Ya-CLI

README

Ya - CLI

A lightweight command-line shortcut manager. Execute your frequently used PowerShell commands with simple, memorable shortcuts.

Name Origin: "Ya" comes from the Spanish word meaning "right now" - reflecting the instant execution of your commands.

⬇️ Download

Ya CLI — Multi-Platform Support

🪟 Windows

🍎 macOS

🐧 Linux

Windows • macOS • Linux | Always the latest version

Features

• Create custom shortcuts for long or complex commands
• Persistent storage of shortcuts in your user config directory
• Fast command execution via PowerShell (Windows) or Bash (Linux/macOS)
• Easy-to-use CLI interface built with Cobra
• Template values — add {placeholders} to a command and Ya will prompt you to fill them in at runtime
• Export your shortcuts to a JSON file for backup or sharing
• Import shortcuts from a JSON file — merges with existing shortcuts
• Search shortcuts by name or command
• Pass extra arguments to shortcuts at runtime (e.g. -m "message")
• GUI Available: Prefer a graphical interface? Check out Ya-GUI - a modern desktop application for managing your shortcuts visually

Platform Support

Supports Windows, Linux, and macOS.

• Windows: Uses PowerShell for command execution
• Linux/macOS: Uses Bash for command execution

Installation

🍺 Install with Homebrew (macOS & Linux)

If you have Homebrew installed, you can install Ya with:

brew tap d3uceY/homebrew-ya
brew install ya

Prerequisites

• Go 1.25.5 or higher
• Windows (PowerShell), Linux, or macOS (Bash)

Build from Source

1. Clone or download this repository
2. Navigate to the project directory
3. Build the executable:

Windows:

go build -o ya.exe .

Linux/macOS:

go build -o ya .
chmod +x ya

1. (Optional) Add the executable to your PATH for system-wide access

Adding to PATH (Recommended)

To use ya from any directory in your terminal, you need to add it to your system's PATH environment variable.

Windows

1. Move the executable to a permanent location (e.g., C:\Program Files\Ya\ya.exe)
2. Add to PATH:
   • Press Win + X and select "System"
   • Click "Advanced system settings" on the right
   • Click "Environment Variables"
   • Under "User variables" or "System variables", find and select "Path"
   • Click "Edit"
   • Click "New" and add the directory path (e.g., C:\Program Files\Ya)
   • Click "OK" on all windows
3. Restart your terminal for changes to take effect
4. Verify by running: ya help

Quick method (PowerShell as Administrator):

# Create a directory for Ya
New-Item -Path "C:\Program Files\Ya" -ItemType Directory -Force
# Move ya.exe to this directory
Move-Item .\ya.exe "C:\Program Files\Ya\ya.exe"
# Add to PATH
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", $env:Path + ";C:\Program Files\Ya", "User")

Linux/macOS

1. Move the executable to a directory in your PATH:

   # Option 1: System-wide (requires sudo)
   sudo mv ya /usr/local/bin/
   
   # Option 2: User-only
   mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
   mv ya ~/.local/bin/
   

2. Ensure the directory is in your PATH (if using ~/.local/bin):

   # For Bash (~/.bashrc)
   echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
   source ~/.bashrc
   
   # For Zsh (~/.zshrc)
   echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
   source ~/.zshrc
   

3. Verify installation:

   ya help
   

Usage

New Features (v0.3.0+)

• Search Shortcuts: Quickly find shortcuts by name or command.
• Show Shortcut: Display the command mapped to a specific shortcut.
• Import Shortcuts: Import a set of shortcuts from a JSON file — merges with existing ones.
• Export Shortcuts: Export your shortcuts to a JSON file for backup or sharing.
• Remove Shortcut: Delete a shortcut by name.
• Pass Extra Arguments: You can now pass additional arguments to your shortcuts at runtime.
• Template Values: Use {placeholder} syntax in commands — Ya will prompt you to fill each one in before running.

See below for usage examples!

Managing Shortcuts with GUI

For a more visual and user-friendly experience, you can use Ya-GUI - a desktop application that provides:

• Visual shortcut management
• Real-time search and filtering
• Inline editing capabilities
• Modern, intuitive interface

All shortcuts created in Ya-GUI are fully compatible with the Ya CLI and vice versa.

View All Shortcuts

Display all available shortcuts:

ya help

List All Shortcuts

ya list

Shows all shortcuts and their mapped commands.

Add a New Shortcut

Create a new shortcut with a name and PowerShell command:

ya add <shortcut-name> '<powershell-command>'

Example:

ya add gs 'git status'
ya add dev 'cd C:\Projects\MyApp; npm run dev'
ya add ports 'netstat -ano | findstr LISTENING'

Remove a Shortcut

ya remove <shortcut-name>

Deletes the specified shortcut.

Execute a Shortcut

Run a saved shortcut:

ya <shortcut-name>

Example:

ya gs       # Runs: git status
ya dev      # Runs: cd C:\Projects\MyApp; npm run dev
ya ports    # Runs: netstat -ano | findstr LISTENING

Pass Extra Arguments to Shortcuts

You can append extra arguments when running a shortcut. These will be added to the end of the command.

ya gcm -m "Initial commit"
# Runs: git commit -m "Initial commit"

Show a Shortcut's Command

ya show <shortcut-name>

Displays the command mapped to the shortcut.

Search for Shortcuts

ya search <search-term>

Finds shortcuts whose name or command contains the search term.

Import Shortcuts from a File

ya import <file-path>

Imports shortcuts from a JSON file (should be a map of shortcut names to commands). Merges with your existing shortcuts — duplicate keys are overwritten.

Export Shortcuts to a File

ya export <dir>
ya export <dir> --name <filename>
ya export <dir> -n <filename>

Exports all your shortcuts to a JSON file in the given directory. If --name is not provided, the file will be named shortcuts.json.

Examples:

ya export ./                        # exports to ./shortcuts.json
ya export ./backups --name jan.json # exports to ./backups/jan.json

Template Values in Commands

You can add {placeholder} tokens anywhere in a command. When you run the shortcut, Ya will prompt you to fill in each value before executing.

Add a templated shortcut:

ya add commit 'git commit -m {message}'
ya add deploy 'kubectl set image deployment/{app} {app}={image}:{tag}'

Run it:

ya commit

→ This command has template values. Fill them in below:

  [1/1] message: fix login bug

Then runs git commit -m fix login bug.

• The same {placeholder} used multiple times in one command is only prompted once
• Commands without any {} tokens run immediately as normal

How It Works

• Shortcuts are stored in JSON format at: %APPDATA%\ya\data\shortcuts.json
• Commands are executed via PowerShell using the -Command flag
• The shortcuts file is automatically created on first use

Examples

Common Use Cases

# Quick navigation shortcuts
ya add proj 'cd C:\Users\YourName\Projects'
ya add docs 'cd C:\Users\YourName\Documents'

# Git shortcuts
ya add gp 'git pull'
ya add gps 'git push'
ya add gcm 'git commit -m'

# Development shortcuts
ya add start-api 'cd C:\MyApp\API; dotnet run'
ya add build 'cd C:\MyApp; npm run build'

# System maintenance
ya add clean 'Remove-Item -Path .\temp\* -Recurse -Force'

Troubleshooting

"Unknown shortcut" Error

If you see this message, the shortcut doesn't exist. Use ya help to see all available shortcuts or ya add to create a new one.

Commands Not Working

Ensure your command works in PowerShell before adding it as a shortcut. Test it directly in a PowerShell terminal first.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to submit issues or pull requests.