--- title: "Content Type Plugin" description: "Use the Contentstack CLI Content Type Plugin to audit logs, compare schema diffs across stacks, and visualize your content model with SVG/DOT diagrams." url: "https://www.contentstack.com/docs/headless-cms/cli-content-type-plugin/v1" product: "Contentstack" doc_type: "guide" audience: - developers - admins version: "current" last_updated: "2026-08-21" --- # Content Type Plugin A newer version of this plugin is available. See [Content Type Plugin (v2)](/docs/headless-cms/cli-content-type-plugin) for the current flag syntax before installing v1. ## Overview The content type plugin provides commands to inspect, compare, and visualize content types in a [stack](/docs/headless-cms/about-stack) directly from the CLI. Use it to: * Audit schema changes before deploying to production. * Compare [content models](/docs/headless-cms/about-content-modeling) across versions or stacks. * Generate visual documentation of your content architecture as a Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) or DOT (Graphviz DOT graph description language) diagram. ### Commands at a Glance These commands only read your stack's content types. They don't write, update, or delete any content in your stack. Command Description content-type:list List all content types in a stack content-type:details Display full schema details for a content type content-type:audit View recent audit log changes to a content type content-type:compare Diff two versions of the same content type content-type:compare-remote Diff the same content type across two stacks content-type:diagram Generate an SVG or DOT diagram of your content model ## Prerequisites * **Contentstack CLI v1 installed**. See [Contentstack CLI installation](/docs/headless-cms/install-the-cli/v1): * **Plugin installed**: See [Installation](#installation). * **Authentication**: Either a saved management token alias or a stack API key. See [Authentication](#authentication). If using a management token, its [role](/docs/headless-cms/about-stack-roles) must grant Content Type: Read permission. * **Region configured, if your stack is not in North America**. Requests default to the North America endpoint, so set your region if your stack is hosted elsewhere. See [Configure Regions in the CLI](/docs/headless-cms/configure-regions-in-the-cli/v1#set-region): * * * ## Installation 1. Install the plugin: ``` csdx plugins:install contentstack-cli-content-type ``` 2. Verify the plugin is installed: ``` csdx plugins ``` You should see contentstack-cli-content-type in the list. ## Commands ### content-type:list List all content types in a stack, ordered by title or last modified date. #### Syntax ``` csdx content-type:list [FLAGS] ``` #### Flags Flag Short Type Required Default Description \--stack-api-key \-k string Yes (or \--alias) None Stack API Key \--alias \-a string Yes (or \--stack-api-key) None Alias of the management token \--order None string No title Sort order: title or modified **Note**: Pass either \--stack-api-key or \--alias, not both. See [Authentication](#authentication) for the full enforcement table. #### Output Displays a table of all content types with their title, UID, and last modified date. #### Examples List all content types, sorted by title: ``` csdx content-type:list -a my-token-alias ``` List sorted by last modified: ``` csdx content-type:list -a my-token-alias --order modified ``` Using stack API key directly: ``` csdx content-type:list -k ``` * * * ### content-type:details Display the full schema details of a specific content type, including all fields, their types, and reference paths. #### Syntax ``` csdx content-type:details --content-type [FLAGS] ``` #### Flags Flag Short Type Required Default Description \--stack-api-key \-k string Yes (or \--alias) None Stack API Key \--alias \-a string Yes (or \--stack-api-key) None Alias of the management token \--content-type None string Yes None content type UID \--path / \--no-path None boolean No true Show or hide the field path column #### Output A structured table of the content type schema with columns for field title, UID, data type, and path (dot-notation path through nested structures). Use \--no-path to hide the path column for a more compact view. #### Examples View full details for a content type: ``` csdx content-type:details -a my-token-alias --content-type home_page ``` Hide the path column: ``` csdx content-type:details -a my-token-alias --content-type home_page --no-path ``` Using stack API key: ``` csdx content-type:details -k --content-type blog_post ``` * * * ### content-type:audit Display the recent [audit log](/docs/headless-cms/monitor-stack-activities-in-audit-log) of changes made to a specific content type: who changed it, when, and what changed. #### Syntax ``` csdx content-type:audit --content-type [FLAGS] ``` #### Flags Flag Short Type Required Default Description \--stack-api-key \-k string Yes (or \--alias) None Stack API Key \--alias \-a string Yes (or \--stack-api-key) None Alias of the management token \--content-type None string Yes None content type UID #### Output A table of audit log entries showing the action, the user who