firecrawl · nickscamara · Mar 18, 2026 · Mar 18, 2026 · Mar 18, 2026
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "firecrawl-cli",
-  "version": "1.10.0",
+  "version": "1.11.0",
   "description": "Command-line interface for Firecrawl. Scrape, crawl, and extract data from any website directly from your terminal.",
   "main": "dist/index.js",
   "bin": {

diff --git a/skills/firecrawl-cli/SKILL.md b/skills/firecrawl-cli/SKILL.md
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ Must be installed and authenticated. Check with `firecrawl --status`.
 - **Concurrency**: Max parallel jobs. Run parallel operations up to this limit.
 - **Credits**: Remaining API credits. Each scrape/crawl consumes credits.
 
-If not ready, see [rules/install.md](rules/install.md). For output handling guidelines, see [rules/security.md](rules/security.md).
+If not ready, see [rules/install.md](rules/install.md). For output handling guidelines, see [rules/security.md](rules/security.md). If the user has no account, use `firecrawl signup --email <email> --accept-terms` to create one with 50 free credits.
 
 ```bash
 firecrawl search "query" --scrape --limit 3

diff --git a/skills/firecrawl-cli/rules/install.md b/skills/firecrawl-cli/rules/install.md
@@ -53,6 +53,27 @@ Ask the user how they'd like to authenticate:
 
 1. **Login with browser (Recommended)** - Run `firecrawl login --browser`
 2. **Enter API key manually** - Run `firecrawl login --api-key "<key>"` with a key from firecrawl.dev
+3. **Create a new account (free credits)** - Run `firecrawl signup` to create a new account with 50 free credits
+
+### Agent Signup (no account needed)
+
+If the user doesn't have a Firecrawl account, an agent can create one with 50 free credits:
+
+```bash
+# Non-interactive (recommended for agents)
+firecrawl signup --email user@example.com --accept-terms
+
+# Interactive
+firecrawl signup
+```
+
+The agent name is auto-detected from the environment (Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code, etc.). A verification email is sent so the user can confirm or revoke the key. After signup, the CLI is authenticated and ready to use immediately.
+
+Use `firecrawl signup` when:
+- The user doesn't have a Firecrawl account
+- The user doesn't have an API key handy
+- Browser login isn't available or fails
+- You're setting up Firecrawl for the first time in a project
 
 ### Command not found
 

diff --git a/src/commands/signup.ts b/src/commands/signup.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,265 @@
+/**
+ * Agent signup command implementation
+ * Allows AI agents to create a Firecrawl account on behalf of a user,
+ * granting 50 free credits with a sandboxed API key.
+ * The user receives a verification email to confirm or block the key.
+ */
+
+import * as readline from 'readline';
+import { saveCredentials } from '../utils/credentials';
+import { updateConfig, getApiKey } from '../utils/config';
+import { isAuthenticated, printBanner } from '../utils/auth';
+
+const DEFAULT_API_URL = 'https://api.firecrawl.dev';
+const TOS_URL = 'https://firecrawl.dev/terms-of-service';
+const CREDIT_LIMIT = 50;
+
+export interface SignupOptions {
+  email?: string;
+  agentName?: string;
+  acceptTerms?: boolean;
+  apiUrl?: string;
+  json?: boolean;
+}
+
+interface AgentSignupResponse {
+  success: boolean;
+  api_key?: string;
+  sponsor_status?: string;
+  credit_limit?: number;
