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Every TalkValue CLI command emits its result in one of three formats: json, table, or csv. The CLI picks the right one automatically based on where the output is going, and you can override it on any command.

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Auto-detection

Where output goesDefault format
A terminal (TTY)table
A pipe or redirectjson
The CLI inspects stdout at startup. Running interactively gets a human-friendly table. Piping to another tool or redirecting to a file gets parseable JSON. That means talkvalue path person list | jq works with no flag required.

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Override the format

Pick a format explicitly with --format: 
talkvalue path person list --format json
talkvalue path person list --format table
talkvalue path person list --format csv
Or use the --json shorthand: 
talkvalue path person list --json
The --json flag is equivalent to --format json and exists because it’s the most common override.

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JSON envelope

Every JSON response wraps the result in a stable envelope so scripts can rely on the shape. Single-resource response: 
{
  "data": {
    "id": 42,
    "name": "Ada Lovelace",
    "primaryEmail": "ada@analytical-engine.org",
    "company": { "id": 7, "displayName": "Analytical Engine Co." },
    "jobTitle": "Founder"
  }
}
List response (paginated): 
{
  "data": [
    { "id": 1, "name": "Ada Lovelace", "primaryEmail": "ada@analytical-engine.org" },
    { "id": 2, "name": "Charles Babbage", "primaryEmail": "charles@analytical-engine.org" }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "page": 1,
    "pageSize": 20,
    "totalPages": 5,
    "totalElements": 100
  }
}
The pagination block is present on every list command and lets you compute the next page or total count without a second request.

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Error envelope

Errors go to stderr, not stdout, and use a separate envelope: 
{
  "error": { "message": "Person 999999 not found" }
}
Because errors go to stderr, this works as expected: 
talkvalue path person get 999999 2>/dev/null | jq
Pair the JSON message with the exit code to branch in a shell script.

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CSV

--format csv works on any list command and writes RFC-4180 compliant CSV with the first row as headers. Use it for spreadsheets or ad-hoc reports: 
talkvalue path person list --format csv > people.csv
Export-style commands (person export, event person export, channel export, import failed-export) always emit CSV regardless of --format. They exist specifically for spreadsheet workflows.

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TTY tips

  • Color. Table output uses color when stdout is a TTY. Turn it off with --no-color or NO_COLOR=1, or force it with FORCE_COLOR=1 in places like CI logs that strip TTY detection but render ANSI.
  • Update banner. The CLI prints an upgrade banner when a newer version is on npm. It’s automatically suppressed when output is JSON or piped, so it never contaminates parsed output.