a6 CLI
The a6 CLI gives you a terminal-based way to configure and inspect Apache APISIX. It calls the Admin API for you, so you can create and update routes, upstreams, consumers, and other gateway resources with commands instead of writing individual HTTP requests.
a6 is optional and installed separately. It can save connection details as contexts, produce structured output for scripts, apply declarative configuration, perform bulk operations, and provide debugging commands. These capabilities make it useful for day-to-day terminal work, automation, troubleshooting, and the AI Agent Skills for Apache APISIX.
APISIX also includes a command named apisix, but it serves a different purpose. The bundled apisix command starts, stops, reloads, and tests the gateway process on a host. It does not manage gateway resources, and installing or running APISIX does not require a6.
The a6 project is hosted in the API7 GitHub organization and licensed under the Apache License 2.0. It is not an Apache Software Foundation release.
For a comparison of a6, ADC, APISIX-MCP, and direct Admin API use, see Management Options.
CLI Repository
The a6 repository contains the source code and maintained CLI documentation. Start with the Getting Started guide to install a6 and configure a connection context. The a6 user guide documents resource commands, contexts, declarative configuration, bulk operations, and debugging.
See the a6 releases for published versions. The repository does not define a version-by-version APISIX compatibility matrix.
Use a6 with Agent Skills
The AI Agent Skills for Apache APISIX contain instructions for using a6 to operate APISIX.
Installing the skills does not install the a6 executable. For example, npx skills add api7/a6 installs skill instructions only. Install a6 separately and make sure the a6 command is available on the agent's PATH.
The Admin API must be reachable from the agent's environment, and the agent needs an Admin API credential.