NordVPN CLI Skill (Linux)
A ClawBot skill for controlling the NordVPN Linux CLI (
nordvpn
) to connect/disconnect, select locations, verify status, and adjust settings from automations and workflows.
Assumptions / Compatibility
- Works with the official
nordvpn
CLI (example shown: 4.3.1 [snap]).
- Requires the NordVPN daemon running (usually
nordvpnd
) and sufficient permissions.
- Some commands may require elevated privileges depending on distro + install method (snap vs deb).
Installation
Option A: Snap (common on Ubuntu)
sudo snap install nordvpn
nordvpn --version
Option B: Distro package / repo (varies)
If you installed via Nord’s repo or a package manager, just verify:
which nordvpn
nordvpn --version
Verify daemon is running
# systemd installs usually
systemctl status nordvpnd --no-pager || true
snap installs may not expose systemd unit the same way
nordvpn status || true
or may require the full patch to be specified like so
/snap/bin/nordvpn status || true
Authentication / Login
NordVPN CLI typically requires logging in once per machine/user session.
nordvpn login
If the environment is headless, the CLI will guide you through the login flow (often via a browser link / code). After login, confirm:
nordvpn account
nordvpn status
ClawBot guidance: treat login as a manual prerequisite unless you explicitly automate the browser-based login flow.
Quick Reference
Status
nordvpn status
Connect (best available)
nordvpn connect
# alias:
nordvpn c
Connect to a country / city / group
# country
nordvpn connect Sweden
city (must exist in nordvpn cities <country>
)
nordvpn connect "Stockholm"
group (must exist in nordvpn groups
)
nordvpn connect P2P
Disconnect
nordvpn disconnect
# alias:
nordvpn d
List locations
nordvpn countries
nordvpn cities Sweden
nordvpn groups
Settings (read + change)
nordvpn settings
examples (options differ by version)
nordvpn set autoconnect on
nordvpn set killswitch on
nordvpn set threatprotectionlite on # if supported
nordvpn set protocol nordlynx # if supported
Allowlist (bypass VPN for certain traffic)
# view help
nordvpn allowlist --help
examples (subcommands differ by version)
nordvpn allowlist add port 22
nordvpn allowlist add subnet 192.168.0.0/16
nordvpn allowlist remove port 22
Skill Design
What this skill should do well
-
Idempotent connection actions
- If already connected to the requested target, do nothing (or return “already connected”).
- If connected elsewhere, optionally disconnect then connect to target.
-
Reliable verification
- After connect/disconnect, always run
nordvpn status
and parse the result.
-
Safe fallbacks
-
If a requested city/country/group is invalid, provide closest alternatives by listing:
nordvpn countries
nordvpn cities <country>
nordvpn groups
-
Human-in-the-loop login
- If
nordvpn
reports not logged in, return a structured response instructing to run nordvpn login
.
Recommended “actions” (API surface)
Implement these as the skill’s callable intents/tools:
status()
→ returns parsed connection statusconnect_best()
→ connects to best availableconnect_country(country)
connect_city(city)
(optionally with country
for disambiguation)connect_group(group)
disconnect()
list_countries()
list_cities(country)
list_groups()
get_settings()
set_setting(key, value)
allowlist_add(type, value)
allowlist_remove(type, value)
Suggested Implementation Pattern (CLI orchestration)
1) Always start with status
nordvpn status
Parse fields commonly returned by the CLI, such as:
- Connection state (Connected/Disconnected)
- Current server / country / city
- IP, protocol, technology
2) Connect flow
Goal: connect to a target (country/city/group) with verification.
Pseudo-logic:
- Run
nordvpn status
- If disconnected → connect directly
- If connected to different target →
nordvpn disconnect
then connect
- Run
nordvpn status
again and confirm connected
Commands:
nordvpn connect "<target>"
nordvpn status
3) Disconnect flow
nordvpn disconnect
nordvpn status
4) Resolve targets safely
If user asks for a city:
- Prefer
nordvpn cities <country>
when country is known
- Otherwise attempt connect; if it fails, list countries and search-like suggestions.
nordvpn countries
nordvpn cities "<country>"
nordvpn groups
Common Errors & Handling
Not logged in
Symptoms:
- CLI complains about authentication/account/login.
Handling:
- Return: “Login required. Run
nordvpn login
and repeat.”
- Optionally: run
nordvpn account
to confirm.
Daemon not running / permission denied
Symptoms:
- Can’t connect, service errors, permission errors.
Handling:
-
Check
systemctl status nordvpnd
(systemd installs)
-
Confirm snap service health (snap installs vary)
-
Ensure user belongs to the right group (some installs use a
nordvpn
group):
groups
getent group nordvpn || true
Invalid location/group
Symptoms:
- “Unknown country/city/group” or connect fails immediately.
Handling:
-
Provide available options:
nordvpn countries
nordvpn groups
nordvpn cities "<country>"
Practical Automation Recipes
Ensure VPN is connected (any server)
nordvpn status | sed -n '1,10p'
nordvpn connect
nordvpn status | sed -n '1,15p'
Reconnect to a specific country
nordvpn disconnect
nordvpn connect Sweden
nordvpn status
Toggle killswitch (example)
nordvpn set killswitch on
nordvpn settings
Notes
-
Command options and setting keys can differ by NordVPN CLI version. Always rely on:
nordvpn help
nordvpn set --help
nordvpn allowlist --help
-
If you need stable machine-readable output, the NordVPN CLI does not consistently provide JSON; plan to parse human-readable status text defensively (line-based key/value extraction, tolerate missing fields).
