CLI

The Bytewells CLI, bw, creates, pushes, publishes, rents, runs and inspects Actors, and imports existing Actors from Apify.

InstallationCopy Anchor Link

npm install -g @bytewells/cli

Or use directly with npx:

npx @bytewells/cli <command>

After installation the command is bw (long form: bytewells):

bw <command>
bw --help

The default API is https://bytewells.com/api. Pass --url only if Bytewells support gives you a different endpoint.

CommandsCopy Anchor Link

initCopy Anchor Link

Create a new Actor project from a template.

bw init [name] [options]

Options:

Example:

# Interactive mode - prompts for name and template
bw init

# Quick start with specific template
bw init my-scraper --template ts-crawlee-cheerio

signupCopy Anchor Link

Create a Bytewells account and log in.

bw signup [options]

import apifyCopy Anchor Link

Zero-code port from Apify: imports the source, README, input schema, run defaults and rental price of Actors you own on Apify, builds them on Bytewells and (unless --no-listing) creates Store listings. It only reads from Apify.

For interactive import without a token, use Continue with Apify / Connect Apify in the console — see Import from Apify. Prefer the CLI when source is a private Git repo or you need CI/--all automation.

bw import apify [actors...] [options]

actors are Apify Actor IDs or username/actor-name.

Example:

export APIFY_TOKEN=<your Apify token>
bw import apify --all --dry-run
bw import apify jane/google-maps-scraper --price-discount 20 --publish

devCopy Anchor Link

Run Actor code on your machine in development mode (against the hosted API if env is set).

bw dev [options]

Options:

Example:

cd my-actor
bw dev           # Run once
bw dev --watch   # Run with hot reload

statusCopy Anchor Link

Check the status of an Actor run.

bw status <run-id> [options]

Options:

Example:

bw status abc123
bw status abc123 --watch --interval 5

loginCopy Anchor Link

Log in with email and password or an API token.

bw login [options]

Options:

Without flags, you'll be prompted interactively. The token is validated against the server before saving — invalid tokens never get persisted.

Examples:

# Interactive login (prompts for URL and token)
bw login

# Non-interactive
bw login --email [email protected]
bw login --token your-api-token

# Save under a named profile (sets it as active too)
bw login --profile prod    --url https://bytewells.com/api  --token <T>

Credentials are stored in ~/.bytewells/config.json. The file uses a multi-profile shape; legacy single-profile configs (and an existing ~/.crawlee-cloud/config.json) are migrated transparently on first read.

infoCopy Anchor Link

Show the active profile, API URL, server status, and authenticated user. The "where am I?" command for context-switching between environments.

bw info [-j, --json]

Output (human-readable):

Profile:    prod (active)
API:        https://bytewells.com/api
Server:     v1.6.0  reachable, 53ms
Auth:       valid
User:       [email protected]
Token:      eyJhbGciOiJI...

Exits non-zero if the server is unreachable or the token is invalid — useful as a CI healthcheck before bw push:

bw info --json >/dev/null && bw push

The --json output (short flag: -j) has a stable shape suitable for piping into scripts. The full token is never exposed; only a 12-char preview.

profileCopy Anchor Link

Manage saved login profiles. A profile is a stored apiBaseUrl + token pair; one is active at a time. Use bw login --profile <name> to create one.

bw profile list           # show all profiles, mark active (alias: ls)
bw profile use <name>     # switch active
bw profile rm  <name>     # delete a profile (alias: remove)

Examples:

$ bw profile list
* prod     https://bytewells.com/api    eyJhbGciOiJI...

For per-invocation overrides without changing the active profile, use the BYTEWELLS_PROFILE env var:

BYTEWELLS_PROFILE=prod bw push    # one-off push, no `profile use` needed

pushCopy Anchor Link

Upload the Actor in the current directory and build it. The command takes no positional argument — the Actor name is always read from .actor/actor.json in the current directory.

