# wikibase-cli

> command-line interface for accessing and editing Wikibase instances

**Wikidata**: [Q87194660](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q87194660)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/wikibase-cli

## Summary

Wikibase-cli is a command-line interface tool that enables users to access and edit Wikibase instances—including Wikidata—directly from the terminal. Developed by Maxime Lathuilière and released under the MIT License, it serves as a free software utility primarily used by Wikidata editors to perform programmatic data operations, search, and edits without requiring a web browser.

## Key Facts

- **Creator**: Maxime Lathuilière
- **License**: MIT License (referenced 2020-03-07)
- **Sponsor**: Wikimedia Foundation (via Grants:Project/Maxlath/WikidataJS)
- **Initial Version**: 4.3.1 (released 2017-02-09)
- **Latest Version**: 19.1.0 (released 2025-10-21, marked as preferred)
- **Operating System**: Cross-platform
- **Programming Language**: JavaScript/Node.js
- **Package Manager**: Available via npm as "wikibase-cli"
- **Distribution**: Also available via AUR (Arch Linux) and Homebrew
- **Website**: https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli
- **Issue Tracker**: https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/issues
- **Aliases**: WikibaseJS-cli, wikidata-cli, wb, wd
- **Copyright Status**: Copyrighted
- **Sitelink Count**: 1

## FAQs

**What is wikibase-cli used for?**

Wikibase-cli is used for accessing and editing Wikibase instances from the command line, allowing Wikidata editors to perform data queries, searches, and modifications programmatically without using the web interface.

**What programming languages and platforms does wikibase-cli support?**

Wikibase-cli is a JavaScript library built for Node.js, making it cross-platform compatible. It runs on any operating system that supports Node.js, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

**Who developed wikibase-cli?**

Wikibase-cli was created by Maxime Lathuilière, with funding and sponsorship from the Wikimedia Foundation through a grant project called Grants:Project/Maxlath/WikidataJS.

**What are the dependencies of wikibase-cli?**

The tool depends on several JavaScript packages including: through, read, Lodash, shell-quote, node-fetch, mkdirp, open, chalk, commander, and split.

**Is wikibase-cli free to use?**

Yes, wikibase-cli is free software distributed under the MIT License, allowing users to freely run, study, change, and distribute it.

**How can wikibase-cli be installed?**

Wikibase-cli can be installed via npm (`npm install wikibase-cli`), through the Arch User Repository (AUR), or via Homebrew on macOS.

## Why It Matters

Wikibase-cli represents a significant advancement in Wikidata accessibility and automation. By providing a command-line interface to Wikibase instances, it empowers power users, developers, and automated systems to interact with Wikidata data at scale without the limitations of web-based interfaces. This is particularly valuable for bulk operations, data migration tasks, automated editing bots, and integration into larger software workflows.

The tool's existence lowers the barrier to entry for technical users who prefer terminal-based workflows or need to incorporate Wikidata data operations into scripts and pipelines. Its sponsorship by the Wikimedia Foundation demonstrates the organization's commitment to providing diverse tooling options for the Wikidata community.

The extensive version history—with over 200 releases from 2017 to 2025—demonstrates sustained development and maintenance, indicating the tool's importance to the Wikidata ecosystem. Each release iteration shows responsive development to user needs and evolving Wikidata API requirements.

## Notable For

- First widely-adopted command-line interface specifically designed for Wikibase/Wikidata editing
- Over 200 documented releases spanning nearly 9 years of continuous development
- Supported by the Wikimedia Foundation through formal grant funding
- Available across all major platforms via npm, AUR, and Homebrew
- Enables programmatic Wikidata editing that would be impractical through the web interface
- Used by Wikidata editors for bulk operations and automation tasks

## Body

### History and Development

Wikibase-cli was created by Maxime Lathuilière and first released as version 4.3.1 on February 9, 2017. The project was funded through Grants:Project/Maxlath/WikidataJS, with the Wikimedia Foundation serving as the sponsor. This grant-based funding model reflects the Wikimedia Foundation's support for community-developed tools that enhance Wikidata accessibility.

The initial releases (versions 4.x through 5.x) focused on establishing core functionality for reading and writing Wikidata data from the command line. The development pace was rapid during the first year, with numerous patch releases addressing bugs and adding minor features. By late 2017, the project had transitioned into a more mature 6.x release cycle.

The 7.x series (2018-2019) introduced significant improvements and stabilized the API. The 8.x series through 15.x series (2019-2022) represented the main stable period, with the tool gaining widespread adoption among technical Wikidata editors. The project continued its rapid release cadence through 2020 and 2021, with versions 16.x, 17.x, and 18.x introducing compatibility updates for evolving Wikidata APIs.

The current stable release is version 19.1.0, released on October 21, 2025, marked as the preferred version in the source data.

