cheat is a command-line tool that allows you to create and view interactive cheatsheets directly from your terminal.
The tool addresses the problem of remembering command options and syntax for utilities used infrequently enough to forget but frequently enough to need regularly. It works by storing plain-text cheatsheets in configurable directories called cheatpaths, which can be searched, filtered by tags, and viewed with syntax highlighting. Cheatsheets are plain-text files optionally preceded by YAML frontmatter that specifies tags and syntax highlighting language. The tool supports searching by phrase or regular expression, listing sheets by tag or path, and combining filters intuitively.
The tool suits system administrators and developers who work across many command-line utilities and want quick reference material without leaving the terminal or opening a browser. It works well for teams that want to maintain shared cheatsheets across projects, since cheatpaths can be configured as read-only to prevent merge conflicts, and the tool supports directory-scoped cheatsheets via a `.cheat` directory that works similarly to how git locates `.git` directories. The executable ships without built-in cheatsheets but offers to install community-sourced ones on first run. Shell completion is available for bash, zsh, fish, and PowerShell, with completions dynamically generated to include cheatsheet names, tags, and cheatpath names.
The project maintains active continuous integration with a passing build workflow. Development activity shows consistent engagement with the codebase through regular commits and pull request handling. The tool is written in Go, which provides a single portable binary for deployment across different systems.
