explaingit

rauchg/wifi-password

Analysis updated 2026-06-26

4,545ShellAudience · generalComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A one-command macOS tool that retrieves your current Wi-Fi password from the system keychain so you can share it instantly without opening system settings.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((wifi-password))
    What it does
      Get Wi-Fi password
      macOS keychain read
      One command
    Install options
      Homebrew
      curl download
      bpkg
    Features
      Current network
      Specific network name
      Clipboard copy
    Tech
      Shell script
      macOS only
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Code map

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Quickly retrieve your Wi-Fi password from the terminal to share with a guest.

USE CASE 2

Look up the saved password for any Wi-Fi network your Mac has previously joined.

USE CASE 3

Pipe the Wi-Fi password directly to the clipboard for instant pasting.

What is it built with?

ShellmacOS

How does it compare?

rauchg/wifi-passwordfscarmen/sing-boxgh0stzk/dotfiles
Stars4,5454,5454,541
LanguageShellShellShell
Setup difficultyeasyhardhard
Complexity1/54/54/5
Audiencegeneralops devopsdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

macOS only, does not work on Windows or Linux.

Use freely for any purpose including commercial, as long as you keep the MIT copyright notice.

In plain English

This is a small command-line tool for macOS that retrieves the password of the Wi-Fi network you are currently connected to. The idea is simple: when someone asks for the Wi-Fi password, you open a terminal, run one command, and get the answer immediately without digging through system settings. The tool is written as a shell script. It works only on macOS, and the README links to a separate Windows version for people who need that. Installation takes one step: you can use Homebrew (a popular package manager for Mac), a tool called bpkg, a shell plugin manager like Antigen or Zgen, or simply download the script directly with curl. Once installed, running wifi-password with no arguments prints the password for the network you are on. You can also pass a specific network name to retrieve the password for any saved network. There is also a one-liner that pipes the output straight into the clipboard so you can paste it anywhere without retyping. The script is short, does one thing, and has no configuration. It reads Wi-Fi credentials from the macOS keychain, which stores passwords for networks your computer has joined. No third-party services are involved. The repository is released under the MIT license.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I install wifi-password on macOS using Homebrew and retrieve my current network password?
Prompt 2
Help me write a shell script that uses wifi-password to automatically copy the current Wi-Fi password to the clipboard.
Prompt 3
How do I use wifi-password to look up the saved password for a specific Wi-Fi network name on my Mac?
Prompt 4
Explain how wifi-password reads from the macOS keychain without sending any data to third-party services.

Frequently asked questions

What is wifi-password?

A one-command macOS tool that retrieves your current Wi-Fi password from the system keychain so you can share it instantly without opening system settings.

What language is wifi-password written in?

Mainly Shell. The stack also includes Shell, macOS.

What license does wifi-password use?

Use freely for any purpose including commercial, as long as you keep the MIT copyright notice.

How hard is wifi-password to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is wifi-password for?

Mainly general.

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