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Guide · Agent skill

How to use the Mailchimp Marketing CLI agent skill

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The cli-anything-mailchimp skill teaches an AI agent to work with your Mailchimp account through a command-line tool. It suits marketers who want reports and audience summaries pulled on request, and developers who want scripted Mailchimp workflows with JSON output. By the end of this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to phrase requests so the agent uses it, and which actions need your review first.

Mailchimp Marketing CLIHKUDS/CLI-Anything · Apache-2.0

Quick start

  1. 1Check requirements. Confirm Python 3.10 or newer and have your Mailchimp API key with its datacenter suffix ready.
  2. 2Set the API key. Export MAILCHIMP_API_KEY in your environment so the CLI can authenticate.
  3. 3Install the CLI. Run the pip install command for the cli-anything-mailchimp package from the source.
  4. 4Add the skill. Unzip the downloaded ZIP into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings, Capabilities, Skills.
  5. 5Run a health check. Run cli-anything-mailchimp ping to confirm the CLI can reach the Mailchimp API.
  6. 6Make a read-only request. Ask the agent for a report or list, such as campaign open and click rates, to confirm it works end to end.
  7. 7Review before sending. For any send or schedule request, check the send checklist and content yourself before approving.

What an agent skill is and what this one does

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file that tells an AI agent when and how to use a tool. This skill is built on the CLI-Anything framework and wraps the Mailchimp Marketing API v3.0 in a command-line tool called cli-anything-mailchimp. The source describes 303 commands across 30 resource groups.

  • Audiences (lists): create, update and delete lists; add, update and archive members; manage merge fields, segments, tags and webhooks.
  • Campaigns: create, schedule, send, pause, replicate and analyse email campaigns.
  • Reports: open rates, click rates, bounce stats, unsubscribes, email activity and geographic data.
  • Automations: create and manage automated email workflows.
  • E-commerce: stores, orders, customers, products, carts and promo codes.
  • Other resources: templates, file manager, landing pages, SMS campaigns, surveys and more.

Check the requirements before installing

You need Python 3.10 or newer, a Mailchimp API key, and network access to the Mailchimp API. The key must include its datacenter suffix, for example abc123-us8. Store it in an environment variable named MAILCHIMP_API_KEY. The CLI itself is installed with pip.

  • Python 3.10+
  • MAILCHIMP_API_KEY set to your key, including the datacenter suffix
  • Network access to the Mailchimp API
  • The cli-anything-mailchimp package installed via pip
export MAILCHIMP_API_KEY=abc123-us8

Install the skill and the CLI

Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it into one of two places. For a personal setup, use ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, use the .claude/skills/ folder inside that project. Alternatively, in the Claude apps, open Settings, go to Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the ZIP there.

The skill teaches the agent but does not contain the CLI. Install the CLI with pip. The source gives two commands: one installs from the CLI-Anything repository, which the source describes as applying once the change is merged, and the other is for development, installing from a local copy in editable mode.

  • Personal: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
  • Project: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
  • Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
pip install git+https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git#subdirectory=mailchimp/agent-harness cd mailchimp/agent-harness && pip install -e .

Test the connection

Before asking for real work, run the health check. It confirms that the CLI can reach the Mailchimp API. You can also check account information with the root list command. If the health check fails, recheck the MAILCHIMP_API_KEY value and its datacenter suffix.

cli-anything-mailchimp ping cli-anything-mailchimp root list

Ask for things in plain language

You do not need to remember command names. Describe the outcome you want and name the audience or campaign if you know it. The agent maps the request to CLI commands. For reading data, phrasing like the examples below works well. For anything that sends or schedules, say clearly what you want and check the result before confirming.

Requests that tend to be specific enough: naming the audience, the date range, the campaign name or ID, and the output you want, such as a table or a count.

  • Show me the open and click rates for my most recent campaign.
  • List all subscribed members in my newsletter audience and give me their email addresses.
  • How has my audience grown this month? Summarise the change.
  • Which links got the most clicks in campaign abc123def?
  • Create a draft campaign from this template and show me its send checklist before anything goes out.

Use JSON output for scripts and pipelines

Add --json at the root level to get machine-readable output. This is useful when the agent or a script needs to filter results. The source shows jq filters for pulling out specific fields. Error responses include ok set to false and a message, which helps when a request fails.

cli-anything-mailchimp --json lists list | jq '.lists[] | {id, name}' cli-anything-mailchimp --json reports get abc123def cli-anything-mailchimp --json lists list-lists-id-members <list_id> --status subscribed | jq '.members[].email_address'

Safety notes: sending, scheduling and network access

Campaign send and schedule commands reach real subscribers, and the source says they cannot be undone once sent. Review the content, audience and send settings yourself before approving any send or schedule. The campaigns list-send-checklist command shows a pre-send checklist and is worth running first.

The skill runs scripts and uses the network. It calls the Mailchimp Marketing API using your own API key, so the key grants whatever access that key has. Keep the key out of shared files and only install the skill from sources you trust.

  • Always review campaigns before send or schedule
  • Run campaigns list-send-checklist before sending
  • Use a read-only request first when you are unsure
  • Protect MAILCHIMP_API_KEY as you would any account credential
cli-anything-mailchimp --json campaigns list-send-checklist <campaign_id>

What people use it for

  • Pull open and click rates for recent campaigns and summarise what performed best.
  • Export a list of subscribed members from an audience as JSON for review.
  • Track audience growth by listing members and tags over a period you specify.
  • Check the pre-send checklist for a draft campaign before a human approves sending.
  • Review e-commerce orders, customers or promo codes for a connected store.

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the cli-anything-mailchimp skill?

Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or a project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload the ZIP in the Claude apps under Settings, Capabilities, Skills. The CLI itself must be installed separately with pip.

What do I need to run the Mailchimp agent skill?

You need Python 3.10 or newer, a Mailchimp API key with its datacenter suffix set in MAILCHIMP_API_KEY, network access to the Mailchimp API, and the cli-anything-mailchimp package installed via pip. The skill runs scripts and uses the network.

Is the Mailchimp agent skill free, and what is its licence?

The source lists the licence as Apache-2.0. It does not say anything about pricing. Using the skill still requires a Mailchimp account and API key, and Mailchimp's own plans and terms apply to your account.

Can I use this skill with tools other than Mailchimp?

No. The skill only works with the Mailchimp Marketing API. For other email tools you would need a different skill or tool built for that service.

Why does the health check or a command fail?

First run cli-anything-mailchimp ping to test connectivity. Check that MAILCHIMP_API_KEY is set and includes the datacenter suffix, such as -us8. Error responses include ok set to false and a message describing the problem, such as Resource Not Found.

Will the agent send emails without asking me?

The source warns that campaign send and schedule commands reach real subscribers and cannot be undone once sent. Review each campaign yourself before approving a send or schedule, and run the send checklist first.

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Our verdict

This skill suits marketers who want an agent to pull Mailchimp reports and audience summaries, and developers who want scripted workflows with JSON output. It is a poor fit for anyone who wants campaigns sent without review, anyone not comfortable with Python setup and API keys, or anyone using a different email platform.

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