Zhihu CLI
A CLI tool for interacting with Zhihu (知乎) content.
Installation
# Install globally
npm install -g zhihu-cli
# Or use npx
npx zhihu-cli <command>
Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
zhihu login | Auto-extract cookies from Chrome |
zhihu whoami | Check login status |
zhihu set-cookie <cookie> | Set cookie manually |
zhihu hot | Get hot topics |
zhihu search <keyword> | Search content |
zhihu topics <keyword> | Search topics |
zhihu read <url> | Read answer/article |
zhihu user <token> | Get user info by url_token |
zhihu vote <url> | Browser Relay vote instructions |
zhihu follow [url] | Browser Relay follow instructions |
zhihu post | Browser Relay post instructions |
Features
- 🔍 Search Zhihu content
- 🔥 Get hot topics
- 📖 Read answers/articles
- 👤 View user info
- 👍 Vote (via Browser Relay)
- 👣 Follow users (via Browser Relay)
- 🔐 Auto cookie extraction from Chrome
Cookie Setup
Option 1: Auto (recommended)
zhihu login
Opens Chrome and extracts cookies automatically.
Option 2: Manual
zhihu set-cookie "your_zhihu_cookie_string"
Browser Relay Operations
Some operations (vote, follow, post) require Browser Relay due to API limitations.
Setup
- Ensure OpenClaw Browser Relay is connected
- Use the respective command to get instructions
Voting
zhihu vote <answer_url>
Then click the vote button in browser or use JS:
const btn = document.querySelector('button[class*="VoteButton"]');
if (btn) btn.click();
Following
zhihu follow <user_url>
Or click the follow button in browser.
API Limitations
Zhihu has restricted API access for:
- Vote/unvote (use Browser Relay)
- Follow/unfollow (use Browser Relay)
- Comments (partially available)
Read operations (search, hot, read, user) work via API.
Examples
# Get hot topics
zhihu hot
# Search for Python tutorials
zhihu search Python教程
# Read an answer
zhihu read https://www.zhihu.com/question/123456/answer/789012
# Get user info
zhihu user lightislost
# Check login
zhihu whoami
Notes
- Cookie is stored in
~/.zhihu-cookie - Some features require login (votes, follows)
- Browser Relay provides more reliable write operations