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Quick Start & CLI

Quick Start & CLI

Learn how to install and use the pd CLI for day-to-day file transfers, album creation, and pipelines.

Installation

Homebrew (macOS & Linux)

The easiest way to install pd on macOS or Linux is via Homebrew:

brew tap jkawamoto/pixeldrain
brew install pixeldrain

Go Install

If you have Go installed (Go 1.24 or later recommended):

go install github.com/jkawamoto/go-pixeldrain/cmd/pd@latest

Binary Releases

Download pre-compiled binaries for macOS, Linux, or Windows from the GitHub Releases page.

Authentication (Optional)

pd works anonymously out-of-the-box. However, if you have a Pixeldrain account, configuring your API key allows you to manage files under your user account and keep track of your uploads.

Get your API key at pixeldrain.com/user/api_keys.

You can supply the API key in either of two ways:

  1. Environment Variable (Recommended):

    export PIXELDRAIN_API_KEY="your-api-key"

  2. Command Flag:

    pd --api-key "your-api-key" upload file.zip

Basic CLI Commands

Upload Files

To upload a file and print the public link:

pd upload artwork.png
# => https://pixeldrain.com/u/xxxxxx

To specify a custom display name on Pixeldrain using path:name:

pd upload output_0042.png:cyberpunk-city.png

Create Albums

Combine multiple files into a single album URL using --album:

pd upload --album "Neon Dreams" concept1.png concept2.png concept3.png
# => https://pixeldrain.com/l/xxxxxx

Download Files

Download a file by URL or ID (saved to current directory by default):

pd download https://pixeldrain.com/u/xxxxxx

Specify a custom destination directory or filename:

pd download -o ./downloads https://pixeldrain.com/u/xxxxxx
pd download --filename custom.png https://pixeldrain.com/u/xxxxxx

To download all files from an album non-interactively:

pd download --all https://pixeldrain.com/l/xxxxxx

Advanced Unix Pipelines

Uploading from STDIN

Upload log files, git diffs, or output from any program by providing - as the path (use -- before - so flags aren’t confused):

# Upload build logs
cat build.log | pd upload -- -:build.log

# Upload a git patch
git diff | pd upload -- -:patch.diff

Uploading Entire Directories

Stream directory archives directly to Pixeldrain without intermediate disk writes:

tar zcf - ~/Projects/my-app | pd upload -- -:my-app.tar.gz

And download/extract in a single pipeline:

pd download <file-id> | tar zxf - -C ~/Downloads
MCP Server (AI Integration)