helptree

README

helptree

Interactive TUI viewer that visualizes CLI --help output as a navigable tree structure.

The problem: Modern CLI tools (docker, kubectl, gh, ffmpeg, ...) have hundreds of subcommands and options. Reading --help output is like scrolling through a wall of text.

helptree turns that wall into an interactive, hierarchical map you can explore without leaving the terminal.

Features

• Tree view — Browse subcommands as an expandable/collapsible tree
• Detail pane — See options, usage, and description for the selected command
• Lazy loading — Subcommand help is fetched on demand (no upfront delay)
• Incremental search — Press / to filter commands instantly
• Vim-style navigation — j/k, g/G, h/l — feels like home

Install

go install github.com/kwrkb/helptree@latest

Usage

helptree <command>

helptree docker
helptree gh
helptree kubectl
helptree go

Keybindings

Key	Action
j / ↓	Move down
k / ↑	Move up
Enter / l	Expand / Load subcommands
h	Collapse
Space	Toggle expand/collapse
g / G	Jump to top / bottom
/	Search
n / N	Next / Previous match
Ctrl+d / Ctrl+u	Scroll detail pane
?	Show keybinding help
q	Quit

How it works

1. Runs <command> --help and parses the output to extract subcommands and options
2. Displays the result as a two-pane TUI (tree + detail)
3. On expand, recursively runs --help on subcommands to build deeper levels (lazy loading)

Supports GNU-style, Go-style (tab-separated), and kubectl-style (parenthesized section headers) help formats.

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/kwrkb/helptree.git
cd helptree
go build -o helptree .

License

MIT