Cortex Code CLI

This topic helps you get started with Cortex Code CLI, including installation, connection setup, and validation.

Before you begin, ensure you have a Snowflake account with access to the required Cortex models. See Prerequisites for full details.

Note

If you do not have a Snowflake account, you can sign up for a free Cortex Code CLI trial.

Install Cortex Code CLI

Linux (including WSL) and macOS

To install Cortex Code CLI on Linux or macOS, issue the following command in a shell:

curl -LsS https://ai.snowflake.com/static/cc-scripts/install.sh | sh
Copy

This command downloads and runs the installation script, which installs the latest version of Cortex Code CLI. The cortex executable is installed in ~/.local/bin by default.

Windows native

To install Cortex Code CLI on Windows, issue the following command in PowerShell:

irm https://ai.snowflake.com/static/cc-scripts/install.ps1 | iex
Copy

This command downloads and runs the installation script, which installs the latest version of Cortex Code CLI. The cortex executable is installed in %LOCALAPPDATA%\cortex by default. The installation script adds the executable to your PATH.

Connect to Snowflake

After installing the Cortex Code CLI, issue the cortex command. A setup wizard guides you through the initial configuration steps, including choosing or setting up a connection to Snowflake.

The first prompt asks you to choose a connection from the existing connections in the ~/.snowflake/connections.toml file or to create a new connection.

  • To use an existing connection, choose the connection from the list using the up and down arrow keys, then press Enter.

  • To create a new connection, choose More options* by pressing the down arrow key until it is highlighted, then press Enter. Follow the prompts to enter your Snowflake account details.

Note

The connections.toml is also used by the Snowflake CLI (snow command). If you have already set up a connection for use with the Snowflake CLI, you can use that connection with the Cortex Code CLI.

Start using Cortex Code

Once connected, try your first request:

What can I do with Cortex Code?
Copy

Type natural-language requests (such as “find tables with PII tags” or “generate a Streamlit app for SALES_MART.REVENUE”) and Cortex Code attempts to fulfill the request by orchestrating Snowflake-native skills and any MCP tools you have configured. For more information on configuring MCP tools, see Model Context Protocol (MCP).

As it works on your request, Cortex Code CLI displays its reasoning steps and actions in the terminal. From time to time, it may ask you for information that it needs. If you’re in plan mode, it will ask you to confirm each action.

Example requests

Discover your catalog

What databases do I have access to?
List every table tagged PII = TRUE in ANALYTICS_DB
Show the lineage from RAW_DB.ORDERS to downstream dashboards
Copy

Generate and run SQL commands

Write a query for top 10 customers by revenue
Add a 7-day moving average and show me the results
Explain why this query is slow and optimize it
Copy

Build applications

Build a Streamlit dashboard on SALES_MART.REVENUE with filters for date and region
Create a dbt project to transform raw sales data
Copy

Work with Cortex Analyst

Use the @models/revenue.yaml semantic model to answer "What was revenue last month?"
Debug my semantic model at @models/revenue.yaml
Copy

Prerequisites

To use Cortex Code CLI, you need the following:

  • A Snowflake user account with the necessary permissions to access the data you intend to use with Cortex Code CLI and to perform operations on them. This user must also have the SNOWFLAKE.CORTEX_USER database role. (Initially, all users have the SNOWFLAKE.CORTEX_USER role through the PUBLIC role, but your organization may have explicitly revoked it to implement stricter access control.)

  • Network access to your Snowflake server.

  • Snowflake CLI installed on your workstation.

  • One of the following supported platforms:

    • macOS on Apple Silicon or Intel

    • Linux on Intel

    • Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) on Intel

    • Windows Native on Intel (in preview)

    Note

    Snowflake may add support for other platforms from time to time. Please let your Snowflake representative know if you have a specific platform requirement.

  • Local terminal access to the bash, zsh, or fish shell on your platform.

For additional configuration options, troubleshooting, and advanced setup, see Cortex Code CLI reference.

Supported platforms and models

Supported platforms

Cortex Code CLI currently supports the following platforms:

Platform

Architecture

macOS

arm64, x64

Linux

x64, arm64

Windows
WSL on x64/amd64
Native on x64 (in preview)

Note

Snowflake may add support for other platforms from time to time. Please contact your Snowflake representative if you have a specific platform requirement.

Supported models

Cortex Code CLI supports the following models. At least one of these models must be available to your account (for example, by being included in your account’s allowlist, CORTEX_MODELS_ALLOWLIST). See Control model access for more information.

Snowflake recommends specifying auto for the model. Cortex automatically selects the highest quality model available to your account. When a new, more capable, model becomes available, auto then refers to that model.

To choose a different model, use the /model command inside a Cortex Code CLI session.

Model

Identifier

Auto

auto

Claude Opus 4.6

claude-opus-4-6

Claude Sonnet 4.6

claude-sonnet-4-6

Claude Opus 4.5

claude-opus-4-5

Claude Sonnet 4.5

claude-sonnet-4-5

Claude Sonnet 4.0

claude-4-sonnet

Model quality and capability vary, so choose a model based on your requirements.

Cloud regions

If a model you want to use is not available in your region, you can use Cortex cross-region inference to access the model in another region where it is available. For more information about configuring cross-region inference, see Cross-region inference.

Cortex Code requires an ACCOUNTADMIN to configure CORTEX_ENABLED_CROSS_REGION to one of the following values.

The following table shows the models that are available for each cross-region inference setting:

Model
Cross-cloud
(Any region)
AWS US
(Cross-region)
AWS EU
(Cross-region)
AWS APJ
(Cross-region)
Azure US
(Cross-region)
Azure EU
(Cross-region)

claude-opus-4-6

✔

✔

✔

claude-sonnet-4-6

✔

✔

✔

claude-opus-4-5

✔

✔

✔

claude-sonnet-4-5

✔

✔

✔

claude-4-sonnet

✔

✔

✔

✔

* Indicates a preview model. Preview models are not suitable for production workloads.

To enable cross-region inference, an ACCOUNTADMIN must run:

ALTER ACCOUNT SET CORTEX_ENABLED_CROSS_REGION = 'AWS_US';
Copy

Replace AWS_US with the appropriate region identifier.

Important

Cross-region inference is required when the selected model is not available in your region. We recommend the following settings based on your needs:

  • AWS_US: Recommended for the best experience with Claude Opus 4.x models.

  • AWS_EU: Access Claude models from the EU.

  • AWS_APJ: Access Claude models from APJ (may be limited to Claude Sonnet 4.0).

  • ANY_REGION: Access all models (best-effort global routing).

Your organization can restrict model access, so you may not have access to all models. See Control model access for details.