s8n 0.2.0

A beautiful unified system manager, package manager, and file manager TUI — built for Lilith Linux and Katie
s8n-0.2.0 is not a library.

S8n System Manager

Katie — Built specifically for Lilith Linux

CI Release Crates.io License: GPL-3.0

S8n (pronounced "system") is a fast, visually stunning System Manager, Unified Package Manager, and File Manager built in Rust. It provides native terminal gradients, Miller-column file browsing, and cross-package-manager fuzzy search — all from a single, beautiful terminal interface.

Table of Contents

Features

  • Unified Package Manager — Search, install, and remove packages across 10+ package managers from a single interface (apt, flatpak, snap, brew, npm, pip, and more)
  • Installed Packages View — See all system-wide installed packages at a glance, sorted alphabetically, with filtering and fuzzy search
  • 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
  • Dynamic Theming Engine — Switch the aesthetic of the entire application live with 5 built-in themes: Fire, Ocean, Sunset, Forest, and Purple Dream
  • Fuzzy Search — Integration with skim (sk) for fast fuzzy filtering of packages
  • Keyboard-Native — Vim-style navigation (j/k/h/l) alongside arrow keys, designed for efficiency

Quick Start

# Install (if binary is available)
s8n

# Or run directly
~/.local/bin/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.

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

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 from source): rustc and cargo
  • skim (optional, for fuzzy search): Install sk and ensure it's in your PATH

Usage Guide

Main Menu

Launch with s8n to see the main menu with three options:

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

The package manager is the core feature. Upon entering, you'll see a search prompt.

Basic workflow:

  1. Search — Type a package name and press Enter to search across all available package managers
  2. Browse — Use ↑/↓ or j/k to navigate results. Use ←/→ or h/l to switch between sources or pages
  3. Install — Select a package and press i or Enter to install. Confirm with the dialog
  4. Remove — Select a package and press d or r to remove it
  5. Filter — Press / to re-enter search mode and refine results

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

Installed Packages

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

  • Packages are collected from all available package managers
  • Sorted alphabetically for easy browsing
  • Press / to filter the list by name, source, or version
  • Press Ctrl+F for fuzzy search with skim
  • Press d or r on any package to remove it
  • Press q or Esc to return to search/browse mode

Installed packages in search results are marked with a ✓ indicator and displayed in the theme's accent color.

File Manager

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

  • Navigate — Use arrow keys or j/k to move through files
  • Drill down — Press Enter or l to enter a directory
  • Go back — Press h or Backspace to go up a level
  • Edit — Press e to open a file in $EDITOR
  • Rename — Press r to rename a file
  • Delete — Press d to delete a file (with confirmation)
  • Move — Press m to move a file to another location

Theme Picker

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

  • 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 a golden hour
Forest Natural greens and earth tones
Purple Dream Vibrant purples and pinks — the original lipgloss vibe

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
i / Enter Install selected package
d / r Remove selected package
/ Search / filter
v View all installed packages
Ctrl+F Fuzzy search with skim
← / h Previous source or page
→ / l Next source or page
Tab Switch tab / filter mode

Installed Packages View

Key Action
d / r Remove selected package
/ Filter installed packages
Ctrl+F Fuzzy search with skim
q / Esc Return to browse mode

File Manager

Key Action
Enter / l Enter directory
h / Backspace Go up
e Edit file in $EDITOR
r Rename file
d Delete file
m Move file

Supported Package Managers

S8n automatically detects which package managers are available on your system:

Manager Binary Search Install Remove List Installed
apt apt ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
flatpak flatpak ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
snap snap ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
brew brew ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
npm npm ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
pip pip ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
pacstall pacstall ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
soar soar ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
bun bun — ✓ ✓ ✓
topgrade topgrade — — — —

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 (faster compilation, larger binary)
cargo build

# Release build (optimized, smaller binary)
cargo build --release

Run tests

cargo test

Lint

cargo clippy
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 heavily inspired by the incredible ecosystem of Charmbracelet Labs.

Special thanks to the following Rust libraries and their authors:

  • ratatui — Sleek terminal UIs in Rust
  • bubbletea-rs by @whit3rabbit — Reference for smooth TUI package manager experiences and gradient progress bars
  • lipgloss-rs by @whit3rabbit — Gradient generation and heat-mapping, shaping S8n's Fire aesthetic

License

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

Built specifically for Lilith Linux and Katie.