The complete Python CLI for Tesla's Fleet API — built for humans and AI agents alike.
Check your battery. Lock your doors. Stream live telemetry. Let Claude control your car.
Two commands to install. One wizard to set up. Every API endpoint at your fingertips.
pip install tescmd
tescmd setupThe setup wizard handles everything — Tesla Developer app creation, key generation, public key hosting, Fleet API registration, OAuth2 authentication, and vehicle key enrollment. Then you're ready:
tescmd charge status # Battery and charging state
tescmd climate on --wake # Turn on climate (wakes if asleep)
tescmd security lock --wake # Lock the car
tescmd nav waypoints "Home" "Work" # Multi-stop navigation
tescmd serve 5YJ3... # Launch the live dashboardtescmd serve launches a full-screen terminal dashboard with real-time telemetry, MCP server status, tunnel info, and connection metrics — powered by Textual.
Every command doubles as an MCP tool. Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and other agent frameworks can query your vehicle, send commands, and react to telemetry — all through structured JSON with built-in cost protection.
Formatted tables in your terminal, structured JSON when piped — tescmd auto-detects the right output for the context.
Full read/write access to Tesla's Fleet API: battery, charge, climate, locks, trunks, windows, sentry, navigation, media, speed limits, PINs, Powerwalls, and more. Every read command is cached with smart TTLs — bots can call tescmd as often as they want and only pay for the first request.
Your vehicle pushes data directly to your machine via Tailscale Funnel — no polling, no per-request charges. Choose from field presets (driving, charging, all) or subscribe to 120+ individual fields. Sessions produce a wide-format CSV log by default.
tescmd serve 5YJ3... --fields driving # Speed, location, power
tescmd serve 5YJ3... --fields all # Everythingtescmd serve exposes every command as an MCP tool with OAuth 2.1 authentication. Agents get deterministic JSON output, meaningful exit codes, and a --wake opt-in flag so they never trigger billable wake calls by accident.
Stream filtered telemetry to an OpenClaw Gateway with per-field delta and throttle filtering. Bots on the gateway can send commands back — lock doors, start charging, set climate — through bidirectional dispatch.
Register conditions on any telemetry field — battery below 20%, speed above 80, location enters a geofence — and get notified via OpenClaw push events or MCP polling. Supports one-shot and persistent modes with cooldown.
tescmd implements the Vehicle Command Protocol with ECDH session management and HMAC-SHA256 signing. Once your key is enrolled, commands are signed transparently — no agent-side crypto needed.
Tesla's Fleet API is pay-per-use. A naive polling script can generate hundreds of dollars in monthly charges from a single vehicle. tescmd implements four layers of defense:
| Layer | What it does |
|---|---|
| Tiered caching | Specs cached 1h, fleet lists 5m, standard queries 1m, location 30s |
| Wake confirmation | Prompts before billable wake calls; --wake flag for scripts |
| Smart wake state | Tracks recent wake confirmations, skips redundant attempts |
| Write invalidation | Write commands auto-invalidate the relevant cache scope |
Streaming telemetry via tescmd serve replaces polling entirely — flat cost regardless of data volume. See API Costs for the full breakdown.
| Group | Description |
|---|---|
setup |
Interactive first-run wizard |
auth |
OAuth2 login, logout, token management, export/import |
vehicle |
State queries, wake, rename, telemetry streaming, fleet status |
charge |
Charge control, scheduling, departure, fleet management |
climate |
HVAC, seats, steering wheel, bioweapon defense, overheat protection |
security |
Lock/unlock, sentry, valet, PINs, speed limits, remote start |
trunk |
Trunk, frunk, windows, sunroof, tonneau |
media |
Playback control, volume, favorites |
nav |
Send destinations, GPS coordinates, multi-stop waypoints, HomeLink |
software |
Update status, scheduling, cancellation |
energy |
Powerwall status, backup reserve, storm mode, grid config, history |
billing |
Supercharger billing history and invoices |
user |
Account info, region, orders, feature flags |
sharing |
Driver management, vehicle sharing invites |
key |
Key generation, deployment, enrollment, validation |
serve |
Combined MCP + telemetry + OpenClaw TUI dashboard |
mcp |
Standalone MCP server |
openclaw |
Standalone OpenClaw bridge |
cache |
Cache status and management |
raw |
Direct Fleet API endpoint access |
Every command supports --format json for scripting and --help for detailed usage. See the Command Reference for the full list.
pip install tescmdRequirements: Python 3.11+ and a Tesla account with a linked vehicle or energy product.
Recommended: GitHub CLI (gh) for automated key hosting via GitHub Pages, or Tailscale for zero-config key hosting and telemetry streaming via Funnel.
Install from source
git clone https://github.com/oceanswave/tescmd.git
cd tescmd
pip install -e ".[dev]"tescmd resolves settings from CLI flags, environment variables (.env files loaded automatically), and defaults — in that order.
Environment variables
TESLA_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
TESLA_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret
TESLA_VIN=5YJ3E1EA1NF000000
TESLA_REGION=na # na, eu, cn
# Display units (optional — defaults to US)
TESLA_TEMP_UNIT=F # F or C
TESLA_DISTANCE_UNIT=mi # mi or km
TESLA_PRESSURE_UNIT=psi # psi or bar
# Or switch everything at once:
# tescmd --units metric charge statusSee docs/commands.md for the full environment variable reference.
Token storage
Tokens are stored in the OS keyring by default (macOS Keychain, GNOME Keyring, Windows Credential Manager). On headless systems, tescmd falls back to a file-based store with restricted permissions. Transfer tokens between machines with tescmd auth export and tescmd auth import.
| Setup Guide | Step-by-step walkthrough of tescmd setup |
| Command Reference | Detailed usage for every command |
| API Costs | Cost breakdown, savings calculations, streaming comparison |
| Bot Integration | JSON schema, exit codes, headless auth |
| OpenClaw Bridge | Gateway protocol, bidirectional commands, triggers, geofencing |
| MCP Server | Tool reference, OAuth 2.1, custom tools, trigger polling |
| Vehicle Command Protocol | ECDH sessions and signed commands |
| Authentication | OAuth2 PKCE flow, token storage, scopes |
| Architecture | Layered design, module responsibilities |
| FAQ | Common questions about costs, hosting, and configuration |
| Development | Contributing, testing, linting |
git clone https://github.com/oceanswave/tescmd.git && cd tescmd
pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest # 1600+ tests
ruff check src/ tests/ && mypy src/See CHANGELOG.md for release history.
MIT
