install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install ente-cli

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#ente-cli

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/en/ente-cli/package.nix · source: api.github.com

Windows

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id ente-io.ente.CLI -e

Windows Package Manager source index · ente-io.ente.CLI · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Utility for exporting data from Ente and decrypt the export from Ente Auth

Project links

Commands and aliases

ente

history

Project history and usage

ente-cli is the command-line export and decryption utility from Ente's open-source, end-to-end encrypted product monorepo. It is mainly useful to Ente Photos and Ente Auth users who want a scriptable way to add accounts, run exports, and decrypt authenticator exports outside the graphical apps.

Project history

The CLI grew out of Ente's broader platform, which presents itself as a fully open-source, end-to-end encrypted service for photos, authenticator data, and related personal storage products. The monorepo README describes Ente Photos as the flagship product and Ente Auth as a later authenticator built from the same encrypted foundations.

The CLI README documents it as a standalone Go command with prebuilt release binaries, source builds, and Docker usage. Its command set centers on account management and export workflows rather than being a general-purpose media tool.

Adoption history

Package-manager adoption is modest but real: Homebrew ships the `ente-cli` formula, and the input package facts also list Nix and Winget package names. Homebrew's formula analytics showed hundreds of annual installs when checked for this enrichment run, which fits a companion utility for an existing hosted service rather than a broad Unix staple.

How it is used

Typical use starts with `ente account add`, optional account listing or export-directory changes, and then `ente export`. The CLI also has a documented Auth export decryption use case, making it relevant for users who need local backups or migration paths from encrypted Ente data.

The tool stores local account/export state in its Ente CLI config directory and can be run as a static binary or in Docker, which matters for repeatable backup jobs and headless export automation.

Why package nerds care

For package maintainers, ente-cli is interesting as a small CLI carved out of a much larger encrypted-app monorepo. It brings a hosted consumer app workflow into the normal package-manager world: static binaries, Homebrew/Nix/Winget entries, and scriptable export commands.

Timeline

2020s: Ente publishes its client apps and server in an open-source monorepo.
2020s: Ente Auth is added as an end-to-end encrypted authenticator built on Ente's existing platform.
2020s: The Ente CLI is documented as a standalone utility for exports, account management, and Auth export decryption.

Related projects

Ente Photos, Ente Auth, and Ente Locker are sibling products in the same monorepo.
The CLI overlaps operationally with backup/export tools, but its encryption and account model are specific to Ente.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

text:decrypt

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 platform targets.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: ~/.ente/config.yamlconfig.yaml$ENTE_CLI_CONFIG_DIR/config.yaml

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: ~/.ente/ente-cli.db$ENTE_CLI_CONFIG_DIR/ente-cli.db

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`ente`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version0.2.3

manager updated2026-07-04

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/ente/ente

infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/ente/entenone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:ente-cli
Version	0.2.3
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/ente-cli
Homepage	https://github.com/ente-io/
Repository	https://github.com/ente/ente
Upstream docs	https://ente.com
License	AGPL-3.0-only
Source archive	https://github.com/ente/ente/archive/refs/tags/cli-v0.2.3.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-07-04T16:53:42+09:00
Pulse	updated
Build dependencies	go
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	ente-cli
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

ente-cli

nix profile install nixpkgs#ente-cli

normalized package name match
Matched by: Ente Cli

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/en/ente-cli/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

winget95%

ente-io.ente.CLI

winget install --id ente-io.ente.CLI -e

normalized package name match
Matched by: Ente Cli

Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: ente-io.ente.CLI from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

winget92%

ente-io.photos-desktop

winget install --id ente-io.photos-desktop -e

installed executable or alias match
Matched by: Ente

Windows Package Manager source index · cdn.winget.microsoft.com · Windows Package Manager source index: ente-io.photos-desktop from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/ente-cli.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install ente-cli with Homebrew, Nix, winget