cmdkit

cmdkit is a terminal-first command vault for the CLI snippets you need often enough to keep, but not often enough to memorize.

It works well as a personal local command library, but it can also load shared community packs from the repo. That means one user can keep everything private, while another can use the same app as an open source command library with contributions from others.

Links:

• npm: @wahlstrommm/cmdkit
• GitHub: wahlstrommm/cmdkit
• Issues: Report a bug or suggest a pack

Install

npm install -g @wahlstrommm/cmdkit
cmdkit

Or with Bun:

bun install -g @wahlstrommm/cmdkit
cmdkit

Why cmdkit

• Keeps rarely used commands close without turning your notes into a mess
• Works as a private local command vault
• Also supports shared open source command packs
• Makes copy-first command reuse fast from the terminal
• Adds just enough structure with tags, safety levels, placeholders, favorites, and recents

What It Does

• Browse commands in an interactive TUI
• Search, sort, and filter by tag or source
• Copy commands to the clipboard with fallback output
• Run explicitly runnable commands with confirmation
• Store local commands in YAML
• Import and export local command packs
• Track favorites and recent commands locally
• Ship starter community packs for Git, Docker, Node, Linux, SSH, Postgres, MySQL, WordPress, React, and curl

Local-First by Default

cmdkit does not require a hosted backend or a community repo to be useful.

• Local commands live in ~/.config/cmdkit/commands/*.yaml
• Local metadata lives in ~/.config/cmdkit/metadata.json
• Repo command packs live under commands/

If ~/.config/cmdkit is not writable, cmdkit falls back to an internal writable directory. You can also override the home directory explicitly:

CMDKIT_HOME=/path/to/cmdkit-home bun run src/index.ts

Quick Start

bun install
bun run src/index.ts

Useful CLI commands:

cmdkit search wordpress
cmdkit copy wp.plugin.list
cmdkit run mysql.login
cmdkit new
cmdkit import ./my-commands.yaml
cmdkit export ./cmdkit-export.yaml
cmdkit validate

Publish Notes

cmdkit is developed with Bun, but the published package now ships a built dist/ bundle plus a standard bin/ wrapper. That means:

• contributors can keep using Bun for development
• published installs can run through the packaged Node entrypoint
• CI verifies tests, validation, and build output

Recommended release flow:

bun run check
bun run build
npm publish --access public

If you want even tighter packaging later, the next step would be a standalone artifact or release binaries per platform.

TUI Shortcuts

Library:

• j / k moves in the command list
• o, Enter, Space, or → opens details
• / opens search
• g opens tag filter
• s opens sort menu
• t opens source filter
• n creates a new local command
• ? opens help
• q quits

Details:

• ← / → moves between actions
• Tab moves to the next action
• Enter uses the selected action
• c, r, e, f jumps to copy, run, edit, favorite
• b or Esc returns to the library

Data Model

Each command entry supports:

• id
• title
• description
• command
• tags
• placeholders
• copyable
• runnable
• notes
• shells
• platforms
• safety
• source
• author
• updatedAt

Example:

- id: wp.plugin.list
  title: List WordPress plugins
  description: Show all installed plugins with status.
  command: wp plugin list --path={{wp_path}}
  tags:
    - wordpress
    - wp-cli
  placeholders:
    - name: wp_path
      prompt: WordPress path
      default: /var/www/html
  copyable: true
  runnable: true
  notes: Requires wp-cli to be installed.
  shells:
    - bash
    - zsh
  platforms:
    - linux
    - macos
  safety: safe
  source: community
  author: cmdkit
  updatedAt: 2026-03-21

Source Rules

• Local mode always works, even if repo packs are missing
• Local commands override community commands with the same id
• Commands can be filtered by all, local, or community

Safety

• copy is the primary flow
• run always asks for confirmation
• warning and destructive commands are visually flagged
• If clipboard support is unavailable, cmdkit prints the rendered command so it can still be copied manually

Contributing

Open source contributions are welcome, but they are optional. cmdkit should stay useful even for users who only want a personal local vault.

If you want to contribute shared commands:

1. Add or update a YAML file under commands/core/
2. Run bun run src/index.ts validate
3. Test the command from the TUI or CLI

See CONTRIBUTING.md for the command guidelines.

Included Packs

Current starter packs include:

• git
• docker
• node
• linux
• ssh
• postgres
• mysql
• wordpress
• react
• curl

Roadmap

• More command packs
• Better packaging for npm/global install
• Richer TUI polish for large libraries
• Team pack workflows
• Optional pack sharing beyond the local-first model