mnu

mnu is a small family of terminal tools:

• mnu-bw: Bitwarden TUI for searching, copying credentials, and OTP.
• mnu-run: launcher for executables on PATH (detached).
• mnu-drun: launcher for desktop-entry (.desktop) applications discovered via XDG (detached).

All three are small, fast, and work well together. mnu-bw focuses on secure clipboard handling for secrets.

Requirements

• mnu-bw
  • Bitwarden CLI (bw) available on PATH
  • Clipboard helpers (atotto/clipboard requirements):
    • Linux: typically xclip or xsel
    • macOS: uses pbcopy/pbpaste (built in)
    • Windows: win32 APIs
• mnu-run: no special requirements beyond a sane PATH
• mnu-drun: an XDG-compliant environment with .desktop files in XDG_DATA_HOME/DIRS

Install

With Nix (flakes)

This repository’s root flake builds three packages and apps:

• Build:
  • nix build .#mnu-bw
  • nix build .#mnu-run
  • nix build .#mnu-drun
• Run:
  • nix run .#mnu-bw
  • nix run .#mnu-run
  • nix run .#mnu-drun

Use in another flake:

• Add this repo as an input and reference packages .#mnu-bw, .#mnu-run, or .#mnu-drun from your configuration.

Install all via a single alias (optional):

• The root flake also exposes a default package that symlink-joins all three binaries.
• You can surface it as pkgs.mnu via an overlay and install that one alias, e.g.:

  # flake.nix
  {
    inputs = {
      nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
      mnu.url = "github:netbrain/mnu";
    };

    outputs = { self, nixpkgs, mnu, ... }:
    let
      system = "x86_64-linux";
      overlay = (final: prev: {
        # Default package of the mnu flake contains all three binaries
        mnu = mnu.packages.${final.system}.default;
      });
    in {
      nixosConfigurations.my-host = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
        inherit system;
        modules = [
          ({ pkgs, ... }: {
            nixpkgs.overlays = [ overlay ];
            environment.systemPackages = [ pkgs.mnu ];
          })
        ];
      };
    };
  }

A development shell is provided that includes Go, GitHub CLI, and Bitwarden CLI.

With Go

• Go 1.21+ recommended
• Install binaries:
  • go install github.com/netbrain/mnu/cmd/mnu-bw@latest
  • go install github.com/netbrain/mnu/cmd/mnu-run@latest
  • go install github.com/netbrain/mnu/cmd/mnu-drun@latest
• Or build locally:
  • go build -o mnu-bw ./cmd/mnu-bw
  • go build -o mnu-run ./cmd/mnu-run
  • go build -o mnu-drun ./cmd/mnu-drun

Usage

• Bitwarden TUI (single instance):
  • mnu-bw
  • Subcommands:
    • mnu-bw serve (pre-warm and advertise bw serve)
    • mnu-bw clear-clipboard <seconds> <unique_id> < content (internal helper; not for direct use)
• PATH launcher:
  • mnu-run
• Desktop-entry launcher:
  • mnu-drun

Keybindings (TUI):

• Global: Ctrl-C to quit; Esc to clear search or back out
• Search/List: type to filter; Up/Down (or Ctrl-J/Ctrl-K) to navigate; Enter to select
• Action menu: Up/Down to navigate; Enter to execute action; Esc to go back

Configuration (mnu-bw)

mnu-bw reads configuration from ~/.config/mnu/config.yaml. If missing, a default is created.

Defaults:

clipboard_timeout: 15s
api_mode: true

• clipboard_timeout: how long clipboard content remains before being cleared (Go duration, e.g., 10s, 30s, 2m)
• api_mode: when true, mnu-bw orchestrates bw serve and talks HTTP; when false, it uses the bw CLI directly

Environment:

• BW_SESSION: if set, mnu-bw will use it (no unlock prompt)
• --debug flag: logs to debug.log

How it works (high level)

• API vs CLI
  • In api_mode: true, bw serve is started (or discovered if already advertised) and used for operations.
  • In api_mode: false, mnu-bw shells out to the bw CLI for status, listing, and secret retrieval.
• Secure clipboard
  • Copy actions stream secret data to an internal helper via stdin (no secrets in argv) and schedule clipboard clearing.
  • A named pipe (FIFO) cancels any previous clearer so the newest copy “wins.”
  • The helper checks the clipboard content hash before clearing to avoid clobbering user changes.
• Runners
  • mnu-run lists executables on PATH (deduplicated) and launches selected entries in the background (detached session).
  • mnu-drun discovers .desktop files via XDG_DATA_HOME and XDG_DATA_DIRS and launches via their Exec lines (/bin/sh -c to support quoting).

Contributing

Issues and PRs are welcome.

Potential enhancements:

• Tests for clipboard logic and timers
• Additional CLI flags and UX polish
• OSC52 clipboard fallback for remote shells

License

MIT