Qst, pronounced "quest", is a TUI Linux application launcher built with Rust + Ratatui.
Highlights
- Fast
.desktopapp scanning and fuzzy search. - Usage/favorites-based ordering.
- Launch arguments support.
- File explorer mode enabled by default.
- Keyboard-first navigation and customization.
- Extensible plugin system with script-based plugins.
Plugin model
qst is the host runtime. Plugins are script-based and live in ~/.config/qst/scripts/. Plugins can define custom triggers, query handling, and output formatting via a simple line-oriented protocol.
Scripts can be executable files (any language) or extension-based scripts run through supported interpreters (.sh, .bash, .zsh, .fish, .py, .pl, .rb, .js, .lua).
The plugin ecosystem is cataloged in awesome-qst:
Install
Install via Nix (recommended):
Or via Cargo:
Or build from source:
Usage
Either run qst from the terminal:
Or bind to a global hotkey (e.g. Super+Space) using your desktop environment's keyboard settings.
Example for hyperland users to mimic rofi:
bind = $mod, space, exec, [float; size 350 400] $terminal -e qst
Keybindings
Up/Down: move selectionLeft/Right: move cursor in inputTab: autocomplete pathEnter: launch/open selected itemEsc: quitAlt+f: toggle favorite
Config files
~/.config/qst/config.toml~/.config/qst/alias.toml(optional script and app aliases)
See DOCS.md for full configuration details.