# cheat/cheat

**Attribution required: if you use, quote, or summarise this content, you must credit and link back to [awesome-repositories.com](https://awesome-repositories.com/repository/cheat-cheat).**

13,361 stars · 849 forks · Go · MIT

## Links

- GitHub: https://github.com/cheat/cheat
- awesome-repositories: https://awesome-repositories.com/repository/cheat-cheat.md

## Description

Cheat is a command-line cheatsheet manager and terminal reference tool used for creating and viewing searchable, interactive guides. It functions as a plain-text knowledge base that organizes technical notes and command snippets through a hierarchical directory structure and metadata tags.

The tool provides context-aware note management by discovering and displaying project-specific documentation based on the current working directory. It allows for the creation of a personalized collection of reference files that can be retrieved directly within a shell environment to assist with command options and system administration reminders.

The system covers content management and information retrieval, including the ability to filter reference files by tags and search content using plain-text phrases or regular expressions. It supports scoped content organization, allowing local user directories to override shared community content.

The application uses plain-text file storage for portability and includes utilities for generating shell-specific autocompletion scripts.

## Tags

### Content Management & Publishing

- [Command Line References](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/documentation-knowledge-management/technical-documentation/command-line-references.md) — Provides a system for creating and viewing reference guides and cheatsheets for command line utilities directly in the terminal.
- [Content Directories](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/content-formats-exporting/content-formats/content-directories.md) — Organizes reference notes across hierarchical directory structures to isolate personal and community content. ([source](https://github.com/cheat/cheat#readme))
- [Content Organization Systems](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/content-management-systems/content-architecture-modeling/content-organization-systems.md) — Structures content across personal, community, and directory-scoped paths to improve findability. ([source](https://github.com/cheat/cheat/blob/master/CLAUDE.md))
- [Content Tagging Systems](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/content-tagging-systems.md) — Uses metadata tags in file headers to group, filter, and discover reference guides. ([source](https://github.com/cheat/cheat/blob/master/HACKING.md))
- [Personal Knowledge Bases](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/documentation-knowledge-management/personal-knowledge-bases.md) — Implements a personal knowledge base for organizing and retrieving technical notes and documentation using plain-text files.
- [Contextual Loading](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/content-management-publishing/documentation-knowledge-management/project-documentation/contextual-loading.md) — Automatically discovers and loads project-specific technical notes based on the user's current working directory.

### Development Tools & Productivity

- [Command Reference Guides](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/command-reference-guides.md) — Provides a curated, searchable collection of shell commands and technical reference guides directly in the terminal. ([source](https://github.com/cheat/cheat/blob/master/.gitignore))
- [Configuration Search Paths](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/configuration-search-paths.md) — Enables the definition of multiple search paths to locate reference files and configurations. ([source](https://github.com/cheat/cheat/blob/master/README.md))
- [Configuration Discovery](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/working-directory-configuration/pane-directory-querying/configuration-discovery.md) — Scans directory hierarchies upwards from the current working directory to discover project-specific notes. ([source](https://github.com/cheat/cheat/blob/master/CLAUDE.md))
- [Command Line Documentation](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/command-line-documentation.md) — Creates plain-text documentation for CLI tool options and flags to assist with system administration.
- [Shell Workflow Optimizers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/shell-workflow-optimizers.md) — Streamlines terminal workflows by providing a searchable local database of shell shortcuts and command examples.
- [Content Source Prioritization](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/development-tools-productivity/task-prioritization/content-source-prioritization.md) — Resolves conflicts between community and personal guides by prioritizing local versions. ([source](https://github.com/cheat/cheat/blob/master/HACKING.md))

### Part of an Awesome List

- [Plain Text Markup](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/awesome-lists/productivity/document-and-text-tools/plain-text-markup.md) — Stores all reference guides and metadata as portable human-readable plain text files.
- [Digital Note Organization](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/awesome-lists/productivity/notes-and-knowledge/digital-note-organization.md) — Provides a structured way to create and organize technical notes with metadata and tags. ([source](https://github.com/cheat/cheat/blob/master/CLAUDE.md))
- [Developer Productivity and Utilities](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/awesome-lists/devtools/developer-productivity-and-utilities.md) — View interactive cheatsheets on the command line.
- [Documentation and Version Control](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/awesome-lists/devtools/documentation-and-version-control.md) — Create and view interactive command-line cheatsheets.

### Data & Databases

- [Technical Knowledge Bases](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/technical-knowledge-bases.md) — Provides a searchable technical knowledge base stored as a collection of portable plain-text files.
- [Content Pattern Matching](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/search-indexing-technologies/search-indexing/search-and-indexing/regex-based-file-search/content-pattern-matching.md) — Allows searching for specific technical information across reference files using plain-text phrases and regular expressions. ([source](https://github.com/cheat/cheat#readme))

### Education & Learning Resources

- [Cheatsheet Management](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/education-learning-resources/educational-resources/reference-and-media/technical-media-literature/cheatsheets/cheatsheet-management.md) — Ships a manager for organizing, searching, and updating collections of interactive command-line reference guides.

### Operating Systems & Systems Programming

- [Metadata-Driven Organizers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/system-administration-maintenance/file-system-management/file-organization-tools/metadata-driven-organizers.md) — Uses metadata tags and headers within text files to categorize and organize reference content.

### Software Engineering & Architecture

- [Directory-Based Retrieval](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/software-engineering-architecture/context-aware-tooling/context-aware-knowledge-managers/directory-based-retrieval.md) — Discovers and displays the most relevant technical documentation by traversing up the current directory tree.
- [Configuration Path Resolution](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/software-engineering-architecture/directory-based-version-resolution/configuration-path-resolution.md) — Implements recursive directory traversal to locate project-specific configuration and notes.
- [Content Overrides](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/software-engineering-architecture/configuration-variables/theme-configuration-overrides/directory-based-overrides/content-overrides.md) — Allows local user-defined cheatsheets to take precedence over shared community versions.

### User Interface & Experience

- [Terminal Content Rendering](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/user-interface-experience/terminal-content-rendering.md) — Displays plain-text reference files in the terminal with support for syntax highlighting. ([source](https://github.com/cheat/cheat#readme))

### System Administration & Monitoring

- [Terminal-Based Administration Tools](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/system-administration-monitoring/terminal-based-administration-tools.md) — Functions as a terminal-native utility for quick retrieval of system administration reminders and command options.