Bitwarden Accelerator

Interact with Bitwarden CLI.

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Table of Contents

• Key Features
• Installing
• Options
• Invoking
• Main Menu
• Item List
• More Menu
• Managing favorites icons
• Reporting Bugs

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Key Features

Logging in

• Login with username and password, or API Key
• Two-step logins with Authenticator app, YubiKey OTP, or Email
• Unlock your vault with Touch ID
• Activity timeout to logout or lock your vault

Selecting items

• Recently selected item is listed first
• Automatically searches for the active browser tab's domain name
• Favorite items are indicated with a ❤️
• Search different fields of an item
  • Any item by its name or folder
  • Logins by username or URL
  • Cards by brand (eg., search for "Visa")
  • Identities by any field in the item

Adding items

• Add new login items to your vault

Selecting fields

• Copy username, password, TOTP code, or notes to the clipboard
• Copy TOTP code instead of password if called shortly after copying an item's password

Editig fields

• Edit or remove an item's name, username, password, TOTP or URIs without leaving Alfred

Miscellaneous

• Download an item's attachments
• Limit searches to a single vault and/or collection to prevent shoulder-surfing
• View any item in a separate window to copy/paste multiple fields easily
• View any item's fields within Alfred when using a Universal Action
• (Optional) Automatically sync vault in the background using a macOS Launch Agent
• (Optional) Display each item's favorites icon

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Installing

1. Download the workflow here
2. Open the downloaded file to add it to Alfred
3. Install the Bitwarden CLI⁽¹⁾ from the Bitwarden website, with brew install bitwarden-cli, or with port -N install bitwarden-cli.
4. Install jq⁽²⁾ from from the website, with brew install jq, or with port -N install jq.

Or install as a Homebrew formula:

brew tap ajrosen/tap
brew install bitwarden-accelerator

This method ensures the Bitwarden CLI and jq dependencies are met. However, uninstalling the Homebrew formula will not uninstall Bitwarden Accelerator.

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Options

Bitwarden user

Your Bitwarden email address.

Auto Sync

Installs a macOS Launch Agent that automatically syncs your vault every Sync Interval minutes.

Login method

Choose whether to be prompted for your Password or use an API Key to login. SSO is not yet supported.

Client ID and Client Secret

These are the Client ID and Client Secret used for API Key logins. They are ignored when using the Password login method. See Personal API Key for CLI Authentication for more information.

Two-step login method

Choose Authenticator app, YubiKey OTP, or Email. FIDO2 and Duo are not supported by the CLI. This is ignored when using the API Key login method. See Two-step Login Methods for more information.

Touch ID

You can unlock your vault with Touch ID instead of entering your master password. It does this by using sudo to store and retrieve your password in a secure location. See Using Touch ID for details.

You will see a window that says sudo is trying to execute a command as administrator. If you select Cancel you will be prompted for your system password instead.

If you select Cancel from the password entry window, you will be prompted for your Bitwarden master password.

Favorites icon service

Choose a service to download favorites icons. The default is None; Bitwarden Accelerator will continue to show the default icon for all login items.

If you choose a service, icons will be downloaded in the background. You can continue to use Bitwarden Accelerator while the icon cache is being populated.

N.B. The icon cache is removed when Bitwarden Accelerator's version changes. Icons will be redownloaded the next time you list items in your vault.

Vault timeout

How long Bitwarden can be inactive before timing out. Inactivity is determined by the time since invoking the workflow.

Custom timeout

Sets the timeout value when Vault timeout is Custom.

When screen is locked

Lock your vault when the screen is locked. The default is true.

Vault timeout action

What Bitwarden will do once the vault timeout is reached. Choices are Lock vault and Logout.

Bitwarden server

The Bitwarden server hosting your vault. The default is bitwarden.com, the US server.

Downloads Folder

Where to save attachments downloaded from your vault. The default is your Downloads folder. If you leave this blank, Bitwarden Accelerator will ask you to choose a folder each time.

Clipboard time

How many seconds Bitwarden Accelerator will keep your password (or other field) in the clipboard. Afterwards, the previous contents of the clipboard are restored.

Sync Interval

Bitwarden Accelerator will sync your vault when you load the worfklow if it has not been synced in this many minutes.

