diff --git a/app/api/util.ts b/app/api/util.ts
index 22f61843f3..69594e9b2a 100644
--- a/app/api/util.ts
+++ b/app/api/util.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ import type {
   VpcFirewallRuleUpdate,
 } from './__generated__/Api'
 
+export { snakeify } from './__generated__/util'
+
 // API limits encoded in https://github.com/oxidecomputer/omicron/blob/9dd23096de93c7d6d05ea21f6323de4410060652/nexus/src/app/mod.rs#L142
 
 // These are not actually used in app code, just the mock server. In the app we
diff --git a/app/components/AlertPayload.tsx b/app/components/AlertPayload.tsx
index be11cf33eb..797594505f 100644
--- a/app/components/AlertPayload.tsx
+++ b/app/components/AlertPayload.tsx
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ export function AlertPayload({ payload }: { payload: Record<string, unknown> })
         <CopyToClipboard text={stringified} ariaLabel="Copy alert payload" />
       </div>
       <div className="bg-raise border-secondary overflow-x-auto rounded border px-3 py-2">
-        <pre className="text-mono-code [font-size:13px]! [line-height:18px]!">
+        <pre className="text-mono-code">
           <HighlightJSON json={snakeJson} />
         </pre>
       </div>
diff --git a/app/components/CopyCode.tsx b/app/components/CopyCode.tsx
index 3f0da93486..0221b7d1f0 100644
--- a/app/components/CopyCode.tsx
+++ b/app/components/CopyCode.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { useState, type ReactNode } from 'react'
 import { Success12Icon } from '@oxide/design-system/icons/react'
 
 import { Button } from '~/ui/lib/Button'
+import { CopyToClipboard } from '~/ui/lib/CopyToClipboard'
 import { Modal } from '~/ui/lib/Modal'
 import { useTimeout } from '~/ui/lib/use-timeout'
 
@@ -114,3 +115,65 @@ export function EquivalentCliCommand({ project, instance }: EquivProps) {
     </>
   )
 }
+
+type CodeBlock = {
+  label: string
+  copyAriaLabel: string
+  /** Plain text that gets copied to the clipboard */
+  code: string
+  /** Optional rendered representation; falls back to `code` */
+  rendered?: ReactNode
+}
+
+type CliCommandModalProps = {
+  isOpen: boolean
+  onDismiss: () => void
+  title: string
+  description?: ReactNode
+  blocks: [CodeBlock, ...CodeBlock[]]
+  footer?: ReactNode
+}
+
+/**
+ * Modal that stacks one or more code blocks, each with its own copy-to-clipboard
+ * button.
+ */
+export function CliCommandModal({
+  isOpen,
+  onDismiss,
+  title,
+  description,
+  blocks,
+  footer,
+}: CliCommandModalProps) {
+  return (
+    <Modal isOpen={isOpen} onDismiss={onDismiss} title={title} width="free">
+      <Modal.Body>
+        {description && (
+          <Modal.Section>
+            <div className="text-sans-md text-secondary">{description}</div>
+          </Modal.Section>
+        )}
+        {blocks.map((block) => (
+          <Modal.Section key={block.label}>
+            <div className="flex items-center justify-between">
+              <div className="text-mono-sm text-secondary">{block.label}</div>
+              <CopyToClipboard ariaLabel={block.copyAriaLabel} text={block.code} />
+            </div>
+            <div className="bg-default light:bg-raise border-secondary max-h-80 overflow-auto rounded border px-3 py-2">
+              <pre className="text-mono-code">{block.rendered ?? block.code}</pre>
+            </div>
+          </Modal.Section>
+        ))}
+      </Modal.Body>
+      <Modal.Footer
+        onDismiss={onDismiss}
+        onAction={onDismiss}
+        actionText="Close"
+        showCancel={false}
+      >
+        {footer}
+      </Modal.Footer>
+    </Modal>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/app/forms/instance-create.tsx b/app/forms/instance-create.tsx
index b37ae653af..4926623241 100644
--- a/app/forms/instance-create.tsx
+++ b/app/forms/instance-create.tsx
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import {
   poolHasIpVersion,
   q,
   queryClient,
+  snakeify,
   useApiMutation,
   usePrefetchedQuery,
   type ExternalIpCreate,
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ import {
   Storage16Icon,
 } from '@oxide/design-system/icons/react'
 