made the change, and the timestamp. #### Examples View audit log for a content type: ``` csdx content-type:audit -a my-token-alias --content-type home_page ``` Using stack API key: ``` csdx content-type:audit -k --content-type blog_post ``` * * * ### content-type:compare Compare two versions of the same content type within a stack. Shows fields added, removed, or modified between versions. #### Syntax ``` csdx content-type:compare --content-type [FLAGS] ``` #### Flags Flag Short Type Required Default Description \--stack-api-key \-k string Yes (or \--alias) None Stack API Key \--alias \-a string Yes (or \--stack-api-key) None Alias of the management token \--content-type None string Yes None content type UID \--left None integer No Latest version Version number to use as the "left" (base) side of the diff \--right None integer No latest - 1 Version number to use as the "right" (compare) side of the diff **Note**: Provide \--left and \--right together, or omit both and let the command automatically compare the latest version against the previous version. #### Output A diff table showing fields that were added, removed, or changed between the two versions. #### Examples Compare the two most recent versions (automatic): ``` csdx content-type:compare -a my-token-alias --content-type home_page ``` Compare specific versions: ``` csdx content-type:compare -a my-token-alias --content-type home_page --left 5 --right 4 ``` Using stack API key: ``` csdx content-type:compare -k --content-type blog_post --left 3 --right 2 ``` * * * ### content-type:compare-remote Compare the same content type across two different stacks, for example to validate that a staging schema matches production. #### Syntax ``` csdx content-type:compare-remote --origin-stack --remote-stack --content-type ``` #### Flags Flag Short Type Required Default Description \--origin-stack None string Yes None API Key of the origin (source) stack \--remote-stack None string Yes None API Key of the remote (target) stack \--content-type None string Yes None content type UID to compare **Note**: Pass two different stack API keys for \--origin-stack and \--remote-stack. Passing the same key for both produces an empty diff. #### Output A diff table showing field-level differences between the same content type on two stacks. #### Examples ``` # Compare home_page across staging and production stacks csdx content-type:compare-remote \ --origin-stack \ --remote-stack \ --content-type home_page ``` * * * ### content-type:diagram Generate a visual diagram of all content types in a stack, including references and relationships between them. Outputs an SVG or Graphviz DOT file. #### Syntax ``` csdx content-type:diagram --output [FLAGS] ``` #### Flags Flag Short Type Required Default Description \--stack-api-key \-k string Yes (or \--alias) None Stack API Key \--alias \-a string Yes (or \--stack-api-key) None Alias of the management token \--output None string Yes None Full path to the output file (e.g. ./content-model.svg) \--direction None string No portrait Graph orientation: portrait or landscape \--type None string No svg Output file type: svg or dot #### Output Creates a file at the specified \--output path. The file is either: * **SVG** (default): A rendered visual graph, viewable in any browser or SVG viewer. * **DOT**: A file in the DOT language, read by Graphviz, an open-source graph-visualization tool. Render it manually with dot -Tpng content-model.dot -o content-model.png. The CLI always prints an absolute path here, regardless of whether you pass \--output a relative or absolute path. On success, it prints something like: ``` Created Graph: /Users/you/project/content-model.svg ``` #### Examples Generate an SVG diagram (portrait, default): ``` csdx content-type:diagram -a my-token-alias --output ./content-model.svg ``` Generate in landscape orientation: ``` csdx content-type:diagram -a my-token-alias --output ./content-model.svg --direction landscape ``` Generate a DOT file for further processing: ``` csdx content-type:diagram -a my-token-alias --output ./content-model.dot --type dot ``` Using stack API key: ``` csdx content-type:diagram -k --output ./diagram.svg ``` * * * ## Deprecated Flags (v1) v1's short flags and the \--stack / \--token-alias long flags are deprecated in favor of the long-form flags used in v2. See [Upgrading from v1](/docs/headless-cms/cli-content-type-plugin#upgrading-from-v1) for the full old-to-new flag mapping. When you use a deprecated flag, the CLI prints a deprecation warning pointing to the replacement. * * * ## Authentication Most commands accept a management token alias or a stack API key. Whether \--stack-api-key and \--alias are mutually exclusive depends on the command. Pass only one flag regardless. Command Enforces \--stack-api-key / \--alias as mutually exclusive Result of passing both content-type:list Yes Command exits with an error content-type:audit Yes Command exits with an error content-type:diagram Yes Command exits with an error content-type:details No Command runs, using one of the two values (unspecified which) content-type:compare No Command runs, using one of the two values (unspecified