CLI Drop Commands
Upload, download, list, and manage encrypted file drops from the command line.
The anonli drop commands let you upload, download, and manage end-to-end encrypted file drops. Files are encrypted locally with AES-256-GCM before upload — the server never sees your unencrypted data.
Upload
Upload and encrypt files.
anonli drop upload [path] [options]
Arguments
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
[path] | File or directory to upload. Omit it and pipe data in to upload from stdin (requires --name). |
Options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-t, --title <text> | Set an encrypted title for the drop |
-m, --message <text> | Attach an encrypted message |
-e, --expiry <days> | Expiration in days, 1–30 (default: your plan's maximum; capped to your plan) |
-n, --max-downloads <n> | Limit number of downloads |
-p, --password <pass> | Password-protect the drop (requires Plus or Pro) |
--name <name> | File name when reading from stdin (required for stdin uploads) |
--notify | Send email notification on download |
--hide-branding | Remove anon.li branding from the download page |
--no-vault | Do not store the owner key in your account vault |
Examples
# Upload a file with 7-day expiry
anonli drop upload ./report.pdf --expiry 7
# Upload from stdin with a custom name
cat backup.sql | anonli drop upload --name backup.sql
# Upload a directory with title and download limit
anonli drop upload ./project --title "Project files" --max-downloads 5
# Password-protected upload
anonli drop upload ./secret.zip --password "s3cret" --expiry 3
How Encryption Works
- A random AES-256-GCM key and 12-byte base IV are generated locally
- The title and message (if provided) are encrypted with the key
- Each file gets its own 12-byte IV, then is split into 50 MB chunks encrypted with IVs derived from that file IV + chunk index
- Encrypted chunks are uploaded concurrently to storage
- By default, the CLI prompts for your vault password and stores a vault-wrapped owner key for dashboard recovery
- The share URL is returned with the decryption key in the fragment:
https://anon.li/d/<id>#<key>
The #<key> fragment is never sent to the server.
Use --no-vault only when you intentionally want a link-only drop. Without vault storage, the dashboard cannot recover the drop key if you lose the share URL.
Download
Download and decrypt files from a drop.
anonli drop download <target> [options]
Aliases: anonli drop dl
Arguments
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
<target> | Drop URL or drop ID. When using a URL, the decryption key is extracted automatically from the fragment. |
Options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-o, --output <dir> | Output directory (default: current directory) |
-k, --key <key> | Decryption key (not needed if included in the URL) |
-p, --password <pass> | Password for protected drops |
--recipient-token <token> | Named-recipient access token, for drops restricted to named recipients (not needed if included in the URL) |
--overwrite | Overwrite existing files |
--skip | Skip existing files |
Examples
# Download using the full share URL
anonli drop download "https://anon.li/d/abc123#U2FsdGVkX1..."
# Download by ID with a separate key
anonli drop download abc123 --key U2FsdGVkX1...
# Download to a specific directory
anonli drop download "https://anon.li/d/abc123#key" --output ~/Downloads
# Download a password-protected drop
anonli drop download "https://anon.li/d/abc123#key" --password "s3cret"
Resume Support
If a download is interrupted, the CLI saves progress to a .anonli-dl temporary file. Re-running the same command resumes from where it left off using HTTP Range requests.
List
List your active file drops.
anonli drop list [options]
Aliases: anonli drop ls
Options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
--limit <n> | Results per page (default: 50) |
--offset <n> | Pagination offset |
--expired | Show only expired drops |
--disabled | Show only disabled drops |
--enabled | Show only active drops |
--sort <field> | Sort by: created, expiry, size, downloads (default: created) |
--order <asc|desc> | Sort order (default: desc) |
--json | Output raw JSON |
Example
# List active drops sorted by size
anonli drop list --enabled --sort size
# Get JSON output for scripting
anonli drop list --json | jq '.[].id'
Info
View details and file list for a drop.
anonli drop info <target> [options]
Aliases: anonli drop get
Arguments
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
<target> | Drop URL or drop ID |
Options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-k, --key <key> | Decryption key to reveal encrypted filenames |
-p, --password <pass> | Password for protected drops |
--json | Output raw JSON |
Delete
Permanently delete a drop.
anonli drop delete <target> [options]
Aliases: anonli drop rm
<target> is a drop URL or drop ID.
Options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-f, --force | Skip confirmation prompt |
Toggle
Enable or disable a drop.
anonli drop toggle <target>
Returns the new state (enabled or disabled). Disabled drops cannot be downloaded but are not deleted — you can re-enable them later.
Share
Reconstruct a shareable URL for a drop.
anonli drop share <target> [--key <key>]
<target> is a drop ID or URL. If no key is given (via --key or the URL fragment) and you are logged in, the CLI recovers the key from your vault after prompting for your vault password. Password-protected drops never put the key in the URL; share the password separately.
Options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-k, --key <key> | The decryption key (the part after # in the original URL). Optional when logged in — recovered from your vault |
Example
anonli drop share abc123 --key U2FsdGVkX1...
# → https://anon.li/d/abc123#U2FsdGVkX1...