otot

A command-line tool for quickly opening URLs with fuzzy matching and frecency-based search.

Overview

otot ("Open Tab Over There") helps you quickly open links from your terminal by remembering each usage and allowing fuzzy pattern matching. Instead of typing full URLs, use partial matches to quickly access your most frequently and recently visited sites.

Installation

Via Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

brew tap idiomattic/otot
brew install otot

Via Cargo

cargo install otot

Or build from source:

git clone https://github.com/idiomattic/otot
cd otot
cargo install --path .

Tip

Aliasing the open subcommand is helpful for ergonomic, quick usage:

alias o="otot open"

Usage

Open a full URL

otot open github.com/rust-lang/rust

The tool automatically opens the URL in your default browser.

Fuzzy matching

# exact match on URL segments
otot open github/rust
# or, fuzzy-match using shorthand
otot open gh/rust

This finds the most relevant URL in your visit history (not browser history) that matches on all segments of the provided pattern. The ranking uses a frecency algorithm that considers both frequency (how often you visit) and recency (when you last visited).

Query the database

otot query github/rust

This returns all matches in a table, using the same query as open, for debugging.

Configuration

Set your preferred browser:

otot config set -k preferred_browser -n firefox

View current settings:

otot config get -k preferred_browser

Show config file location:

otot config path

How It Works

otot maintains a local SQLite database tracking your URL visits. When you use fuzzy matching, it:

1. Breaks your input into segments
2. Searches for URLs in your history that match on:
   • fuzzy match of base domain (e.g. "github.com")
   • fuzzy match on last path segment (e.g. "rust")
   • intermediate segments may be skipped, but when provided, must fuzzy match in the correct relative order (not all must be provided)
3. Ranks results by frecency score (visit count × recency multiplier)
4. Opens the best match

Configuration

Default config location: ~/.config/otot/default-config.toml

Available settings

• preferred_browser: Browser command (e.g., "firefox", "chrome", "brave")

Database

The database is a simple SQLite file that tracks:

• URLs you've opened
• Visit counts
• Last access timestamps
• URL segments for fuzzy matching

Location:

Privacy

The database stores visit counts and timestamps but no personal browsing data beyond the URLs you explicitly open with otot.

Inspiration

This project is heavily inspired by zoxide, a wonderful CLI for navigating between directories.

License

MIT