Paubox CLI adds forms support: HIPAA compliant email and data collection in one tool

We extended the functionality of the Paubox CLI this week by adding support for Paubox Forms. 

See related: Send HIPAA compliant email from the terminal, or your agent: Introducing Paubox CLI

What's New: Forms Commands in the Paubox CLI 

The latest release of the Paubox CLI adds native support for Paubox Forms.

Developers and agents can now retrieve form metadata, submit responses, and verify delivery status directly from the command line.

This makes it straightforward to integrate HIPAA compliant data collection into any script or automated workflow.

Why Forms in the CLI?

Paubox Forms are powerful on their own, but browser-based form submission doesn't fit neatly into automated workflows.

The Paubox CLI changes that. Now you can trigger form submissions programmatically from a script, a cron job, or an AI agent, without breaking your HIPAA compliance posture.

Getting Started: Submit a Paubox Form from the Terminal

Submitting a Paubox Form from the CLI is straightforward. First, retrieve the form schema to see what fields are required. Then submit your response with a single command.

Step 1: Retrieve the form schema

Grab your form UUID from the Paubox Dashboard, then run:

paubox forms get <formId>

This returns the form title, field definitions, and required fields. This is what you need to structure your submission.

Step 2: Submit a response

paubox forms submit <formId> \   --data "first_name=Jane" \   --data "last_name=Doe" \   --data "email=jane@example.com"

Need to include a file?

Pass it as a base64-encoded attachment:

paubox forms submit <formId> \   --data "name=Jane" \   --attach /path/to/signed-consent.pdf

Combine Email and Forms in a Single Workflow

Power comes when you combine both primitives in one workflow.

Here's a simple example: a patient submits an intake form and a confirmation email goes out automatically. No web UI, no manual steps, and no compliance gaps.

#!/bin/bash

# Step 1: Submit the intake form
paubox forms submit <formId> \
  --data '{"first_name": "Sarah", "last_name": "Connor", "email": "sarah.connor@skynetcometh.com"}'

# Step 2: Send a HIPAA  compliant confirmation email
paubox send \
  --to sarah.connor@skynetcometh.com \
  --subject "We received your intake form" \
  --message "Hi Sarah, we received your intake form and will follow up shortly."

Both commands use the same Paubox credentials and the same compliance infrastructure. Chain them in a shell script, a CI pipeline, or an agent tool call.

The pattern is the same either way.

Use Cases: Where This Makes a Difference

Forms in the Paubox CLI unlocks a set of workflows that were previously too manual to scale.

A few that come up often in healthcare:

• Patient intake automation. Submit intake forms programmatically as part of an onboarding script, then send a confirmation email in the same workflow.
• Provider-to-provider data collection. Collect structured referral or handoff data via form submission without requiring a browser session.
• Scheduled or triggered submissions. Run form submissions from a cron job or event-driven pipeline when a condition is met in your EHR or scheduling system.
• AI agent workflows. Give an agent the ability to collect PHI via a structured form and follow up via secure email, all without leaving the HIPAA compliant infrastructure.

For AI Agents: Scripted HIPAA Compliance at Every Step

Most agent frameworks can invoke shell commands. What they can't do on their own is guarantee HIPAA compliance on the actions those commands perform. The Paubox CLI closes that gap.

Any agent that can run a shell command can now send HIPAA compliant email and submit HIPAA compliant forms. No additional integration work or compliance overhead.

What's Next for the Paubox CLI 

If you're using the Paubox CLI and have a workflow in mind that isn't supported yet, we want to hear about it.

Follow along on GitHub and let us know what you'd like to see next.