What is this?
Atuin replaces your shell history with a SQLite database, records extra context for every command, and adds a full-screen interactive search UI — with optional fully encrypted sync of history between machines.
Atuin replaces your shell history with a SQLite database, records extra context for every command, and adds a full-screen interactive search UI — with optional fully encrypted sync of history between machines.Is it a plugin inside my shell or a separate program?It's a standalone Rust CLI that hooks into your shell: it rebinds ctrl-r and up (configurable) to a full-screen history search UI, while your old history file is left untouched.
It's a standalone Rust CLI that hooks into your shell: it rebinds ctrl-r and up (configurable) to a full-screen history search UI, while your old history file is left untouched.How do I get it running?Install the atuin binary (the official install docs cover each platform), then run the per-shell setup so ctrl-r and up trigger the Atuin search. The docs walk through Quickstart, Import history and Basic usage.
Install the atuin binary (the official install docs cover each platform), then run the per-shell setup so ctrl-r and up trigger the Atuin search. The docs walk through Quickstart, Import history and Basic usage.Which shells does it work with?zsh, bash, fish, nushell, xonsh, and PowerShell are supported, each with its own setup hooks — the docs have a full support matrix.
zsh, bash, fish, nushell, xonsh, and PowerShell are supported, each with its own setup hooks — the docs have a full support matrix.Does everything work the same in bash?Not quite: bash support goes through bash-preexec to provide the necessary hooks, and bash-preexec has known limitations — other shells hook in more directly.
Not quite: bash support goes through bash-preexec to provide the necessary hooks, and bash-preexec has known limitations — other shells hook in more directly.Do I have to use sync at all?No — you can use the author's hosted server, host your own, or skip sync entirely; either way your history lives locally in SQLite.
No — you can use the author's hosted server, host your own, or skip sync entirely; either way your history lives locally in SQLite.Can the sync server read my history?No. All history sync is encrypted, so the server only ever holds ciphertext — the author states they couldn't access your data even if they wanted to.
No. All history sync is encrypted, so the server only ever holds ciphertext — the author states they couldn't access your data even if they wanted to.What gets recorded with each command beyond the command itself?Exit code, working directory, hostname, session, duration and time are all logged, which also powers statistics such as 'most used command'.
Exit code, working directory, hostname, session, duration and time are all logged, which also powers statistics such as 'most used command'.What can I do with a result in the search UI?Press Enter to execute it or Tab to edit it first. Alt-backslash quick-jumps to previous items, and ctrl-r switches filter modes.
Press Enter to execute it or Tab to edit it first. Alt-backslash quick-jumps to previous items, and ctrl-r switches filter modes.Can I search only the current session or directory instead of everything?Yes — ctrl-r switches filter modes, so you can scope the search to the current session, the current directory, or your global history.
Yes — ctrl-r switches filter modes, so you can scope the search to the current session, the current directory, or your global history.Will switching to Atuin lose my existing history?No — the old history file is not replaced, and the docs include an import guide for bringing your past history into the SQLite database.
No — the old history file is not replaced, and the docs include an import guide for bringing your past history into the SQLite database.What are similar projects?zoxide, oh-my-posh, inshellisense, asdf, starship, cheat, awesome-shell, direnv
zoxide, oh-my-posh, inshellisense, asdf, starship, cheat, awesome-shell, direnv