snip — CLI Snippet Manager

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A lightweight, cross-platform CLI for saving, searching, sharing, and running reusable code and shell snippets. Built for developers who live in the terminal.

Why snip?

Stop hunting through your shell history for that one command. snip is your terminal's memory — save, search, and execute code snippets in milliseconds.

• ⚡ Lightning Fast — Add, search, and run snippets in milliseconds
• 🔍 Fuzzy Search — Find anything instantly across names, tags, and content
• 🛡️ Safety First — Preview commands before execution, auto-detect dangerous operations
• 🎨 Interactive TUI — Keyboard-first terminal UI with split-pane interface
• 💾 Flexible Storage — JSON for simplicity, SQLite for scale
• 🔄 Gist Sync — Backup and share via GitHub Gists
• 🔗 fzf Integration — Pipe snippets through fzf with live preview

Why snip over X?

| Feature | snip | pet | navi | tldr | dotfiles / aliases | |---------|------|-----|------|------|-----| | Run snippets directly | ✅ Any language | ✅ Shell only | ✅ Shell only | ❌ Reference only | ✅ Shell only | | Multi-language (JS, Python, Ruby…) | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | Interactive TUI | ✅ Split-pane | ❌ | ✅ Basic | ❌ | ❌ | | Dangerous command detection | ✅ Auto-detect | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | fzf integration | ✅ Native | ✅ | ✅ Core | ❌ | Manual | | SQLite backend | ✅ Optional | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | Gist sync | ✅ Push/pull | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | Manual | | Cross-platform | ✅ Node.js | Go binary | Rust binary | Multi | Varies | | Zero config | ✅ Works out of box | ✅ | Needs cheats | ✅ | Heavy setup |

TL;DR: Other tools are great for shell commands. snip is for developers who save code — deploy scripts, API calls, Docker commands, JS utilities — across any language, with safety rails and a real TUI.

Quick Start

# Install globally
npm install -g snip-manager

# Add a snippet from stdin
echo 'docker run --rm -it -v "$PWD":/work -w /work ubuntu:24.04 bash' | snip add docker-run --lang sh --tags docker,run

# Or add from your editor (opens $EDITOR)
snip add my-script --lang bash --tags deploy,production

# Search snippets
snip search docker

# Run a snippet
snip run docker-run

# Launch interactive TUI
snip ui

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• npm or yarn

Install via npm

npm install -g snip-manager

Install via yarn

yarn global add snip-manager

Verify Installation

snip --version

Commands

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | snip add <name> --lang <lang> --tags <tag1,tag2> | Save a new snippet from stdin or editor | | snip ui | Launch interactive TUI with fuzzy search | | snip list [--json] | List all saved snippets (JSON for scripting) | | snip search <query> | Fuzzy search across all snippets | | snip run <id\|name> | Execute a snippet safely (with template prompts) | | snip edit <id\|name> | Edit snippet content inline | | snip update <id\|name> --tags <t> --lang <l> | Update snippet tags or language | | snip delete <id\|name> | Remove a snippet (alias: snip rm) | | snip fzf | Search snippets via fzf with live preview | | snip grab <url> | Import a snippet from a URL or github:user/repo/path | | snip stats | Show snippet library statistics | | snip widget [shell] | Output Ctrl+G shell widget for zsh/bash/fish | | snip sync push [query] | Upload matching snippets to GitHub Gist | | snip sync pull <gist-id> | Download snippets from GitHub Gist | | snip config | View or modify configuration | | snip --version | Show version information | | snip --help | Display help information |

Configuration

Set Your Editor

snip config set editor "vim"

Supported editors: vim, nvim, nano, code, subl

Enable SQLite Backend

For larger snippet libraries (100+ snippets):

snip config set useSqlite true

Requires better-sqlite3 for native performance, or falls back to sql.js (WebAssembly).

