Modern CLI Tools

Better than the originals

Modern CLI tools reimagine classic Unix commands with better defaults, richer output, and features that should have been there all along. All written in Rust for performance and safety.

lsd (ls replacement)

lsd — LSDeluxe with icons and colors

Why lsd?

File type icons (requires Nerd Font)
Git status indicators
Tree view built-in
Color-coded by type
Human-readable sizes by default

Aliases

bash

ls → lsd
ll → lsd -l
la → lsd -la
lt → lsd --tree

Usage

bash

# Basic listing
ll

# Show all files (including hidden)
la

# Tree view (2 levels deep)
lt --depth 2

# Sort by time
ll --timesort

# Sort by size
ll --sizesort

# Long format with all info
ll --total-size

Configuration

Located at /Users/bliss/dev/dotfiles/lsd/config.yaml:

yaml

# Display settings
classic: false
blocks:
  - permission
  - user
  - group
  - size
  - date
  - name
date: relative
icons:
  when: always
  theme: fancy

bat (cat replacement)

bat — Cat with syntax highlighting

Why bat?

Syntax highlighting for 100+ languages
Git integration (shows changes in gutter)
Line numbers
Pager integration for long files
Non-printable character display

Usage

bash

# View file with highlighting
bat file.ts

# Plain mode (no decorations)
bat -p file.ts

# Show all characters (including whitespace)
bat -A file.ts

# View specific line range
bat file.ts --line-range 10:50

# Compare with git
bat --diff file.ts

Configuration

The SilkCircuit theme is in /Users/bliss/dev/dotfiles/bat/themes/:

bash

# Set default theme
export BAT_THEME="SilkCircuit"

# Or use a different theme
bat --theme="Dracula" file.ts

# List available themes
bat --list-themes

bash

# Use bat as man pager
export MANPAGER="sh -c 'col -bx | bat -l man -p'"

# Use for git diff
# Already configured in gitconfig via delta

fd (find replacement)

fd — Fast, user-friendly find

Why fd?

5x faster than find
Ignores .gitignore by default
Regex patterns by default
Smart case sensitivity
Colored output
Simpler syntax

Usage

bash

# Find files matching pattern
fd pattern

# Find specific file types
fd -e ts              # TypeScript files
fd -e js -e jsx       # JavaScript/JSX files

# Search in specific directory
fd pattern ~/projects

# Include hidden files
fd -H pattern

# Search directories only
fd -t d pattern

# Execute command on results
fd -e jpg -x convert {} {.}.png

Integration with FZF

Already configured in sh/fzf.sh:

bash

export FZF_DEFAULT_COMMAND="fd --type f --hidden --follow --exclude .git"
export FZF_ALT_C_COMMAND="fd --type d --hidden --follow --exclude .git"

ripgrep (grep replacement)

ripgrep — Blazingly fast search

Why ripgrep?

10x faster than grep
Respects .gitignore automatically
Recursive by default
Smart case sensitivity
Colored output
Supports .ignore files

Usage

bash

# Search current directory
rg pattern

# Search specific file types
rg -t ts pattern          # TypeScript
rg -t js pattern          # JavaScript
rg -t py pattern          # Python

# Case insensitive
rg -i pattern

# Show context (3 lines before/after)
rg -C 3 pattern

# Search for whole words only
rg -w pattern

# Search hidden files
rg --hidden pattern

# Count matches
rg -c pattern

# List files with matches (no content)
rg -l pattern

# Invert match (files without pattern)
rg -v pattern

File Type Shortcuts

bash

rg --type-list          # Show all supported types

# Common types:
rg -t rust pattern      # Rust files
rg -t cpp pattern       # C++ files
rg -t md pattern        # Markdown files
rg -t json pattern      # JSON files

Advanced Usage

bash

# Search with regex
rg "function\s+\w+\("

# Search multiple patterns
rg -e pattern1 -e pattern2

# Search with replacements (dry-run)
rg pattern --replace replacement

# Search compressed files
rg -z pattern archive.gz

# Multiline search
rg -U "class\s+\w+\s+{" --multiline

zoxide (cd replacement)

zoxide — Smarter cd

Why zoxide?

