<h1 style="text-align: left;">
<img src="res/rfortune.svg" width="90" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 8px;" alt="rFortune Logo"/>
rFortune
</h1>
**rFortune** is a modern, cross-platform reimplementation of the classic Unix `fortune` program, written in Rust.
It displays a random quote or witty phrase from a plain text file, making it perfect for terminal startup messages,
scripting, or just a bit of inspiration.
[](LICENSE)
[](https://github.com/umpire274/rFortune/releases)
[](https://github.com/umpire274/rfortune/releases/latest)
---
### ✨ New in v0.5.3
**🧭 Smarter first-time initialization**
- Added an interactive prompt when `rfortune` is launched for the first time and no configuration directory exists.
- In interactive terminals, users are asked: `Initialize rFortune now? [Y/n]`.
- In non-interactive contexts (scripts, CI, etc.), initialization happens automatically.
- Prevents unintended directory creation and improves transparency during first setup.
- Initialization progress and results are displayed using `ConsoleLog` messages for consistency.
**⚙️ Improved startup behavior**
- The application now clearly reports which configuration directory is being used (`dirs::data_dir()` path).
- Overall initialization flow refined for clarity and better UX.
---
## 🚀 Features
- ✅ Cross-platform: works on **Linux**, **Windows**, **macOS Intel** and **Apple Silicon**
- ⚡ Fast and lightweight (native Rust binary)
- 📁 Simple input format: one or more lines per fortune, separated by `%`
- 🌹 UTF-8 support for multilingual content
- 🧩 Easily extensible
- 🧠 Built-in cache system to avoid showing the same fortune twice in a row
- ✨ New CLI with subcommands for config, file initialization and cache management
---
## 📦 Installation
[](https://repology.org/project/rfortune/versions)
### 🐧 AUR (Arch Linux)
[](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/rfortune)
```bash
yay -S rfortune
# or
paru -S rfortune
```
### 🍺 Homebrew (macOS/Linux)
[](https://github.com/umpire274/homebrew-tap)
```bash
brew tap umpire274/tap
brew install rfortune
```
### 🦀 Crates.io (Rust)
[](https://crates.io/crates/rfortune)
```bash
cargo install rfortune
```
---
## 📥 Download
Precompiled binaries are available in the [Releases](https://github.com/umpire274/rfortune/releases) section.
| Windows | x86_64 | `rfortune-<version>-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip` |
| Linux | x86_64 | `rfortune-<version>-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz` |
| macOS Intel Architecture | x86_64 | `rfortune-<version>-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.gz` |
| macOS Apple Silicon | aarch64 | `rfortune-<version>-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz` |
---
## 🔐 GPG Signature
All release archives are cryptographically signed with GPG.
- `.sig` files contain the ASCII-armored detached signature for the corresponding archive.
- You can verify the archive with:
```bash
gpg --verify rfortune-<version>-<target>.tar.gz.sig rfortune-<version>-<target>.tar.gz
```
---
## 🔑 Public Key
The releases are signed with the following GPG key:
* Key ID: 423FABCE0A1921FB
* Fingerprint: 8118 9716 9512 2A32 1F3D C04C 423F ABCE 0A19 21FB
* Download: https://github.com/umpire274.gpg
To import the key from a keyserver:
```sh
gpg --recv-keys 423FABCE0A1921FB
```
Or from OpenPGP server:
```sh
gpg --keyserver keys.openpgp.org --recv-keys 423FABCE0A1921FB
```
Then verify the fingerprint:
```sh
gpg --fingerprint 423FABCE0A1921FB
```
---
## 🚀 Usage
```sh
rfortune [OPTIONS]
rfortune <SUBCOMMAND>
```
Running `rfortune` without subcommands prints a random fortune from the default file (`rfortune.dat`).
---
## ⚙️ First-time setup
When `rfortune` is launched for the first time and no configuration directory exists,
the application will ask whether to initialize its environment (creating the default
configuration and fortune files).
In non-interactive contexts, initialization happens automatically.
---
## 🧩 Options & Subcommands
| `-f`, `--file <PATH>` | Use a custom fortune file instead of the default |
| `config init` | Create the configuration file with default options |
| `config edit [--editor <E>]` | Open the configuration file in the system’s default or a specified editor |
| `file init` | Create a sample default fortune file (`rfortune.dat`) |
| `cache clear` | Remove all cached last-used fortunes |
| `-V`, `--version` | Show version information |
| `-h`, `--help` | Show help message |
---
## 💡 Examples
```bash
# Print a random fortune from the default file (rfortune.dat)
rfortune
# Print a random fortune from a specific file
rfortune --file ~/fortunes/misc
# Create the default configuration file in the user data directory
rfortune config init
# Open the configuration file in the system’s default text editor
rfortune config edit
# Open the configuration file with a specific editor (e.g. vi, nano, code)
rfortune config edit --editor vi
# Create a sample default fortune file (rfortune.dat)
rfortune file init
# Clear all cached last-used fortunes
rfortune cache clear
```
---
## 📁 File Format
Each fortune must be on one or more lines separated by `%`, like so:
```txt
%
The best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of ideas.
%
Do or do not. There is no try.
%
To iterate is human, to recurse divine.
%
```
You may optionally add a title at the top of the file by starting the first line with #. The title will be printed
before the random quote:
```txt
# Murphy's Laws
%
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
%
If there's a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.
%
```
---
## 🔒 License
This project is licensed under the MIT License.
© 2025 Alessandro Maestri
---
## 💡 Contributing
Pull requests are welcome! If you’d like to add support for more languages, improve performance, or fix bugs, feel free
to fork the repo and contribute.
---
## 🙌 Acknowledgments
Inspired by the classic BSD fortune program. Built with ❤️ in Rust.