Notifications

Uncheck this to keep Bitwarden Accelerator from displaying a notification when copying your password (or other field) to the clipboard.

Workflow Keyword

Keyword used to bring up Bitwarden Accelerator's main menu

Search Keyword

Keyword used to bring up Bitwarden Accelerator's search menu

Trash Keyword

Keyword used to search deleted items

Environment variables

Bitwarden Accelerator uses environment variables for options that you will probably never need to change.

DEBUG

Setting DEBUG to 1 will make Bitwarden Accelerator write messages to a log file in the workflow's data directory.

HOMEPAGE

The URL to Bitwarden Accelerator's README.

bwhost

The value for the --hostname option given to bw serve. The default value is localhost. See Network for reasons you might need to set this.

bwport

The value for the --port option given to bw serve. The default value is 8087. See Network for reasons you might need to set this.

CURL_OPTS

Additional command-line options given to curl. The value is inserted after curl --connect-timeout 3 --max-time 5. See Network for reasons you might need to set this, and the curl man page for available options.

If you chose to use any environment variables that cURL supports, you would add them as their own entries.

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Invoking

There are three ways to invoke Bitwarden Accelerator.

1. Using the Workflow Keyword (default: bw) will provide a list of operations. The list depends on whether you are logged into or logged out of Bitwarden, and whether your vault is locked or unlocked.
2. Typing the hotkey will start a search of your vault. This is the same as choosing the Search Vault operation from the main menu.
3. As a Universal Action, you can view an item's fields directly in Alfred.

The default hotkey is Control-Command-L, because the Bitwarden browser extension uses Shift-Command-L. If you wish to change or disable the hotkey, open the workflow in Alfred Preferences. The hotkey trigger is in the top-left corner.

Trash

Using the Trash Keyword (default: .bwtrash) will list any deleted items. Select an item to restore it.

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Main Menu

The options you see in the main menu depend on the state of your vault.

Unauthenticated

If you are completely logged out of Bitwarden, you will see two options.

• Login to Bitwarden

Log into Bitwarden, with your vault locked.

• Configure Workflow

Opens Alfred Preferences to the Bitwarden Accelerator configuration screen.

Vault is locked

If you are logged in, but your vault is locked, you will see three options.

• Unlock vault

Unlocks your vault.

• Logout of Bitwarden

Locks your vault and logs out of Bitwarden.

• Configure Workflow

Opens Alfred Preferences to the Bitwarden Accelerator configuration screen.

Vault is unlocked

If your vault is unlocked, you will see many options.

• Search Vault

Lists all items in your vault.

• Search Folders

Shows a list of all the folders in your vault, then searches your vault for items in the selected folder.

• Add item

Adds a new login item to your vault. You will be prompted for the item's Name, Username, and Password.

If your web browser is the front-most window, the default Name will be the active tab's domain name. See Supported browsers below.

The default Username will be your Bitwarden email address.

The default Password will be a random password generated by Bitwarden. It is 20 characters and includes uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. The new password can also be copied to your clipboard as if it had been selected from the items list.

• Lock Vault

Locks your Bitwarden vault.

• Set Default Vault

Filter searches to a specific Vault (Organization), My Vault, or All Vaults. Or, set the default Organization for future searches with the Command modifier on the next screen.

Note that changing this setting with the Command modifier will also revert Default Collection to All Collections.

• Set Default Collection

Filters searches to a specific Collection, or All Collections. Or, set the default Collection for future searches with the Command modifier on the next screen.

• Sync Vault

Tells the workflow to synchronize your vault now.

• Logout of Bitwarden

Locks your vault and logs out of Bitwarden.

• Manage favorites icons

Opens a new menu to manage the favorites icons cache.

• View documentation

Opens Bitwarden Accelerator's homepage where you can read the documentation, file a bug report, or simply say hello.

• Configure Workflow

Opens Alfred Preferences to the Bitwarden Accelerator configuration screen.

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Item List

All items in your vault are shown, sorted by each item's name. If your web browser is the front-most window, items that match the current tab's domain will be listed first. Favorited items will be listed next, followed by all remaining items.