+  credits_remaining?: number;
+  verification_deadline_at?: string;
+  tos_url?: string;
+  error?: string;
+  login_url?: string;
+}
+
+function promptInput(question: string): Promise<string> {
+  const rl = readline.createInterface({
+    input: process.stdin,
+    output: process.stdout,
+  });
+
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    rl.question(question, (answer: string) => {
+      rl.close();
+      resolve(answer.trim());
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+function detectAgentName(): string {
+  const termProgram = process.env.TERM_PROGRAM?.toLowerCase();
+  if (termProgram?.includes('cursor')) return 'Cursor';
+  if (termProgram?.includes('windsurf')) return 'Windsurf';
+  if (termProgram?.includes('vscode')) return 'VS Code';
+  if (termProgram?.includes('zed')) return 'Zed';
+
+  if (process.env.CODEX_HOME) return 'Codex';
+  if (
+    process.env.AIDER_MODEL ||
+    process.env.AIDER_WEAK_MODEL ||
+    process.env.AIDER_EDITOR_MODEL
+  )
+    return 'Aider';
+  if (
+    process.env.OPENCODE_CONFIG ||
+    process.env.OPENCODE_CONFIG_DIR ||
+    process.env.OPENCODE_CONFIG_CONTENT
+  )
+    return 'OpenCode';
+  if (
+    process.env.GEMINI_CLI_SYSTEM_DEFAULTS_PATH ||
+    process.env.GEMINI_CLI_SYSTEM_SETTINGS_PATH
+  )
+    return 'Gemini CLI';
+
+  return 'CLI Agent';
+}
+
+/**
+ * Main signup command handler
+ */
+export async function handleSignupCommand(
+  options: SignupOptions = {}
+): Promise<void> {
+  const apiUrl = options.apiUrl?.replace(/\/$/, '') || DEFAULT_API_URL;
+  const orange = '\x1b[38;5;208m';
+  const reset = '\x1b[0m';
+  const dim = '\x1b[2m';
+  const bold = '\x1b[1m';
+  const green = '\x1b[32m';
+
+  if (isAuthenticated()) {
+    const existingKey = getApiKey();
+    console.log('You are already authenticated.');
+    console.log(
+      `\nAPI key: ${dim}${existingKey?.slice(0, 8)}...${existingKey?.slice(-4)}${reset}`
+    );
+    console.log('\nTo use a different account, run:');
+    console.log('  firecrawl logout');
+    console.log('  firecrawl signup');
+    return;
+  }
+
+  printBanner();
+
+  console.log(
+    `${bold}Agent Signup${reset} — Create a Firecrawl account with ${orange}${CREDIT_LIMIT} free credits${reset}\n`
+  );
+  console.log(
+    `${dim}A verification email will be sent so the account owner can confirm or revoke access.${reset}\n`
+  );
+
+  // Get email
+  let email = options.email;
+  if (!email) {
+    email = await promptInput('Email address: ');
+    if (!email || email.length === 0) {
+      console.error('Error: Email address is required.');
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Basic email validation
+  if (!email.includes('@') || !email.includes('.')) {
+    console.error('Error: Invalid email address.');
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+
+  // Get agent name
+  let agentName = options.agentName;
+  if (!agentName) {
+    const detected = detectAgentName();
+    agentName = detected;
+    console.log(`${dim}Agent: ${detected}${reset}`);
+  }
+
+  // Terms acceptance
+  if (!options.acceptTerms) {
+    console.log(`\n${dim}Terms of Service: ${TOS_URL}${reset}`);
+    const acceptance = await promptInput(
+      'Do you accept the Terms of Service? [Y/n]: '
+    );
+    if (acceptance.toLowerCase() === 'n' || acceptance.toLowerCase() === 'no') {
+      console.log(
+        '\nYou must accept the Terms of Service to create an account.'
