Install hookdeck with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository

Commands and aliases

• hookdeck

Project history

The official README describes the original center of gravity: forward webhooks and other events to a local web server using free, permanent event URLs, while preserving event history for inspection, replay, and testing. The docs explicitly position the CLI as an alternative to ngrok-style tunnels for webhook development.

The generated command reference shows the project evolving beyond `listen`. It includes authentication, project management, local development, sources, destinations, connections, transformations, events, requests, attempts, metrics, and a Gateway MCP command group. That puts the CLI in both local-development and infrastructure-management roles.

The configuration model also matured into profile-based TOML files. Global flags include `--hookdeck-config`, defaulting to `$HOME/.config/hookdeck/config.toml`, and login/project commands can save local state in `.hookdeck/config.toml` for repository-scoped workflows.

Adoption history

Hookdeck CLI is distributed through npm, Homebrew, Scoop, direct Linux archives/packages, and Docker. That packaging spread is important for a webhook tool because teams use it across macOS laptops, Windows development machines, Linux CI workers, and containerized test jobs.

The docs and README frame the CLI as part of a team workflow rather than a one-off tunnel: event history persists between sessions, teammates can inspect or replay events, and the CLI can manage Event Gateway resources for CI/CD and testing.

How it is used

For local development, `hookdeck listen` forwards incoming events for one or more Hookdeck sources to a local port or URL. Interactive mode provides a terminal UI with event history and request/response inspection, while compact and quiet output modes support scripts and CI logs.

For platform management, command groups operate on projects, sources, destinations, connections, transformations, events, requests, attempts, and metrics. `hookdeck login` persists credentials; `hookdeck project use --local` pins project selection into a repository-local config file.

The CLI also supports agent-oriented workflows through `hookdeck gateway mcp`, exposing Event Gateway capabilities to MCP-compatible clients.

Why package nerds care

Hookdeck CLI sits in a recognizable package-manager category: developer tunnel tools that become operational CLIs. Package maintainers care about it because it ships across several distribution channels and because a single executable touches credentials, local config, browser login, terminal UI behavior, and CI automation.

It is also a useful example of a vendor CLI that moved from a narrow local webhook listener into a control plane for platform resources. That expansion changes how package users think about upgrades: new releases can affect both localhost development and infrastructure automation.

Timeline

• 2021: Hookdeck-authored local-development material describes the CLI as a webhook proxy and ngrok alternative.
• 2024: Official connection-management guide documents CLI-driven Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD, and production automation workflows for CLI v1.2.0 and later.
• 2026: Generated CLI reference covers local development, Event Gateway resource management, metrics, and MCP integration.

Related projects

• ngrok and other HTTP tunnel tools are related because Hookdeck positions the CLI as an alternative for webhook development.
• Hookdeck Console and Hookdeck Event Gateway are the platform surfaces the CLI manages.
• MCP-compatible clients are related through the `hookdeck gateway mcp` command group.

Sources

• Generated REFERENCE.md: command groups, global flags, login/project local config, and MCP support.
• Hookdeck CLI README: package distribution, event history, Event Gateway management, Docker usage, and config paths.
• Official CLI docs: local development, webhook forwarding, replay, inspection, and ngrok-alternative positioning.