Rbw

Quick Reference

rbw unlock                                          # unlock vault
rbw list                                            # list all items
rbw list --fields "name,folder"                     # list with folders
rbw get item_name                                   # get password
rbw get --folder folder_name item_name              # get from folder
rbw get --folder folder_name item_name --field url  # get specific field
rbw sync                                            # sync vault

Command Syntax

get

rbw get [OPTIONS] <NAME> [USER]

Options:
  --folder <FOLDER>  Folder to search in
  --field <FIELD>    Specific field to retrieve (omit for password)
  --full             Include notes in output
  --raw              Output as JSON
  --clipboard        Copy result to clipboard

<NAME> is a positional argument. [USER] disambiguates when multiple items share the same name. All option flags (--folder, --field, etc.) must precede the positional arguments.

rbw get --folder homelab portainer
rbw get --folder homelab portainer --field url
rbw get my_password
rbw get --folder work email user@example.com   # USER disambiguation

list

rbw list [OPTIONS]

Options:
  --fields <FIELDS>  Fields to display: id, name, user, folder, type
  --raw              Output as JSON

Note: rbw list does not support --folder filtering. Use rbw list --fields "name,folder" and grep if needed.

rbw list --fields "name,folder"
rbw list --raw | jq

add

rbw add [OPTIONS] <NAME> [USER]

Options:
  --folder <FOLDER>  Folder for the new entry
  --uri <URI>        URI for the entry

rbw will prompt for the password inline. Notes (if any) open in $EDITOR.

rbw add --folder homelab my_service admin_user
rbw add --folder homelab --uri https://example.com my_service

Field Names

Field names are case-sensitive and must match exactly as defined in Vaultwarden.

rbw get --folder homelab item                      # password (no --field)
rbw get --folder homelab item --field Username     # default Username field (capital U)
rbw get --folder homelab item --field database     # custom field
rbw get --folder homelab item --field api_key      # custom field

To inspect all fields on an item:

rbw get --folder homelab item --raw | jq

Authentication

Interactive

# Check status (exits 0 if unlocked, non-zero if locked)
rbw unlocked

# Unlock (prompts for master password)
rbw unlock

Non-Interactive (Systemd/Scripts)

Security note: This pattern stores your master password in a plaintext file. Even with 600 permissions and root:root ownership, this is a security tradeoff. For higher-security environments, consider systemd's native LoadCredential= mechanism instead.

1. Create a pinentry wrapper (~/.local/bin/pinentry-rbw-systemd):

#!/usr/bin/env bash
if [ -n "$RBW_MASTER_PASSWORD" ]; then
    echo "OK Pleased to meet you"
    while IFS= read -r line; do
        case "$line" in
            GETPIN)
                echo "D $RBW_MASTER_PASSWORD"
                echo "OK"
                ;;
            BYE)
                echo "OK closing connection"
                exit 0
                ;;
            *)
                echo "OK"
                ;;
        esac
    done
else
    exec /usr/bin/pinentry-curses "$@"
fi

2. Configure rbw to use it:

chmod +x ~/.local/bin/pinentry-rbw-systemd
rbw config set pinentry ~/.local/bin/pinentry-rbw-systemd
rbw config show   # verify

3. Store master password (/etc/systemd/rbw-credentials.conf, root:root, chmod 600):

RBW_MASTER_PASSWORD=your_master_password_here

4. Systemd service:

[Service]
User=tripleight
EnvironmentFile=/etc/systemd/rbw-credentials.conf
ExecStart=/path/to/script.sh

5. Script pattern:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

if ! rbw unlocked 2>/dev/null; then
    rbw unlock || { echo "ERROR: Failed to unlock rbw" >&2; exit 1; }
fi

rbw sync

USERNAME=$(rbw get --folder homelab service_name --field Username 2>/dev/null \
  || { echo "ERROR: Cannot read username (homelab/service_name)" >&2; exit 1; })
PASSWORD=$(rbw get --folder homelab service_name 2>/dev/null \
  || { echo "ERROR: Cannot read password (homelab/service_name)" >&2; exit 1; })

curl -u "$USERNAME:$PASSWORD" https://api.example.com

Vaultwarden Item Setup

A typical item used with rbw:

Folder:   homelab
Name:     postgres_backup
Type:     Login
Username: postgres          ← accessed with --field Username
Password: **********        ← accessed without --field

Custom fields:
  database  production      ← accessed with --field database
  host      db.example.com
  port      5432

Corresponding script access:

USERNAME=$(rbw get --folder homelab postgres_backup --field Username)
PASSWORD=$(rbw get --folder homelab postgres_backup)
DATABASE=$(rbw get --folder homelab postgres_backup --field database)
HOST=$(rbw get --folder homelab postgres_backup --field host)
PORT=$(rbw get --folder homelab postgres_backup --field port)

Error Handling

Always check exit codes and provide actionable error messages:

VALUE=$(rbw get --folder homelab item --field field 2>/dev/null \
  || { echo "ERROR: Cannot read 'field' from vault (homelab/item)" >&2; exit 1; })

if [ -z "$VALUE" ]; then
    echo "ERROR: Field is empty in vault" >&2
    exit 1
fi

Troubleshooting

"agent is locked" — run rbw unlock.

"field not found" — field names are case-sensitive. Inspect the item with rbw get item --raw | jq to see exact names. Then run rbw sync to ensure the vault is current.

Systemd service fails to unlock:

1. Verify /etc/systemd/rbw-credentials.conf exists with the correct password
2. Check permissions: sudo ls -l /etc/systemd/rbw-credentials.conf (expect root:root 600)
3. Verify pinentry config: rbw config show
4. Test manually: sudo -u tripleight bash -c 'export RBW_MASTER_PASSWORD=...; rbw unlock'

Item not found — check folder and item names with rbw list --fields "name,folder", then rbw sync.

Best Practices

Always sync before reading to ensure the latest vault state. Always check unlock status before attempting reads to avoid unnecessary prompts. Handle errors explicitly with useful messages. Never hardcode secrets — use rbw for everything. Keep systemd credential files 600 root:root. Use folders to organise items across environments (production, staging, homelab, etc.).