dollar-tool

dollar-tool is a command-line application that allows you to manage and run your command-line tools with ease. You can add tools by providing a name and a download URL, run them directly, and manage your entire tool collection from one place.

Installation

One-line install (Linux amd64 & arm64 / macOS amd64 & arm64)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/matthiasharzer/dollar-tool/refs/heads/main/install.sh | bash

This downloads the latest release binary to /usr/local/bin/dollar-tool and creates a dt symlink for convenience.

Note

The one-line installer supports Linux (amd64 and arm64) and macOS (amd64 and arm64). On other operating systems or architectures, use the manual installation steps below.

One-line install (Windows amd64)

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/matthiasharzer/dollar-tool/refs/heads/main/install.ps1 | iex

This downloads the latest release binary to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\dollar-tool and adds that directory to your user PATH. It also copies the binary as dt.exe for convenience.

Note

Piping directly to iex runs the script without reviewing it first. If you prefer, download the script first, inspect it, and then execute it manually:

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://raw.githubusercontent.com/matthiasharzer/dollar-tool/refs/heads/main/install.ps1 -OutFile install.ps1
# Review install.ps1, then:
.\install.ps1

Manual installation

Download the appropriate binary for your platform from the latest release.

Platform	Binary name
Linux amd64	dollar-tool-linux-amd64
Linux arm64	dollar-tool-linux-arm64
macOS amd64	dollar-tool-darwin-amd64
macOS arm64	dollar-tool-darwin-arm64
Windows amd64	dollar-tool-windows-amd64.exe

After downloading, move the binary to a directory on your PATH and either rename it or create a symlink so that the executable is called:

• dollar-tool on Linux/macOS
• dollar-tool.exe on Windows

This ensures that the commands below (for example, dollar-tool version) work as written.

Quick start

# Add a tool
dollar-tool add mytool https://example.com/mytool-linux-amd64

# Run it
dollar-tool run mytool --help

# List all tools
dollar-tool list

Commands

add — Add a tool

Download and install a single tool by name and URL:

dollar-tool add <tool-name> <download-url>

Example:

dollar-tool add mytool https://example.com/mytool-linux-amd64

---

run — Run a tool

Run an installed tool and pass any arguments directly to it:

dollar-tool run <tool-name> [args...]

Example:

dollar-tool run mytool --version

---

list — List tools

Show all registered tools and their installation status:

dollar-tool list

---

import — Import tools from a file or URL

Import multiple tools at once from a local file or a remote URL. Each line in the file must follow the format <tool-name> <download-url>.

# Import from a local file
dollar-tool import <file-path>

# Import from a URL
dollar-tool import --url <url>

Example tools file:

mytool    https://example.com/mytool-linux-amd64
othertool https://example.com/othertool-linux-amd64

---

export — Export tools to a file

Export the current list of tools to a file (suitable for use with import):

dollar-tool export <file-path>

---

update — Update tools

Re-download one or more tools from their registered URLs:

# Update specific tools
dollar-tool update <tool-name> [tool-name...]

# Update all tools
dollar-tool update --all

---

remove — Remove tools

Remove one or more tools:

# Remove specific tools
dollar-tool remove <tool-name> [tool-name...]

# Remove all tools (prompts for confirmation)
dollar-tool remove --all

---

settings — Configure dollar-tool

Add tool binaries to PATH

Append the dollar-tool binary directory to your PATH so you can call managed tools directly by name:

dollar-tool settings --add-binaries-to-path

The behaviour differs by platform:

• Linux / macOS — Appends an export PATH=… line to your shell configuration file (e.g. .zshrc, .bashrc). You will be prompted to choose or enter the config file to modify. Reload your shell or run source <config-file> for the change to take effect.
• Windows — Writes the binary directory directly to the Path value in the HKCU\Environment registry key. The change takes effect in new processes without restarting the machine.

Install the instant tool runner

Warning

This flag is only available on Linux and macOS. It is not available on Windows.

Create a shell alias (default: dtr) that maps to dollar-tool run, letting you invoke tools without typing the full command:

dollar-tool settings --install-instant-tool-runner

You will be prompted for the alias name and the shell configuration file to modify. After setup you can run tools like:

dtr mytool --version

---

version — Print the version

dollar-tool version

Configuration

dollar-tool stores its data under ~/.dollar-tool by default. You can override this location by setting the DOLLAR_CONFIG_HOME environment variable.

Path	Purpose
~/.dollar-tool/tools (or $DOLLAR_CONFIG_HOME/tools when set)	Tool registry (name + download URL)
~/.dollar-tool/bin (or $DOLLAR_CONFIG_HOME/bin when set)	Downloaded tool binaries