Quick Start

Prerequisites

Before using bwenv, make sure you have:

• direnv installed and hooked into your shell
• At least one password manager CLI:
  • Bitwarden CLI (bw)
  • 1Password CLI (op)

No jq needed! Unlike v1, bwenv v2 is a single Go binary with zero extra dependencies.

Install bwenv

Pick your platform:

# Homebrew (macOS / Linux)
brew tap s1ks1/bwenv
brew install bwenv

# Scoop (Windows)
scoop bucket add bwenv https://github.com/s1ks1/scoop-bwenv
scoop install bwenv

# Go Install
go install github.com/s1ks1/bwenv@latest

# Quick Install (macOS / Linux)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/s1ks1/bwenv/main/install.sh | sh

See the full Installation Guide for all platforms and options.

First Use

1. Verify Your Setup

bwenv status

This checks that direnv and your password manager CLIs are properly installed and configured.

2. Initialize Secrets for Your Project

Navigate to your project directory and run:

bwenv init

This launches a full interactive TUI flow:

1. Select a provider — choose between Bitwarden, 1Password (whichever CLIs you have installed)
2. Authenticate — unlock your vault or sign in
3. Pick a folder — browse, search, and select the folder/vault containing your secrets
4. Generate .envrc — a direnv-compatible file is created and auto-approved

3. Load Your Secrets

cd .    # Trigger direnv to reload

Your secrets are now loaded as environment variables every time you cd into this directory.

echo $YOUR_SECRET_VARIABLE

4. Re-authenticate When Sessions Expire

bwenv login

This detects the provider from your .envrc, re-authenticates, and updates the session token — much faster than running bwenv init again.

Configure Preferences (Optional)

bwenv config

Toggle emoji display, direnv output visibility, export summaries, and auto-sync behavior through an interactive settings editor.

Next Steps

• Learn about all Installation options
• Explore Usage examples
• See the full CLI Reference
• Read about Configuration