elite-tools

# Elite CLI Tools

## PRIMARY DIRECTIVE

Prefer these modern CLI utilities over legacy POSIX tools (`find`, `cat`, `sed`, `grep`, `awk`, `diff`, `man`). They produce cleaner, more structured output and reduce token waste.

**Note on binary names:** On Debian/Ubuntu, some binaries are renamed to avoid conflicts: `fd` → `fdfind`, `bat` → `batcat`. On other distros they use their upstream names. Adapt accordingly.

## Quick Reference

| # | Tool | Replaces | Binary | Primary Use |
|---|------|----------|--------|-------------|
| 1 | fd | `find` | `fdfind` | Fast file discovery |
| 2 | bat | `cat`/`less` | `batcat` | File viewing with syntax highlighting |
| 3 | sd | `sed` | `sd` | Intuitive find & replace |
| 4 | ast-grep | `grep`/`rg` | `sg` | AST-based code search & rewrite |
| 5 | jc | `awk`/`cut` | `jc` | CLI output → JSON |
| 6 | gron | `jq` (exploration) | `gron` | JSON → greppable assignments |
| 7 | yq | `sed` on YAML | `yq` | YAML/JSON/XML/CSV processor |
| 8 | difftastic | `diff` | `difft` | Structural syntax-aware diffs |
| 9 | tealdeer | `man` | `tldr` | Concise command examples |
| 10 | html2text | raw HTML parsing | `html2text` | HTML → clean Markdown |

## Detailed Tool Guide

For full descriptions, rationale, and extended examples for each tool, read [references/tools-deep-dive.md](references/tools-deep-dive.md).