Command Line Reference

The desktop packages install two programs:

• proton-stream, the app
• pstr, a command-line tool that does the app's work without a window

Both use the same shares, library, settings and keyring, so a share added with pstr shows up in the app.

proton-stream

proton-stream                                              # open the app
proton-stream 'https://drive.proton.me/urls/TOKEN#KEY'     # open it with the Add form filled in

Only one window runs at a time. A second proton-stream brings the open window forward, hands it any share link it was given, and exits.

A link given as an argument is visible to other users of the computer in the process list while the command runs, and it may land in your shell history. Pasting it into the window with Ctrl+V does neither.

pstr

pstr --help lists every command, and pstr <command> --help explains one. pstr never takes a password or key as an argument; it asks for them.

Shares

Command	Does
pstr add --name NAME URL	Add a public share link. Quote the URL, because of the #.
pstr add --name NAME URL --custom-password	The same, and ask for the link's own password
pstr add-folder --name NAME VOLUME:LINK	Add a folder of your Drive, by the id pstr browse prints
pstr shares	List the shares and their ids
pstr remove ID	Remove a share and delete its link and password from the keyring

Account

Command	Does
pstr login ADDRESS	Sign in. Asks for the password, a two-factor code and a mailbox password as the account needs them.
pstr logout	Sign out and delete the stored session
pstr account	Show who is signed in
pstr browse [VOLUME:LINK]	List your Drive's top-level places, or one folder
pstr sync	Sync watch history now

pstr login cannot show a CAPTCHA. If Proton asks for one, sign in once in the app instead.

Library

Command	Does
pstr crawl [--share ID]	Read every share, or one, into the library
pstr list [--share ID]	Print what the library holds

Posters and descriptions

Command	Does
pstr metadata status	Show whether lookups are on, and which provider
pstr metadata set --on --provider anilist	Turn lookups on with AniList
pstr metadata set --on --provider tmdb --api-key	Turn lookups on with TMDB, and ask for the key
pstr metadata set --off	Turn lookups off, and delete every stored answer
pstr metadata match [--force] [--limit N]	Look up titles now. --force asks again about titles that already have an answer.

Testing playback

These two are for finding out which layer is slow or broken.

pstr bench --file Frieren --verify      # measure seek time, throughput and memory, no player
pstr play --file Frieren --disk-cache   # play in a plain mpv window

Option	Does
--file TEXT	The first file whose name or title contains TEXT
--share ID	Look in one share only
--disk-cache	Keep decrypted blocks on disk, as the app does
--readahead N	Blocks to fetch ahead of the reader
--ring-mib N	Memory for blocks, in MiB (128 by default)
--verify	bench only: compare a read against the SDK's own download
--throughput-mib N	bench only: how much to read for the speed test (32 by default)
--start SECONDS	play only: start at this position
--headless	play only: decode with no window and no sound
--for-seconds S	play only: stop after this many seconds

Environment variables

Variable	Does
RUST_LOG	How much both programs log to the terminal, for example RUST_LOG=debug
PSTR_FRAME_CAP	The app's frame rate limit on Wayland. 60 by default; 0 turns it off.