bare

KO | EN

gitlite — search

#python #llm #go #golang #android #machine-learning #rust #deep-learning #docker #macos #java #awesome #awesome-list #mcp

(★ 55)

Interactive shell in x86_64 Linux assembly. No libc, no runtime, pure syscalls.

bare Latest Version Download

Download Latest Version (.zip)

// repository documentation

Was this content helpful?

★ 0 (0 ratings)

# bare - Pure Assembly Shell

![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-0.2.43-blue) ![Assembly](https://img.shields.io/badge/language-x86__64%20Assembly-purple) ![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Unlicense-green) ![Platform](https://img.shields.io/badge/platform-Linux%20x86__64-blue) ![Dependencies](https://img.shields.io/badge/dependencies-none-brightgreen) ![Binary](https://img.shields.io/badge/binary-~126KB-orange) ![Startup](https://img.shields.io/badge/startup-9%C2%B5s-ff6600) ![Stay Amazing](https://img.shields.io/badge/Stay-Amazing-important)

Interactive shell written in x86_64 Linux assembly. No libc, no runtime, pure syscalls. Single static binary, 126KB. **9 microsecond startup.**

Pure syscalls, zero overhead. No interpreter, no runtime, no garbage collector. Just your keystrokes and the kernel.

This is my login shell. It is not released for your use. It is released for inspiration. This is how you can benefit: 1) Clone this repo, 2) Fire up Claude Code, 3) Prompt it to make it into what you want or need.

![bare in glass under tile](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/isene/bare/master/img/screenshot.png)

bare behind every `>` in the [CHasm](https://github.com/isene/chasm)
desktop. Every binary on screen is x86_64 assembly — tile owns the
layout, strip drives the status row, glass renders the terminals,
show paints the syntax-highlighted source, bare is the shell.

## Install

### From source (requires nasm and ld)

```bash
git clone https://github.com/isene/bare.git
cd bare
make
sudo make install
```

### Arch Linux (AUR)

```bash
yay -S bare-shell
```

### Debian/Ubuntu

```bash
curl -LO https://github.com/isene/bare/releases/latest/download/bare_0.2.21-1_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i bare_0.2.21-1_amd64.deb
```

### Set as default shell

```bash
# Add to allowed shells
sudo sh -c 'echo /usr/local/bin/bare >> /etc/shells'

# Set as default terminal shell (wezterm)
# In ~/.config/wezterm/wezterm.lua:
config.default_prog = { '/usr/local/bin/bare', '-l' }
```

### Setup

```bash
# Install AI plugins (optional, needs Anthropic API key)
make install-plugins

# Create login profile
cat > ~/.bare_profile << 'EOF'
export PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:$HOME/bin:$HOME/.local/bin
export EDITOR=vim
export PAGER=less
EOF
```

## Benchmark

Two numbers worth quoting separately, since "shell startup" can mean different
things and the smaller number tells you nothing about the bigger one.

**Interactive prologue** — cost from `execve` to "ready to handle the first
keystroke" with all interactive features (history, tab completion,
syntax-highlighted prompt) initialised lazily on the path that actually
needs them:

```
$ ./bare --bench
bare startup: 9 microseconds
```

**Non-interactive whole-process** — cost of `echo cmd | bare > /dev/null`,
i.e. spawn shell, parse one line, fork-exec the command, wait, exit. This
is the right number for `bare` as a script interpreter or pipe target.
Both shells running on the same machine, 1000 iterations:

| shell | `echo true \| shell` | `echo ls \| shell` | syscalls/invocation |
|------|------:|------:|----:|
| bash | 2.5s | 4.5s | 26 |
| bare | **2.1s** | 4.5s | **14** |

Bare wins the minimal benchmark (~17% faster) and ties on the realistic
one where the spawned command's own work dominates. Half the syscalls
per invocation, no dynamic linker, no `.bashrc` parse.

Both numbers reflect the same binary; bare detects `isatty(0)` at startup
and gates history loading, PATH exec-cache build, and prompt-state init
behind it. Without that gate, the bench-vs-real gap was ~2 orders of
magnitude (h/t @romforth and @Corbin on lobste.rs for prodding).

## Features

### Prompt and Navigation
- Dynamic prompt: `user@host: ~/cwd/ (git-branch) >` with configurable colors
- Git dirty indicator: green dot (clean) / red dot (uncommitted changes)
- Git branch display (toggleable via `show_git_branch`)
- Root user detection: separate colors for sudo sessions
- Bookmarks with tags (`:bm name [path] [#tags]`), tag search (`:bm ?tag`)
- Auto-cd from bookmark names and bare directory names
- Directory history (`:dirs`), `cd N` to jump, `cd -` for previous
- `pushd`/`popd` directory stack
- Pointer/RTFM file manager auto-cd on exit