Learns your habits (frecency algorithm)
Fuzzy matching
Works across shells
Minimal overhead
Cross-platform

Aliases

bash

z  → zoxide (jump to directory)
zi → zoxide interactive (fzf picker)

Usage

bash

# Jump to directory (frecency-based)
z project               # Jumps to ~/dev/projects
z doc                   # Jumps to ~/Documents

# Multiple query terms
z dev proj              # Matches ~/dev/projects

# Interactive selection
zi                      # Opens fzf to choose

# Add current directory to database
zoxide add .

# Remove directory from database
zoxide remove ~/old-project

# Query database
zoxide query project
zoxide query --list     # List all tracked dirs

How It Works

Zoxide scores directories based on:

Frequency — How often you visit
Recency — When you last visited

Higher score = more likely to match.

procs (ps replacement)

procs — Modern process viewer

Why procs?

Human-readable output
Color-coded columns
Docker container support
Tree view
Multi-column search
Pager integration

Usage

bash

# List all processes
procs

# Filter by name
procs node
procs python

# Show process tree
procs --tree

# Sort by memory
procs --sortd mem

# Sort by CPU
procs --sortd cpu

# Watch mode (like top)
procs --watch

# Show threads
procs --thread

# Docker container info
procs --docker

Configuration

Located at /Users/bliss/dev/dotfiles/procs/config.toml:

toml

[display]
separator = "│"
ascending = false
color_mode = "auto"

[sort]
column = "cpu"
order = "descending"

delta (diff replacement)

delta — Beautiful git diffs

Why delta?

Syntax highlighting in diffs
Word-level diff highlighting
Line numbers
Side-by-side mode
Git integration
Multiple themes

Usage

Delta is automatically used for git diffs (configured in gitconfig):

bash

# Normal git commands use delta automatically
git diff
git show
git log -p

# Manual delta usage
diff -u file1 file2 | delta

# Side-by-side view
git diff | delta --side-by-side

Configuration

In /Users/bliss/dev/dotfiles/gitconfig:

ini

[core]
    pager = delta

[interactive]
    diffFilter = delta --color-only

[delta]
    navigate = true
    light = false
    line-numbers = true
    syntax-theme = Dracula

[delta "interactive"]
    keep-plus-minus-markers = false

[delta "decorations"]
    commit-decoration-style = blue ol
    commit-style = raw
    file-style = omit
    hunk-header-decoration-style = blue box
    hunk-header-file-style = red
    hunk-header-line-number-style = "#067a00"
    hunk-header-style = file line-number syntax

Customization

bash

# Try different themes
git config delta.syntax-theme "Monokai Extended"

# Enable side-by-side
git config delta.side-by-side true

# Change line number colors
git config delta.line-numbers-left-style "#5c6370"
git config delta.line-numbers-right-style "#5c6370"

zoxide (cd replacement - Continued)

Integration with Shell

Automatically initialized in zshrc:

bash

# Zoxide is loaded via zinit
eval "$(zoxide init zsh)"

Tips

Use it for a few days — It learns your habits
Be specific initially — Full paths until zoxide learns
Use zi when unsure — Interactive mode shows options
Clean old entries — Remove unused directories periodically

Installation Reference

macOS (Homebrew)

bash

brew install lsd bat fd ripgrep zoxide procs git-delta htop

Linux (Cargo)

bash

cargo install lsd bat fd-find ripgrep zoxide procs git-delta

Verification

bash

lsd --version
bat --version
fd --version
rg --version
zoxide --version
procs --version
delta --version

