Commands

Detailed reference for all SkySend CLI client commands.

upload

Upload one or more files with end-to-end encryption.

bash

skysend upload <files...> [options]

Arguments

Argument	Description
`<files...>`	One or more file paths to upload

Options

Option	Description
`-s, --server <url>`	Server URL (overrides config)
`-e, --expires <duration>`	Expiry time (e.g. `5m`, `1h`, `1d`, `7d`)
`-d, --downloads <count>`	Maximum number of downloads
`-p, --password [password]`	Password protect the upload. Prompts interactively if no value is given.
`--no-ws`	Disable WebSocket transport, use HTTP chunked upload
`--json`	Output result as JSON

Examples

bash

# Upload a single file
skysend upload ./document.pdf

# Upload with expiry and download limit
skysend upload ./report.pdf --expires 24h --downloads 5

# Upload multiple files (zipped automatically)
skysend upload ./file1.txt ./file2.txt ./file3.txt

# Upload with password (interactive prompt)
skysend upload ./secret.zip --password

# Upload with inline password
skysend upload ./secret.zip --password "my-secret"

# Upload with JSON output (for scripting)
skysend upload ./data.csv --json

Upload Behavior

Single file: Uploaded as-is after encryption.
Multiple files: Automatically zipped with fflate before encryption. The recipient receives a .zip file.
Transport: Uses WebSocket transport (primary) with automatic fallback to HTTP chunked upload if the WebSocket handshake fails. Use --no-ws to force HTTP chunked upload, or toggle it in Settings in interactive mode.
Progress: Displays a progress bar with speed and ETA.

JSON Output

When using --json, the output includes all details needed for scripting:

json

{
  "url": "https://your-instance.com/file/abc123#base64url_secret",
  "id": "abc123",
  "ownerToken": "base64url_owner_token",
  "expiresAt": "2026-04-20T12:00:00.000Z"
}

Owner Token

The ownerToken is required to delete an upload. When using --json, save the output so you can delete the upload later with skysend delete.

download

Download and decrypt a file from a SkySend share URL.

bash

skysend download <url> [options]

Arguments

Argument	Description
`<url>`	SkySend share URL (e.g. `https://instance.com/file/abc123#secret`)

Options

Option	Description
`-o, --output <path>`	Output path (file or directory). Defaults to the original filename in the current directory.
`-p, --password [password]`	Password for protected uploads. Prompts interactively if no value is given.
`--json`	Output result as JSON

Examples

bash

# Download a file (saves to current directory with original filename)
skysend download https://instance.com/file/abc123#secret

# Download to a specific directory
skysend download https://instance.com/file/abc123#secret --output ~/Downloads/

# Download with a specific filename
skysend download https://instance.com/file/abc123#secret --output ~/report.pdf

# Download a password-protected file (interactive prompt)
skysend download https://instance.com/file/abc123#secret --password

# Download with inline password
skysend download https://instance.com/file/abc123#secret --password "my-secret"

Download Behavior

The encryption key is extracted from the URL fragment (#).
If the file is password-protected, you will be prompted for the password (or provide it via --password).
Progress is displayed with a bar, speed, and ETA.
The original filename is extracted from the encrypted metadata. For multi-file uploads, the downloaded file will be a .zip archive.

note

Create an encrypted note.

bash

skysend note <text> [options]

Arguments

Argument	Description
`<text>`	The note content

Options

Option	Default	Description
`-s, --server <url>`		Server URL (overrides config)
`-t, --type <type>`	`text`	Content type: `text`, `password`, `code`, `markdown`, `sshkey`
`-e, --expires <duration>`		Expiry time (e.g. `5m`, `1h`, `1d`, `7d`)
`-v, --views <count>`		Maximum view count (`0` = unlimited)
`-p, --password [password]`		Password protect. Prompts interactively if no value is given.
`--json`		Output result as JSON

Examples

bash

# Create a simple text note
skysend note "This is a secret message"

# Create a burn-after-reading note (1 view)
skysend note "One-time secret" --views 1

# Create a code snippet
skysend note "console.log('hello')" --type code --expires 1h

# Create a Markdown note
skysend note "# Hello\n\nThis is **bold**." --type markdown

# Create a password note
skysend note "admin:s3cret" --type password

# Create a password-protected note
skysend note "secret data" --password --expires 24h --views 5

Content Types

Type	Description
`text`	Plain text (default)
`password`	Password(s) displayed with masked fields and copy buttons in the web UI
`code`	Code with syntax highlighting and line numbers in the web UI
`markdown`	Rendered GitHub Flavored Markdown in the web UI
`sshkey`	SSH key pairs with structured display in the web UI

TIP

Note content types affect how the note is rendered in the web UI. In the terminal, note:view always displays the raw content.

note:view

View and decrypt an encrypted note.

bash

skysend note:view <url> [options]

Arguments

Argument	Description
`<url>`	SkySend note share URL (e.g. `https://instance.com/note/abc123#secret`)

Options

Option	Description
`-p, --password [password]`	Password for protected notes. Prompts interactively if no value is given.
`--json`	Output result as JSON

