Upload a Dataset

You can upload datasets with images and/or annotations using the Roboflow CLI.

We have prepared a video that walks through how to upload a dataset:

Upload a Directory

Use roboflow image upload with a directory path to bulk-upload a dataset:

roboflow image upload /path/to/dataset/folder -p PROJECT_ID

Or use the shorthand alias:

roboflow upload /path/to/dataset/folder -p PROJECT_ID

The CLI auto-detects whether the path is a file or directory — a directory triggers a bulk import with parallel uploads.

Options

Flag	Description
-p, --project	Project ID (required)
-c, --concurrency	Number of parallel uploads (default: 10)
-b, --batch	Batch name for grouping uploads
-r, --retries	Retry failed uploads N times (default: 0)

Example with options:

roboflow upload ./my-dataset -p my-project -c 20 -b "april-batch" -r 3

Upload a Single Image

To upload a single image:

roboflow image upload photo.jpg -p PROJECT_ID

Options for Single Image Upload

Flag	Description
-p, --project	Project ID (required)
-a, --annotation	Path to annotation file
-m, --labelmap	Path to labelmap file
-s, --split	Split set: train, valid, or test (default: train)
-t, --tag	Comma-separated tag names
-M, --metadata	JSON string of metadata
--is-prediction	Mark upload as a prediction
-b, --batch	Batch name

Examples

Upload with an annotation:

roboflow upload photo.jpg -p my-project -a annotation.xml -s valid

Upload with tags and metadata:

roboflow upload photo.jpg -p my-project -t "outdoor,daytime" -M '{"camera_id":"cam001"}'

Supported Project Types

You can upload data for the following project types:

• Object Detection

• Single-Label Classification

• Multi-Label Classification

• Instance Segmentation

• Semantic Segmentation

• Keypoint Detection

Supported data.yaml Formats

The CLI supports both list-style and key-value pair formatted class name mappings in data.yaml files during dataset uploads:

nc: 3
names: ['Paper', 'Rock', 'Scissors']

OR

nc: 3
names:
  0: Paper
  1: Rock
  2: Scissors

JSON Output

For automation, use --json:

roboflow upload photo.jpg -p my-project --json

{"status": "uploaded", "path": "photo.jpg", "project": "my-project"}