> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/bitwarden/clients/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# CLI Overview

> Command-line interface for Bitwarden vault management

The Bitwarden CLI is a powerful, full-featured command-line interface tool to access and manage a Bitwarden vault. Built with TypeScript and Node.js, the CLI runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux distributions.

## Use Cases

The CLI is designed for:

* **DevOps and CI/CD**: Integrate vault access into automated workflows and deployment pipelines
* **Scripting**: Automate password management and secret retrieval in scripts
* **Server Management**: Access credentials on headless servers and remote systems
* **Power Users**: Manage vault items efficiently from the terminal
* **API Mode**: Run as a RESTful API server for programmatic access

## Installation

### NPM

If you have Node.js installed, NPM is the recommended installation method:

```bash theme={null}
npm install -g @bitwarden/cli
```

Verify installation:

```bash theme={null}
bw --version
# 2026.2.0
```

### Native Executables

Natively packaged versions are available with no Node.js runtime requirement. Download from the [official downloads page](https://help.bitwarden.com/article/cli/#download--install).

### Package Managers

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Chocolatey (Windows)">
    ```powershell theme={null}
    choco install bitwarden-cli
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Homebrew (macOS)">
    ```bash theme={null}
    brew install bitwarden-cli
    ```

    <Warning>
      The Homebrew version uses the GPL build and does not include device approval commands for Enterprise SSO customers.
    </Warning>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Snap (Linux)">
    ```bash theme={null}
    sudo snap install bw
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Quick Start

### Login and Unlock

```bash theme={null}
# Log in to your account
bw login

# Unlock your vault
bw unlock

# Set session key (from unlock output)
export BW_SESSION="your-session-key"
```

### Basic Operations

```bash theme={null}
# Sync vault data
bw sync

# List all items
bw list items

# Search for items
bw list items --search google

# Get a password
bw get password google.com

# Generate a password
bw generate -lusn --length 18
```

## Global Options

All commands support these global options:

<ParamField path="--pretty" type="boolean">
  Format JSON output with two-space indentation
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--raw" type="boolean">
  Return raw output instead of descriptive messages
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--response" type="boolean">
  Return JSON-formatted response output
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--quiet" type="boolean">
  Suppress all output to stdout
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--nointeraction" type="boolean">
  Disable interactive prompts for user input
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--session" type="string">
  Pass session key instead of reading from environment
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="--cleanexit" type="boolean">
  Exit with code 0 even on errors (useful for scripting)
</ParamField>

## Environment Variables

The CLI respects several environment variables for configuration:

<ParamField path="BW_SESSION" type="string">
  Session key for vault operations. Set after unlocking:

  ```bash theme={null}
  export BW_SESSION="$(bw unlock --raw)"
  ```
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="BW_RESPONSE" type="boolean">
  When set to `"true"`, all output is structured JSON. Equivalent to `--response` flag.

  <Warning>
    Always output structured Response objects when this is enabled. Never use free-form text that would break JSON parsing.
  </Warning>
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="BW_QUIET" type="boolean">
  When set to `"true"`, suppresses all stdout output. Equivalent to `--quiet` flag.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="BW_CLEANEXIT" type="boolean">
  When set to `"true"`, exits with code 0 even on errors. Required for some scripting environments.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="BW_PRETTY" type="boolean">
  Format JSON output with indentation when set to `"true"`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="BW_RAW" type="boolean">
  Return raw output instead of descriptive messages when set to `"true"`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="BW_NOINTERACTION" type="boolean">
  Disable interactive prompts when set to `"true"`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="BW_SERVE" type="boolean">
  Automatically set to `"true"` when running in serve mode.
</ParamField>

## Help System

The CLI is self-documented with comprehensive help:

```bash theme={null}
# Global help
bw --help

# Command-specific help
bw list --help
bw create --help
bw generate --help
```

## Architecture

The CLI is structured with modular programs:

* **Program** (`src/program.ts`): Core commands (login, logout, lock, unlock, sync, generate, encode, config, update, status)
* **VaultProgram** (`src/vault.program.ts`): Vault operations (list, get, create, edit, delete, archive, restore, share, confirm, import, export)
* **SendProgram** (`src/tools/send/send.program.ts`): Send operations (create, list, get, edit, delete, receive)
* **ServeProgram** (`src/serve.program.ts`): RESTful API server mode

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Commands Reference" icon="terminal" href="./commands">
    Complete reference for all CLI commands
  </Card>

  <Card title="Building from Source" icon="code" href="./building">
    Build and package the CLI yourself
  </Card>

  <Card title="Serve Mode" icon="server" href="./serve-mode">
    Run CLI as a RESTful API server
  </Card>
</CardGroup>