which) ### Option 1: Management Token Alias (Recommended) Save a management token once and reference it by alias: ``` csdx auth:tokens:add -a my-token-alias -k --management --token ``` Then use \-a my-token-alias in commands that accept \--alias: list, details, audit, compare, diagram. ### Option 2: Stack API Key Pass the stack API key directly: ``` csdx content-type:list -k ``` > **Exception (**content-type:compare-remote**)**: This command authenticates differently. Pass both stack API keys directly via \--origin-stack and \--remote-stack instead of \--alias or \--stack-api-key. * * * ## Examples ### Review a schema change Who changed blog\_post and when: ``` csdx content-type:audit -a my-token-alias --content-type blog_post ``` What exactly changed in the last update: ``` csdx content-type:compare -a my-token-alias --content-type blog_post ``` ### Validate staging matches production ``` csdx content-type:compare-remote \ --origin-stack \ --remote-stack \ --content-type home_page ``` ### Automate schema documentation ``` #!/bin/bash set -euo pipefail # Generate a landscape diagram and open it csdx content-type:diagram \ -a production-token \ --output ./docs/content-model.svg \ --direction landscape open ./docs/content-model.svg ``` set -euo pipefail stops the script if content-type:diagram fails, so open never runs against a diagram that was not created. * * * ## Troubleshooting ### "An error occurred." with no further detail **Root Causes**: The stack API key or management token alias is incorrect, or the token lacks read permissions. **Resolution**: 1. Verify the alias is saved: csdx auth:tokens 2. Confirm the token has Content Type: Read permission in the Contentstack UI. 3. Check your region is correctly configured: csdx config:get:region See [Authentication](#authentication) for how the two credential methods work and which commands enforce them. * * * ### content-type:compare-remote: "You cannot compare the same stack" **Root Cause**: \--origin-stack and \--remote-stack are identical. **Resolution**: Provide two different stack API keys. See [content-type:compare-remote](#content-typecompare-remote) for the full flag reference. * * * ### content-type:compare: "You cannot compare the same version" **Root Causes**: * \--left and \--right are set to the same version number. * You omitted both flags and the content type has only one version. The command defaults to comparing version 1 against itself and prints this warning. **Resolution**: * If two or more versions exist, use different \--left and \--right values. Check the version history via content-type:audit first. * If only one version exists, there is nothing to compare yet. Save a change to the content type to create a second version first. See [content-type:compare](#content-typecompare) and [content-type:audit](#content-typeaudit). * * * ### content-type:diagram: output file not created **Root Causes**: * You lack write permission on the resolved output path * The \--output contains characters your OS's filesystem doesn't allow. **Resolution**: 1. Check write permissions on the target directory. The CLI creates missing parent directories automatically. 2. Use an absolute path if you want full control over where the file lands. 3. Remove any characters your OS doesn't allow in file paths. See [content-type:diagram](#content-typediagram) for the full flag and output reference. * * * ### Plugin not found after install **Root Cause**: The install did not complete, or the CLI is not listing the installed plugin. **Resolution**: Reinstall following [Installation](#installation). If contentstack-cli-content-type still does not appear in csdx plugins after a clean reinstall, the issue is in your local npm/CLI environment rather than the plugin itself. * * * ## Limitations * These commands compare and diagram schema only. They do not diff [entry](/docs/headless-cms/about-entries)\-level content or data records. * content-type:diagram writes a local SVG or DOT file. It is never uploaded or synced back to the stack. * content-type:compare needs at least two saved versions of a content type. With only one version, it compares the version against itself and returns an empty diff. See [content-type:compare](#content-typecompare) for the single-version case. * * * ## Next Steps * [Regex Validate Plugin (v1)](/docs/headless-cms/cli-regex-validate-plugin/v1): scan your content types and [global fields](/docs/headless-cms/about-global-field) for regex patterns vulnerable to catastrophic backtracking (a regex performance bug that can make matching hang). * [Audit Plugin](/docs/headless-cms/cli-audit-plugin/v1): a related Contentstack plugin for reviewing audit log activity across your stack. * [CLI Authentication: Add Management Token](/docs/headless-cms/cli-authentication/v1#add-management-token): create and save the management token alias these commands use. * [Configure Regions in the CLI](/docs/headless-cms/configure-regions-in-the-cli/v1#set-region): set your region if your stack is not in North America. * [About Content Types](/docs/headless-cms/about-content-types): conceptual background on how content types and their fields are structured.