Docs and Resources for Calling the Tesla API Directly

When building your own Tesla app, TeslaMate can't tell you "how to send commands to the car": it only reads data and starts/stops its own logging. To trigger commands such as unlock, climate on, or honk, or to get fields TeslaMate doesn't expose, you have to call the Tesla API directly. Below are all the legitimate sources of Tesla API documentation, each labeled with "what you get / when to use it".

0. The Bottom Line (Read This Table First)

1. Official APIs (Most Authoritative, but Spread Across Three Places)

1.1 Tesla Developer Portal (Registration + Main Docs Entry)

• URL: https://developer.tesla.com
• Sign up for a Tesla account, go to "Apps" and create a third-party application. You get:
  • client_id / client_secret
  • A "tagged" application that can request Fleet API / Telemetry permissions
• Docs center (full content requires login): https://developer.tesla.com/docs
  • Fleet API: https://developer.tesla.com/docs/fleet-api
    • Covers OAuth, commands, vehicle data, and the list of vehicle_data endpoints
  • Fleet Telemetry: https://developer.tesla.com/docs/fleet-telemetry
    • PubSub model, at most once per minute (not per second!)
  • Vehicle Command Protocol: https://developer.tesla.com/docs/vehicle-command/vehicle-command
    • Describes the underlying mTLS + HTTP protocol for commands (Fleet API commands ultimately go through this)
• Membership Levels / Rate Limits: https://developer.tesla.com/docs/fleet-api#membership-levels
  • Key point: the free tier limits how often you can poll vehicle_data (usually once every few hours); exceed it and you're throttled to once every 24h

1.2 OAuth 2.0 Login Endpoints (Auth)

Taken from TeslaMate's source lib/tesla_api/auth.ex. The official docs are very vague about this, so here it is in one place:

OAuth flow:

1. Browser login (PKCE code flow): https://auth.tesla.com/oauth2/v3/authorize?...
2. Get the code from the callback, then POST to /oauth2/v3/token to exchange it for an access_token + refresh_token
3. access_token lasts about 8 hours; refresh_token lasts about 3 months
4. Before expiry, proactively POST the refresh_token to /oauth2/v3/token to renew

Note: Tesla started pushing the Fleet API in 2023, and the old Owner API client (ownerapi) is no longer available for new app registrations. But apps that already have tokens (including TeslaMate) can keep using it, which is why TeslaMate supports both modes (see lib/tesla_api/middleware/fleet_auth.ex).

1.3 Official API Domains (by Region)

From TeslaMate lib/tesla_api/auth.ex + lib/tesla_api/vehicle.ex:

How it decides: decode the access_token JWT and look at the TLD of iss (issuer). If it's cn, it's China; otherwise global.

2. Owner Streaming (Per-Second Data over WebSocket, Most Worth Using)

Tesla's official docs don't fully cover this part, but TeslaMate has used it reliably via reverse engineering for 5+ years. It's the key to building a "real-time display" app.

2.1 WebSocket Endpoint

wss://streaming.vn.teslamotors.com/streaming/

2.2 Protocol (from TeslaMate lib/tesla_api/stream.ex, confirmed working)

Right after connecting, send a subscribe message frame (JSON):

{
  "msg_type": "data:subscribe_oauth",
  "token": "<access_token>",
  "value": "speed,odometer,soc,elevation,est_heading,est_lat,est_lng,power,shift_state,range,est_range,heading",
  "tag": "<vehicle_id>"
}

Subscribed columns (12 fields, fixed order):

Watch the units: streaming returns imperial (mph/mi), while the Owner API's vehicle_data is metric (km/h/km). Both line up; just multiply by 0.621371 / 1.60934 yourself.

Receiving data: each frame looks like data: <csv>, with columns in the same order as the subscription string, for example:

data: 45,12345.6,82,120,180,37.7749,-122.4194,-12,P,250,238,180

TeslaMate parsing example (lib/tesla_api/stream.ex decode_frame!/1):

Enum.zip([:time | @columns], String.split(value, ","))
|> Enum.into(%Map{})

2.3 Unsubscribe + Heartbeat

• Unsubscribe: {"msg_type": "data:unsubscribe", "tag": "<vid>"}
• Heartbeat: the server's control:hello frame carries connection_timeout (seconds); the client must do something before then (or it gets disconnected)
• Error frames: data:error, with error_type ∈ vehicle_disconnected / vehicle_error / client_error

2.4 Trade-offs vs. Fleet Telemetry

→ For a mobile app or personal project, Owner Streaming is the first choice. Fleet Telemetry suits "company-level / multi-vehicle monitoring".

