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pdsx can read public records from any repository without authentication using the -r flag.

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basic usage

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read with handle

pdsx -r zzstoatzz.io ls app.bsky.feed.post --limit 5
pdsx automatically discovers the correct PDS:
  1. handle → DID (via DNS TXT or HTTPS well-known)
  2. DID → PDS URL (from DID document)
  3. fetches records from correct PDS
automatic PDS discovery works for any handle or DID, including custom PDS instances. no manual configuration needed!

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read with DID (more durable)

pdsx -r did:plc:44ybard66vv44zksje25o7dz ls app.bsky.feed.post --limit 5
DIDs are permanent identifiers - they don’t change if user updates their handle.

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handles vs DIDs

handles can change or be reassigned. DIDs are permanent. use DIDs for automation or long-term references.

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pagination

# first page
pdsx -r zzstoatzz.io ls app.bsky.feed.post --limit 10
# next page cursor: 3lyqmkpiprs2w

# next page
pdsx -r zzstoatzz.io ls app.bsky.feed.post --limit 10 --cursor 3lyqmkpiprs2w
cursors are opaque tokens. for json/yaml output, they go to stderr to avoid breaking parsing. for compact/table output, they appear after results. both humans and LLMs can copy the cursor value for the next command.

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output formats

# json (for jq pipelines)
pdsx -r zzstoatzz.io ls app.bsky.feed.post -o json | jq -r '.[].text'

# yaml
pdsx -r zzstoatzz.io ls app.bsky.actor.profile -o yaml

# table
pdsx -r zzstoatzz.io ls app.bsky.feed.post -o table --limit 5

# compact (default)
pdsx -r zzstoatzz.io ls app.bsky.feed.post

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examples

# read someone's bio
pdsx -r zzstoatzz.io ls app.bsky.actor.profile -o json | jq -r '.[0].description'

# get recent posts
pdsx -r did:plc:o53crari67ge7bvbv273lxln ls app.bsky.feed.post --limit 3 -o json

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common collections

collectioncontains
app.bsky.feed.postposts/skeets
app.bsky.actor.profileuser profile
app.bsky.feed.likelikes
app.bsky.graph.followfollows
app.bsky.feed.repostreposts
app.bsky.graph.listlists

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what’s next