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 &lt;country&gt;
)
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 status
```
connect_best()
```
→ connects to best available
```
connect_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).

NordVPN

AI Skill Market Insights

Be Part of the 0+ Developer Community

NordVPN CLI Skill (Linux)

Assumptions / Compatibility

Installation

Option A: Snap (common on Ubuntu)

Option B: Distro package / repo (varies)

Verify daemon is running

snap installs may not expose systemd unit the same way

or may require the full patch to be specified like so

Authentication / Login

Quick Reference

Status

Connect (best available)

Connect to a country / city / group

city (must exist in nordvpn cities &lt;country&gt;)

group (must exist in nordvpn groups)

Disconnect

List locations

Settings (read + change)

examples (options differ by version)

Allowlist (bypass VPN for certain traffic)

examples (subcommands differ by version)

Skill Design

What this skill should do well

Recommended “actions” (API surface)

Suggested Implementation Pattern (CLI orchestration)

1) Always start with status

2) Connect flow

3) Disconnect flow

4) Resolve targets safely

Common Errors & Handling

Not logged in

Daemon not running / permission denied

Invalid location/group

Practical Automation Recipes

Ensure VPN is connected (any server)

Reconnect to a specific country

Toggle killswitch (example)

Notes

Quick Start

Manual Installation

TEAR & SHARE

Tags

Channels

Learn

Compare

Company

city (must exist in
`nordvpn cities <country>`
)

group (must exist in
`nordvpn groups`
)