fpx 🚀

A lightweight manager for caching and aliasing your frequently used one-off npx commands.

Tired of typing out full npx package names and arguments for tools you only use occasionally? fpx acts as a personal package manager for npx. It allows you to create global aliases for npx tools, complete with descriptions, so you can run them like native terminal commands without permanently installing them on your machine.

🌐 Read the Official Documentation

Installation

1. Install the CLI globally via npm:

npm install -g fpx-now

2. Configure your PATH (one-time setup):

fpx stores your lightweight aliases in a hidden folder (~/.npx-aliases) to keep your global node_modules clean. Add this folder to your system PATH, then restart your terminal.

Mac / Linux (Bash):

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.npx-aliases:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc

If you use Zsh, replace .bashrc with .zshrc.

Windows (PowerShell):

$p = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("PATH","User"); [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", "$p;$HOME\.npx-aliases", "User")

Usage

Once installed, you can use the fpx command anywhere in your terminal.

1. Add a new package

Register a tool to your local cache. You can optionally assign it a shorter alias.

# Standard usage
fpx add cowsay "Draws an ASCII cow in the terminal"

# With a custom alias
fpx add port-whisperer as ports "Manages local ports and tasks"

2. Run your tools

Once added, simply run the package name (or its alias) directly in your terminal, exactly as you would any native command. All arguments are seamlessly passed to npx.

ports --kill 3000

3. List your tools

Forget what tools you have stashed away? List them all, along with their descriptions.

fpx list

Output:

📦 Your NPX Aliases:
--------------------
cowsay - Draws an ASCII cow in the terminal
port-whisperer (alias: ports) - Manages local ports and tasks

4. Remove a tool

Clean up your system by removing the wrapper and registry entry. You can delete it using either the package name or the alias.

fpx remove ports

How it Works

fpx creates tiny, lightweight wrapper scripts (.cmd on Windows, Bash on Mac/Linux) in a hidden ~/.npx-aliases directory and adds them to your system path. When executed, these wrappers tell npx to silently download the tool to its temporary cache and run it instantly.

Author

Built by Mehdi Acho.

License

MIT