Bevel: Command line history in an SQLite database for effective re-use

Pronounced "bəvɛl".

How it works

• All terminal command history is saved using the bevel harness and saved in a local SQLite database.
• Use this history for advanced terminal usage using the bevel CLI.
• Synchronise your command history across devices using bevel sync.

Usage

You can use the database however you like, but bevel includes some nice general tools:

Directory switching

Using the cd command, you can switch to a previously visited directory quickly:

cd $(bevel cd) # Or use the C-p binding

Command repetition

Bevel offers a replacement for the C-r functionality of your shell.

$(bevel repeat) # Or use the C-r binding

Comparison to similar projects

• Atuin: Atuin is a rust version of this idea, but with various issues.
• Hastory: Bevel is Hastory's successor.

Installation

Building from source, without Nix

0. Get yourself a copy of the Sqlite source code: sqlite3.c.

1. Compile the bevel-gather utility and put it on your path.

   cd bevel-gather
   musl-gcc \
     -Wall -Wextra -pedantic -O2 -s -static -Wl,--gc-sections -Wl,--strip-all \
     bevel-gather.c \
     sqlite3.c \
     -o $out/bin/bevel-gather

2. Install the harness.

   For bash, add this line to the end of your ~/.bashrc:

   source /path/to/bevel/bevel-harness/harness.bash
   

   For zsh, add this line to the end of your ~/.zshrc:

   source /path/to/bevel/bevel-harness/harness.zsh
   

3. Make sure you have Haskell's stack.

4. Install the bevel CLI.

   stack install bevel-cli

5. Install the bindings. These bind C-p to cd $(bevel cd) and C-r to $(bevel repeat).

   For bash, add this line to the end of your ~/.bashrc:

   source /path/to/bevel/bevel-harness/bindings.bash
   

   For zsh, add this line to the end of your ~/.zshrc:

   source /path/to/bevel/bevel-harness/bindings.zsh
   

6. Optional: Install the server: stack install bevel-api-server.

   stack install bevel-api-server

With Nix

Home manager integration

{ pkgs, lib, ... }:
with lib;
let
  bevelModule =
    builtins.fetchGit {
      url = "https://github.com/NorfairKing/bevel";
      rev = "0000000000000000000000000000000000000000"; # Put a recent commit hash here.
      ref = "master";
    } + "/nix/home-manager-module.nix";
in
{
  imports = [
    bevelModule
    # [...]
  ];
  programs.bevel = {
    enable = true; # Make the CLI available
    harness = {
      bash = {
        enable = true; # Gather history from bash
        bindings = true; # Bind C-p and C-r
      };
      zsh = {
        enable = true; # Gather history from zsh
        bindings = true; # Bind C-p and C-r
      };
    };
    sync = {
      enable = true;
      server-url = "YOURSERVERHERE";
      username = "YOURUSERNAMEHERE";
      password = "YOURPASSWORDHERE";
    };
  };
}

See nix/home-manager-module.nix.

NixOS integration to run the server

{ lib, pkgs, config, ... }:
let
  bevel-production = (
    import (
      builtins.fetchGit {
        url = "https://github.com/NorfairKing/bevel";
        rev = "0000000000000000000000000000000000000000"; # Put a recent commit hash here.
        ref = "master";
      } + "/nix/nixos-module.nix"
    ) { envname = "production"; }
  );
in
{
  imports = [
    bevel-production
  ];
  config = {
    services.bevel.production.api-server = {
      enable = true;
      api-server = {
        enable = true;
        log-level = "Warn";
        hosts = [ "api.bevel.mydomain.com" ];
        port = 8402;
        local-backup = {
          enable = true;
        };
      };
    };
  };
}

See nix/nixos-module.nix.