3. Owner API Command Endpoints (Unlock, Climate, etc.)

Tesla official: the "Commands" section of the Fleet API docs (https://developer.tesla.com/docs/fleet-api#commands) requires Fleet API registration + the Vehicle Command Protocol (mTLS + private-key signing).

Owner API (the unofficial interface TeslaMate uses): the command endpoints have no official documentation; the community reverse-engineered them from the Tesla app over the years.

3.1 Owner API Command Endpoints (Community Consensus)

Tesla hasn't formally documented these endpoints and could change them at any time. But they still work today (2026).

POST /api/1/vehicles/{id}/command/{command_name}

Common commands (from the community tesla-api Python library outside TeslaMate, plus consensus across many GitHub issues):

⚠️ Warning: these endpoints have no SLA. Tesla may change, remove, or rate-limit them at any time. Use the Fleet API command interface in production.

3.2 Fleet API Commands (Official but Complex)

Goes through the Vehicle Command Protocol:

1. Generate an ECDSA P-256 key pair and keep the private key yourself
2. Bind the public key to your app in the Tesla Developer Portal
3. The owner gets a "Pairing Request" in the Tesla app; approving it produces a signed "vehicle command authorization"
4. After that, each command = an HTTP POST to https://fleet-api.prd.<region>.vn.cloud.tesla.com/api/1/vehicles/{id}/command/<cmd>, with the HTTP body containing a JWT message signed with your private key

Full spec: https://developer.tesla.com/docs/vehicle-command/vehicle-command Reference implementation: https://github.com/teslamotors/vehicle-command

4. Third-Party Proxies (The Easiest Option)

If you don't want to handle OAuth + command signing + public callbacks yourself, third parties have already done it:

4.1 MyTeslaMate (Free, Closest to TeslaMate Style)

• Website: https://www.myteslamate.com
• Sign up to get a TOKEN, then call https://api.myteslamate.com/... directly
• It also repackages Fleet Telemetry as an Owner-style WebSocket (project: https://github.com/MyTeslaMate/websocket)
• Pros: free, simple API, compatible with TeslaMate
• Cons: depends on a third-party service staying up, and someone else can see your data

4.2 Teslemetry (Paid)

• Website: https://teslemetry.com
• Usage-based pricing (vehicle_data is pay-per-call)
• Provides its own Fleet API endpoint + its own streaming
• ⚠️ Important: Teslemetry's streaming is not compatible with TeslaMate; if you use it, you must turn off TeslaMate's own streaming (see website/docs/configuration/api.md)

5. The "Reverse-Engineering Evidence" in the TeslaMate Repo

This is the most important hidden resource. TeslaMate puts every Tesla API call in lib/tesla_api/, so the whole directory is effectively reverse-engineered documentation.

5.1 Complete File Index

5.2 Key State Fields

lib/tesla_api/vehicle/state.ex defines five modules: Charge / Climate / Drive / VehicleConfig / VehicleState. Each module is a field table, matching the fields returned by the Owner API's /vehicle_data one-to-one.

For example, VehicleState.result/1 includes:

• api_version, autopark_state_v2, autopark_style, calendar_supported, car_version, car_type, center_display_state, dark_rims, df/dr/pf/pr (door states), driven_enforced, exterior_color, fd_window/fp_window/rd_window/rp_window (windows), ft/rt (front/rear trunk), homelink_device_count, homelink_enabled, is_user_present, last_autopark_error, locked, media_state, notifications_supported, odometer, parsed_calendar_supported, perf_config, pin_to_drive_enabled, rt/ft, seat_heater_left/right, sentry_mode, service_mode, spoiler_type, sun_roof_installed, sun_roof_state, sun_roof_percent_open, third_row_seats, time_to_full_charge, tpms_pressure_fl/fr/rl/rr, tpms_soft_warning_*, valet_mode, vehicle_name, wheel_type, software_update.{status,version,download_perc,install_perc,...}…

→ Treat this file as the source of truth for the full field list. One file is worth ten blog posts.

