>
basecamp schedule update <id> --summary "New title" --starts-at "..."
basecamp schedule settings --include-due --in <project>  # Include todos/cards due dates

Flags:

--all-day

--notify

--participants <ids>

--status

(active/archived/trashed)

Check-ins

basecamp checkins --in <project> --json           # Questionnaire info
basecamp checkins questions --in <project>        # List questions
basecamp checkins question <id> --in <project>    # Question details
basecamp checkins answers <question_id> --in <project>  # List answers
basecamp checkins answer <id> --in <project>      # Answer details
basecamp checkins question create --title "What did you work on?" --in <project>
basecamp checkins question update <id> --title "New question" --frequency every_week
basecamp checkins answer create --question <id> --content "My answer" --in <project>
basecamp checkins answer update <id> --content "Updated" --in <project>

Schedule options:

--frequency

(every_day, every_week, every_other_week, every_month, on_certain_days),

--days 1,2,3,4,5

(0=Sun),

--time "5:00pm"

Timeline

basecamp timeline --json                          # Account-wide activity
basecamp timeline --in <project> --json           # Project activity
basecamp timeline me --json                       # Your activity
basecamp timeline --person <id> --json            # Person's activity
basecamp timeline --watch                         # Live monitoring (TUI)
basecamp timeline --watch --interval 60           # Poll every 60 seconds

Note:

basecamp timeline

(account-wide) works reliably. The

--limit

flag is not supported on timeline commands.

Recordings (Cross-project)

Use

basecamp recordings <type>

for cross-project queries - this is the only way to query across all projects in one call.

basecamp recordings todos --json                  # All todos across projects
basecamp recordings todos --all --json            # All todos (paginate through all)
basecamp recordings messages --in <project>       # Messages in project
basecamp recordings documents --status archived   # Archived docs
basecamp recordings cards --sort created_at --direction asc
basecamp recordings cards --status archived --all --json  # Include archived cards

Types:

todos

messages

documents

comments

cards

uploads

Status filtering: By default, only

active

recordings are returned. Use

--status archived

--status trashed

to query other statuses. You may need separate queries to get complete data (e.g., active + archived).

Status management:

basecamp recordings trash <id> --in <project>     # Move to trash
basecamp recordings archive <id> --in <project>   # Archive
basecamp recordings restore <id> --in <project>   # Restore to active
basecamp recordings visibility <id> --visible --in <project>  # Show to clients
basecamp recordings visibility <id> --hidden      # Hide from clients

Templates

basecamp templates --json                         # List templates
basecamp templates show <id> --json               # Template details
basecamp templates create "Template Name"         # Create empty template
basecamp templates update <id> --name "New Name"
basecamp templates delete <id>                    # Trash template
basecamp templates construct <id> --name "New Project"  # Create project (async)
basecamp templates construction <template_id> <construction_id>  # Check status

Construct returns construction_id - poll until status="completed" to get project.

Webhooks

basecamp webhooks --in <project> --json           # List webhooks
basecamp webhooks show <id> --in <project>        # Webhook details
basecamp webhooks create --url "https://..." --in <project>
basecamp webhooks create --url "https://..." --types "Todo,Comment" --in <project>
basecamp webhooks update <id> --active --in <project>
basecamp webhooks update <id> --inactive          # Disable
basecamp webhooks delete <id> --in <project>

Event types: Todo, Todolist, Message, Comment, Document, Upload, Vault, Schedule::Entry, Kanban::Card, Question, Question::Answer

Subscriptions

basecamp subscriptions <recording_id> --in <project>  # Who's subscribed
basecamp subscriptions subscribe <id> --in <project>  # Subscribe yourself
basecamp subscriptions unsubscribe <id>               # Unsubscribe
basecamp subscriptions add <id> --people 1,2,3        # Add people
basecamp subscriptions remove <id> --people 1,2,3     # Remove people

Lineup (Account-wide Markers)

basecamp lineup create "Milestone" "2024-03-15"   # Create marker
basecamp lineup create --name "Launch" --date tomorrow
basecamp lineup update <id> --name "New Name" --date "+7"
basecamp lineup delete <id>

Note: Lineup markers are account-wide, not project-scoped.

Campfire

basecamp campfire --in <project> --json           # List campfires
basecamp campfire messages --in <project> --json  # List messages
basecamp campfire post --content "Hello!" --in <project>
basecamp campfire line <line_id> --in <project>   # Show line
basecamp campfire delete <line_id> --in <project> # Delete line

People

basecamp people --json                            # All people in account
basecamp people --in <project> --json             # People on project
basecamp me --json                                # Current user
basecamp people show <id> --json                  # Person details
basecamp people add <id> --in <project>           # Add to project
basecamp people remove <id> --in <project>        # Remove from project

Search

basecamp search "query" --json                    # Full-text search
basecamp search "query" --sort updated_at --limit 20
basecamp search metadata --json                   # Available search scopes

Generic Show

basecamp show <type> <id> --in <project> --json   # Show any recording type
# Types: todo, todolist, message, comment, card, card-table, document (or omit <type> for generic lookup)

Configuration

The CLI uses two directory namespaces:

basecamp

for your Basecamp identity and project relationships,

basecamp

for tool-specific operational data.

~/.config/basecamp/           # Basecamp identity (DO NOT read credentials)
├── credentials.json          #   OAuth tokens — NEVER read or log
├── client.json               #   DCR client registration
└── config.json               #   Global preferences (account_id, base_url, format)

~/.cache/basecamp/            # Tool cache (ephemeral, auto-managed)
├── completion.json           #   Tab completion cache
└── resilience/               #   Circuit breaker state

.basecamp/                    # Per-repo config (committed to git)
└── config.json               #   Project defaults (project_id, account_id, todolist_id)

Per-repo config:

.basecamp/config.json

{
  "project_id": "12345",
  "todolist_id": "67890"
}

Initialize:

basecamp config init
basecamp config set project_id <id>
basecamp config set todolist_id <id>

Check context:

cat .basecamp/config.json 2>/dev/null || echo "No project configured"

Global config:

~/.config/basecamp/config.json

(account_id, base_url, format preferences)

Error Handling

General diagnostics:

basecamp doctor --json                            # Check CLI health, auth, connectivity

Rate limiting (429): The CLI handles backoff automatically. If you see 429 errors, reduce request frequency.

Authentication errors:

basecamp auth status                              # Check auth
basecamp auth login                               # Re-authenticate (full access)
basecamp auth login --scope read                  # Read-only access

Network errors / localhost URLs:

# Check for dev config
cat ~/.config/basecamp/config.json
# Should only contain: {"account_id": "<id>"}
# Remove base_url/api_url if pointing to localhost

Not found errors:

basecamp auth status                              # Verify auth working
cat ~/.config/basecamp/accounts.json              # Check available accounts

Invalid flag errors: All shortcut commands require explicit flags:

basecamp todo --content "text"

(not

basecamp todo "text"

)

basecamp card --title "title"

(not

basecamp card "title"

)

URL malformed (curl exit 3): Special characters in content. Use plain text or properly escaped HTML.

Learn More

API concepts: https://github.com/basecamp/bc3-api#key-concepts
CLI repo: https://github.com/basecamp/basecamp-cli
API coverage: See API-COVERAGE.md in the CLI repo