s8n 0.4.0

Unified package & file manager TUI with color themes, fuzzy search, and multi-PM support
s8n-0.4.0 is not a library.

S8n System Manager

CI Release Crates.io License: GPL-3.0

S8n is a fast, visually stunning System Manager, Unified Package Manager, and File Manager built in Rust.
It provides native terminal color themes, Miller-column file browsing, a graveyard for safe file deletion and recovery, and cross-package-manager search with relevance-ranked results — all from one beautiful terminal interface.

Designed for Lilith Linux, though it works on any Debian-based system.

S8n Showcase

Table of Contents

Features

  • Unified Package Manager — Search, install, and remove packages across 10+ package managers from a single TUI (apt, flatpak, snap, brew, npm, pip, cargo, pacstall, soar, am, and more)
  • Relevance-Ranked Results — Search results are automatically sorted by match quality: exact matches first, then prefix matches, then partial matches, then description matches
  • Clean Descriptions — ANSI codes, markdown formatting, and unicode artifacts are stripped from all package names and descriptions before display
  • Installed Status Tracking — Packages are cross-referenced against every PM's installed list; installed packages are highlighted regardless of how they were installed
  • Package Detail Panel — Press i on any search result to view full metadata before committing to an install
  • Installed Packages View — See all system-wide installed packages at a glance, sorted alphabetically, with filtering
  • Animated Progress Displays — Theme-aware gradient progress bars and braille spinners during install/remove operations
  • Miller-Column File Manager — Safe directory traversal with drill-down exploration, file editing ($EDITOR), moves, renames, and deletions via rip2 graveyard
  • Graveyard (Safe Deletion) — Files and packages deleted via s8n are buried in a rip2 graveyard (~/.local/share/graveyard/s8n/) and can be recovered with s8n xum
  • Dynamic Theming Engine — Switch the aesthetic of the entire application live with 5 built-in themes: Fire, Ocean, Sunset, Forest, and Purple Dream
  • Keyboard-Native — Vim-style navigation (j/k/h/l) alongside arrow keys, designed for efficiency

Quick Start

# Install via cargo
cargo install s8n

# Or download a pre-built binary (see Installation)
s8n

Navigate the main menu with arrow keys or j/k. Press Enter to select a mode. Press q or Esc to go back or quit.

CLI Reference

S8n exposes a full CLI for scripted and non-TUI use:

s8n [COMMAND]
Command Aliases Description
s8n — Launch the full TUI
s8n srch <pkg> search, find Search for a package across all sources
s8n stall <pkg> install, add Install the specified package
s8n brn <pkg> burn, remove, rm Remove (bury) the specified package
s8n xum [pkg] exhume, recover Recover a buried package from the graveyard
s8n shw show, list List all installed packages from all sources
s8n upd8 update, upgrade Update all packages via topgrade
s8n -h / s8n --help — Show this help screen

Examples:

s8n srch neovim          # Search for neovim across all package managers
s8n stall neovim         # Install neovim
s8n brn neovim           # Remove neovim (buried safely in the graveyard)
s8n xum neovim           # Recover neovim from the graveyard
s8n shw                  # List all installed packages
s8n upd8                 # Run topgrade to update everything

Installation

Binary Release (Recommended)

Download the pre-built binary from GitHub Releases:

# Download the latest release
curl -L -o s8n https://github.com/BlancoBAM/S8n-System/releases/latest/download/s8n-linux-amd64
chmod +x s8n
sudo mv s8n /usr/local/bin/

Or install via .deb package (available on the releases page):

sudo dpkg -i s8n_*.deb

From crates.io

cargo install s8n

Note: cargo install places the binary in ~/.cargo/bin/s8n.
Ensure ~/.cargo/bin is in your PATH:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc

From Source

git clone https://github.com/BlancoBAM/S8n-System.git
cd S8n-System
cargo build --release
cp target/release/s8n ~/.local/bin/s8n

Prerequisites

  • Rust toolchain (for building): rustc and cargo
  • rip2 (for graveyard/safe delete): cargo install rm-improved
  • topgrade (for s8n upd8): github.com/topgrade-rs/topgrade

Usage Guide

Main Menu

Launch with s8n to see the main menu:

S8n TUI Main Menu

Option Description
Package Manager Search, install, and manage packages across multiple sources
File Manager Browse and manage files with Miller-column navigation
Color Theme Preview and select a visual theme for the application

Package Manager — Search & Browse

The package manager is the core feature. Enter a search term to query all available package managers simultaneously.

S8n Package Search & Browse

Workflow:

  1. Search — Type a package name and press Enter. Results are fetched from all installed PMs concurrently.
  2. Browse — Use ↑/↓ to navigate. Results are ranked by relevance — exact name matches appear first.
  3. Install — Press Enter on a highlighted package to open the install confirmation dialog.
  4. Info — Press i to open the Package Detail panel and view full metadata before installing.
  5. Switch source — Use ←/→ to switch between package sources or paginate results.
  6. Filter by PM — Press Tab to cycle through package manager tabs.
  7. Remove — Press d or r to remove a package.