Supported browsers:

• WebKit

  • Safari
  • Chrome
  • Edge
  • Opera
  • Opera GX
  • Arc
  • Brave
  • Opera Air
  • Orion
  • Vivaldi

• Firefox⁽³⁾

  • Firefox
  • Firefox Developer Edition
  • Firefox Nightly
  • Firefox ESR
  • Floorp
  • Mullvad
  • Waterfox
  • Zen

• Chromium

  • Aloha
  • Blisk
  • BrowserOS
  • Comet
  • Epic
  • Ghost
  • Helium
  • NAVER Whale
  • Shift
  • SigmaOS

• Miscellaneous

  • iCab
  • iTerm2

The default behavior when selecting an item depends on its type.

• Logins

Copy a login item's password to the clipboard. Use these modifiers to copy other fields instead.

Modifiers	Action
None	Copy password or TOTP code to the clipboard (see Automatic field rotation below)
Control	Copy username to the clipboard
Shift	Copy TOTP code to the clipboard
Shift + Command	Copy password to the clipboard
Command	Copy notes to the clipboard
Option	Opens a new menu with additional actions
Fn	Show all fields in a dialog window
Control + Command	Open the first URL in your default browser
Command + Option	View all fields in Alfred
Control + Shift	Paste username, press tab, paste password
Control + Shift + Command	Paste username, press return, paste password

Automatic field rotation

When selecting the same login item within Sync Interval seconds, and the password was the last field copied, the TOTP code will be copied to the clipboard instead of the password.

• Secure notes

The note is copied to the clipboard, as if the Command modifier were used.

• Cards
• Identities

All fields will be shown in a dialog window, as if the Fn modifier were used.

• SSH Keys

The private key is copied to the clipboard.

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More Menu

• Move item to a different folder

Moves the item to the Folder you select and syncs your vault.

• Move item to a different vault

Move the item to the Vault you select and syncs your vault. After selecting the vault, select one Collection for the item. Items cannot be moved to My Vault.

• Mark/Unmark Favorite

Marks or unmarks the item as a Favorite and syncs your vault.

• Download Attachments

If an item has attachments, this will show you a list with their names and sizes. Select one to save that attachment to the Downloads Folder.

• Edit Item

Lets you edit or remove the username, password, TOTP or name of the item. You can add, edit, or remove the item's URIs.

New passwords can be randomly generated by Bitwarden. It will be 20 characters and includes uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

• Delete Item

Deletes the item from your vault.

You will get a warning that THIS ACTION CANNOT BE UNDONE. This is not actually true; the item is moved to your vault's Trash.

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Edit Item Menu

• Username

Change or delete the item's username field.

• Password

Change or delete the item's password field.

• Random Password

Changes the item's password withtout prompting. The new password will be one randomly generated by Bitwarden. Passwords are 20 characters long, and can include uppercase letters, lowercase letters, digits, and special characters.

• TOTP

Change or delete the item's authenticator key used for 2-step verification.

• Name

Change or delete the item's name.

• URI

Manage the item's URIs. Change or delete an existing URI, or add a new URI. Match detection for new URIs will be Default.

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Managing favorites icons

The Managing favorites icons menu has three options.

• Delete cache

This completely removes the icons cache. Icons will be redownloaded the next time you list items in your vault.

• Fetch icons

If there is no icons cache, Bitwarden Accelerator will automatically try to download icons using your chosen service.

You can use this menu option to refresh the icons at any time. It will (attempt to) download any favorites icons that are missing. Any vault item that has been modified since its icon was last downloaded will also have its icon redownloaded. I.e., if a vault item is newer than the icon, fetch its icon.

• Choose icon service

This will open Alfred Preferences to the configuration screen. Bitwarden Accelerator supports five services that you can use to download favorites icons.

1. Bitwarden
2. DuckDuckGo
3. Favicone
4. Google
5. Icon Horse

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Reporting Bugs

When reporting bugs, please include the following information:

• Version of Bitwarden Accelerator
• Version of Bitwarden CLI (bw --version)
• Version of jq (jq --version)
• What you are trying to do
  • What result you are getting
  • What result you are expecting

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1. If the Bitwarden CLI is not installed, Bitwarden Accelerator will ask to install it using Homebrew or MacPorts. Homebrew or MacPorts must already be installed.
2. macOS 15.1 (Sequoia) includes jq, so it is not neccessary to install separately.
3. Integration with Firefox browsers requires the Alfred Integration extension.