CLI Flags Guide

Complete reference for InstaTunnel CLI commands, including MCP setup flow, plan requirements, and production-safe usage patterns.

Install, Verify, Update

npm install -g instatunnel
instatunnel --version
npm install -g instatunnel@latest
npm view instatunnel version

MCP User Flow (Pro/Business)

  1. Run instatunnel auth login -e you@example.com.
  2. Verify email and copy API key from the verification success page.
  3. Save key: instatunnel auth set-key "it_your_api_key".
  4. Start MCP tunnel: instatunnel 8787 --mcp --transport v2.
  5. Use the generated URL in your MCP client/server configuration.

Optional staged security header: set INSTATUNNEL_MCP_TOKEN to send X-InstaTunnel-MCP-Token.

Flags Reference

FlagPurposeExample
--subdomain, -sCustom subdomaininstatunnel 3000 -s myapp
--domain, -dCustom domain (Pro/Business)instatunnel 3000 -d app.example.com
--region, -rRegion (current deployment supports only us)instatunnel 3000 -r us
--passwordPassword-protect tunnelinstatunnel 3000 --password demo123
--authBasic authinstatunnel 3000 --auth user:pass
--qrShow QR codeinstatunnel 3000 --qr
--mcpMCP mode (Pro/Business)instatunnel 8787 --mcp
--transportTransport version (v1/v2)instatunnel 8787 --mcp --transport v2
--listList tunnels (auth)instatunnel --list
--killStop by subdomain (auth)instatunnel --kill myapp
--logsPoll request logs (Pro/Business)instatunnel --logs
--statsReal 30-day usage summary (auth)instatunnel --stats
--react / --next / --laravelFramework shortcutsinstatunnel --react
--shareShare text templatesinstatunnel --share

Real-World Usage Patterns

# Webhook testing
instatunnel 3000 -s stripe-webhook --auth qa:pass123
# Frontend + API in parallel terminals
instatunnel 3000 -s frontend-demo
instatunnel 8000 -s api-demo
# MCP endpoint with streaming
instatunnel auth set-key "it_your_api_key"
instatunnel 8787 --mcp --transport v2 -s mcp-demo

Release Notes

Latest release: 1.1.9

  • Real --stats from analytics API.
  • Real --logs request-log polling.
  • --region fail-fast validation for unsupported regions.
  • Updated MCP and existing-user API key docs.

Full changelog on GitHub: CHANGELOG.md