snip-it

A fast, terminal-based snippet manager. Fuzzy search your command library, expand <variable> placeholders on the fly, organize snippets into libraries, and keep every device in sync with end-to-end encryption.

Why snip-it?

Your shell history is unorganized. Generic snippet tools like pet don't sync. Cloud-first managers want your data. snip-it is a single Rust binary that runs everywhere, stores snippets in plain TOML you can grep, and adds optional end-to-end-encrypted sync without ever holding your plaintext.

Installation

From crates.io (recommended)

cargo install snip-it

From source

git clone https://github.com/eggstack/snip-it.git
cd snip-it
cargo build --release
./target/release/snp --version

Pre-built binaries

Download from the latest release:

# Linux / macOS
tar -xzf snp-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
sudo mv snp /usr/local/bin/

Homebrew

brew install eggstack/tap/snp

Docker (sync server only)

docker pull ghcr.io/eggstack/snip-it/snip-sync:latest

Quickstart

# Create a snippet with variables, then prompt for description and tags
snp new 'ssh <user>@<host>' --tags

# Create a snippet with a default value, then prompt for description
snp new 'git push origin <branch=main>'

# List all snippets
snp list

# Launch the TUI to search, run, or copy
snp run
snp clip

# Open the snippets file in $EDITOR
snp edit

Snippets live in ~/.config/snp/snippets.toml:

[[Snippets]]
Description = "git commit with message"
Tag = ["git", "version-control"]
command = "git commit -m \"<message>\""

[[Snippets]]
Description = "ssh with port"
Tag = ["ssh"]
command = "ssh <user=root>@<host> -p <port=22>"

Features

• Fuzzy search — find snippets by description, command, or tags (skim algorithm).
• Variable expansion — <name=default> syntax prompts for values at runtime.
• TUI — keyboard-driven selection with 50 bundled Halloy themes and a live theme picker (e in normal mode).
• Multiple libraries — separate collections per project, environment, or client.
• Premade libraries — download community-built snippet packs (snp premade sync).
• End-to-end encrypted sync — AES-256-GCM + Argon2id; the server never sees plaintext.
• Cron-friendly — snp sync is non-interactive by default; safe for headless setups.
• TOML you can grep — snippets are plain files; version-control them, edit them, diff them.
• Cross-platform — macOS, Linux, Windows; uses the system clipboard and keychain.
• Shell keyword expansion — $HOME, ~, $(date), etc. expand at copy time.

Security

Snippet commands are executed as-is via your shell. Only add snippets you trust. Snippets that contain secrets (passwords, tokens, keys) live in plaintext TOML — use a sync server with end-to-end encryption rather than sharing the file.

• Sync: snippets are encrypted with AES-256-GCM before leaving the client; the server stores only ciphertext.
• Key derivation: Argon2id with OWASP-recommended parameters.
• API keys: stored in the OS keychain (macOS Keychain, GNOME Keyring, Windows Credential Manager) by default. A SNP_ALLOW_PLAINTEXT_API_KEY=true opt-in falls back to a plaintext key with a warning.
• Integrity: sync.toml carries a CRC32 checksum comment to detect accidental corruption (e.g., partial writes).

See SECURITY.md for the vulnerability disclosure policy and a fuller threat model.

Optional: Sync Server

snp is a single binary; sync is opt-in and requires a snip-sync server (also in this repo). See snip-sync/README.md for installation, configuration, and a docker-compose.yml example.

# Register against your server (stores API key in OS keychain)
snp register --server https://sync.example.com:50051

# Manual sync (uses sync.toml direction; default is push-only)
snp sync

# Push-only / pull-only
snp sync --push-only
snp sync --pull-only

# Set up a 15-minute sync cron job
snp cron

CLI Overview

$ snp --help
A fast, terminal-based snippet manager with fuzzy search, clipboard support, and cloud sync

Usage: snp [COMMAND]

Commands:
  new         Create a new snippet
  list        List all snippets
  run         Run a snippet via TUI
  clip        Copy snippet to clipboard
  search      Search and view snippet details
  edit        Edit snippets file in $EDITOR
  sync        Sync snippets with server
  cron        Setup automatic sync
  library     Manage snippet libraries
  premade     Browse/download premade libraries
  register    Register sync account
  keybindings Show TUI keybindings
  completions Generate shell completions
  version     Show version

See USER_GUIDE.md for the full reference and CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup.

Environment Variables

Documentation

• USER_GUIDE.md — Detailed guide: libraries, sync, variables, premade libraries, troubleshooting.

• CONTRIBUTING.md — Development setup, code style, testing, release process.

• SECURITY.md — Vulnerability disclosure policy and threat model.

• CHANGELOG.md — Release history.

• snip-sync/README.md — Sync server setup, configuration, deployment.

Contributing

Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, code style, and the release process. Bug reports and feature requests go through GitHub Issues.

License

MIT © 2026 David Bowman