Upload and replace files from the terminal

markdrop upload publishes a file from your computer and prints its link. markdrop replace puts a new file behind a link you already shared: the link, its access setting, title and view count stay the same, and the previous file is kept as a version you can bring back.

markdrop upload demo.mp4

  ✓ Published demo (212.4 MB)
https://markdrop.in/demo

Standard output carries only the link, so you can capture it:

url=$(markdrop upload demo.mp4)

By default the address comes from the file name, the title is the file name, and anyone with the link can open it. Change any of that with flags:

markdrop upload demo.mp4 --slug q3-demo                    # https://markdrop.in/q3-demo
markdrop upload report.pdf --title "Q3 report" --access private
markdrop upload deck.html --password ••••••••              # --access password is implied
markdrop upload spec.pdf --workspace Acme --folder guides/setup

To learn what each access level means for the people you send the link to, see Who can open a link.

The CLI uploads the file types Markdrop renders: PDF, HTML, images, spreadsheets, Word documents, text and JSON, video and audio. The full list is in Supported file types.

Zipped websites can't be uploaded from the CLI. Upload them at markdrop.in/upload. More in File limits.

1. Hashing. The CLI computes the file's SHA-256 on your computer.
2. Uploading. It sends the file straight to storage in parts, four at a time, and retries a part that fails. Upload addresses that expire during a long upload are renewed on their own.
3. Verifying. Markdrop joins the parts and checks the size and SHA-256 against what the CLI computed. The link goes live only if they match. If they don't, the command fails and nothing changes on Markdrop.

When standard error is a terminal, a progress line shows each phase, the bytes sent and the speed. In scripts and CI, only the result is printed.

If an upload stops part way (you press Ctrl+C, the network drops, the laptop sleeps), run the same command again:

markdrop upload demo.mp4

  Resuming the upload: 4 of 7 parts already on the server.

Only the parts Markdrop doesn't have yet are sent. "The same command" means the same file, unchanged, with the same options. An upload can be resumed for 24 hours after it started; after that the CLI says the session has expired and starts over.

The CLI remembers unfinished uploads in your user cache folder. It stores no secrets there.

Set MARKDROP_CACHE_DIR to use another folder (the CLI adds uploads to it).

markdrop replace https://markdrop.in/demo demo-v2.mp4

  ✓ Replaced demo — version 2, 220.1 MB. The previous version is kept (markdrop versions demo).
https://markdrop.in/demo
version 2

Everyone who has the link now gets the new file. You can name the file by its link (on markdrop.in or on a workspace's own domain) or by its slug alone: markdrop replace demo demo-v2.mp4. Add --title to change the title at the same time.

Replacing works like uploading: hashed, sent in parts, verified, and resumable by running the same command again. If the check fails, the link keeps serving the old file.

You can replace a file you own, a file shared with you as an editor, or a file in your workspace that isn't private. The new version counts against the owner's storage. When that storage is full you get an error, and the owner's earlier versions are left alone.

markdrop versions demo

  VERSION  SIZE      TYPE       SHA256        CREATED
* 2        220.1 MB  video/mp4  4be1a0c9d2f3  2026-10-29 14:02 UTC
  1        212.4 MB  video/mp4  9f2c1e7a55b0  2026-10-27 09:15 UTC

The * marks the version the link serves now. Markdrop keeps up to five versions of a file; when a sixth arrives, the oldest is dropped.

To go back:

markdrop restore demo 1

  ✓ Restored version 1 of demo as version 3.
https://markdrop.in/demo
version 3

A restore never deletes anything: the old file comes back as a new version, so you can undo a restore the same way. v1 works as well as 1.

markdrop info demo

https://markdrop.in/demo
  slug      demo
  type      video/mp4
  size      220.1 MB
  version   3
  sha256    9f2c1e7a55b0…
  updated   2026-10-29 14:20 UTC
  created   2026-10-27 09:15 UTC
  media     3840×2160 · 42.5s · h264/aac

For video and audio, media shows the resolution, length and codecs when Markdrop could read them, and poster the address of the still frame shown before playback.

With --json, upload, replace, versions, restore and info print exactly one JSON object on standard output and nothing else. Errors go to standard error, and the exit code is 1.

markdrop upload demo.mp4 --json

{"url":"https://markdrop.in/demo","markdrop_url":"https://markdrop.in/demo","workspace_url":null,"workspace_error":null,"slug":"demo","version":1,"size_bytes":222717952,"content_type":"video/mp4","sha256":"9f2c…"}

url is the address to share: the workspace's custom domain when the file is in a workspace with a live one, otherwise markdrop.in. markdrop_url is always the markdrop.in address.

slug=$(markdrop upload build/report.pdf --json | jq -r .slug)
markdrop info "$slug" --json | jq .sha256

• Replace a file and keep its link on the web
• Upload large files
• Publish files from an AI app on your computer
• All CLI flags