bitwarden-vault

---
name: bitwarden
description: Set up and use Bitwarden CLI (bw). Use when installing the CLI, authenticating (login/unlock), or reading secrets from your vault. Supports email/password, API key, and SSO authentication methods.
homepage: https://bitwarden.com/help/cli/
metadata: {"clawdbot":{"emoji":"🔒","requires":{"bins":["bw"]},"install":[{"id":"npm","kind":"npm","package":"@bitwarden/cli","bins":["bw"],"label":"Install Bitwarden CLI (npm)"},{"id":"brew","kind":"brew","formula":"bitwarden-cli","bins":["bw"],"label":"Install Bitwarden CLI (brew)"},{"id":"choco","kind":"choco","package":"bitwarden-cli","bins":["bw"],"label":"Install Bitwarden CLI (choco)"}]}}
---

# 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

| Method | Command | Use Case |
|--------|---------|----------|
| Email/Password | `bw login` | Interactive sessions, first-time setup |
| API Key | `bw login --apikey` | Automation, scripts (requires separate unlock) |
| SSO | `bw login --sso` | Enterprise/organization accounts |

After `bw login` with email/password, your vault is automatically unlocked. For API key or SSO login, you must subsequently run `b