# get-role

> Retrieve details about a specific role using the Unkey CLI including its name, description, and list of assigned permissions for RBAC review.

Retrieve details about a specific role including its assigned permissions.

Use this to verify role configuration, check which permissions are currently assigned, or retrieve metadata for access review. Accepts either a role ID (starting with `role_`) or a role name.

**Required permissions:**
- `rbac.*.read_role` (to read roles in any workspace)

<Note>
See the [API reference](/api-reference/permissions/get-role) for the full HTTP endpoint documentation.
</Note>

## Usage

```bash
unkey api permissions get-role [flags]
```

## Flags

<ParamField body="--role" type="string" required>
Role ID (starting with `role_`) or role name to retrieve. Must be 1-128 characters. Returns complete role information including all assigned permissions.
</ParamField>

## Global Flags

| Flag | Type | Description |
|------|------|-------------|
| `--root-key` | string | Override root key (`$UNKEY_ROOT_KEY`) |
| `--api-url` | string | Override API base URL (default: `https://api.unkey.com`) |
| `--config` | string | Path to config file (default: `~/.unkey/config.toml`) |
| `--output` | string | Output format. Use `json` for raw JSON |
| `--body` | string | Send this JSON string as the request body. You cannot combine it with request-building flags. |

## Examples

<CodeGroup>
```bash By role ID
unkey api permissions get-role --role=role_1234567890abcdef
```
```bash By role name
unkey api permissions get-role --role=my-role-name
```
```bash JSON output for scripting
unkey api permissions get-role --role=role_1234567890abcdef --output=json
```
```bash Extract permissions from a role
unkey api permissions get-role --role=support.readonly --output=json | jq '.data.permissions[].name'
```
</CodeGroup>

## Output

Default output shows the request ID, followed by the role details:

```text
req_2c9a0jf23l4k567

{
  "id": "role_1234567890abcdef",
  "name": "support.readonly",
  "description": "Provides read-only access for customer support representatives",
  "permissions": [
    {
      "id": "perm_abc123",
      "name": "tickets.read"
    }
  ]
}
```

With `--output=json`, the full response envelope is returned:

```json
{
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_2c9a0jf23l4k567"
  },
  "data": {
    "id": "role_1234567890abcdef",
    "name": "support.readonly",
    "description": "Provides read-only access for customer support representatives",
    "permissions": [
      {
        "id": "perm_abc123",
        "name": "tickets.read"
      }
    ]
  }
}
```