### Command Execution
- Multi-pipe (up to 16 segments): `cmd1 | cmd2 | cmd3`
- Redirections: `>`, `>>`, `<`
- Command chaining: `;`, `&&`, `||`
- Command substitution: `$(cmd)` with nesting
- Background execution: `&`
- Per-command env prefix: `VAR=val [VAR2=val2 ...] cmd args` (POSIX-style temporary env)
- `time` builtin: `time sleep 1` shows elapsed with ms precision
- Login shell (`-l`), command mode (`-c "cmd"`)
- Foreground job control with proper `setpgid` + `tcsetpgrp` so signals reach the job

### Expansion
- Brace expansion: `file.{txt,md,rs}` -> `file.txt file.md file.rs`
- Tilde, variable (`$VAR`, `${VAR}`, `$?`, `$$`), glob (`*`, `?`, `[a-z]`, `[!x]`)
- History expansion: `!!`, `!N`, `!-N`
- Global nick expansion anywhere in line

### Aliases and Abbreviations
- `:nick ls = ls --color -F` (expand at execution, self-referencing works)
- `:gnick G = | grep` (expand anywhere in line)
- `:abbrev gst = git status` (expand live on space)
- `NAME?` (e.g. `s?`, `show?`, `gs?`, `home?`, `:nick?`) — inline help: prints what the name resolves to (nick / gnick / abbrev / bookmark / builtin / exe). If a name matches several categories, every match is printed so shadowing is visible.

### Line Editing and Completion
- Interactive tab cycling with LS_COLORS (dirs blue, symlinks gray)
- Tab completion list rendered visibly below the prompt (no overwrite)
- Tab completion for `:commands` (`:th<TAB>` -> `:theme`)
- `$VAR` tab completion, subcommand completion (git, apt, cargo)
- Bare path to a non-executable file (e.g. `notes.md`) auto-opens in `$EDITOR`
- Ctrl-R reverse incremental history search
- Inline history suggestions (grayed preview, right-arrow to accept)
- Prefix history search: type text, press Up/Down to filter
- Alt-F / Alt-B: word movement forward/backward
- Ctrl-G edit in `$EDITOR`, Ctrl-Y copy to clipboard, Ctrl-X delete current history entry (browse via Up, or whichever entry the inline suggestion came from)
- Syntax highlighting: valid commands (green), nicks (cyan), colon commands, switches
- Multi-line editing: continuation on `\`, `|`, `&&`, `||`, unclosed quotes
- Auto-pairing brackets and quotes (configurable)

### Job Control
- Ctrl-Z suspend, `:jobs`, `:fg [N]`, `:bg [N]`

### Themes and Colors
- 6 themes: default, solarized, dracula, gruvbox, nord, monokai
- 18 individual color settings including root-specific colors
- Companion TUI configurator: [bareconf](https://github.com/isene/bareconf)

### Configuration
- `~/.barerc`: auto-saved on exit, line-based key=value format (multi-terminal safe)
- `~/.bare_profile`: login profile (simple export lines)
- `~/.bare_history`: capped at 1000 entries, smart deduplication
- Runtime changes: `:config key value`
- Toggles: show_tips, auto_correct, auto_pair, rprompt, show_git_branch, completion_fuzzy

### Plugins

Plugins are executables in `~/.bare/plugins/`. Any unknown colon command runs the matching plugin.

```bash
make install-plugins    # installs :ask and :suggest (AI via Anthropic API)
```

- `:ask <question>` - ask AI a question
- `:suggest <task>` - get a shell command suggestion

See [plugins/README.md](plugins/README.md) for setup and writing your own.

### Other Builtins
- `cd`, `pwd`, `exit`, `export`, `unset`, `history`, `pushd`, `popd`, `time`
- `:calc`, `:stats`, `:validate`, `:save_session`, `:load_session`
- `:save`, `:backup [name]`, `:restore [name]` (config/history snapshots)
- `:env`, `:rehash`, `:reload`, `:rmhistory`, `:info`, `:version`, `:help`
- Auto-correct suggestions on command not found
- Startup tips (configurable)

## Part of CHasm (CHange to ASM)

The same shell, three languages:

| Shell | Language | Startup | Suite |
|-------|----------|---------|-------|
| **[bare](https://github.com/isene/bare)** | **x86_64 Assembly** | **9us** | **CHasm** |
| [rush](https://github.com/isene/rush) | Rust | ~26ms | Fe2O3 |
| [rsh](https://github.com/isene/rsh) | Ruby | ~300ms | |

Companion: [bareconf](https://github.com/isene/bareconf) (TUI configurator, built on [crust](https://github.com/isene/crust))

## Packages

**Debian/Ubuntu**: every release ships a dependency-free static amd64
`.deb` — grab it from the
[latest release](https://github.com/isene/bare/releases/latest) and:

```bash
sudo apt install ./bare_*_amd64.deb
```

**Arch**: a `PKGBUILD` is included in the repo root:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/isene/bare.git && cd bare && makepkg -si
```

## License

[Unlicense](https://unlicense.org/) - public domain.

## Credits

Created by Geir Isene (https://isene.org) with extensive pair-programming with Claude Code.

bare

bare Latest Version Download

Today's picks

Was this content helpful?

Recent Feedback

bare

bare Latest Version Download

Today's picks

Was this content helpful?

Recent Feedback

Download README