Configuration Options

| Option | Default | Description | |--------|---------|-------------| | editor | $EDITOR or vi | Default editor for snippet creation | | useSqlite | false | Use SQLite instead of JSON storage | | snippetDir | ~/.snip | Custom snippets directory |

Features

Interactive TUI

Launch snip ui for a rich, split-pane interface:

• Navigation: j/k or arrow keys to move up/down
• Search: Type to fuzzy filter in real-time
• Add: Press a to create a new snippet
• Edit: Press e to edit selected snippet
• Run: Press r to execute (shows preview first)
• Quit: q or Ctrl+C

Safety Features

snip automatically detects potentially dangerous commands:

• rm -rf and similar recursive deletions
• sudo commands
• Network-intensive operations
• Commands that could modify system state

Preview is shown before execution — you confirm before running.

Parameterized Snippets

Use {{variable}} and {{variable:default}} syntax for reusable templates:

# Save a parameterized snippet
echo 'docker run --rm -it -v "{{dir:$PWD}}":/work {{image:ubuntu:24.04}} {{cmd:bash}}' \
  | snip add docker-dev --lang sh --tags docker

# Run it — snip prompts for each variable
snip run docker-dev
#   dir [/Users/me/project]: _
#   image [ubuntu:24.04]: node:20
#   cmd [bash]: sh

Variables support environment variable defaults with {{name:$ENV_VAR}}.

Grab from URL

Import snippets directly from any URL:

# Grab from a raw URL
snip grab https://gist.githubusercontent.com/.../deploy.sh --tags deploy

# Shorthand for GitHub files
snip grab github:user/repo/scripts/backup.sh

Language is auto-detected from file extension and shebang.

Shell Widget (Ctrl+G)

Bind snip to a hotkey — search and paste snippets inline without leaving your prompt:

# Zsh — add to ~/.zshrc
eval "$(snip widget zsh)"

# Bash — add to ~/.bashrc
eval "$(snip widget bash)"

# Fish — add to ~/.config/fish/config.fish
snip widget fish | source

# Now press Ctrl+G anywhere to search and insert a snippet

GitHub Gist Sync

Backup and share your snippet library:

# Push all snippets to a new Gist
snip sync push

# Push matching snippets
snip sync push docker

# Pull from existing Gist
snip sync pull <gist-id>

Shell Completions

Tab completions ship with snip for bash, zsh, and fish:

# Bash — add to ~/.bashrc
eval "$(snip completion bash)"

# Zsh — add to ~/.zshrc
eval "$(snip completion zsh)"

# Fish — add to ~/.config/fish/config.fish
snip completion fish | source

fzf Integration

If you have fzf installed, use snip fzf for a searchable list with a live preview pane:

# Search and preview snippets
snip fzf

# Pipe selected snippet to clipboard
snip fzf | pbcopy

# Bind to a shell shortcut (add to ~/.zshrc)
bindkey -s '^S' 'snip fzf\n'

Troubleshooting

"command not found: snip"

Ensure npm global bin directory is in your PATH:

# Add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc
export PATH="$(npm global bin):$PATH"

Editor Not Opening

Set your preferred editor:

snip config set editor "vim"

Permission Errors

Fix npm permissions:

# Option 1: Use nvm
nvm install --lts
npm install -g snip-manager

# Option 2: Use sudo (not recommended)
sudo npm install -g snip-manager

Frequently Asked Questions

What is snip?

snip is a CLI tool that helps developers manage and reuse code snippets directly from the terminal. Think of it as a personal library for your most-used commands and code blocks.

How is snip different from dotfiles?

dotfiles store configuration files, while snip focuses specifically on executable snippets — commands and code blocks you run repeatedly. snip provides instant search and one-command execution.

Does snip support custom languages?

Yes! Use --lang to specify the language:

snip add deploy --lang python --tags deploy

Can I import/export snippets?

Yes, via GitHub Gist sync:

# Export to Gist
snip sync push

# Import from Gist
snip sync pull <gist-id>

Is my data secure?

Local snippets are stored in ~/.snip/ by default. Gist sync requires GitHub authentication. All data stays on your machine unless you explicitly choose to sync.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our Contributing Guide first.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Security

See SECURITY.md for our security policy and reporting guidelines.

License

MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.