pickle

README

pickle

A terminal wrapper for MovieBoxPro: search, pick a source, and get the stream link — or play it, copy it, or dump it as JSON, without ever touching their website again.

Why

You have a MovieBoxPro account (not my business why) and a terminal. That's the whole setup. The website is a maze of popups; this is a hallway.

Requirements

• Go 1.22+ to build
• A MovieBoxPro account linked to Google
• Recommended: mpv to actually play things, chafa if you want posters that don't look like a screensaver from 1998

Install

go install github.com/justchokingaround/pickle@latest

Setup

On the first command that needs an account, Pickle asks whether to continue with Google in a browser, paste an existing ui cookie, or exit. Browser login is the default; it receives the result on a temporary loopback listener.

You can also start it explicitly:

pickle login

If the browser cannot be opened automatically, Pickle prints the link. For a headless machine, use pickle login -no-browser. Manual cookie entry remains available as a fallback with pickle config set; input is hidden.

If login fails, retry with pickle login -debug. The diagnostic output shows response field names and types, but redacts credential and account values.

Pickle also saves MovieBoxPro's refresh credentials. Like the desktop app, it renews uid_v2 automatically during the final seven days before expiration. To test or force rotation immediately, run pickle refresh -debug.

Use

pickle                    # the TUI: type, enter, done
pickle search dune
pickle play 1660 -mpv     # resolve and fire up mpv
pickle play 1660 -json    # or dump JSON into jq

In the TUI: enter searches, enter plays, j dumps JSON, c copies the URL, n jumps to the next episode (you will need it), p shows a big poster, esc goes back, q gives up. TV shows make you pick a season first, as nature intended.

Fine print

• The ui cookie is your account. Don't paste it into issues, don't commit it, don't share it. The saved session key is equally sensitive.
• Stream URLs are tied to your account and IP and expire after a couple of hours. Fetch fresh, like vegetables.
• This is unofficial. The site bans accounts for aggressive scraping; the client is deliberately slow (about one request per second). Please don't turn it into a scraper. Or do, and enjoy the ban.
• Linux needs xclip or wl-clipboard for the copy key. macOS and Windows have that built in, which is rare for them.
• Posters need chafa for real terminal images (kitty/iTerm2/sixel). Without it you get blocky ASCII art, which is apparently what you signed up for.

License

MIT. Do what you want, don't blame me.