CLI

note This is not the server sb is the optional CLI client, it talks to an already-running SilverBullet instance over HTTP. If you’re looking for the actual server binary, that’s Binary (silverbullet), not this. You do not need sb to use SilverBullet.

The SilverBullet CLI is a companion command-line tool for interacting with a running SilverBullet instance from your terminal. It communicates with the server via the Runtime API, letting you evaluate Lua expressions, run scripts, open an interactive REPL, tail logs, and more — without touching a browser.

Installation

The CLI binary (sb) is available alongside the server binary on the GitHub releases page (or the edge build). Download the version matching your platform.

Once installed, it can self-update:

sb upgrade       # latest stable release
sb upgrade-edge  # latest edge (main branch) build

Configuring spaces

Before using the CLI, connect it to a SilverBullet instance. The CLI stores space configurations in ~/.config/silverbullet/config.json (respects XDG_CONFIG_HOME).

Adding a space

sb space add

This interactive wizard will prompt for:

1. A name for the space (alphanumeric and hyphens)
2. The URL of your SilverBullet server
3. Authentication method (token, username/password, or none)

Listing and removing spaces

sb space list
sb space remove <name>

Global flags

These flags are available on all commands that connect to a space:

Flag	Description
-s, --space <name>	Select a space by name (auto-selected if only one is configured)
--url <url>	Connect directly to a URL (bypasses space config)
--token <token>	Authentication token (use with --url)
-t, --timeout <seconds>	Request timeout (default: 30)

Commands

Note that the first call may take a few seconds, since the Runtime API will spin up a headless Chromium instance and need to perform an initial index for the first call.

lua <expression>

Evaluate a single Lua expression and print the result.

sb lua "1 + 1"
# => 2
 
sb lua "editor.getCurrentPage()"
# => "index"

lua-script [file]

Execute a multi-line Lua script from a file or stdin.

sb lua-script myscript.lua
 
# Or pipe from stdin:
echo 'local x = 40; return x + 2' | sb lua-script

repl

Open an interactive Lua REPL with multi-line support.

sb repl

Special commands inside the REPL:

• .exit or Ctrl-D — exit
• .script / .end — enter/exit multi-line script mode
• .timeout <seconds> — change request timeout

The REPL automatically detects incomplete expressions (unclosed brackets, blocks) and waits for more input.

logs

Show console logs from the headless browser client.

sb logs              # last 100 entries
sb logs -n 20        # last 20 entries
sb logs -f           # follow (tail) mode

Flag	Description
-n, --lines <int>	Number of entries (default: 100)
-f, --follow	Continuously stream new log entries

screenshot [file]

Capture a PNG screenshot of the headless client viewport.

sb screenshot page.png  # save to file
sb screenshot > page.png  # or pipe to stdout

version

Print the installed CLI version.

upgrade / upgrade-edge

Self-update the CLI binary to the latest stable or edge release.

Authentication

The CLI supports three authentication methods, configured per-space during space add:

• Token — sends an Authorization: Bearer <token> header. Use this with SB_AUTH_TOKEN on a single-space server, or with a per-account API token on an accounts-based server.
• Password — authenticates via POST /.auth (username/password), then uses the returned session cookie. Use this with SB_USER on a single-space server, or with an account username/password on a space you’re a member of.
• None — no authentication (for local or trusted-network setups, or public spaces).

Credentials are encrypted at rest using AES-256-GCM with PBKDF2 key derivation.

Examples

Query your space for recent pages:

sb lua 'query[[from tags.page order by lastModified desc limit 5 select name]]'

Run a script that lists all tasks:

echo 'return query[[from tags.task where not done select ref, name]]' | sb lua-script

Tail logs while debugging:

sb logs -f