Openfda — Printing Press CLI

Prerequisites: Install the CLI

This skill drives the

openfda-pp-cli

binary. You must verify the CLI is installed before invoking any command from this skill. If it is missing, install it first:

Install via the Printing Press installer:

bash

npx -y @mvanhorn/printing-press-library install openfda --cli-only

Verify:
```
openfda-pp-cli --version
```
Ensure
```
$GOPATH/bin
```
(or
```
$HOME/go/bin
```
) is on
```
$PATH
```
.

If the

npx

install fails (no Node, offline, etc.), fall back to a direct Go install (requires Go 1.26.3 or newer):

bash

go install github.com/mvanhorn/printing-press-library/library/developer-tools/openfda/cmd/openfda-pp-cli@latest

--version

reports "command not found" after install, the install step did not put the binary on

$PATH

. Do not proceed with skill commands until verification succeeds.

When Not to Use This CLI

Do not activate this CLI for requests that require creating, updating, deleting, publishing, commenting, upvoting, inviting, ordering, sending messages, booking, purchasing, or changing remote state. This printed CLI exposes read-only commands for inspection, export, sync, and analysis.

Command Reference

animal-events — Animal drug and device adverse event reports.

```
openfda-pp-cli animal-events
```
— Search animal adverse event reports

device-510k — Premarket notification submissions demonstrating substantial equivalence.

```
openfda-pp-cli device-510k
```
— Search 510(k) clearance records

device-classification — Medical device product codes, specialty areas, and regulatory class.

```
openfda-pp-cli device-classification
```
— Search device classifications

device-covid19 — COVID-19 serological testing evaluation data.

```
openfda-pp-cli device-covid19
```
— Search COVID-19 serology test evaluations

device-events — Medical device adverse event reports (MAUDE/MDR) — injuries, deaths, malfunctions.

```
openfda-pp-cli device-events count
```
— Count device events by field
```
openfda-pp-cli device-events list
```
— Search device adverse event reports

device-pma — Class III medical device premarket approval decisions.

```
openfda-pp-cli device-pma
```
— Search premarket approval records

device-recall-detail — Detailed device recall actions addressing defects or health risks.

```
openfda-pp-cli device-recall-detail
```
— Search device recall action details

device-recalls — Medical device recall enforcement reports.

```
openfda-pp-cli device-recalls
```
— Search device recall enforcement reports

device-registration — Medical device manufacturing establishment registrations and product listings.

```
openfda-pp-cli device-registration
```
— Search device registrations and listings

device-udi — Global Unique Device Identification Database (GUDID).

```
openfda-pp-cli device-udi
```
— Search unique device identifiers

drug-approvals — FDA-approved drug products since 1939 — applications, submissions, and marketing status.

```
openfda-pp-cli drug-approvals
```
— Search approved drug products

drug-events — Reports of drug side effects, medication errors, product quality problems (FAERS). 4.9M+ reports since 2003.

```
openfda-pp-cli drug-events count
```
— Count adverse events by field
```
openfda-pp-cli drug-events list
```
— Search drug adverse event reports

drug-labels — Structured product information including prescribing info, black box warnings, indications.

```
openfda-pp-cli drug-labels
```
— Search drug product labels

drug-ndc — National Drug Code directory — product identifiers, packaging, and classification.

```
openfda-pp-cli drug-ndc
```
— Search NDC directory

drug-recalls — Drug product recall enforcement reports.

```
openfda-pp-cli drug-recalls count
```
— Count drug recalls by field
```
openfda-pp-cli drug-recalls list
```
— Search drug recall enforcement reports

drug-shortages — Current and historical drug shortages from manufacturing issues, delays, and discontinuations.

```
openfda-pp-cli drug-shortages
```
— Search drug shortages

food-events — CAERS reports — food, dietary supplement, and cosmetic adverse events.

```
openfda-pp-cli food-events
```
— Search food/supplement adverse event reports

food-recalls — Food product recall enforcement reports.

```
openfda-pp-cli food-recalls count
```
— Count food recalls by field
```
openfda-pp-cli food-recalls list
```
— Search food recall enforcement reports

nsde — Non-Standardized Drug Entities — drug names that don't map to standard terminology.

```
openfda-pp-cli nsde
```
— Search non-standardized drug entities

substance — Substance data from the FDA substance registration system.

```
openfda-pp-cli substance
```
— Search substance records

tobacco-problems — Tobacco product problem reports.

```
openfda-pp-cli tobacco-problems
```
— Search tobacco problem reports

Finding the right command

When you know what you want to do but not which command does it, ask the CLI directly:

bash

openfda-pp-cli which "<capability in your own words>"

which

resolves a natural-language capability query to the best matching command from this CLI's curated feature index. Exit code

means at least one match; exit code

means no confident match — fall back to

--help

or use a narrower query.