+import { CliCommandModal } from '~/components/CopyCode'
 import { DocsPopover } from '~/components/DocsPopover'
 import { CheckboxField } from '~/components/form/fields/CheckboxField'
 import { ComboboxField } from '~/components/form/fields/ComboboxField'
@@ -63,6 +65,7 @@ import { RadioFieldDyn } from '~/components/form/fields/RadioField'
 import { SshKeysField } from '~/components/form/fields/SshKeysField'
 import { Form } from '~/components/form/Form'
 import { FullPageForm } from '~/components/form/FullPageForm'
+import { HighlightJSON } from '~/components/HighlightJSON'
 import { HL } from '~/components/HL'
 import { toPoolItem } from '~/components/PoolListboxItem'
 import { getProjectSelector, useProjectSelector } from '~/hooks/use-params'
@@ -71,6 +74,7 @@ import { Button } from '~/ui/lib/Button'
 import { toComboboxItems } from '~/ui/lib/Combobox'
 import { FormDivider } from '~/ui/lib/Divider'
 import { EmptyMessage } from '~/ui/lib/EmptyMessage'
+import { InlineCode } from '~/ui/lib/InlineCode'
 import { ItemLabel } from '~/ui/lib/ItemLabel'
 import { Listbox } from '~/ui/lib/Listbox'
 import { Message } from '~/ui/lib/Message'
@@ -128,6 +132,62 @@ const getBootDiskAttachment = (
   }
 }
 
+const buildInstanceCreateBody = (
+  values: InstanceCreateInput,
+  images: Array<Image>,
+  userData: string | undefined
+): InstanceCreate => {
+  // we should never have a presetId that's not in the list
+  const preset = PRESETS.find((option) => option.id === values.presetId)!
+  const { memory, ncpus } =
+    values.presetId === 'custom'
+      ? { memory: values.memory, ncpus: values.ncpus }
+      : { memory: preset.memory, ncpus: preset.ncpus }
+
+  const externalIps: ExternalIpCreate[] = []
+  if (values.ephemeralIpv4) {
+    externalIps.push({
+      type: 'ephemeral',
+      poolSelector: { type: 'explicit', pool: values.ephemeralIpv4Pool },
+    })
+  }
+  if (values.ephemeralIpv6) {
+    externalIps.push({
+      type: 'ephemeral',
+      poolSelector: { type: 'explicit', pool: values.ephemeralIpv6Pool },
+    })
+  }
+  for (const floatingIp of values.floatingIps) {
+    externalIps.push({ type: 'floating', floatingIp })
+  }
+
+  return {
+    name: values.name,
+    hostname: values.name,
+    description: values.description,
+    memory: memory * GiB,
+    ncpus,
+    disks: values.otherDisks.map(
+      (d): InstanceDiskAttachment =>
+        d.action === 'attach'
+          ? { type: 'attach', name: d.name }
+          : {
+              type: 'create',
+              name: d.name,
+              description: d.description,
+              size: d.size,
+              diskBackend: d.diskBackend,
+            }
+    ),
+    bootDisk: getBootDiskAttachment(values, images),
+    externalIps,
+    start: values.start,
+    networkInterfaces: values.networkInterfaces,
+    sshPublicKeys: values.sshPublicKeys,
+    userData,
+  }
+}
+
 type BootDiskSourceType = 'siloImage' | 'projectImage' | 'disk'
 
 export type InstanceCreateInput = Assign<
@@ -534,6 +594,34 @@ export default function CreateInstanceForm() {
 
   const bootDiskName = useWatch({ control, name: 'bootDiskName' })
 
