install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install rbw

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add rbw

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · rbw · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install rbw

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · rbw · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#rbw

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/rb/rbw/package.nix · source: api.github.com

Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%

sudo pacman -S rbw

Arch Linux sync databases · rbw · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com

overview

Package summary

Unofficial Bitwarden CLI client

Project links

Commands and aliases

rbw
rbw-agent

history

Project history and usage

rbw is an unofficial Rust command-line client for Bitwarden. It couples ordinary vault commands with a resident agent that keeps cryptographic state in memory.

Project history

rbw emerged as an unofficial alternative to Bitwarden's stateless CLI. Its design centers on rbw-agent, which maintains login and unlock state so users do not need to pass temporary keys through environment variables.

The maintainer now describes the project as essentially feature-complete while continuing to use it daily and fix regressions.

Adoption history

The project is distributed through Homebrew, Arch Linux, Debian, Fedora/EPEL, NixOS, Alpine, and Cargo, giving it unusually broad package-manager coverage for an unofficial password-manager client.

How it is used

Users configure an account with `rbw config`, then use commands such as `rbw login`, `rbw unlock`, `rbw sync`, `rbw ls`, and `rbw get`. Commands automatically perform prerequisite login or unlock operations when needed.

Named profiles selected through `RBW_PROFILE` separate work, personal, or other vaults. rbw-agent can also expose Bitwarden-held SSH keys through an SSH-agent socket.

Why package nerds care

rbw applies the ssh-agent/gpg-agent model to a Bitwarden vault: a background process retains unlocked key material in memory while small CLI commands retrieve or modify records. Its cross-distribution packaging and composability with launchers and shell scripts make it especially interesting to command-line workflow enthusiasts.

Timeline

2020: rbw 0.3.5 was in public use, as recorded in the official issue tracker
2025: The 1.14 series expanded the maintained release line
2025: Version 1.15.0 was released

Related projects

Bitwarden and its official CLI
rofi-rbw
rbw-menu
bw-ssh
ulauncher-rbw
fuzzel-rbw

Sources

Official README and maintenance statement: https://github.com/doy/rbw#readme
Official releases: https://github.com/doy/rbw/releases

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

text:client

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/rbw/config.json

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`rbw`	cli	global executable
`rbw-agent`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-09-19

manager version1.15.0

manager updated2026-09-13

local dataok

upstreamcurrent

latest detected1.15.0

https://github.com/doy/rbw

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:rbw
Version	1.15.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/rbw
Homepage	https://git.tozt.net/rbw
Repository	https://github.com/doy/rbw
Upstream docs	https://git.tozt.net/rbw
License	MIT
Source archive	https://github.com/doy/rbw/archive/refs/tags/1.15.0.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-09-13T05:25:37Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	pinentry
Build dependencies	rust
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	rbw
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

rbw

nix profile install nixpkgs#rbw

normalized package name match
Matched by: Rbw

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/rb/rbw/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

apk95%

rbw 1.15.0-r0

Unofficial command line client for Bitwarden.

https://git.tozt.net/rbw

sudo apk add rbw

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: rbw
1 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Rbw

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: rbw from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

rbw-bash-completion 1.15.0-r0

Bash completions for rbw

https://git.tozt.net/rbw

sudo apk add rbw-bash-completion

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: rbw
normalized package name match
Matched by: Rbw

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: rbw-bash-completion from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

rbw-fish-completion 1.15.0-r0

Fish completions for rbw

https://git.tozt.net/rbw

sudo apk add rbw-fish-completion

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: rbw
normalized package name match
Matched by: Rbw

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: rbw-fish-completion from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

apk95%

rbw-zsh-completion 1.15.0-r0

Zsh completions for rbw

https://git.tozt.net/rbw

sudo apk add rbw-zsh-completion

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: rbw
normalized package name match
Matched by: Rbw

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: rbw-zsh-completion from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

dnf95%

rbw 1.13.2-6.fc45

Unofficial Bitwarden CLI

https://crates.io/crates/rbw

sudo dnf install rbw

License: MIT AND (MIT OR Apache-2.0) AND Unicode-DFS-2016 AND Apache-2.0 AND (Apache-2.0 OR BSL-1.0) AND (Apache-2.0 OR ISC OR MIT) AND (Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: rust-rbw
5 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Rbw

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: rbw from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/652278618dec9c023176a80c435a32a2c8154869fb0eb662c267a54df28d77d9-primary.xml.zst

pacman95%

rbw 1.15.0-2

Unofficial Bitwarden CLI

https://git.tozt.net/rbw

sudo pacman -S rbw

License: MIT
Architecture: x86_64
3 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Rbw

Arch Linux sync databases · geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com · Arch Linux sync databases: rbw from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/rbw.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment
pkg.so package database
pkgdb category and tag curation

Install rbw with Homebrew, apk, dnf, Nix, pacman

Additional install commands

macOS

Linux

Package summary

Project links

Commands and aliases

Project history and usage

Project history

Adoption history

How it is used

Why package nerds care

Timeline

Related projects

Sources

Risk level: blue

Risk classifier

Why

Signals

Install behavior

Recommended review

Configuration and credential file locations

Configuration files

Installed executables

Version and freshness

Package metadata

Source database details

Other package-manager records

Internal package links

Topical hubs

Related tools

Same workflow

Agent security guides

Generated from repository data

Combined YAML source

Used sources