Examples

bash

# View an encrypted note
skysend note:view https://instance.com/note/abc123#secret

# View a password-protected note
skysend note:view https://instance.com/note/abc123#secret --password

# View with JSON output
skysend note:view https://instance.com/note/abc123#secret --json

Burn After Reading

If the note has a view limit of 1 (burn-after-reading), viewing it will permanently destroy it. There is no way to view it again.

delete

Delete an upload or note using the owner token.

bash

skysend delete <url> <ownerToken> [options]

Arguments

Argument	Description
`<url>`	SkySend share URL (file or note)
`<ownerToken>`	Owner token received during upload (from `--json` output)

Options

Option	Description
`--json`	Output result as JSON

Examples

bash

# Delete a file upload
skysend delete https://instance.com/file/abc123#secret AbCdEf123...

# Delete a note
skysend delete https://instance.com/note/abc123#secret AbCdEf123...

TIP

To get the owner token, use --json when uploading:

bash

skysend upload ./file.txt --json
# Output includes "ownerToken": "..."

ls

List upload and note history stored locally on the client.

bash

skysend ls [options]

Options

Option	Description
`-s, --server <url>`	Filter by server URL
`-a, --all`	Show entries for all servers
`--json`	Output as JSON

Examples

bash

# List history for the default server
skysend ls

# List history for all servers
skysend ls --all

# Filter by server
skysend ls --server https://send.example.com

# Get JSON output for scripting
skysend ls --json

TIP

History is stored at ~/.config/skysend/history.json and holds up to 100 uploads and 100 notes. Expired entries are automatically cleaned up.

config

Manage client configuration.

Show Configuration

bash

skysend config

Displays the config file path, the configured server URL, all registered servers with their per-server WebSocket status, and the SKYSEND_SERVER environment variable (if set).

Set Server

bash

skysend config set-server <url>

Save a default server URL. This is used by all commands unless overridden with --server or SKYSEND_SERVER.

bash

skysend config set-server https://your-instance.com

Reset

bash

skysend config reset

Reset configuration to defaults (removes the config file).

Config File Location

The configuration file is stored at:

Linux/macOS: ~/.config/skysend/config.json
Custom: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/skysend/config.json
Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.config\skysend\config.json

update

Check for updates and self-update the CLI binary.

bash

skysend update [options]

Options

Option	Description
`--check`	Only check for updates without installing

Examples

bash

# Check if an update is available
skysend update --check

# Update to the latest version
skysend update

Update Behavior

Queries the GitHub Releases API for the latest version
Compares with the currently installed version
If a newer version is available, downloads the correct binary for your platform
Verifies the SHA-256 checksum against checksums.txt from the release
Atomically replaces the running binary

TIP

On Linux/macOS, you may need sudo if the binary is installed in /usr/local/bin:

bash

sudo skysend update

Alternatively, re-run the install script.

interactive (default)

Launch an interactive menu-driven mode. Fetches the server configuration and displays available options, limits, and quota information.

This is the default command - running skysend without a subcommand launches interactive mode automatically.

bash

skysend                       # launches interactive mode
skysend interactive [options]
skysend i [options]           # short alias

Options

Option	Description
`-s, --server <url>`	Server URL (overrides config)

Features

Displays server info: name, enabled services, max file size, upload quota
Menu with available actions based on server capabilities
Upload file(s): interactive file path input, expiry selection, download count, password, confirmation before upload
Download file: enter a share URL, auto-detects password protection, choose save location
Create note: type selection (text, password, code, markdown, SSH key), content input (inline or from file with @path), expiry, max views, password
My uploads: browse upload and note history, view share URLs, delete from server or remove from local history
Check for updates: check and install newer CLI versions from GitHub Releases
Loops back to the menu after each action until you choose Exit

Upload History

All uploads and notes created via the CLI (both interactive and direct commands) are saved to ~/.config/skysend/history.json. This enables the "My uploads" feature in interactive mode.

Example

bash

skysend interactive --server https://send.example.com

Global Options

These options are available on all commands:

Option	Description
`-V, --version`	Show the current version
`-h, --help`	Show help for the command

Commands ​

upload ​

Arguments ​

Options ​

Examples ​

Upload Behavior ​

JSON Output ​

download ​

Arguments ​

Options ​

Examples ​

Download Behavior ​

note ​

Arguments ​

Options ​

Examples ​

Content Types ​

note:view ​

Arguments ​

Options ​

Examples ​

delete ​

Arguments ​

Options ​

Examples ​

ls ​

Options ​

Examples ​

config ​

Show Configuration ​

Set Server ​

Reset ​

Config File Location ​

update ​

Options ​

Examples ​

Update Behavior ​

interactive (default) ​

Options ​

Features ​

Upload History ​

Example ​

Global Options ​

Commands

upload

Arguments

Options

Examples

Upload Behavior

JSON Output

download

Arguments

Options

Examples

Download Behavior

note

Arguments

Options

Examples

Content Types

note:view

Arguments

Options

Examples

delete

Arguments

Options

Examples

ls

Options

Examples

config

Show Configuration

Set Server

Reset

Config File Location

update

Options

Examples

Update Behavior

interactive (default)

Options

Features

Upload History

Example

Global Options