---
title: pulumi api describe | CLI commands
url: /docs/iac/cli/commands/pulumi_api_describe/
---

Show the parameters and schemas for a Pulumi Cloud API operation

## Synopsis

Show the parameters, request body, and response schema for a Pulumi Cloud
API operation.

The argument may be either a path (with optional template variables, e.g.
`/api/stacks/{orgName}`) or an operation ID as shown in `list` (e.g.
`ListAccounts`). Operation IDs are matched case-insensitively.

Default output is a human-readable schema render. Pass --output=json for the
stable agent envelope, including the inlined JSON schema.

```
pulumi api describe  [flags]
```

## Examples

```
  # Describe an operation by its ID.
  pulumi api describe ListOrganizationMembers

  # Describe by path — use --method when the same path maps to multiple ops.
  pulumi api describe /api/stacks/{orgName}/{projectName}/{stackName}/tags --method=POST

  # Paste-friendly: copy a METHOD + path row from `list` verbatim.
  pulumi api describe 'GET /api/user'

  # Extract just the request body schema.
  pulumi api describe AddStackTag --output=json | jq '.operation.requestBody.jsonSchema'

  # Pull the parameter list for scripting.
  pulumi api describe GetStack --output=json | jq '.operation.parameters[] | {name, in, required}'
```

## Options

```
  -h, --help              help for describe
  -X, --method string     HTTP method to look up (a path can map to multiple ops by method) (default "GET")
      --output markdown   Output format: default is a human-readable schema render; markdown emits a markdown document (piping friendly, renders in IDEs/glow); `json` emits the stable agent envelope
```

## Options inherited from parent commands

```
      --color string                 Colorize output. Choices are: always, never, raw, auto (default "auto")
  -C, --cwd string                   Run pulumi as if it had been started in another directory
      --disable-integrity-checking   Disable integrity checking of checkpoint files
  -e, --emoji                        Enable emojis in the output
  -Q, --fully-qualify-stack-names    Show fully-qualified stack names
      --logflow                      Flow log settings to child processes (like plugins)
      --logtostderr                  Log to stderr instead of to files
      --memprofilerate int           Enable more precise (and expensive) memory allocation profiles by setting runtime.MemProfileRate
      --non-interactive              Disable interactive mode for all commands
      --otel-traces string           Export OpenTelemetry traces to the specified endpoint. Use file:// for local JSON files, grpc:// for remote collectors
      --profiling string             Emit CPU and memory profiles and an execution trace to '[filename].[pid].{cpu,mem,trace}', respectively
      --refresh-spec                 Re-fetch the OpenAPI spec from Pulumi Cloud and overwrite the local cache
      --tracing file:                Emit tracing to the specified endpoint. Use the file: scheme to write tracing data to a local file
  -v, --verbose int                  Enable verbose logging (e.g., v=3); anything >3 is very verbose
```

## SEE ALSO

* [pulumi api](/docs/iac/cli/commands/pulumi_api/)	 - Call any Pulumi Cloud API endpoint