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10 Modern CLI Tools You Should Try in 2026

#cli #productivity #terminal #tools

The terminal is still where most of the real work happens. The tools below are the ones I'd install first on a new machine. They are listed in no particular order, and each one does one job well.

1. ripgrep (rg)

Searches a codebase faster than grep, respects .gitignore by default, and handles large repos without fuss. If you only install one tool from this list, make it this one.

rg "TODO" --type ts
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2. fzf

A fuzzy finder that turns any list into a searchable menu. Pipe file names, git branches, or command history into it and pick with arrow keys.

git branch | fzf
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3. jq

Parses and filters JSON on the command line. Most modern CLIs can print JSON, so jq is what turns that output into an answer.

tdk status --json | jq '.data'
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4. GitHub CLI (gh)

Opens pull requests, checks CI status, and reviews issues without leaving the terminal. Good for scripts that need to talk to GitHub.

gh pr status
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5. lazygit

A terminal interface for git. Stage hunks, rebase, and resolve conflicts with a few keystrokes instead of remembering the flags.

6. bat

A cat replacement with syntax highlighting and line numbers. Small change, but you will notice it on the first day.

7. zoxide

A smarter cd that learns the directories you use most. Type a fragment of a path and it jumps there.

z api
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8. direnv

Loads and unloads environment variables when you enter or leave a directory. Useful when each project needs its own settings without polluting your shell.

9. k9s

A terminal dashboard for Kubernetes clusters. If you run workloads on a cluster, it replaces a long list of kubectl get commands with a live view.

10. TDK CLI

This one runs your local stack. TDK reads a service.json for each service, generates the Dockerfile, Traefik routing, and Tiltfile, and starts everything with Docker and Tilt. Install it with npm:

npm install -g @tdk-landscape/tdk-cli-core
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Four commands cover most of the daily work:

  • tdk up starts the stack. Tilt keeps the containers updated as you edit code.
  • tdk ui opens a terminal dashboard. Move with the arrow keys or j/k, search with /, and switch tabs with 1 to 5.
  • tdk status --json reports readiness and URLs. Pipe it into jq to check one service.
  • tdk logs --json --service api --tail 200 prints recent lines for one service, bounded so the output stays readable.

TDK also runs a Model Context Protocol server with tdk mcp, so an AI agent can start the stack and read its status through tools. The TDK CLI README has the full command list.

TDK is for local development. It does not replace Helm, Argo CD, or Kustomize for deployment, and it needs Docker to start a stack.

How to pick

You do not need all ten. Start with rg, fzf, and jq, since they help with almost every task. Add gh if you work on GitHub, and TDK CLI if you run more than one service locally. The rest are worth trying once you have a rhythm.

Try one new tool a week. The gains add up faster than you expect.

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