Source tabs: When a package is available from multiple sources, tabs appear at the top showing each source. Use ←/→ to switch.

S8n Search Pagination

Package Detail Panel

Press i on any search result to open the detail panel:

  • Shows full name, version, source, and description
  • Press Enter or i again to install from this panel
  • Press d to remove (if already installed)
  • Press Esc to go back

Installed Packages View

Press v at any time in the package manager to view all installed packages system-wide:

S8n Installed Packages View

  • Packages collected from all available package managers
  • Sorted alphabetically for easy browsing
  • Press / to filter by name or source
  • Press Enter or i to open the detail panel for the selected package
  • Press d or r to remove a package
  • Press q or Esc to return to browse mode

Graveyard (Safe Delete & Recovery)

S8n uses rip2 for all file and package removals. Instead of permanent deletion, files are buried in a graveyard at:

~/.local/share/graveyard/s8n/

To recover a buried file or package:

s8n xum              # Interactive recovery (choose from graveyard)
s8n xum <pkg-name>   # Recover a specific item by name

You can also navigate into the graveyard inside the TUI.

File Manager

The Miller-column file manager lets you browse directories safely:

S8n File Manager with Miller Columns

  • Navigate — Arrow keys or j/k
  • Drill down — Enter or l to enter a directory
  • Go back — h or Backspace to go up
  • Edit — e to open in $EDITOR
  • Rename — r to rename
  • Delete — d to bury in graveyard (recoverable with s8n xum)
  • Move — m to move to another location

Theme Picker

Access the theme picker from the main menu or by pressing t in the package manager:

S8n Color Theme Selector

  • Use ↑/↓ or j/k to preview themes live
  • Press Enter to save the selected theme
  • Press q or Esc to return without saving

Available themes:

Theme Description
Fire Warm oranges and reds — the default Lilith Linux aesthetic
Ocean Cool blues and cyans for a calm, deep-sea feel
Sunset Rich warm gradients reminiscent of golden hour
Forest Natural greens and earth tones
Purple Dream Vibrant purples and pinks

Keyboard Reference

Global

Key Action
q / Esc Go back or quit
↑ / k Move up
↓ / j Move down
Enter Select / confirm

Package Manager — Browse Mode

Key Action
Enter Install selected package (opens confirmation)
i Open Package Detail panel (info)
d / r Remove selected package
/ Open search input
v View all installed packages
← / → Switch source tab or page
Tab Cycle package manager filter tab

Package Detail Panel

Key Action
Enter / i Install the package
d Remove the package
Esc Go back to browse

Installed Packages View

Key Action
Enter / i Open detail panel
d / r Remove selected package
/ Filter installed packages
q / Esc Return to browse mode

File Manager

Key Action
Enter / l Enter directory
h / Backspace Go up one level
e Edit file in $EDITOR
r Rename file
d Delete (bury in graveyard)
m Move file

Supported Package Managers

S8n automatically detects which package managers are installed on your system. Only available managers are shown in the TUI.

Manager Binary Search Install Remove List Installed
apt apt ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
flatpak flatpak ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
snap snap ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
brew brew ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
npm npm ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
pip pip / pip3 ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
cargo cargo ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
pacstall pacstall ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
soar soar ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
am am ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
bun bun — ✓ ✓ ✓
topgrade topgrade — — — — (update-all)

All managers are auto-detected at startup. If a binary isn't in your PATH, that manager is silently skipped.

Configuration

S8n stores its configuration at ~/.config/s8n/:

~/.config/s8n/
└── theme.toml    # Current theme selection

The theme file is a simple TOML file:

theme = "Fire"

You can edit this file manually, or use the built-in theme picker.

Building from Source

Requirements

  • Rust 1.70+ (edition 2021)
  • cargo

Build

# Debug build
cargo build

# Release build (optimized)
cargo build --release

Run tests

cargo test

Lint

cargo clippy -- -D warnings
cargo fmt -- --check

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to:

  • Report bugs via GitHub Issues
  • Submit pull requests
  • Request features or improvements

All contributions should follow the project's code style and pass cargo clippy and cargo fmt.

Inspirations & Credits

The user interface and aesthetics for S8n were inspired by the incredible ecosystem of Charmbracelet Labs and several outstanding Rust TUI projects.

Special thanks to the following projects and their authors:

  • joshuto by @kamiyaa — Miller-column file manager in Rust; a key inspiration for S8n's file manager layout and navigation feel
  • ratatui — The Rust terminal UI framework powering S8n's entire interface
  • bubbletea-rs by @whit3rabbit — Reference for smooth TUI architecture and gradient progress bars
  • lipgloss-rs by @whit3rabbit — Gradient generation and heat-mapping, shaping S8n's Fire aesthetic
  • rip2 / rm-improved by @MilesCranmer — Safe file deletion with graveyard recovery, powering s8n brn and s8n xum
  • topgrade — Universal system updater, powering s8n upd8

License

This software is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

Beauty meets power. Evil meets elegance.