The Rust programming language has been shining brightly in the systems programming space in recent years, and the command-line tools emerging from its ecosystem have won over countless developers with their speed, memory safety, and cross-platform capabilities. By 2026, Rust CLI tools have matured enough to replace many traditional utilities.

This article introduces five Rust CLI tools worth paying attention to in 2026, which will completely transform your development workflow.

1. ast-grep: The Syntax-Aware Code Search Powerhouse

GitHub: https://github.com/ast-grep/ast-grep
Website: https://ast-grep.github.io/

If you're still using grep to search through code, you might have missed a new era. ast-grep (or sg for short) is a code search and rewrite tool based on Abstract Syntax Trees (AST). It understands code structure rather than just matching text.

Why Choose ast-grep?

Feature grep ast-grep
Matching Method Text Regex AST Structural Patterns
Syntax Understanding ❌ ✅
Cross-Language Support Limited 20+ Languages
Code Rewriting ❌ ✅
Speed Fast Faster (Rust Optimized)

Installation

# macOS
brew install ast-grep

# Linux
curl -sSf https://ast-grep.github.io/install.sh | sh

# Using cargo
cargo install ast-grep

# Windows (winget)
winget install ast-grep

Practical Examples

Search for all console.log calls:

sg --pattern 'console.log($ARG)' --lang javascript

Find unused variables:

sg --pattern 'let $VAR = $VALUE' --lang typescript

Batch rewrite code (change var to let):

sg --pattern 'var $NAME = $INIT' \
   --rewrite 'let $NAME = $INIT' \
   --lang javascript \
   -i

Supported Languages

ast-grep supports over 20 mainstream programming languages, including JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Rust, Go, Java, C/C++, Ruby, and PHP. You can check the complete list of supported languages in the official documentation.

2. gitui: A Blazing Fast Terminal Git Client

GitHub: https://github.com/gitui-org/gitui

For developers who are used to the command line, gitui is a perfect graphical alternative for Git. Built with Rust, it's incredibly fast and has minimal resource usage.

Core Advantages

  • ⚡ Lightning Fast Startup: More than 2x faster than lazygit (Benchmark: gitui 24s vs lazygit 57s)
  • 🎨 Modern UI: Intuitive keyboard-driven interface
  • 🔧 Complete Git Features: Supports all common Git operations
  • 📦 Single Binary: No dependencies, works out of the box

Installation

# macOS
brew install gitui

# Linux (snap)
snap install gitui

# Using cargo
cargo install gitui

# Arch Linux
pacman -S gitui

Shortcut Key Cheat Sheet

Key Function
Tab Switch Panel
Enter Confirm Action
Esc Back/Cancel
c Commit
p Push
f Fetch
r Rebase
m Merge
d View Diff

Usage Tips

Upon launch, gitui automatically detects the Git repository in the current directory. The interface is divided into four main areas:

  1. Unstaged Changes - Changes not yet staged
  2. Staged Changes - Changes ready to be committed
  3. Commits - Commit history
  4. Branches - Branch management

For developers who use Git frequently, gitui can significantly reduce the burden of typing commands while maintaining the fluidity of a terminal-based workflow.

3. bottom (btm): Cross-Platform System Monitor

GitHub: https://github.com/ClementTsang/bottom

bottom is a cross-platform system monitoring tool written in Rust, serving as a modern alternative to top or htop.

  • 🖥️ Visual Charts: Real-time graphs for CPU, memory, and network usage
  • 🔍 Powerful Filtering: Supports process search and filtering
  • 🎨 Highly Customizable: Supports themes and layout configurations
  • 📊 Disk and Temperature Monitoring: Comprehensive system information

Installation and Usage

# macOS
brew install bottom

# Linux
curl -LO https://github.com/ClementTsang/bottom/releases/latest/download/bottom_x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz
tar -xzf bottom_x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz

# Using cargo
cargo install bottom

# Run
btm

Configuration Example

Create a configuration file at ~/.config/bottom/bottom.toml:

[flags]
hide_avg_cpu = true
dot_marker = true
temperature_type = "c"

[colors]
table_header_color = "blue"
all_cpu_color = "green"
avg_cpu_color = "red"

4. zoxide: Smart Directory Jumping Tool

GitHub: https://github.com/ajeetdsouza/zoxide

zoxide is a smart directory jumping tool written in Rust, essentially a modern version of the cd command. It learns your habits, allowing you to reach target directories with fewer keystrokes.

Why Is It Better Than cd?

# Traditional way
cd ~/projects/dashen-tech/docs/dev-tools

# Using zoxide
z dev-tools  # Automatically matches the most frequently visited path

Installation and Configuration

# One-click install (supports bash, zsh, fish, PowerShell)
curl -sSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ajeetdsouza/zoxide/main/install.sh | sh

# macOS
brew install zoxide

# Using cargo
cargo install zoxide

# Add to your shell config (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc)
eval "$(zoxide init bash)"

Common Commands

Command Description
z <keyword> Jump to a matching directory
zi <keyword> Interactively select a directory
z -l List all recorded directories
z -x <keyword> Execute a command in the target directory

5. ripgrep (rg): Ultra-Fast Code Search Tool

GitHub: https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep

Although ripgrep has been around for years, it remains the benchmark for Rust CLI tools in 2026. Its search speed is several times faster than grep, and it ignores files listed in .gitignore by default.

Performance Comparison

Search speed comparison in large codebases:

grep:     3.2 seconds
ack:      1.8 seconds
ag:       0.9 seconds
ripgrep:  0.3 seconds  ⚡

Installation

# macOS
brew install ripgrep

# Linux
sudo apt install ripgrep  # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install ripgrep  # Fedora

# Using cargo
cargo install ripgrep

Practical Tips

Search for files containing a pattern:

rg "TODO|FIXME" --type rust

Search and display line numbers:

rg -n "error handling" src/

Count matches:

rg --count "function" --type python

Ignore specific directories:

rg --ignore node_modules --ignore dist "pattern"

Summary: Why Choose Rust CLI Tools?

Performance Advantages

Rust's zero-cost abstractions and memory safety guarantees allow CLI tools to maintain high performance while avoiding common issues like memory leaks and segmentation faults.

Cross-Platform Support

All the tools mentioned above support macOS, Linux, and Windows, so you don't need to find alternatives for different platforms.

Active Community

The Rust ecosystem is growing rapidly, with new CLI tools emerging constantly. Follow these resources for the latest updates:

Getting Started

We recommend starting with ripgrep and zoxide, as they have the gentlest learning curves and can immediately boost your daily work efficiency. Once you're comfortable, gradually introduce more specialized tools like ast-grep and gitui.

Related Reading:

If you enjoyed this article, feel free to share your favorite Rust CLI tools in the comments!