whatisgithub

What is rwx?

vncsmnl/rwx — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

103RustAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

In one sentence

An interactive terminal tool for browsing files and changing their Unix permissions and ownership with checkboxes instead of memorizing chmod commands.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((rwx))
    What it does
      Unix permissions TUI
      File browser
      Interactive editor
    Features
      Checkbox permissions
      Octal input
      Special bits
    Ownership
      Change owner
      Change group
      Recursive apply
    Use cases
      Visual chmod
      Bulk permission fixes
      Ownership management

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Change file permissions visually instead of typing chmod commands from memory

USE CASE 2

Recursively apply the same permissions and ownership to an entire folder

USE CASE 3

Inspect and set special permission bits like SetUID, SetGID, or the sticky bit

USE CASE 4

Change a file's owner and group with built-in validation that they exist

What is it built with?

RustRatatuicrossterm

How does it compare?

vncsmnl/rwxazw413/ternoscloudflare/sliceslice-rs
Stars103103102
LanguageRustRustRust
Last pushed2026-03-192026-04-23
MaintenanceMaintainedMaintained
Setup difficultyeasymoderatemoderate
Complexity2/54/52/5
Audiencedevelopergeneraldeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires a Unix-like OS, install via Homebrew, a shell script, or Cargo.

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

So what is it?

rwx is a terminal application for managing file permissions and ownership on Unix-like systems such as macOS and Linux. Instead of typing chmod or chown commands from memory and hoping you got the numbers right, rwx gives you an interactive screen where you can browse your files and folders, see their current permissions, and change them by checking boxes or typing an octal number like 0755 directly. You can toggle read, write, and execute permissions separately for the file's owner, its group, and everyone else, and the tool also supports the less common special permission bits like SetUID, SetGID, and the sticky bit. As you make changes, a live preview shows you the resulting permission string, such as drwxr-xr-x, before you apply anything. You can also change the file's owner and group names directly, and the tool checks that those users or groups actually exist before letting you proceed. A recursive mode lets you apply the same changes to every file and folder nested inside a selected directory. The interface is split into a file browser for picking what to edit and an editor screen for making the actual changes, both controlled with arrow keys or vim-style h, j, k, l navigation. If the program crashes unexpectedly, it is built to restore your terminal to its normal state rather than leaving it broken. Installation options include Homebrew, a shell script that downloads a ready-to-run binary, or installing it through Rust's own package manager, Cargo, either from crates.io or by building it from source. The project is released under the MIT license.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Help me install rwx using Homebrew and open it in my project directory.
Prompt 2
Explain how to use the octal input mode in rwx to set permissions to 0755.
Prompt 3
Walk me through applying recursive permission changes to a folder using rwx.
Prompt 4
Show me the keybindings for switching between rwx's browser mode and editor mode.

Frequently asked questions

What is rwx?

An interactive terminal tool for browsing files and changing their Unix permissions and ownership with checkboxes instead of memorizing chmod commands.

What language is rwx written in?

Mainly Rust. The stack also includes Rust, Ratatui, crossterm.

What license does rwx use?

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

How hard is rwx to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is rwx for?

Mainly developer.

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