Comparison Table

Feature	Classic	Modern	Speed Improvement
File listing	`ls`	`lsd`	~2x
File viewing	`cat`	`bat`	Similar (richer)
File finding	`find`	`fd`	~5x
Code search	`grep`	`ripgrep`	~10x
Directory jump	`cd`	`zoxide`	Instant
Process viewing	`ps`	`procs`	Similar (better UX)
Diff viewing	`diff`	`delta`	Similar (prettier)

Tips & Best Practices

Let tools respect .gitignore — fd and rg do this by default
Use --help liberally — Modern tools have excellent help
Combine tools — fd | rg, rg | bat, etc.
Create aliases — Save common flag combinations
Explore themes — bat and delta support custom themes

Troubleshooting

Icons Not Showing (lsd)

Issue: Boxes instead of icons

Solution: Install a Nerd Font:

bash

brew install --cask font-jetbrains-mono-nerd-font
# Configure terminal to use it

Bat Theme Not Loading

Issue: Wrong colors or theme not found

Solution:

bash

# Rebuild cache
bat cache --build

# List themes
bat --list-themes

# Set specific theme
export BAT_THEME="Dracula"

Slow Performance (ripgrep)

Issue: rg is slow in huge directories

Solution:

bash

# Limit search depth
rg --max-depth 3 pattern

# Exclude specific directories
rg --glob '!node_modules' pattern

# Use type filters
rg -t ts pattern  # Only TypeScript files

Zoxide Not Learning

Issue: z doesn't jump to expected directory

Solution:

bash

# Manually add directory
zoxide add ~/important/path

# Check database
zoxide query --list

# Remove incorrect entry
zoxide remove ~/old/path

External Resources

Next Steps

FZF Integration — Fuzzy finding everything
Starship Prompt — Prompt customization
Tmux Configuration — Terminal multiplexer

Modern CLI Tools ​

lsd (ls replacement) ​

Why lsd? ​

Aliases ​

Usage ​

Configuration ​

bat (cat replacement) ​

Why bat? ​

Usage ​

Configuration ​

As a Pager ​

fd (find replacement) ​

Why fd? ​

Usage ​

Integration with FZF ​

ripgrep (grep replacement) ​

Why ripgrep? ​

Usage ​

File Type Shortcuts ​

Advanced Usage ​

zoxide (cd replacement) ​

Why zoxide? ​

Aliases ​

Usage ​

How It Works ​

procs (ps replacement) ​

Why procs? ​

Usage ​

Configuration ​

delta (diff replacement) ​

Why delta? ​

Usage ​

Configuration ​

Customization ​

zoxide (cd replacement - Continued) ​

Integration with Shell ​

Tips ​

Installation Reference ​

macOS (Homebrew) ​

Linux (Cargo) ​

Verification ​

Comparison Table ​

Tips & Best Practices ​

Troubleshooting ​

Icons Not Showing (lsd) ​

Bat Theme Not Loading ​

Slow Performance (ripgrep) ​

Zoxide Not Learning ​

External Resources ​

Next Steps ​

Modern CLI Tools

lsd (ls replacement)

Why lsd?

Aliases

Usage

Configuration

bat (cat replacement)

Why bat?

Usage

Configuration

As a Pager

fd (find replacement)

Why fd?

Usage

Integration with FZF

ripgrep (grep replacement)

Why ripgrep?

Usage

File Type Shortcuts

Advanced Usage

zoxide (cd replacement)

Why zoxide?

Aliases

Usage

How It Works

procs (ps replacement)

Why procs?

Usage

Configuration

delta (diff replacement)

Why delta?

Usage

Configuration

Customization

zoxide (cd replacement - Continued)

Integration with Shell

Tips

Installation Reference

macOS (Homebrew)

Linux (Cargo)

Verification

Comparison Table

Tips & Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Icons Not Showing (lsd)

Bat Theme Not Loading

Slow Performance (ripgrep)

Zoxide Not Learning

External Resources

Next Steps