Bitwarden CLI

Bitwarden CLI Plugin

Official command-line password manager from Bitwarden. Binary name: bw.

Commands

Self

• bitwarden self version — Print bw version

Vault

• bitwarden vault login — Log into a Bitwarden account
• bitwarden vault unlock — Unlock the vault
• bitwarden vault status — Get vault status
• bitwarden vault sync — Sync vault with server
• bitwarden vault lock — Lock the vault
• bitwarden vault logout — Log out
• bitwarden config set — Set config values (e.g., self-hosted server)

Items

• bitwarden item list — List vault items (passwords, notes, cards, identities)
• bitwarden item get — Get item details by ID
• bitwarden item create — Create a new item from JSON
• bitwarden item edit — Edit an existing item
• bitwarden item delete — Delete an item

Generate

• bitwarden generate password — Generate a strong password or passphrase

Send

• bitwarden send create — Create a Bitwarden Send (text or file)

Export

• bitwarden export vault — Export vault data to CSV or JSON

Passthrough

• bitwarden _ _ — Passthrough for any bw command

Usage Examples

• "Log me into Bitwarden"
• "List all my passwords for example.com"
• "Get the password for my work email account"
• "Generate a 20-character password with special chars"
• "Create a new login item for github with username 'javi'"
• "Sync my vault with the server"
• "Export my vault to CSV"
• "Create a send with a text message"

Installation

npm install -g @bitwarden/cli
# or
brew install bitwarden-cli

Quick Start

# Login
bw login user@example.com

# Unlock vault (get session key)
bw unlock
# Set session key for scripting
export BW_SESSION="<session_key>"

# List items
bw list items --search github

# Get password for an item
bw get password <item-id>

# Generate password
bw generate --length 20 --uppercase --lowercase --number --special

# Check status
bw status

Session Key

After bw unlock, the CLI outputs a session key. Set it as an environment variable for scripting:

export BW_SESSION="<session_key>"

Without BW_SESSION, most commands require interactive unlock.

Key Features

• Cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• Self-hosted server support
• Organization management
• Bitwarden Send (secure file/text sharing)
• TOTP code generation
• Vault export
• Encrypted vault sync across devices
• CLI-friendly JSON output