CLI Installation

Installing and setting up the Mullvad VPN command-line interface

The Mullvad CLI (mullvad) is included with all desktop installations of the Mullvad VPN app. This guide covers installation and setup for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Prerequisites

Before using the CLI, you need:

1. A Mullvad account (create one at mullvad.net)
2. The Mullvad daemon (mullvad-daemon) installed and running
3. Appropriate system permissions (root/administrator for some operations)

Installation by Platform

Linux

The CLI is included with the Mullvad VPN app installation.

Debian/Ubuntu

Download and install the .deb package from the Mullvad downloads page:

sudo apt install ./mullvad-vpn_*_amd64.deb

The mullvad binary will be installed to /usr/bin/mullvad.

Fedora/RHEL

Download and install the .rpm package:

sudo dnf install ./mullvad-vpn-*.rpm

or

sudo rpm -i mullvad-vpn-*.rpm

Arch Linux

Install from the AUR or use the official package:

yay -S mullvad-vpn

Verifying Installation

Verify the CLI is installed:

which mullvad
mullvad --version

macOS

The CLI is included with the Mullvad VPN app.

Installation

1. Download the .pkg installer from mullvad.net/download
2. Open the downloaded .pkg file
3. Follow the installation wizard

The mullvad binary will be installed to /usr/local/bin/mullvad.

Adding to PATH

The installation should automatically add /usr/local/bin to your PATH. Verify the CLI is accessible:

which mullvad
mullvad --version

If the command is not found, ensure /usr/local/bin is in your PATH:

export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"

Add this line to your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bash_profile to make it permanent.

Windows

The CLI is included with the Mullvad VPN app installation.

Installation

1. Download the .exe installer from mullvad.net/download
2. Run the installer as Administrator
3. Follow the installation wizard

The mullvad.exe binary will be installed to:

C:\Program Files\Mullvad VPN\resources\mullvad.exe

Adding to PATH

To use the CLI from any command prompt:

1. Open System Properties → Environment Variables
2. Under System variables, find and edit Path
3. Add: C:\Program Files\Mullvad VPN\resources
4. Click OK to save
5. Restart any open command prompts

Alternatively, use the full path:

"C:\Program Files\Mullvad VPN\resources\mullvad.exe" --version

PowerShell

In PowerShell, you may need to use the full path or create an alias:

Set-Alias mullvad "C:\Program Files\Mullvad VPN\resources\mullvad.exe"

Add this to your PowerShell profile to make it permanent:

notepad $PROFILE

Verifying Installation

After installation, verify the CLI and daemon are working:

Check CLI Version

mullvad --version

Expected output:

mullvad 2026.x

Check Daemon Status

Verify the daemon is running:

Linux

systemctl status mullvad-daemon

If not running, start it:

sudo systemctl start mullvad-daemon
sudo systemctl enable mullvad-daemon  # Enable on boot

macOS

mullvad version

If the daemon is not running, start the Mullvad VPN app from Applications.

Windows

Open Services (services.msc) and check that “Mullvad VPN Service” is running. You can also check using the CLI:

mullvad version

Test CLI Connection

Test that the CLI can communicate with the daemon:

mullvad status

If successful, you’ll see the current VPN connection state.

Building from Source

If you want to build the CLI from source:

Requirements

• Rust: Latest stable toolchain via rustup.rs
• Platform-specific dependencies: See BuildInstructions.md

All Platforms

1. Install Rust toolchain:

   curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
   

2. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/mullvad/mullvadvpn-app.git
   cd mullvadvpn-app
   git submodule update --init
   

3. Install additional dependencies:

   • Protobuf compiler (version 3.15+)
   • Go (version 1.21+)
   • Bash (version 4.0+)

Linux-Specific Dependencies

Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install gcc libdbus-1-dev protobuf-compiler

Fedora/RHEL:

sudo dnf install dbus-devel protobuf-devel

Build the CLI

From the repository root:

cargo build --release --bin mullvad

The binary will be at:

target/release/mullvad

Optionally, install it system-wide:

sudo cp target/release/mullvad /usr/local/bin/

Cross-Compilation

Linux ARM64:

rustup target add aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu
TARGETS="aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu" cargo build --release --bin mullvad

Windows ARM64:

rustup target add aarch64-pc-windows-msvc
TARGETS="aarch64-pc-windows-msvc" cargo build --release --bin mullvad

macOS Universal Binary:

./build.sh --universal

Shell Completions

The CLI can generate shell completion scripts for better command-line integration.

Bash

mullvad shell-completions bash > /tmp/mullvad.bash
sudo mv /tmp/mullvad.bash /etc/bash_completion.d/mullvad

Reload your shell:

source ~/.bashrc

Zsh

mullvad shell-completions zsh > ~/.zsh_completions/_mullvad

Add to your ~/.zshrc if not already present:

fpath=(~/.zsh_completions $fpath)
autoload -Uz compinit && compinit

Reload your shell:

source ~/.zshrc

Fish

mullvad shell-completions fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/mullvad.fish

Reload Fish completions:

fish_update_completions

PowerShell (Windows)

Shell completions are not currently supported on Windows.

Permissions

Linux/macOS

Most CLI commands require the daemon to be running with root privileges. The CLI itself doesn’t need root access for most operations, but the daemon does.

If you see permission errors:

sudo systemctl status mullvad-daemon

Windows

On Windows, the Mullvad service runs with SYSTEM privileges. You don’t need administrator privileges to use the CLI for most operations, but starting/stopping the service requires elevation.

Troubleshooting

Command Not Found

Linux/macOS:

which mullvad

If not found, ensure the installation directory is in your PATH:

export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"  # macOS
export PATH="/usr/bin:$PATH"        # Linux

Windows:

Verify the PATH includes:

C:\Program Files\Mullvad VPN\resources

Cannot Connect to Daemon

If you see “Failed to connect to daemon” errors:

Linux:

sudo systemctl status mullvad-daemon
sudo systemctl start mullvad-daemon

macOS:

Start the Mullvad VPN app from Applications, or check if the daemon is running:

ps aux | grep mullvad-daemon

Windows:

Check Services:

Get-Service "Mullvad*"

Restart the service if needed:

Restart-Service "Mullvad VPN Service"

Permission Denied

Linux/macOS:

The daemon must run as root. Verify it’s running with appropriate privileges:

sudo systemctl restart mullvad-daemon

Windows:

Run Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator if you need to manage the service.

Next Steps

Now that the CLI is installed:

1. CLI Overview - Learn basic CLI usage and commands
2. Command Reference - Detailed documentation for each command
3. Examples - Common usage patterns and workflows

Additional Resources

• Mullvad Downloads
• Build Instructions
• GitHub Repository
• Mullvad Open Source Page