s Command-Line Utility

The s command allows you to perform web searches directly from your terminal. By default, it opens the results in your default browser.

Basic Usage

s <query>

Specifying a Provider Use the -p or --provider flag to search a specific site (e.g., google, amazon, wikipedia).

s -p google dragonflies

Searching by Tag Use the -t or --tag flag to search providers associated with a specific category (e.g., video, shopping).

s -t video muppets

Partial Matching s supports partial matching for both providers and tags.

s -p fa hamsters  # Searches Facebook
s -t te ssd       # Searches 'tech-news' tagged providers

s puppies
s -p google dragonflies
s -t video muppets

You can enable autocompletion for providers and tags in your shell using the --completion flag.

Bash (Linux)

sudo bash -c "s --completion bash > /etc/bash_completion.d/s"

Bash (macOS)

sudo bash -c "s --completion bash > /usr/local/etc/bash_completion.d/s"

Zsh Generate a _s script and place it in your $fpath:

sudo zsh -c "s --completion zsh > /usr/local/share/zsh/site-functions/_s"

Fish

s --completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/s.fish

PowerShell

(& s --completion powershell) | Out-String | Invoke-Expression

You can extend how s behaves using flags and shell features.

Use a specific binary instead of the default browser Use the -b or --binary flag. If the path contains spaces, use quotes carefully.

s -b w3m cats
s -b "chromium --incognito" conspiracy theories
s -b '/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome' kittens

Create shell aliases for frequent providers Add these to your .profile or shell config:

alias sa="s -p amazon"
alias sw="s -p wikipedia"

Search specific subreddits

s -p reddit /r/cscareerquestions best startups.

You can install s using Go, Homebrew, or the Arch User Repository (AUR).

Using Go Ensure GOPATH and GOBIN environment variables are set, then run:

go install github.com/zquestz/s@latest

Using Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew install s-search

Using AUR (Arch Linux)

yay -S s

The s CLI loads its configuration from a file located at ~/.config/s/config. If that file does not exist, it attempts to fall back to a legacy path at ~/.s/config. The configuration file must be in UCL format.

To apply settings, ensure your UCL file contains keys that match the supported configuration schema.

The s command allows you to perform web searches directly from your terminal. You can provide a search query as arguments or pipe input from stdin. If no query is provided, the help screen is displayed.

Basic Usage:

s "your search query"

Using Stdin: You can pipe text into the command to search for it:

echo "golang tutorials" | s

The -s or --server flag launches a web interface.

Start default server (port 8080)

s -s

Start server with TLS and custom port

s -s -c /path/to/cert.pem -k /path/to/key.pem --port 8443

Use the -j or --json flag with list commands to get machine-readable output for scripting.

List providers as JSON

s -l -j

List tags as JSON

s --list-tags -j

Include extra metadata Adding the -v (verbose) flag includes tags for each provider, or providers for each tag.

s -l -v -j
s --list-tags -v -j

To make JSON the default for all list commands, add json: true to your ~/.config/s/config file.

The s tool can be run in server mode using the --server (or -s) flag. This launches a web server on a specified port. You can also configure TLS by providing paths to a certificate and a key.

Basic Server Launch:

s --server

Server with custom port and TLS:

s --server --port 9000 --cert ./cert.pem --key ./key.pem

You can inspect the available search providers and tags supported by the tool. Use the --json flag to get the output in JSON format, which is useful for programmatic consumption.

List Providers:

s --list-providers

List Tags:

s --list-tags

List Providers in JSON:

s --list-providers --json