5.3 URL / Path Cheat Sheet

Source: TeslaMate lib/tesla_api/vehicle.ex, cross-checked with the official docs:

6. Community Ecosystem (Where to Catch the Latest Changes)

7. Practical Advice for Building Your Own App

7.1 Minimum Viable Setup (Personal Toy Project)

# 1. Register: https://developer.tesla.com → create an app and note the client_id
# 2. Log in with the PKCE flow (the timdorr/tesla-api docs have diagrams)
# 3. Call with the access_token:

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
     "https://owner-api.teslamotors.com/api/1/vehicles"
# → list vehicles

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
     "https://owner-api.teslamotors.com/api/1/vehicles/$ID/data_request/charge_state"
# → battery state (lowest-frequency API, looser rate limits)

# 4. Connect the WebSocket:
wscat -c wss://streaming.vn.teslamotors.com/streaming/
# send: {"msg_type":"data:subscribe_oauth","token":"...","value":"speed,soc,est_lat,est_lng","tag":"$VID"}
# receive: data: 0,12345.6,82,...,...

7.2 Choosing an Approach for a Production App

7.3 Legal / Risk Red Lines You Must Know

• Tesla does not officially support third-party apps calling the Owner API (it's reverse-engineered), so in theory your token could stop working at any time.
• Don't use a Tesla account for automated marketing or scraping all users' data.
• Don't bypass command signing (the Vehicle Command Protocol exists to prevent hijacking).
• The Fleet API has explicit Terms of Service; read them carefully when you register.
• High-frequency streaming will hit 429 (rate limiting). TeslaMate uses exponential backoff internally (see exp_backoff_ms/2 in lib/tesla_api/stream.ex), and your own app must do this too.

8. Cheat Sheet: URLs / Endpoints / Libraries (Paste into Your Notes)

─────────────────────────────────────────────
OAuth / Auth
  https://auth.tesla.com/oauth2/v3/authorize  (PKCE flow)
  https://auth.tesla.com/oauth2/v3/token      (token / refresh)
  client_id (Owner API, old):  ownerapi
  client_id (Fleet API, new):  <your-app-client-id>
  scopes: openid email offline_access vehicle_device_data vehicle_cmds vehicle_charging_cmds vehicle_location

─────────────────────────────────────────────
Owner / Fleet REST API hosts
  Global:  https://owner-api.teslamotors.com
  China:   https://owner-api.vn.cloud.tesla.cn
  Fleet NA: https://fleet-api.prd.na.vn.cloud.tesla.com
  Fleet EU: https://fleet-api.prd.eu.vn.cloud.tesla.com
  Fleet CN: https://fleet-api.prd.cn.vn.cloud.tesla.cn

─────────────────────────────────────────────
Read endpoints (Owner style)
  GET /api/1/products
  GET /api/1/vehicles
  GET /api/1/vehicles/{id}
  GET /api/1/vehicles/{id}/vehicle_data?endpoints=charge_state;...;vehicle_state
  GET /api/1/vehicles/{id}/data_request/{charge_state,climate_state,drive_state,vehicle_state,gui_settings,location_data,vehicle_config,closures_state,nearby_sites,...}

─────────────────────────────────────────────
Command endpoints (Owner style, undocumented, may break)
  POST /api/1/vehicles/{id}/command/{wake_up,lock,unlock,honk_horn,flash_lights,
       climate_start,climate_stop,set_temps,set_preconditioning_max,
       auto_conditioning_start,auto_conditioning_stop,
       charge_start,charge_stop,set_charge_limit,set_charging_amp,
       charge_port_door_open,charge_port_door_close,
       actuate_trunk,remote_start_drive,
       media_toggle_playback,media_next_track,media_prev_track,
       media_volume_up,media_volume_down,
       trigger_homelink,set_sentry_mode,set_valet_mode,reset_valet_pin,
       speed_limit_set_limit,speed_limit_activate,speed_limit_deactivate,
       schedule_software_update,cancel_software_update,
       share,add_favorite,remove_favorite,enable_calendar_sync}

─────────────────────────────────────────────
Streaming (Owner style, seconds-level)
  wss://streaming.vn.teslamotors.com/streaming/
  Send: {"msg_type":"data:subscribe_oauth","token":"<access_token>",
         "value":"speed,odometer,soc,elevation,est_heading,est_lat,est_lng,
                  power,shift_state,range,est_range,heading",
         "tag":"<vehicle_id>"}
  Recv: data: <csv with 12 values in same order, prefixed by timestamp>

─────────────────────────────────────────────
Telemetry (Fleet style, minutes-level)
  https://developer.tesla.com/docs/fleet-telemetry
  → GCP PubSub → your webhook → your app
─────────────────────────────────────────────

9. Reference Source Locations (Summary)