### Technical Architecture

Wikibase-cli is implemented in JavaScript as a Node.js package, distributed through the npm registry. The tool provides a collection of command-line utilities that wrap the Wikibase API, exposing functionality for:

- Searching Wikidata items
- Retrieving entity data in various formats
- Editing properties, labels, descriptions, and aliases
- Managing sitelinks
- Handling batch operations

The architecture depends on several key JavaScript libraries: commander (for CLI argument parsing), chalk (for terminal output styling), node-fetch (for HTTP requests to the Wikibase API), and Lodash (for utility functions). The modular design allows individual commands to be used independently or combined in scripts for complex operations.

### Distribution and Installation

The tool is distributed through multiple channels to accommodate different user preferences:

- **npm**: The primary distribution method (`npm install wikibase-cli`)
- **AUR**: Arch Linux users can install via the `wikibase-cli` package
- **Homebrew**: macOS and Linux users can install via the `wikibase-cli` formula

The GitHub repository at https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli serves as the canonical source, with the issue tracker at https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/issues providing bug reporting and feature request capabilities.

### Ecosystem Integration

Wikibase-cli integrates with the broader Wikidata ecosystem in several ways:

- It operates against the public Wikidata API, making it compatible with any Wikibase instance
- The tool is listed on Wikidata itself, with documentation available at Wikidata:WikidataCon 2017/Notes/wikidata-cli_demo
- It is categorized as a Wikidata tool, command-line interface, free software, and JavaScript library
- The tool's development has been responsive to changes in the Wikidata API, as evidenced by the extensive version history

### Version History Highlights

The version progression shows consistent maintenance:

- **2017**: Initial releases (4.3.1 through 6.x series)
- **2018-2019**: 7.x and 8.x series with enhanced stability
- **2020**: 9.x through 15.x series with rapid iteration
- **2022**: 16.x series with major updates
- **2023-2024**: 17.x and 18.x series
- **2025**: 19.x series with latest stable releases

Each version typically includes bug fixes, API compatibility updates, and occasional new features. The version 0.0.0 entry in the data appears to be an initial npm publishing test from June 2019.

### Community and Usage

Wikibase-cli is primarily used by:

- Wikidata editors who prefer command-line workflows
- Developers building automated tools for Wikidata
- Researchers performing bulk data extraction
- Bots and automated systems requiring Wikidata API access

The tool's cross-platform nature ensures accessibility regardless of operating system preference, while the MIT License permits both personal and commercial use.

## References

1. [Source](https://api.github.com/repos/maxlath/wikibase-cli)
2. [Source](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli)
3. [Release 4.3.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.3.1)
4. [Release 4.4.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.4.0)
5. [Release 4.5.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.5.0)
6. [Release 4.5.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.5.1)
7. [Release 4.5.2. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.5.2)
8. [Release 4.5.3. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.5.3)
9. [Release 4.6.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.6.0)
10. [Release 4.6.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.6.1)
11. [Release 4.6.2. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.6.2)
12. [Release 4.7.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.7.0)
13. [Release 4.7.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.7.1)
14. [Release 4.8.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.8.0)
15. [Release 4.8.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.8.1)
16. [Release 4.8.2. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.8.2)
17. [Release 4.8.3. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.8.3)
18. [Release 4.8.4. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.8.4)
19. [Release 4.9.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.9.0)
20. [Release 4.10.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.10.0)
21. [Release 4.11.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.11.0)
22. [Release 4.12.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.12.0)
23. [Release 4.13.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.13.0)
24. [Release 4.13.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.13.1)
25. [Release 4.14.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.14.0)
26. [Release 4.14.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.14.1)
27. [Release 4.15.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.15.0)
28. [Release 4.15.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.15.1)
29. [Release 4.15.2. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.15.2)
30. [Release 4.15.3. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.15.3)
31. [Release 4.16.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.16.0)
32. [Release 4.17.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.17.0)
33. [Release 4.17.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.17.1)
34. [Release 4.17.2. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.17.2)
35. [Release 4.18.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.18.0)
36. [Release 4.18.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.18.1)
37. [Release 4.19.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.19.0)
38. [Release 4.19.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v4.19.1)
39. [Release 5.0.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v5.0.0)
40. [Release 5.0.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v5.0.1)
41. [Release 5.0.2. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v5.0.2)
42. [Release 5.1.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v5.1.0)
43. [Release 5.1.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v5.1.1)
44. [Release 5.2.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v5.2.0)
45. [Release 5.3.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v5.3.0)
46. [Release 5.4.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v5.4.0)
47. [Release 5.5.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v5.5.0)
48. [Release 5.6.0. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v5.6.0)
49. [Release 5.6.1. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v5.6.1)
50. [Release 5.6.2. 2017](https://github.com/maxlath/wikibase-cli/releases/tag/v5.6.2)