psn 0.1.2

Terminal UI for process status navigation and control
Documentation
<!-- Copyright (c) 2026 l5yth -->
<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 -->

# psn

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`psn` is a Rust terminal UI for viewing process status and sending signals.

![psn TUI overview](assets/images/psn-tui-overview.png)

- [x] Browse running processes in a terminal UI
- [x] Filter processes by text match `<FILTER>` or regular expression `-r <PATTERN>`
- [x] Filter interactively while browsing with `/`
- [x] Show only the current user's processes with `-u`
- [x] Send Unix signals `1` through `9` to the selected process

## Dependencies

- any GNU/Linux system with `ps` obviously
- `ps` available in `$PATH`
- Some current Rust stable toolchain (Rust 2024 edition, Cargo)

Core crates: `ratatui`, `crossterm`, `sysinfo`, `nix`, `anyhow`, `users`.

## Installation

Helpers exist for Arch and Gentoo-based systems but you can install also
via crates.io or from source directly.

### Archlinux

See [PKGBUILD](./packaging/archlinux/PKGBUILD)

### Gentoo

See [psn-9999.ebuild](./packaging/gentoo/app-misc/psn/psn-9999.ebuild)

### Cargo Crates

```bash
cargo install psn
```

### From Source

Build from source:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/l5yth/psn.git
cd psn
cargo build --release
```

Run the built binary:

```bash
./target/release/psn
```

Or run directly in development:

```bash
cargo run --release --
```

## Usage

```text
psn v0.1.2
process status navigator
apache v2 (c) 2026 l5yth

usage: psn <FILTER>
usage: psn [OPTIONS] -f <FILTER>
usage: psn [OPTIONS] -r <PATTERN>

Terminal UI for browsing process status and sending Unix signals.

Options:
  -h, --help            Show usage instructions
  -v, --version         Show version
  -f, --filter <value>  Filter process names/commands (case insensitive string)
  -r, --regex <value>   Use regex matching (regular expression pattern)
  -u, --user            Show only current user's processes
```

Examples:

```bash
# substring filter (positional)
psn "sshd"

# substring filter via option
psn -f "systemd"
psn --filter "python"

# regex filter
psn -r 'ssh(d|agent)'
psn --regex '(nginx|apache2)'

# current user only
psn -u
psn -u -f "cargo"
psn -u -r '^bash$'
```

In-app keys:

- `q`: quit
- `r`: refresh process list
- `` / ``: move selection
- `PgUp` / `PgDn`: page up/down
- `` / ``: collapse / expand tree node
- `/`: open interactive filter prompt (live, substring match)
- `1`..`9`: send corresponding signal to selected process (prompts for confirmation)

## Development

```bash
cargo check
cargo test --all --all-features --verbose
cargo fmt --all
cargo clippy --all-targets --all-features -- -D warnings
```