DoorDash Innovates with dd-cli for Command Line Online Orders

DoorDash Innovates with dd-cli for Command Line Orders

DoorDash has just launched a limited beta version of DoorDash CLI, a command-line tool for developers that allows users to order directly through their AI agent. According to the company, this tool can be used to search for stores, find deals, and place orders.

The new tool, called “dd-cli,” is accessible to macOS developers in the United States and Canada via a waitlist, Andy Fang, co-founder and CTO of DoorDash, stated in a post on X. DoorDash has been contacted for comments on this new feature.

The announcement is generating a lot of attention because, at first glance, it seems rather amusing. Command-line tools are typically associated with programming, not with ordering lunch. An AI agent executing commands to order your salad or sandwich may initially seem somewhat absurd.

However, the DoorDash CLI is no joke; it’s an example of what agent-based commerce could look like.

With this initiative, the company is exposing the DoorDash ordering platform to AI agents, allowing developers to add features to their own software and services. This means that instead of visiting the DoorDash app, developers could create their own tools to order food, groceries, or find local lunch deals, among other things, or use these capabilities as building blocks to combine with other tools.

DoorDash has also experimented with offering its service via iMessage and now has its own AI chatbot, “Ask DoorDash,” providing two examples of how agent-based commerce can function. The company is also exposing its service to AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT from OpenAI and Claude.

The company’s sign-up form to access the new CLI tool includes a field asking developers what they would like to build if admitted to the beta.

The launch has a humorous touch, as it recalls that old XKCD comic about programmers automating ridiculous tasks — like making a sandwich. In the comic, one programmer says “make me a sandwich,” and the other person replies, “What? Make it yourself,” to which the programmer responds “sudo make me a sandwich,” and the other person replies “OK.” (It’s programmer humor, alright?)

The video attached to the post on X plays on the angle of over-engineering, as it reads Slack, reminisces about memories, analyzes JSON, inspects menu structures, executes Python scripts, retrieves errors, and calculates totals, all just to do something as simple as ordering three salads. While the task is executing, the interface displays “Flibbertigibbeting,” making it all the more amusing.