@junovy/bookstack-cli

BookStack CLI

An Automated CLI for viewing, managing, importing, and exporting content for BookStack, the open-source documentation platform.

Quick Install / One‑Liners

Use the CLI immediately without installing globally:

• bunx

  bunx @junovy/bookstack-cli books list
  

• npx

  npx @junovy/bookstack-cli books list
  

• pnpm (dlx)

  pnpx @junovy/bookstack-cli books list
  

Note: The published CLI binary uses Node to run. Ensure Node 18+ (or 20+) is available when using bunx/npx/pnpm dlx.

Global Install

Install the CLI globally so bookstack is available on your PATH:

• npm

  npm i -g @junovy/bookstack-cli
  bookstack --help
  

• pnpm

  pnpm add -g @junovy/bookstack-cli
  bookstack --help
  

• bun

  bun add -g @junovy/bookstack-cli
  bookstack --help
  

  (Requires Node on the system since the CLI shim uses Node.)

Configuration

Before using the CLI, you need to configure your BookStack credentials:

• Initialize a config file (optional if you prefer env vars):

  bookstack config init
  

• Edit the created bookstack-config.json file with your BookStack instance details:

  {
    "url": "https://your-bookstack-instance.com",
    "tokenId": "your-token-id",
    "tokenSecret": "your-token-secret"
  }
  

You can also provide credentials via environment variables, a .env file, or other standard config formats.

Supported Config Sources (highest priority first)

• CLI flags: --url, --token-id, --token-secret
• Environment variables: BOOKSTACK_URL, BOOKSTACK_TOKEN_ID, BOOKSTACK_TOKEN_SECRET
• .env files in project root: .env, .env.local
• Config files (first found):
  • bookstack-config.json (existing default)
  • bookstack.config.(json|yaml|yml|toml)
  • .bookstackrc[.(json|yaml|yml|toml)] or .bookstackrc
  • package.json field "bookstack": { ... }

Example .env:

BOOKSTACK_URL=https://your-bookstack-instance.com
BOOKSTACK_TOKEN_ID=your-token-id
BOOKSTACK_TOKEN_SECRET=your-token-secret

To point at a specific config file format/path:

bookstack -- --config ./bookstack.config.yaml list books

Usage

Import Commands

Import a single file:

bookstack import path/to/file.md --book "My Book"

Import a directory (first-level folders become chapters; files become pages):

bookstack import path/to/directory --book "My Book"

Import with specific format:

bookstack import content.html --book "Documentation" --format html

Dry run to see what would be imported:

bookstack import content/ --book "Test" --dry-run

List Commands

Books:

bookstack books list

Chapters (requires a book ID, name, or slug):

bookstack chapters list --book <id|name|slug>

Pages (optionally filter by book):

bookstack pages list
bookstack pages list --book <id|name|slug>

All list commands support `--json` for machine-readable output.

Configuration Commands

Initialize config file:

bookstack config init

Show current configuration:

bookstack config show

Options

Global options:

• -u, --url <url>: BookStack base URL
• -i, --token-id <id>: BookStack API token ID
• -s, --token-secret <secret>: BookStack API token secret
• -c, --config <path>: Config file path (auto-detected if omitted)

Import options:

• -b, --book <name>: Target book name or ID
• -f, --format <format>: Source format (markdown, html, json) - default: markdown
• --dry-run: Show what would be imported without making changes

For list commands, --book accepts ID, name, or slug.

Supported File Formats

• Markdown (.md, .markdown)
• HTML (.html, .htm)
• Plain text (.txt)

Directory Import Behavior

• Files in the root of the directory become pages directly within the target book.
• Each first-level subdirectory becomes a chapter in the book.
• Files within a subdirectory (and its nested folders) become pages inside that chapter. Nested folders are flattened into their chapter.
• Use --flatten to ignore chapters and import all files directly into the book.

Book Metadata (.book-metadata.json)

Place an optional .book-metadata.json at the root of the directory to set the book’s name and description:

{
  "name": "Human Readable Book Name",
  "description": "Optional description shown in BookStack"
}

Precedence for the book name is: CLI --book > .book-metadata.json > directory name.

Chapter Metadata (.chapter-metadata.json)

Place an optional .chapter-metadata.json file inside any subdirectory to customize the chapter’s details:

{
  "name": "Human Readable Chapter Name",
  "description": "Optional description shown in BookStack"
}

If no metadata is present, chapter names are derived by --chapter-from:

• dir (default): use the directory name
• readme: use the first Markdown heading (or first non-empty line) from README.md/index.md in that folder

Import Options

• --max-depth <n>: Max recursion depth inside subdirectories (default: 10). Deeper nested folders are still flattened into their chapter.
• --chapter-from <dir|readme>: Source for chapter names when no metadata file is found.
• --flatten: Import everything directly into the book (no chapters).

