/basecamp

name: basecamp
description: |
  Interact with Basecamp through the Basecamp CLI. Use for any Basecamp question
  or action, including projects, todos, cards, messages, files, schedules,
  check-ins, people, assignments, notifications, search, and account settings.
triggers:
  - basecamp
  - /basecamp
  - basecamp todos
  - basecamp subtasks
  - basecamp project
  - project wallpaper
  - project logo
  - basecamp cards
  - basecamp chat
  - basecamp campfire
  - basecamp ping
  - basecamp pings
  - basecamp messages
  - basecamp file
  - basecamp document
  - basecamp bookmarks
  - basecamp bubble-up
  - basecamp spotlight
  - basecamp drafts
  - basecamp notes
  - basecamp calendars
  - basecamp schedule
  - basecamp checkin
  - basecamp check-in
  - basecamp timeline
  - basecamp timesheet
  - log time
  - basecamp template
  - basecamp webhook
  - external link
  - basecamp gauge
  - basecamp hill chart
  - hill chart progress
  - update the hill chart
  - basecamp assignment
  - basecamp notification
  - basecamp account
  - link to basecamp
  - track in basecamp
  - post to basecamp
  - comment on basecamp
  - complete todo
  - mark done
  - create todo
  - move card
  - move to another project
  - copy to another project
  - copy todo
  - copy card
  - download file
  - search basecamp
  - find in basecamp
  - look up basecamp
  - check basecamp
  - list basecamp
  - show basecamp
  - get from basecamp
  - fetch from basecamp
  - can I basecamp
  - how do I basecamp
  - what's in basecamp
  - what basecamp
  - does basecamp
  - my todos
  - my tasks
  - my schedule
  - my basecamp
  - assigned to me
  - my assignments
  - my notifications
  - overdue todos
  - upcoming events
  - project gauge
  - project progress
  - 3.basecamp.com
  - basecampapi.com
  - https://3.basecamp.com/
invocable: true
argument-hint: "[action] [args...]"

Basecamp CLI

The installed CLI is the command reference. This skill sets the operating rules and does not duplicate its catalog.

Discovery-first workflow

For each task:

1. Infer the deepest plausible leaf command from the user's words. 2. If its exact arguments or flags are not already established by a tool result in this conversation, inspect that leaf directly:

   basecamp <group> <subcommand> --agent --help

3. If the leaf does not exist, inspect its nearest parent group. Use root help only when the top-level group itself is unclear:

   basecamp <group> --agent --help   # fallback
   basecamp --agent --help           # last resort

4. Treat leaf `usage`, `args`, `flags`, and `notes` as the source of truth. Do not guess positional arguments, flags, aliases, scope, or whether a group runs bare. 5. Execute with an explicit output mode, then read structured errors and breadcrumbs before deciding what to do next.

Leaf help is cheap and local; root help returns the full catalog and costs many tokens. Do not load it to confirm global flags this skill documents. For obvious Docs & Files requests, route straight to `files list`, `files download`, or `files uploads create` before trying parent or root help. A subcommand's `inherited_flags` is intentionally short; global flags such as `--agent`, `--jq`, `--profile`, and `--verbose` still apply where supported.

Non-negotiable rules

• Never read, print, or log OAuth tokens or credential files. In particular, do

not open `~/.config/basecamp/credentials.json`.

• Never pipe JSON to an external `jq`. Use the CLI's built-in `--jq`.
• Parse a supplied Basecamp URL before using IDs from it:

`basecamp url parse "<url>" --json`. Only trust URLs from a known Basecamp host. Read-only commands whose leaf help explicitly accepts `<id|url>` may consume the trusted URL directly.

• Comments are flat. A reply is posted to the parent recording, never to a

comment ID. For a comment URL, use `comments show` or `comments thread` to get `reply_target` when context matters.

• Respect project context. Before assuming a project, run

`basecamp config show --json`: its `project_id` is the effective value across flags, env and every config layer, with its source. Do not read `.basecamp/config.json` directly; it is only one layer. With no `project_id`, pass `--in <project>` or the scope shown by leaf help.

• Use non-interactive output for agent work. Do not allow an ambiguous picker to

block execution.

• When a result reports content or description attachments, download and inspect

them; images often hold the task's context.

• A move into another container prints the item's new ID; use it afterwards,

since the old ID stops taking writes. A copy prints its own ID. Never repeat a copy: Basecamp files it in the background, so a copy that is still running or lost its answer may already exist. Check with `basecamp filings show <id>` or the hint it printed.

• Follow the installed command's help over examples remembered from earlier CLI

versions.

• Before writing to Basecamp, run `basecamp instructions` and follow what it

prints.

Output modes

Choose deliberately:

| Goal | Mode | |---|---| | Extract, count, or transform data | `--jq '<expression>'` | | Consume full structured response | `--json` | | Consume data without an envelope | `--agent` | | Present portable output directly to a person | `--md` |

`--jq` implies JSON and filters the envelope, so data is usually under `.data`. With `--agent --jq`, it filters the data-only payload. Use `--md` for human-facing listings, but remember that `--md` alone does not suppress interactive prompts. Add enough scope to remove ambiguity or set `BASECAMP_NONINTERACTIVE=1`.

Examples of generic transformations, not command discovery:

basecamp <leaf-command> --jq '.data | length'
basecamp <leaf-command> --jq '[.data[] | {id, name}]'

Project, account, and pagination scope

Do not infer project or account scope from a command's noun; inspect leaf help and its notes. Use the user's e