By default push packs the directory as a tar.gz, uploads it to POST /v2/acts/:id/builds/source and follows the build log; the build runs on the Bytewells builder, so you don't need Docker on your machine. The image is named bytewells/<username>/<actor-name>.

bw push [options]

Options:

Examples:

cd my-actor

# Push (name comes from .actor/actor.json)
bw push --tag 1.0.0

# Inject default env vars into the Actor (repeatable -e, or a file)
bw push -e API_KEY=abc123 --env-file .env.production

After the first successful build, publish the Actor with bw publish or from the dashboard (Publish).

publishCopy Anchor Link

Put an Actor on the Store. Creates the listing if it doesn't exist yet (needs --price or --free), applies the pricing flags, then publishes it. Paid listings need a Stripe Connect account that can accept charges (set it up in the dashboard under Earnings).

bw publish <actor> [options]

actor is an Actor name or ID, or a listing slug.

bw publish my-scraper --price 29 --trial-days 7

Price changes apply to new rentals only; existing renters keep the price they signed up at.

listingsCopy Anchor Link

List your Store listings with status and price.

bw listings [--json]

rentCopy Anchor Link

Rent an Actor from the Store. Free listings are active immediately; paid listings print a Stripe Checkout link. Renting shares your name and email with the developer, and the command asks you to confirm that.

bw rent <username>/<actor-name> [--yes]

--yes, -y skips the confirmation prompt (you consent to share your contact details).

runCopy Anchor Link

Run Actor code on your machine with local file storage.

bw run [options]

Options:

Examples:

# Run in current directory
cd my-actor
bw run

# Run with input
bw run --input '{"url": "https://example.com"}'

# Keep previous storage data
bw run --no-purge

Local storage is created in ./storage/ with datasets, key-value stores, and request queues.

logsCopy Anchor Link

Stream logs from a run.

bw logs <run-id> [options]

Options:

Example:

bw logs abc123 --follow

callCopy Anchor Link

Call a remote Actor on the platform and optionally wait for results. Store Actors can be addressed as username~actor-name; you need an active rental (or a free listing) and a positive credit balance.

bw call <actor> [options]

Options:

Examples:

# Call an Actor
bw call my-scraper --input '{"url": "https://example.com"}'

# Call and wait for results
bw call my-scraper --wait --input '{"url": "https://example.com"}'

# Call a rented Store Actor
bw call jane~google-maps-scraper --wait --input input.json

# Call with environment variables (use -e multiple times)
bw call my-actor -e KEY1=val1 -e KEY2=val2

Tip: The -e flag can be repeated to pass multiple environment variables in a single call.

listCopy Anchor Link

List actors and recent runs on the platform. Alias: ls. Without flags, both actors and recent runs are shown.

bw list [options]

Options:

Examples:

# List actors and recent runs
bw list

# Recent runs only, as JSON
bw ls --runs --json

Getting Your API TokenCopy Anchor Link

Via the DashboardCopy Anchor Link

1. Sign in at https://bytewells.com/dashboard
2. Go to Settings → API Keys
3. Create a new API key

Via the APICopy Anchor Link

First, obtain a JWT token by logging in (or signing up with POST /v2/auth/register):

curl -X POST https://bytewells.com/api/v2/auth/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email":"[email protected]","password":"your-password"}'

Then create an API key using the JWT token:

curl -X POST https://bytewells.com/api/v2/auth/api-keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name":"my-key"}'

Use the resulting API key as your token when running bw login.

ConfigurationCopy Anchor Link

Configuration is stored in ~/.bytewells/config.json:

{
  "activeProfile": "default",
  "profiles": {
    "default": {
      "apiBaseUrl": "https://bytewells.com/api",
      "token": "your-api-token"
    }
  }
}

If you have a legacy flat config file (just { apiBaseUrl, token } at the top level), the CLI migrates it transparently into a default profile on first read.

Environment VariablesCopy Anchor Link

The legacy CRAWLEE_CLOUD_* names are still accepted as fallbacks.