Auth Setup

Set your API key via environment variable:

bash

export FDA_API_KEY="<your-key>"

Or persist it in ``.

Run

openfda-pp-cli doctor

to verify setup.

Agent Mode

Add

--agent

to any command. Expands to:

--json --compact --no-input --no-color --yes

Pipeable — JSON on stdout, errors on stderr
Filterable —
```
--select
```
keeps a subset of fields. Dotted paths descend into nested structures; arrays traverse element-wise. Critical for keeping context small on verbose APIs:
bash
```
openfda-pp-cli animal-events --agent --select id,name,status
```
Previewable —
```
--dry-run
```
shows the request without sending
Offline-friendly — sync/search commands can use the local SQLite store when available
Non-interactive — never prompts, every input is a flag
Read-only — do not use this CLI for create, update, delete, publish, comment, upvote, invite, order, send, or other mutating requests

Response envelope

Commands that read from the local store or the API wrap output in a provenance envelope:

json

{
  "meta": {"source": "live" | "local", "synced_at": "...", "reason": "..."},
  "results": <data>
}

Parse

.results

for data and

.meta.source

to know whether it's live or local. A human-readable

N results (live)

summary is printed to stderr only when stdout is a terminal — piped/agent consumers get pure JSON on stdout.

Agent Feedback

When you (or the agent) notice something off about this CLI, record it:

openfda-pp-cli feedback "the --since flag is inclusive but docs say exclusive"
openfda-pp-cli feedback --stdin < notes.txt
openfda-pp-cli feedback list --json --limit 10

Entries are stored locally at

~/.openfda-pp-cli/feedback.jsonl

. They are never POSTed unless

OPENFDA_FEEDBACK_ENDPOINT

is set AND either

--send

is passed or

OPENFDA_FEEDBACK_AUTO_SEND=true

. Default behavior is local-only.

Write what surprised you, not a bug report. Short, specific, one line: that is the part that compounds.

Output Delivery

Every command accepts

--deliver <sink>

. The output goes to the named sink in addition to (or instead of) stdout, so agents can route command results without hand-piping. Three sinks are supported:

Sink	Effect
`stdout`	Default; write to stdout only
`file:<path>`	Atomically write output to `<path>` (tmp + rename)
`webhook:<url>`	POST the output body to the URL ( `application/json` or `application/x-ndjson` when `--compact` )

Unknown schemes are refused with a structured error naming the supported set. Webhook failures return non-zero and log the URL + HTTP status on stderr.

Named Profiles

A profile is a saved set of flag values, reused across invocations. Use it when a scheduled agent calls the same command every run with the same configuration - HeyGen's "Beacon" pattern.

openfda-pp-cli profile save briefing --json
openfda-pp-cli --profile briefing animal-events
openfda-pp-cli profile list --json
openfda-pp-cli profile show briefing
openfda-pp-cli profile delete briefing --yes

Explicit flags always win over profile values; profile values win over defaults.

agent-context

lists all available profiles under

available_profiles

so introspecting agents discover them at runtime.

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
2	Usage error (wrong arguments)
3	Resource not found
4	Authentication required
5	API error (upstream issue)
7	Rate limited (wait and retry)
10	Config error

Argument Parsing

Parse

$ARGUMENTS

Empty,
help
, or
--help
→ show
```
openfda-pp-cli --help
```
output
Starts with
install
→ ends with
```
mcp
```
→ MCP installation; otherwise → see Prerequisites above
Anything else → Direct Use (execute as CLI command with
```
--agent
```
)

MCP Server Installation

Install the MCP binary from this CLI's published public-library entry or pre-built release, then register it:

bash

claude mcp add openfda-pp-mcp -- openfda-pp-mcp

Verify:

claude mcp list

Direct Use

Check if installed:
```
which openfda-pp-cli
```
If not found, offer to install (see Prerequisites at the top of this skill).
Match the user query to the best command from the Unique Capabilities and Command Reference above.

Execute with the

--agent

flag:

bash

openfda-pp-cli <command> [subcommand] [args] --agent

If ambiguous, drill into subcommand help:
```
openfda-pp-cli <command> --help
```
.

pp-openfda

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Openfda — Printing Press CLI

Prerequisites: Install the CLI

When Not to Use This CLI

Command Reference

Finding the right command

Auth Setup

Agent Mode

Response envelope

Agent Feedback

Output Delivery

Named Profiles

Exit Codes

Argument Parsing

MCP Server Installation

Direct Use