rook(1)

📦 version 0.4.4, in alpine 3.24

💜 rook(1) — the secret-service tool that's literally your keepass bestie

okay so picture this: you're on the General Commands Manual page for rook(1), and it's a whole vibe. rook lets you use a KeePass v4 database as your secret stash, and honestly? iconic. let's get into it ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

rook — a secret service tool backed by a Keepass v4 database. yes bestie, that's the whole pitch and it ate 💅

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

rook [--force/-f <bool>] [--help/-h <bool>] [--keyring/-k <bool>]
[--password <string>] [--pin <bool>] [--socket <string>] [--version/-v
<bool>]
[commands|exit|help|info|list|lock|match|open|reload|search|serve|show|status|version]

like, that's the whole menu. options first, then a command, no cap 🎀

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so rook lets you use a KeePass v2 database as storage for secrets — and it's giving two whole modes, main character energy times two:

  • client mode and server mode
  • the server unlocks the database and stays in memory
  • the client talks to the server over a socket and fetches your data

that's it, that's the architecture, and it slaps 🫶

✨ OPTIONS ✨

  • --force, -f[=bool] (defaults to false) — purge any existing server socket first. > ⚠️ heads up bestie: if there's already a server running, this will probably break it. not a vibe check you want to fail, so be careful 😭
  • --help, -h[=bool] (defaults to false) — prints usage text. the classic cry for help but make it documentation 🎀
  • --keyring, -k[=bool] (defaults to false) — use the Linux kernel keyring to store the pin in the user session context. this enables (and overrides) --secure. lowkey the upgrade path, iykyk 🔑
  • --password[=string] (defaults to "") — bestie. no. Do not use this argument. It's a horrible idea. that's a direct quote from the manpage and it fr fr means it 🙈💀
  • --pin[=bool] (defaults to false) — read the secret pin from the STDIN. sneaky but clean 🧚
  • --socket[=string] (defaults to "") — an alternate client/server socket from the default, which lets you run multiple rook servers at once. must be a full file name, e.g. /tmp/rook2.sock 🦋
  • --version, -v[=bool] (defaults to false) — print the version and exit. short and sweet, periodt ⭐

👑 COMMANDS 👑

🌈 commands

list all of the supported server commands. a whole tour of the menu, love that for us 💅

🌈 exit

kill background process. bye bestie 👋

🌈 help

Prints usage text. we love a self-aware icon 🎀

🌈 info

print database information. the ✨lore✨ of your DB.

🌈 list

list entries in the database. inventory check, main character style 🧾

🌈 lock

lock an open database. time to be mysterious and unavailable 🔒

🌈 match

find entries who have titles, urls, or autocomplete entries matching the supplied string. this is the opposite of search, in that the entry records must be substrings of the argument. yes, backwards on purpose — not me getting confused, it's literally the design 😌

🌈 open

open a new database, or unlock the existing one. the password may either be prompted for, or may be supplied in a ROOK_PASSWORD environment variable. pick your fighter 🫶

🌈 reload

reload the database. this shouldn't be necessary since rook detects file system mod time changes and auto-refreshes, but this command can force it. the "have you tried turning it off and on again" of DB refreshing 🔄

list entries with title, URL, or tag matching a string. the normal-direction one, bestie 🔍

🌈 serve

start the server. the moment the server becomes the main character 👑

🌈 show

show the contents of an entry. peek behind the curtain ✨

🌈 status

report whether the DB is unlocked. a lighter call than info — the snack-sized version 🍓

🌈 version

print out the version and exit. same energy as --version, different door 🌸

🎀 AUTHOR 🎀

Sean E. Russell <ser@ser1.net> — shoutout to the legend who made this whole thing happen 💖

🌟 SEE ALSO 🌟

rook(1) rook-commands(1) rook-exit(1) rook-help(1) rook-info(1) rook-list(1) rook-lock(1) rook-match(1) rook-open(1) rook-reload(1) rook-search(1) rook-serve(1) rook-show(1) rook-status(1) rook-version(1)

like, the whole friend group fr fr 🫶

okay that's the page!! this one came from the local source, version/date 2026-05-31, and it's the rook(1) manual — now go forth and keep your secrets secret, bestie 💜✨🎀

📦 where this page comes from