ripgrep (rg)#

If I could only keep one search tool, it’d be rg. Much faster than grep, respects .gitignore by default, supports regex, and ships with colorized output.

1
rg "TODO" src/
2
rg -l "function main"   # Only output filenames

lsd#

A modern replacement for ls with icons, colors, and tree view.

1
lsd -la
2
lsd --tree --depth 2

I added alias ls='lsd' in .zshrc for a seamless swap.

gh#

GitHub’s official CLI. Create PRs, manage issues, and publish releases — all from the terminal, no browser needed.

1
gh pr create --fill
2
gh issue list --label bug
3
gh release create v1.0.0

hyperfine#

Command-line benchmarking tool. When optimizing, it’s far more reliable than manual timing.

1
hyperfine 'ports' 'lsof -i -P'
2
hyperfine --warmup 3 './target/release/ports'

Claude Code#

Anthropic’s AI coding assistant CLI. Write, edit, and run code through a conversational interface right in the terminal.

1
claude "Help me build an HTTP server"

It’s become indispensable in my daily workflow.

Port Whisperer (ports-rs)#

A tool I wrote myself — check port usage, kill processes, view logs, and verify port availability, all in one place.

1
ports              # Scan dev ports
2
ports 3000         # Port details
3
ports check 3000   # Pre-launch check
4
ports kill 3000    # Kill occupant

See my intro post for more.

cloudflared#

Cloudflare Tunnel client. Expose local services to the public internet securely — no open ports, no firewall config.

1
cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:3000

Perfect for sharing local demos.

fastfetch#

A faster alternative to neofetch. Instant system info in the terminal with ASCII art.

1
fastfetch

Essential for desktop screenshot flexing.

ffmpeg#

The swiss-army knife of audio/video processing. Convert formats, trim, merge, extract frames — if you can think of it, ffmpeg can probably do it.

1
ffmpeg -i input.mov output.mp4
2
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -acodec copy audio.aac
3
ffmpeg -ss 00:01:30 -i video.mp4 -t 10 -c copy clip.mp4

tesseract#

Open-source OCR engine. Extract text from images.

1
tesseract screenshot.png output

Great for automation pipelines — pair it with ffmpeg frame extraction for video subtitle workflows.

ncmdump#

Convert NetEase Cloud Music .ncm files to mp3/flac. One command to unlock.

gifgrep#

Search text inside GIF animations — sounds niche, but genuinely useful when working with product screenshot recordings.

himalaya#

Terminal email client. Supports SMTP/IMAP, can send/receive mail, manage folders, and even PGP.

1
himalaya list
2
himalaya read 42
3
himalaya send

imsg#

Send and receive iMessage and SMS from the terminal. Handy for scripted notifications or when you’re too lazy to switch to Messages.

1
imsg send +1234567890 "Deploy done"
2
imsg read

remindctl#

Manage Apple Reminders from the terminal. Add, list, and complete tasks without opening Reminders.app.

1
remindctl add "Review PR #42"
2
remindctl list
3
remindctl complete 1

sag#

ElevenLabs’ command-line TTS tool. Similar usage to macOS say, but with much better voice quality.

1
sag "Build passed, ship it"
2
sag --model eleven_flash_v2_5 "Quick heads up"

autossh#

Auto-reconnecting SSH. Keeps remote sessions alive when the network is flaky.

1
autossh -M 0 -o "ServerAliveInterval 30" user@host

peekaboo#

macOS window management CLI. Script window positions and sizes.

obsidian-cli#

Operate Obsidian notes from the terminal — search, create, move, delete. Fits nicely into automation scripts.

goplaces#

Command-line wrapper for Google Places API. Search and parse location info.

summarize#

Summarize web pages or YouTube videos, output directly in the terminal.

1
summarize https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxx

eightctl#

Terminal control for Eight Sleep smart mattresses. Adjust temperature, check status. Yes, even the mattress can be terminal-controlled.

clawhub#

ClawHub CLI client. Manage AI agent configs and workflows.

docker & kubectl#

Standard setup. Local containers and K8s cluster management.