Easy Alias CLI

A simple Dart CLI tool to manage shell aliases on macOS and Linux. Create, list, update, activate, and deactivate your custom command shortcuts easily with a colorful, interactive menu.

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🚀 Quick Start

Option 1: Download Pre-built Executable (Recommended for Apple silicon chip)

1. Download the latest ea executable from the Releases page for your platform.
2. Make it executable and move to your PATH:

   chmod +x ea
   sudo mv ea /usr/local/bin/ea

3. Run from anywhere:

   ea

⚠️ macOS Security Notice (Important)

When you run ea for the first time, macOS may block it and show a message saying the app cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer.

This happens because:

• The executable is not notarized by Apple (Apple requires a paid developer account for notarization).
• ea is a command-line tool, not an App Store app.
• macOS Gatekeeper blocks new, unsigned binaries by default.

👉 This does NOT mean the tool is malware.

• ea is fully open-source
• You can review the complete source code before running it
• The binary is built directly from this source with no hidden behavior

How to allow ea to run

1. Open System Settings
2. Go to Privacy & Security
3. Scroll down to the Security section
4. You’ll see a message about ea being blocked
5. Click Open Anyway
6. Confirm when prompted

After this, ea will run normally and you won’t be asked again.

Option 2: Build from Source (Requires Dart)

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <your-repo-url>
   cd easy_alias

2. Run the install script:

   ./install.sh

   This will build the executable and place it in your PATH as ea.
3. Run from anywhere:

   ea

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🛠️ Development Setup (For Contributors)

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <your-repo-url>
   cd easy_alias

2. Install dependencies:

   dart pub get

3. Run tests:

   dart test

4. Run locally (without global activation):

   dart run bin/easy_alias.dart

5. Make changes and submit a pull request!

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Features

• Interactive, number-based menu for all actions
• Add, list, update, and delete aliases
• Update alias by shortcut or by number
• Cancel any operation by typing cancel or exit the app by typing exit
• Colorful output and emoji feedback for success and errors
• Save & Activate writes all changes and updates your shell config
• Selectively activate or deactivate aliases
• Shows all aliases (managed and from shell config) with clear status

Usage

Just run:

ea

Example: Adding an Alias

When you run ea, select Add Alias from the menu. You will be prompted:

=== Easy Alias CLI ===
  1. Add Alias
  2. List Aliases
  3. Update Alias
  4. Delete Alias
  5. Activate Aliases
  6. Deactivate Aliases
  7. Save & Activate
  8. Exit
Select an option (number, or type "exit" to exit): 1
Enter shortcut: gs
Enter command: git status
✅ Alias "gs" added.

You can now use the menu to activate, list, or manage your aliases.

Note: After adding, updating, or deleting aliases, you must select Save & Activate from the menu for your changes to take effect in your shell. Then, restart your terminal or re-source your shell config to use the updated aliases.

Menu Options

• Add Alias
• List Aliases (shows status: ✅ active, ❌ inactive, 🔵 found in shell config)
• Update Alias (choose by shortcut or number, only managed aliases)
• Delete Alias
• Activate Aliases (select which to activate)
• Deactivate Aliases (select which to deactivate)
• Save & Activate
• Exit

Notes

• After activating or saving aliases, restart your terminal to see the changes take effect.
• Aliases are stored in ~/.easy_aliases.json.
• The generated shell alias file is ~/.easy_aliases.sh.
• The tool modifies your ~/.zshrc (or other shell config) to source the alias file.
• Only aliases managed by Easy Alias can be updated or deleted from the CLI.

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📝 Contributing

• Fork this repo and submit a pull request!
• Please write tests for new features or bugfixes.