+  const [cliModal, setCliModal] = useState<{
+    open: boolean
+    body: InstanceCreate | null
+    command: string
+  }>({ open: false, body: null, command: '' })
+
+  // snakeify only at the display boundary so state keeps the typed body.
+  // memoized because HighlightJSON's memo needs a stable object identity
+  const snakeBody = useMemo(() => snakeify(cliModal.body), [cliModal.body])
+
+  const openCliModal = form.handleSubmit((values) => {
+    // surface validation errors inline before opening the preview, so the
+    // generated JSON reflects a valid configuration
+
+    // userData is a File; the CLI consumes the raw base64. Show a placeholder
+    // string instead of synchronously reading the file.
+    const userDataPlaceholder = values.userData
+      ? '<base64-encoded contents of user data file>'
+      : undefined
+    const body = buildInstanceCreateBody(values, allImages, userDataPlaceholder)
+    const command = [
+      'oxide instance create',
+      `--project ${project}`,
+      '--json-body instance.json',
+    ].join(' \\\n    ')
+    setCliModal({ open: true, body, command })
+  })
+
   return (
     <>
       <PageHeader>
@@ -551,63 +639,12 @@ export default function CreateInstanceForm() {
         form={form}
         onSubmit={async (values) => {
           setIsSubmitting(true)
-          // we should never have a presetId that's not in the list
-          const preset = PRESETS.find((option) => option.id === values.presetId)!
-          const instance =
-            values.presetId === 'custom'
-              ? { memory: values.memory, ncpus: values.ncpus }
-              : { memory: preset.memory, ncpus: preset.ncpus }
-
-          const bootDisk = getBootDiskAttachment(values, allImages)
-
-          const externalIps: ExternalIpCreate[] = []
-          if (values.ephemeralIpv4) {
-            externalIps.push({
-              type: 'ephemeral',
-              poolSelector: { type: 'explicit', pool: values.ephemeralIpv4Pool },
-            })
-          }
-          if (values.ephemeralIpv6) {
-            externalIps.push({
-              type: 'ephemeral',
-              poolSelector: { type: 'explicit', pool: values.ephemeralIpv6Pool },
-            })
-          }
-          for (const floatingIp of values.floatingIps) {
-            externalIps.push({ type: 'floating', floatingIp })
-          }
-
           const userData = values.userData
             ? await readBlobAsBase64(values.userData)
             : undefined
-
           await createInstance.mutateAsync({
             query: { project },
-            body: {
-              name: values.name,
-              hostname: values.name,
-              description: values.description,
-              memory: instance.memory * GiB,
-              ncpus: instance.ncpus,
-              disks: values.otherDisks.map(
-                (d): InstanceDiskAttachment =>
-                  d.action === 'attach'
-                    ? { type: 'attach', name: d.name }
-                    : {
-                        type: 'create',
-                        name: d.name,
-                        description: d.description,
-                        size: d.size,
-                        diskBackend: d.diskBackend,
-                      }
-              ),
-              bootDisk,
-              externalIps,
-              start: values.start,
-              networkInterfaces: values.networkInterfaces,
-              sshPublicKeys: values.sshPublicKeys,
-              userData,
-            },
+            body: buildInstanceCreateBody(values, allImages, userData),
           })
         }}
         loading={createInstance.isPending || createInstance.isSuccess}
@@ -844,8 +881,47 @@ export default function CreateInstanceForm() {
             Create instance
           </Form.Submit>
           <Form.Cancel onClick={() => navigate(pb.instances({ project }))} />
+          <Button
+            variant="secondary"
+            size="sm"
+            disabled={allImages.length === 0}
+            disabledReason="Image required"
+            onClick={openCliModal}
+          >
+            CLI Command
+          </Button>
         </Form.Actions>
       </FullPageForm>
+      <CliCommandModal
+        isOpen={cliModal.open}
+        onDismiss={() => setCliModal((s) => ({ ...s, open: false }))}
+        title="CLI command"
+        description={
+          <>
+            Save the JSON below as <InlineCode>instance.json</InlineCode>, then run the
+            command in the same directory to create this instance from the CLI.
+          </>
+        }
+        blocks={[
+          {
+            label: 'instance.json',
+            copyAriaLabel: 'Copy instance JSON',
+            code: JSON.stringify(snakeBody, null, 2),
+            rendered: <HighlightJSON json={snakeBody} />,
+          },
+          {
+            label: 'command',
+            copyAriaLabel: 'Copy CLI command',
+            code: cliModal.command,
+            rendered: (
+              <>
+                <span className="text-tertiary mr-2 select-none">$</span>
+                {cliModal.command}
+              </>
+            ),
+          },
+        ]}
+      />
     </>
   )
 }
diff --git a/app/pages/system/AuditLog.tsx b/app/pages/system/AuditLog.tsx
index 9ba5e3c21f..bf9b763585 100644
--- a/app/pages/system/AuditLog.tsx
+++ b/app/pages/system/AuditLog.tsx
@@ -800,7 +800,7 @@ const ExpandedItem = ({
           <CopyToClipboard text={json} />
         </div>
         <div className="bg-raise border-secondary overflow-x-auto rounded border px-3 py-2">
-          <pre className="text-mono-code ![font-size:13px] ![line-height:18px]">
+          <pre className="text-mono-code">
             <HighlightJSON json={snakeJson} />
           </pre>
         </div>