Bitwarden CLI Skill

The Bitwarden command-line interface (CLI) provides full access to your Bitwarden vault for retrieving passwords, secure notes, and other secrets programmatically.

Workflow Requirements

CRITICAL: Always run bw commands inside a dedicated tmux session. The CLI requires a session key (BW_SESSION) for all vault operations after authentication. A tmux session preserves this environment variable across commands.

Required Workflow

1. Verify CLI installation: Run bw --version to confirm the CLI is available
2. Create a dedicated tmux session: tmux new-session -d -s bw-session
3. Attach and authenticate: Run bw login or bw unlock inside the session
4. Export session key: After unlock, export BW_SESSION as instructed by the CLI
5. Execute vault commands: Use bw get, bw list, etc. within the same session

Authentication Methods