# plotwork board pull

> Page: https://docs.plotwork.dev/cli/commands/board-pull. Index of every page: https://docs.plotwork.dev/llms.txt

Write a tab's source to a file, and record the version it pulled beside it. It is a command of the Plotwork command line, the npm package `@buun_group/plotwork`.

## TL;DR

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What does it do? | Write a tab's source to a file, and record the version it pulled beside it. |
| How do I run it? | `npx -y @buun_group/plotwork@0.2.0 board pull`, or `plotwork board pull` once the package is installed. |
| What does it write? | The file and its `.board.json` sidecar, unless `--out -` is given. |
| Does it use the network? | Yes: calls to the Plotwork API with the key in `PLOTWORK_API_KEY`, which is never printed. |
| Does it read the repository settings? | No. |
| How do I read this in a terminal? | `plotwork board pull --help` |

## Synopsis

```sh
plotwork board pull <board> <tab> [--revision <id>] [--out <file>] [--force] [--json]
```

## What it does

Writes the tab's source to `--out`, or to the tab's name as a `.diagram` file, and the version it pulled to `<file>.board.json` beside it, which `board push` sends that version from. The sidecar holds the board, tab and revision ids, the version, and a hash of the file; never a key or the source. It can be committed with the file.

A file that changed since it was pulled, or one that was never pulled from this tab, is not overwritten without `--force`. Pulled again, it prints what changed on the board since the version the file had.

A board is named by its id, its address in the portal (an address with `#tab-<id>` also names the tab), or its name; a tab by its id or its name. A name costs one more call to look it up.

## Options

| Option | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| `--revision <id>` | main | A revision of the tab to work on instead of main. |
| `--out <file>` | the tab's name as a `.diagram` file | The file to write; `-` prints the source instead, and records nothing. |
| `--force` | Off | Overwrite a file that changed since it was pulled, or that was not pulled from this tab. |
| `--json` | Off | Print one JSON document: the API's answer when it worked, or `{ "error": true, "errorCode", "message", "hint", "status" }` when it did not. |

## Examples

Pull the Payments tab into the repository.

```sh
plotwork board pull Checkout Payments -o docs/payments.diagram
```

Pull a revision of the tab.

```sh
plotwork board pull Checkout Payments --revision Rv7kP2mQ9xWa
```

## Exit codes

| Code | When |
|---|---|
| `0` | The source was written, or printed. |
| `1` | The API refused the call, could not be reached, or the file has changes of its own and `--force` was not given. |
| `2` | A mistake in the command line: an unknown option, a missing operand, a file or glob that matches nothing, or a settings file that cannot be read. Also when `PLOTWORK_API_KEY` is missing or refused. |

## See also

| Doc | Why |
|---|---|
| [Command reference](https://docs.plotwork.dev/cli/commands.md) | Every command of the command line |
| [Live whiteboards](https://docs.plotwork.dev/live-whiteboards.md) | Boards, tabs, revisions and who may change them |
| [From the command line](https://docs.plotwork.dev/live-whiteboards.md#9-from-the-command-line) | Signing in, pull and push, conflicts, and watch |
| [Claude Code plugin](https://docs.plotwork.dev/agents/claude-code-plugin.md) | The board and board-sync skills |
| [Exit codes and output formats](https://docs.plotwork.dev/cli/exit-codes-and-output.md) | What every code and format means |