anime-cli

Cross-platform anime CLI for searching shows, choosing episodes, streaming in local players, and downloading with external tools.

Features

• Search anime from SubsPlease
• Browse episodes and available qualities
• Stream through mpv or vlc
• Download with aria2c, yt-dlp, or webtorrent
• Save preferences such as player, downloader, quality, and download path
• Check external tool availability with anime-cli doctor

Requirements

• Node.js 20 or newer
• npm

Optional external tools:

• mpv for playback
• vlc for playback
• webtorrent for magnet streaming and torrent downloads
• aria2c for direct downloads
• yt-dlp for direct downloads

The CLI detects these automatically and tells you what is available.

Install

From npm

npm install -g @laxman1892/anime-cli

Then run:

anime-cli doctor
anime-cli

Run without global install

npx @laxman1892/anime-cli doctor
npx @laxman1892/anime-cli

From source

npm install
npm run build
node bin/anime.js doctor
node bin/anime.js

External Tools Setup

You only need the tools you plan to use.

Windows

Install any of these and make sure they are available on PATH:

• mpv
• vlc
• webtorrent-cli
• aria2
• yt-dlp

After installing them, open a new terminal and run:

anime-cli doctor

macOS

With Homebrew, a typical setup looks like:

brew install mpv vlc webtorrent-cli aria2 yt-dlp

Then verify:

anime-cli doctor

Linux

Install the tools from your distro package manager where available, then run:

anime-cli doctor

Usage

Start the interactive flow:

anime-cli

Or search directly:

anime-cli search "Frieren"

Useful commands:

anime-cli doctor
anime-cli config list
anime-cli config get preferredPlayer
anime-cli config set preferredPlayer mpv
anime-cli config set preferredDownloader webtorrent
anime-cli config set preferredQuality 1080p
anime-cli config set downloadPath C:\anime

Configuration

Stored settings currently include:

• preferred player
• preferred downloader
• preferred quality
• download path

Use:

anime-cli config list

to inspect current values.

Publishing To npm

Before publishing:

1. Make sure you are logged in to npm.
2. Run the full test suite.
3. Build the package.
4. Bump the version in package.json.

Commands:

npm login
npm test
npm publish

This package uses:

• files in package.json to publish only the runtime package contents
• prepublishOnly to run the test suite before publishing
• publishConfig.access=public for public npm publication

Package Contents

Published package contents are limited to:

• bin/
• dist/
• README.md
• LICENSE

Development

npm install
npm run dev

Checks:

npm run check
npm test

Notes

• Playback of magnet links uses WebTorrent plus a local player such as mpv or vlc.
• Direct playback depends on the provider returning a playable source.

License

MIT