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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.

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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

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Installation

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NPM

If you have Node.js installed, NPM is the recommended installation method: 
npm install -g @bitwarden/cli
Verify installation: 
bw --version
# 2026.2.0

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Native Executables

Natively packaged versions are available with no Node.js runtime requirement. Download from the official downloads page.

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Package Managers

choco install bitwarden-cli

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Quick Start

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Login and Unlock

# Log in to your account
bw login

# Unlock your vault
bw unlock

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

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Basic Operations

# 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

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Global Options

All commands support these global options:
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--pretty
boolean
Format JSON output with two-space indentation
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--raw
boolean
Return raw output instead of descriptive messages
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--response
boolean
Return JSON-formatted response output
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--quiet
boolean
Suppress all output to stdout
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--nointeraction
boolean
Disable interactive prompts for user input
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--session
string
Pass session key instead of reading from environment
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--cleanexit
boolean
Exit with code 0 even on errors (useful for scripting)

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Environment Variables

The CLI respects several environment variables for configuration:
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BW_SESSION
string
Session key for vault operations. Set after unlocking:
export BW_SESSION="$(bw unlock --raw)"
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BW_RESPONSE
boolean
When set to "true", all output is structured JSON. Equivalent to --response flag.
Always output structured Response objects when this is enabled. Never use free-form text that would break JSON parsing.
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BW_QUIET
boolean
When set to "true", suppresses all stdout output. Equivalent to --quiet flag.
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BW_CLEANEXIT
boolean
When set to "true", exits with code 0 even on errors. Required for some scripting environments.
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BW_PRETTY
boolean
Format JSON output with indentation when set to "true".
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BW_RAW
boolean
Return raw output instead of descriptive messages when set to "true".
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BW_NOINTERACTION
boolean
Disable interactive prompts when set to "true".
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BW_SERVE
boolean
Automatically set to "true" when running in serve mode.

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Help System

The CLI is self-documented with comprehensive help: 
# Global help
bw --help

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

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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

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Next Steps

Commands Reference

Complete reference for all CLI commands

Building from Source

Build and package the CLI yourself

Serve Mode

Run CLI as a RESTful API server

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