Installation

Prerequisites

Check your Node.js version:

node --version  # Should be v22.0.0 or higher

npm install -g bwrb

Or with pnpm:

pnpm add -g bwrb

Clone the repository and build:

git clone https://github.com/3mdistal/bwrb.git
cd bwrb
pnpm install
pnpm build
pnpm link --global  # Makes 'bwrb' available globally

Run without building (useful for contributing):

pnpm dev -- new idea

bwrb --version
bwrb --help

You should see the version number and a list of available commands.

Enable tab completion for commands, types, and paths. See Shell Completion for advanced configuration.

Add to ~/.bashrc:

eval "$(bwrb completion bash)"

Add to ~/.zshrc:

eval "$(bwrb completion zsh)"

Run once to install:

bwrb completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/bwrb.fish

Commands: bwrb <TAB> shows every visible top-level command: new, edit, delete, list, recent, schema, audit, bulk, template, lineage, dashboard, init, config, and completion.
Options: bwrb list -<TAB> shows --type, --path, --where, etc.
Types: bwrb list --type <TAB> shows types from your schema
Paths: bwrb list --path <TAB> shows vault directories

Variable	Description	Default
`BWRB_VAULT`	Fallback vault path after explicit `--vault` and nearest-ancestor discovery	Unset
`BWRB_DEFAULT_APP`	Default app for `bwrb list --open`	`system`
`EDITOR` / `VISUAL`	Editor for `--app editor`	—

Example:

export BWRB_VAULT=~/notes
export BWRB_DEFAULT_APP=editor

If installed via npm:

npm uninstall -g bwrb

If installed from source:

pnpm unlink --global  # In the bwrb directory

Make sure your npm global bin directory is in your PATH:

npm prefix -g                # Shows the global npm prefix
echo "$(npm prefix -g)/bin"  # Typical global bin path

Add this path to your shell configuration if needed.

Use a Node version manager like nvm or fnm to avoid permission issues with global installs.

Once installed, see the Quick Start guide to create your first schema and note.