Tray-resident, one keystroke
Lives in the background; the shortcut summons the existing window instead of opening a duplicate.
Rust · Single Binary · Windows + Linux
Command Line
Dispatch & Route
A single tiny binary that sits in your tray, pops up on a keystroke, and runs whatever you type — a sum, a path, an app, a search.
no Electron · no Qt/GTK · no async runtime · no clipboard access
v1.3.0
zero runtime deps
~0% idle CPU
loopback-only IPC
> 2*(3+4)/7 → [CALC] = 2 > 10 km in mi → [CALC] = 6.213712 mi > notes.md → [OK] opened /home/you/notes.md > code → [RUN] spawned `code` (detached) > rust lifetimes → [WEB] browser → duckduckgo.com/?q=rust+lifetimes
One keystroke summons the window. Type, and CLDR routes it — math → units → path → PATH binary → web search.
Capabilities
Small, fast, and it stays out of the way
Everything below is drawn from the project's own README and source. Four crates total; nothing to install at runtime.
Smart routing cascade
math → unit conversion → existing path → PATH binary → web search. No prefix needed.
Zero-dep calculator
+ - * / % ^ ( ) with unary minus, right-associative power, and div/mod-by-zero guards.
Unit conversion
10 km in mi, 100 f to c, 5kg to lb — length, mass and temperature.
Slash commands
/run /open /ls /find /web /calc /sys /help /clear.
Copy without a clipboard crate
Ctrl+Y copies the last result via OSC 52 — and it works over SSH.
Config + aliases
~/.config/cldr/config.toml — search engine, caps, and aliases like alias.g = /web.
Command history
↑/↓ or Ctrl+P/Ctrl+N, persisted between runs.
Private by construction
No clipboard, no telemetry, no network daemon — the only socket is loopback-only, for summon.
How it works
Quickstart
Three cooperating pieces: an interactive command window, a background tray resident, and a detached dispatch daemon. You normally only touch the first.
01
Build or download
Grab a prebuilt archive from Releases, or compile from source with Cargo. One binary comes out.
02
Launch & summon
Run cldr to open the window. Press your hotkey and CLDR raises the existing window, not a new one.
03
Type anything
Anything without a leading / is auto-routed through the cascade; a leading slash picks a command.
Build from source
# clone, build, test git clone https://github.com/drsamonline/CLDR && cd CLDR cargo build --release # → target/release/cldr(.exe) cargo test # engine + IPC + extras unit tests cargo run -- --self-test # 14 headless checks (exit 0 = pass)
No system libraries, no C toolchain beyond what Rust already needs.
Portable & installer
# portable: extract & run tar -xzf cldr-linux-x86_64.tar.gz ./cldr-linux-x86_64/cldr --summon # installer: ~/.local/bin + menu entry + tray autostart ./install.sh
Expand-Archive cldr-windows-x86_64.zip -DestinationPath $env:LOCALAPPDATA\cldr & "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\cldr\cldr.exe" --summon
The routing cascade
your input→
math→
unit conversion→
existing path→
PATH binary→
web search
Unit conversion understands length (mm cm m km in ft yd mi nmi),
mass (mg g kg oz lb st t) and temperature (c f k), and accepts long names such as
10 kilometres in miles.
Reference
In-window commands & keys
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| /run <binary> | spawn detached via the OS shell |
| /open <path> | open a file/folder in the default viewer |
| /ls [path] | list a directory (row-capped) |
| /find <name> | recursive search (depth-capped) |
| /web <query> | search in your default browser |
| /calc <expr> | arithmetic + - * / % ^ ( ) unary- |
| /sys | hardware diagnostics |
| /help · /clear | cheat sheet · clear pane |
| (no prefix) | auto: math → units → path → PATH app → web |
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Enter | submit |
| ↑ ↓ | history (empty input) / scroll results |
| Ctrl+P Ctrl+N | history prev / next |
| PgUp PgDn Home End | scroll results |
| Ctrl+Y | copy last result (OSC 52) |
| Ctrl+L | clear pane |
| Del | clear input |
| Esc / Ctrl+C | quit |
Terminal output
What it looks like
Real captures from the repository's own screenshots folder — the command window is a compact terminal UI.
/open, /ls, powers.
/help — the in-window cheat sheet.Get started
Download & install
Every release ships a SHA256SUMS.txt and SLSA build provenance.
| Platform | Portable | Installer |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10/11 x64 | cldr-windows-x86_64.zip | cldr-<ver>-setup.exe |
| Linux x86_64 | cldr-linux-x86_64.tar.gz | ./install.sh |
| Linux ARM64 (Pi 4/5) | cldr-linux-aarch64.tar.gz | ./install.sh |
Why it stays light
- Small — 4 crates total; full LTO, one codegen unit, symbols stripped,
panic=abort. - Fast — redraw only on change; a single 250 ms
poll()when idle; no async runtime. - Dependency-free at runtime — one binary; nothing to install, no DLLs, no Python.
- Private — never reads or writes the clipboard; no telemetry; the only socket is loopback.
The terminal is the smallest possible GUI here — on Windows the console is auto-shrunk to a compact ~92×26 box; on Linux your terminal emulator sizes it.
Questions
FAQ
What exactly does CLDR do?
It's a single-binary command launcher for Windows and Linux. Bind it to a shortcut or global hotkey; it stays resident in the background and summons its command window when you press the key. Type anything and CLDR routes it to the right action instantly, showing the result inline.
Do I need Rust installed to use it?
No. Prebuilt archives for Windows x64, Linux x86_64 and Linux ARM64 (Pi 4/5) are published on the Releases page, and a Windows installer plus a Linux install.sh are provided. Rust is only needed if you build from source.
Does it use my clipboard or phone home?
No. CLDR never reads or writes the clipboard, sends no telemetry, and has no network daemon. Copying a result uses OSC 52 escape sequences instead of a clipboard crate, so it even works over SSH. The only socket is a loopback-only control channel used to summon the window.
Why is the UI a terminal window rather than a native GUI?
A native toolkit (winit/egui/Qt) would add tens of megabytes of dependencies and binary size. The terminal is the smallest possible GUI here — on Windows the console is auto-shrunk to a compact box; on Linux your terminal emulator sizes it.
How do I configure the search engine or add aliases?
Run cldr --config to write a commented starter file to ~/.config/cldr/config.toml (Linux) or %APPDATA%\cldr\config.toml (Windows). Everything is optional — set search_url, max_results, find_depth, and aliases like alias.g = /web.
How do I verify the download?
Each release includes a SHA256SUMS.txt and SLSA build provenance, generated automatically by the tag-driven release workflow. Releases are cut with git tag v1.3.0 && git push origin v1.3.0.
What is the license?
MIT licensed with a mandatory attribution clause. Every source, doc, script and asset carries an embedded watermark, and any copy must retain the author's name — removing watermarks terminates the license grant.