+      );
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Call the API
+  console.log(`\n${dim}Creating account...${reset}`);
+
+  try {
+    const response = await fetch(`${apiUrl}/v2/agent-signup`, {
+      method: 'POST',
+      headers: {
+        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
+      },
+      body: JSON.stringify({
+        email: email.toLowerCase(),
+        agent_name: agentName,
+        accept_terms: true,
+      }),
+    });
+
+    const data = (await response.json()) as AgentSignupResponse;
+
+    if (options.json) {
+      console.log(JSON.stringify(data, null, 2));
+      if (data.success && data.api_key) {
+        saveCredentials({ apiKey: data.api_key, apiUrl });
+        updateConfig({ apiKey: data.api_key, apiUrl });
+      }
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (!response.ok || !data.success) {
+      if (response.status === 409) {
+        console.error(`\nA pending signup already exists for this email.`);
+        console.log(
+          `Check your inbox for the confirmation email, or log in at: ${data.login_url || 'https://firecrawl.dev/signin'}`
+        );
+        console.log(`\nAlternatively, log in with an existing API key:`);
+        console.log(`  firecrawl login`);
+        process.exit(1);
+      }
+      if (response.status === 403) {
+        console.error(
+          `\n${data.error || 'This email has blocked agent signups.'}`
+        );
+        console.log(`\nLog in with an existing account instead:`);
+        console.log(`  firecrawl login`);
+        process.exit(1);
+      }
+      if (response.status === 429) {
+        console.error(
+          `\n${data.error || 'Rate limit exceeded. Please try again later.'}`
+        );
+        process.exit(1);
+      }
+      console.error(`\nSignup failed: ${data.error || 'Unknown error'}`);
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+
+    // Save credentials
+    saveCredentials({ apiKey: data.api_key!, apiUrl });
+    updateConfig({ apiKey: data.api_key!, apiUrl });
+
+    // Format deadline
+    let deadlineStr = '';
+    if (data.verification_deadline_at) {
+      const deadline = new Date(data.verification_deadline_at);
+      deadlineStr = deadline.toLocaleDateString('en-US', {
+        weekday: 'long',
+        year: 'numeric',
+        month: 'long',
+        day: 'numeric',
+      });
+    }
+
+    // Success output
+    console.log(`\n${green}✓${reset} ${bold}Account created!${reset}\n`);
+    console.log(
+      `  ${orange}${data.credits_remaining ?? CREDIT_LIMIT}${reset} free credits available`
+    );
+    console.log(
+      `  ${dim}API key: ${data.api_key?.slice(0, 8)}...${data.api_key?.slice(-4)}${reset}`
+    );
+
+    console.log(`\n${bold}Next steps:${reset}`);
+    console.log(
+      `  ${dim}1.${reset} A verification email was sent to ${bold}${email}${reset}`
+    );
+    console.log(
+      `  ${dim}2.${reset} Confirm the email to unlock your full plan`
+    );
+    if (deadlineStr) {
+      console.log(
+        `  ${dim}3.${reset} Confirmation expires on ${bold}${deadlineStr}${reset}`
+      );
+    }
+
+    console.log(`\n${dim}You're ready to go! Try:${reset}`);
+    console.log(`  firecrawl scrape https://example.com`);
+    console.log(`  firecrawl search "your query"`);
+    console.log('');
+  } catch (error) {
+    if (
+      error instanceof TypeError &&
+      (error as Error).message.includes('fetch')
+    ) {
+      console.error(
+        '\nError: Could not connect to Firecrawl API. Check your network connection.'
+      );
+    } else {
+      console.error(
+        '\nError:',
+        error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error'
+      );
+    }
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import {
 import { handleVersionCommand } from './commands/version';
 import { handleLoginCommand } from './commands/login';
 import { handleLogoutCommand } from './commands/logout';
+import { handleSignupCommand } from './commands/signup';
 import {
   handleInitCommand,
   scaffoldTemplate,
@@ -1108,6 +1109,32 @@ program
     await handleLogoutCommand();
   });
 
+program
+  .command('signup')
+  .description(
+    'Create a Firecrawl account with free credits (for AI agents setting up on behalf of users)'
+  )
+  .option(
+    '-e, --email <email>',
+    'Email address for the account (skips interactive prompt)'
+  )
+  .option(
+    '--agent-name <name>',
+    'Name of the AI agent creating the account (auto-detected if not set)'
+  )
+  .option('--accept-terms', 'Accept the Terms of Service without prompting')
+  .option('--api-url <url>', 'API URL (default: https://api.firecrawl.dev)')
+  .option('--json', 'Output as JSON format', false)
+  .action(async (options) => {
+    await handleSignupCommand({
+      email: options.email,
+      agentName: options.agentName,
+      acceptTerms: options.acceptTerms,
+      apiUrl: options.apiUrl,
+      json: options.json,
+    });
+  });
+
 program
   .command('init')
   .description(