BookStack API Setup

To use this CLI, you need to:

• Enable API access in your BookStack instance
• Create an API token in your BookStack user settings
• Get the Token ID and Token Secret from BookStack

Development

Run in development mode:

bookstack <command>

Build for production:

bun run build
bun start <command>

Global CLI

You can use a single bookstack command without bun run:

• Option A (recommended): build a standalone binary and put it on your PATH

  bun run build
  bun build src/bookstack-cli.ts --compile --outfile dist/bookstack
  sudo install -m 0755 dist/bookstack /usr/local/bin/bookstack
  bookstack --help
  

  Using the provided Makefile instead:

  make cli                    # builds dist/bookstack
  sudo make install           # installs to /usr/local/bin/bookstack
  bookstack --help
  

• Option B: use the bundled wrapper without installing

  ./bin/bookstack --help
  

  Tip: add the repo bin to PATH for convenience in this shell:

  export PATH="$PWD/bin:$PATH"
  bookstack --help
  

• Option C: global install via Bun (may depend on Bun version)

  # If you hit a lockfile parse error, remove bun.lock and retry
  rm -f bun.lock && bun install && bun install -g .
  # Then
  bookstack --help
  

Uninstall

• If installed via Makefile:

  sudo make uninstall   # removes /usr/local/bin/bookstack
  

• If you manually installed the binary:

  sudo rm -f /usr/local/bin/bookstack
  

• If installed globally by Bun:

  # Bun usually places shims under ~/.bun/bin
  rm -f ~/.bun/bin/bookstack
  

Examples

Import a documentation directory:

bookstack import ./docs --book "API Documentation" --format markdown

Import a single HTML file:

bookstack import ./manual.html --book "User Manual" --format html

Test connection and list books:

bookstack books list

Note: This project has migrated from npm to Bun. Use bun install, bun run build, and bun start for all tasks.

Book Commands

Show details and contents of a book:

bookstack book show <id|name|slug>
# or if installed: bookstack book show <id|name|slug>

Export a book in various formats:

# markdown (to stdout)
bookstack book export <id|name|slug> --format markdown --stdout

# html to file
bookstack book export <id|name|slug> --format html --out ./book.html

# plaintext to default filename
bookstack book export <id|name|slug> --format plaintext

# pdf to file
bookstack book export <id|name|slug> --format pdf --out ./book.pdf

Note: PDF export can take longer to generate.

Show a book’s chapter/page tree:

bookstack book tree <id|name|slug>
# include IDs
bookstack book tree <id|name|slug> --ids
# only chapters or only pages
bookstack book tree <id|name|slug> --type chapter
bookstack book tree <id|name|slug> --type page

Output modes:
- `--ids` to include IDs in pretty output
- `--plain` to use simple bullets instead of tree glyphs
- `--json` to return a JSON structure of pages/chapters

Export a book's contents to a folder structure:

# write markdown files under ./<book-slug>/
bookstack book export-contents <id|name|slug> --format markdown

# choose directory and format
bookstack book export-contents <id|name|slug> --format html --dir ./out

# preview without writing
bookstack book export-contents <id|name|slug> --dry-run

Search

Search across books/chapters/pages:

# free text
bookstack search "your query" --limit 50

# with filters (combined)
bookstack search cloud --type page,chapter --in-name intro --updated-after 2024-01-01 \
  --tag docs --tag-kv topic=storage --sort-by last_commented

# json output
bookstack search cloud --type page --json

Global output flags:
- `--no-color` disable colors
- `-q, --quiet` suppress spinners and non-essential logs

Available filters (mapped to BookStack search syntax):

• --type <list> → {type:page|chapter|book}
• --in-name <text> → {in_name:"text"}
• --in-body <text> → {in_body:"text"}
• --created-by <slug|me> → {created_by:...}
• --updated-by <slug|me> → {updated_by:...}
• --owned-by <slug|me> → {owned_by:...}
• --created-after <YYYY-MM-DD> → {created_after:...}
• --created-before <YYYY-MM-DD> → {created_before:...}
• --updated-after <YYYY-MM-DD> → {updated_after:...}
• --updated-before <YYYY-MM-DD> → {updated_before:...}
• --is-restricted → {is_restricted}
• --is-template → {is_template}
• --viewed-by-me → {viewed_by_me}
• --not-viewed-by-me → {not_viewed_by_me}
• --sort-by last_commented → {sort_by:last_commented}
• --tag <name> → [name] (repeatable)
• --tag-kv <name=value> → [name=value] (repeatable)

Shelves

List shelves:

bookstack shelves list

Show shelf with books:
```bash
bookstack shelves show <id|name|slug>

Show shelf and its books:

bookstack shelves show <id|name|slug>

### Chapter/Page Export

Export a chapter:

```bash
# markdown to stdout
bookstack chapter export <id|name|slug> --format markdown --stdout

# html to file
bookstack chapter export <id|name|slug> --format html --out ./chapter.html

# plaintext (default filename)
bookstack chapter export <id|name|slug> --format plaintext

# pdf
bookstack chapter export <id|name|slug> --format pdf --out ./chapter.pdf

PDF export warning: generation can take longer than text formats.

Export a page:

bookstack page export <id|name|slug> --format markdown --stdout
bookstack page export <id|name|slug> --format html --out ./page.html
bookstack page export <id|name|slug> --format plaintext
bookstack page export <id|name|slug> --format pdf --out ./page.pdf

Chapter/Page Show & Find IDs

Inspect a chapter or page and find IDs for exports/automation:

# show chapter with its pages
bookstack chapter show <id|name|slug>

# show page details
bookstack page show <id|name|slug>

# find IDs (fuzzy search)
bookstack find "intro" --type page,chapter

Help / Man Page

Show a concise CLI reference:

bookstack help
# or if installed: bookstack help

Global Flags

• --no-color disable colors
• -q, --quiet suppress non-essential output