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Overview

The archivebox binary command manages Binary records in ArchiveBox. Binaries are executable programs that plugins use for archiving (e.g., Chrome, wget, yt-dlp, curl).

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Model Purpose

Binary - A detected executable program. Each Binary:
  • Has a name (e.g., chrome, wget, yt-dlp)
  • Has an absolute path to the executable
  • Tracks version information
  • Records when it was loaded/detected
  • Can have custom configuration overrides

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Subcommands

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create

Create/register a Binary. 
archivebox binary create --name=<name> --abspath=<path> [options]
Options:
  • --name, -n - Binary name (e.g., chrome, wget) (required)
  • --abspath, -p - Absolute path to binary (required)
  • --version, -v - Binary version
Examples: 
# Register a binary
archivebox binary create \
  --name=chrome \
  --abspath=/usr/bin/google-chrome \
  --version="120.0.6099.109"

# Register without version
archivebox binary create \
  --name=wget \
  --abspath=/usr/bin/wget

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list

List Binaries with optional filters. 
archivebox binary list [options]
Options:
  • --name, -n - Filter by name
  • --abspath__icontains - Filter by path containing text
  • --version__icontains - Filter by version containing text
  • --limit - Limit number of results
Examples: 
# List all binaries
archivebox binary list

# List specific binary
archivebox binary list --name=chrome

# List binaries with version 120
archivebox binary list --version__icontains=120

# List binaries in /usr/local
archivebox binary list --abspath__icontains=/usr/local

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update

Update Binaries from stdin JSONL. 
archivebox binary list [filters] | archivebox binary update [options]
Options:
  • --version, -v - Set version
  • --abspath, -p - Set path
Examples: 
# Update binary version
archivebox binary list --name=chrome \
  | archivebox binary update --version="121.0.6167.85"

# Update binary path
archivebox binary list --name=chrome \
  | archivebox binary update --abspath=/opt/chrome/chrome

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delete

Delete Binary records from stdin JSONL. 
archivebox binary list [filters] | archivebox binary delete [options]
Options:
  • --yes, -y - Confirm deletion (required)
  • --dry-run - Show what would be deleted without deleting
Examples: 
# Preview deletion
archivebox binary list --name=old-chrome \
  | archivebox binary delete --dry-run

# Delete old binary entries
archivebox binary list --name=old-chrome \
  | archivebox binary delete --yes

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Common Use Cases

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List Detected Binaries

Check which executables ArchiveBox has detected: 
# List all detected binaries
archivebox binary list

# Output shows:
# chrome               120.0.6099.109  /usr/bin/google-chrome
# wget                 1.21.3          /usr/bin/wget
# yt-dlp               2024.01.01      /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp
# curl                 8.5.0           /usr/bin/curl

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Check Binary Versions

Verify versions of installed tools: 
# Check Chrome version
archivebox binary list --name=chrome

# Check all binaries with specific version
archivebox binary list --version__icontains=120

# Find outdated binaries (manual inspection)
archivebox binary list

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Troubleshoot Missing Binaries

Identify which binaries are missing or incorrectly configured: 
# Check if Chrome is detected
archivebox binary list --name=chrome

# Check if wget is detected
archivebox binary list --name=wget

# If missing, check installation:
# which google-chrome
# which wget

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Update After Binary Upgrade

Update binary records after upgrading system packages: 
# After upgrading Chrome to version 121
archivebox binary list --name=chrome \
  | archivebox binary update --version="121.0.6167.85"

# ArchiveBox will auto-detect on next run anyway,
# but manual update ensures consistency

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Clean Up Old Binary Records

Remove outdated binary entries: 
# Preview old binaries
archivebox binary list --version__icontains=old-version \
  | archivebox binary delete --dry-run

# Delete them
archivebox binary list --version__icontains=old-version \
  | archivebox binary delete --yes

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Custom Binary Paths

Register binaries in non-standard locations: 
# Register custom Chrome installation
archivebox binary create \
  --name=chrome \
  --abspath=/opt/google/chrome/chrome \
  --version="120.0.6099.109"

# Register local yt-dlp installation
archivebox binary create \
  --name=yt-dlp \
  --abspath=/home/user/.local/bin/yt-dlp

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Binary Detection

ArchiveBox automatically detects binaries on startup:
  1. Searches system PATH - Finds executables in standard locations
  2. Checks common paths - Looks in /usr/bin, /usr/local/bin, etc.
  3. Queries versions - Runs --version to detect version info
  4. Creates/updates records - Stores in database for plugins to use
You rarely need to manually manage binaries unless:
  • Using custom installation paths
  • Troubleshooting detection issues
  • Working with multiple versions of same binary

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Common Binaries

  • chrome / chromium - Browser for screenshots, PDF, DOM, etc.
  • wget - HTTP downloader
  • curl - HTTP client
  • yt-dlp - Video/audio downloader
  • git - Version control (for git archiving)
  • node - JavaScript runtime (for Node.js plugins)
  • python - Python runtime
  • ripgrep - Search tool

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JSONL Format

Binaries are piped between commands as JSONL (JSON Lines): 
{
  "type": "binary",
  "id": "01JH...",
  "name": "chrome",
  "abspath": "/usr/bin/google-chrome",
  "version": "120.0.6099.109",
  "loaded_at": "2024-02-28T10:00:00Z",
  "overrides": {}
}

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See Also

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