Nextcloud Upload Tool (nut)
A fast, cross-platform CLI tool and desktop GUI application for uploading files to Nextcloud and instantly generating direct download / public share links.
Key Features
- ⚡ High-Performance Uploads: WebDAV streaming uploads with real-time progress reporting and pipe support (
stdin,pv, Unix pipelines). - 🔗 Instant Share Links: Direct integration with Nextcloud's OCS Sharing API to generate public share URLs and direct-download links with optional password protection.
- 🔐 Secure Credential Storage: Native OS Keychain integration (macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, Linux Secret Service) with encrypted file fallback.
- 👥 Multi-Account Support: Configure and switch between multiple Nextcloud accounts or self-hosted instances seamlessly across CLI and GUI.
- 🖥️ Modern Desktop GUI: Drag-and-drop queue management, per-file & total progress bars, retry handling, and browser-based Login Flow v2.
- 🤖 Automation Ready: Output formatting options (
--json,--tsv,--url-only,--direct-url-only) and headless SSH / CI authentication. - 🐚 Shell Completions: First-class completion scripts for
bash,zsh,fish,powershell, andelvish.
Documentation
- 📖 CLI Reference: Full syntax, subcommands (
login,upload,accounts,completions), and options reference. - 💡 Automation & Scripting Recipes: Real-world examples for pipelines (
stdin,pv,mysqldump,curl),jqparsing, and CI/CD workflows. - 📦 Installation Guide: Pre-built binaries, packages (
.dmg,.deb,.rpm,.msi,.AppImage), and source compilation instructions. - 🖥️ GUI User Guide: Walkthrough of the desktop app, drag-and-drop queue, retry mechanics, and account management.
- 👥 Multi-Account Guide: Managing multiple servers, switching active defaults, and CLI/GUI token sharing.
- 🏗️ Architecture & Developer Guide: Workspace layout, WebDAV/OCS protocol implementation, and Tauri IPC bridge.
Build and Install
Prerequisites
- Rust toolchain
- Node.js 20+ and npm
- macOS Xcode Command Line Tools:
xcode-select --install
Build the CLI
Build the optimized release binary:
cargo build --release -p nut
The binary is created at target/release/nut. To create a distributable archive, run:
./scripts/build-cli.sh
The archive is written to dist-packages/.
To install the CLI locally on macOS or Linux:
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
install -m 755 target/release/nut ~/.local/bin/nut
Make sure ~/.local/bin is included in your PATH.
Build the GUI
Build the frontend and package the native desktop application:
cd gui
npm install
npm run tauri build
Alternatively, run the packaging helper from the repository root:
./scripts/build-gui.sh
Installers and application bundles are created in gui/src-tauri/target/release/bundle/. On macOS, open the generated .dmg and drag Nextcloud Upload Tool.app into /Applications:
open gui/src-tauri/target/release/bundle/dmg/*.dmg
See the Installation Guide for platform-specific prerequisites, installers, and source-build details.
Quick Start
1. CLI Usage
Connect your Nextcloud account:
# Interactive Login Flow v2 (opens browser):
nut login https://cloud.example.com --label "Work"
# Headless SSH authorization (prints URL in terminal):
nut login https://cloud.example.com --no-browser --label "Server"
# Or connect interactively via terminal prompt:
nut login https://cloud.example.com --manual
# Or non-interactive / CI automated script:
nut login https://cloud.example.com -u alice -p "app-password"
Upload files and generate share links:
# Upload a single file and generate a public share link:
nut upload -s document.pdf
# Upload multiple files into a remote folder:
nut upload -s -d "Projects/2026" file1.png file2.png
# Upload recursively:
nut upload -s -r assets/
# Stream from standard input (e.g. backup pipes):
tar -czf - data/ | nut upload -s --stdin --filename "backup.tar.gz"
# Output only the share link (ideal for scripts and clipboard pipes):
nut upload -s --url-only report.pdf | pbcopy
Shell Completions:
# Generate shell completions (e.g. Zsh)
nut completions zsh > ~/.zfunc/_nut
Manage multiple accounts:
# List all accounts:
nut accounts
# Switch default active account:
nut account default "Work"
# Upload to a specific account:
nut upload --account "Personal" photo.jpg
2. GUI Usage
Launch the desktop app via nut-gui or from your system applications menu. Drag and drop any files into the window, configure your remote destination folder, toggle public share link creation, and click Upload All.
Project Structure
.
├── nextcloud_client/ # Core Rust backend library (WebDAV, OCS API, Keyring, Config)
├── cli/ # Terminal CLI executable (`nut`)
├── gui/ # Desktop GUI application (Tauri v2 + React frontend)
├── docs/ # Detailed guides and developer documentation
├── scripts/ # Packaging and build helper scripts
├── Tasks.md # Canonical project roadmap and task tracking
└── README.md
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License.