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UiPath CLI user guide

Last updated May 7, 2026

uip rpa

uip rpa is the RPA tool — the bridge between the CLI and a UiPath Studio installation. It packages Studio projects into .nupkg archives, runs the workflow analyzer and compiler, scaffolds and runs projects, and exposes the Studio operations used by AI coding agents and the skills system.

Install it with uip tools install rpa, or invoke uip rpa … and let auto-install run. See Tools (plugins) for the install model and uip tools for the command that manages tool installation. rpa is the command prefix; the underlying package is @uipath/rpa-tool.

Warning:

.NET runtime required for the packager verbs

The packager verbs (pack, build, analyze, restore) wrap the Studio packager and the workflow compiler — both .NET-backed. A runner that invokes them must have a .NET runtime available. See Breaking changes — .NET runtime.

Warning:

Windows projects require a Windows runner

Studio projects come in two non-legacy flavors — Cross-platform (targetFramework: "Portable" in project.json) and Windows (targetFramework: "Windows"). The packager verbs behave differently per flavor:

  • Cross-platform projects can be packed, analyzed, built, and restored on any OS — Windows, macOS, or Linux.
  • Windows projects require a Windows runner. The Linux and macOS workflow compilers cannot resolve the Windows-only references these projects pull in.
  • Windows - Legacy projects are a separate category — they require the uip rpa-legacy tool, which is Windows-only by design.

Match the runner OS in your CI to the project flavor, or split the pipeline so cross-platform packaging runs on Linux/macOS and Windows packaging runs on a Windows agent.

Commands

Every uip rpa verb has its own reference page. For live argument lists on your installed tool version, run uip rpa <verb> --help.

VerbDescription
add-test-data-entityAdd a Data Service entity as a data source for a test case.
add-test-data-queueAdd a Test Data Queue from Orchestrator as a data source for a test case.
add-test-data-variationAdd a CSV / Excel data variation file to a test case.
analyzeRun the workflow analyzer against a project with a governance policy.
buildCompile a Studio project without producing a .nupkg.
create-projectScaffold a new project from a template.
diffShow differences between two files in a Studio diff window.
find-activitiesSearch activities matching a query and optional tags.
get-analyzer-rulesList the enabled workflow-analyzer rules for the open project.
get-default-activity-xamlRetrieve the XAML representation of an activity with default values.
get-errorsRetrieve diagnostics from a file or the whole project, filtered by severity.
get-manual-test-casesGet manual test cases from Test Manager.
get-manual-test-stepsGet manual test steps for a list of test-case IDs.
get-versionsList available versions of a NuGet package across configured feeds.
get-workflow-exampleRetrieve the XAML for a workflow example by key.
indicate-applicationIndicate an application on screen using Studio.
indicate-elementIndicate a UI element on screen using Studio.
inspect-packageInspect a NuGet package's public API via reflection.
install-data-fabric-entitiesAdd or remove Data Fabric entity bindings on the active project.
install-or-update-packagesInstall or update NuGet packages in the current project.
list-data-fabric-entitiesList Data Fabric entities relevant to the active project.
list-workflow-examplesSearch RPA workflow examples by service tag.
packPackage a Studio project into a .nupkg.
restoreDownload the dependencies declared in project.json.
run-fileRun or debug a workflow / coded file.
search-templatesSearch project templates on configured NuGet feeds.
start-studioEnsure a Studio instance is running.
stop-executionStop a running execution previously started with run-file.
uiaUI Automation CLI subgroup.

list-instances is also registered, hidden from --help — it lists running Studio instances visible to the resolver.

Synopsis

uip rpa pack <project> [options]
uip rpa build <projectDir> [options]
uip rpa analyze <project> --governance-file-path <policy> [options]
uip rpa restore <project> [outputPath] [options]
uip rpa start-studio [options]
uip rpa <verb> [options]
uip rpa pack <project> [options]
uip rpa build <projectDir> [options]
uip rpa analyze <project> --governance-file-path <policy> [options]
uip rpa restore <project> [outputPath] [options]
uip rpa start-studio [options]
uip rpa <verb> [options]

All uip rpa verbs honor the global options (--output, --output-filter, --log-level, --log-file). Standard exit codes apply.

The parent uip rpa group accepts a small set of options shared by every verb:

Parent optionDescription
--project-dir <path>Project directory the verb operates on. Defaults to the current working directory.
--studio-dir <path>Path to a Studio installation when discovery cannot find one automatically.
--robot-dir <path>Path to a Robot installation directory.
--timeout <seconds>Maximum wait for the underlying operation. Default: 300.
--verboseVerbose logging.

These can be passed before or after the subcommand name.

Note:

Flag surface

The per-verb pages document the principal options. Because rpa-tool integrates the Studio packager, a handful of niche packager flags (signing material, NuGet sources config, output-type filters) follow the underlying packager's native flags — run uip rpa <verb> --help on a live install to see the complete set for your installed tool version. The flag names are consistent across tool versions within the CLI's MAJOR.MINOR line; see Versioning and stability.

Note:

Windows-only legacy wrapper

A sibling tool, @uipath/rpa-legacy-tool (alias rpa-legacy), wraps the 2025.10 legacy .NET CLI for users who need Windows-only features that have not yet been ported to the cross-platform uip rpa. It exposes uip rpa-legacy <verb> for package, validate, debug, find-package, find-activities, and type-definition. See the 2025.10 legacy .NET CLI documentation for its flag reference. rpa-legacy is Windows-only; rpa covers the modern surface.

See also

  • Commands
  • Synopsis
  • See also

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