cmdbook 📖

Commands I keep forgetting, turned into short aliases — each with a comment on every line — plus a few diagnostic functions for my Raspberry Pi router. Type the short name, get the real command. Stop re-googling.

Structure

• common/ — works on every platform (aliases.sh, ssh-config.example)
• ubuntu/ — Ubuntu/Debian/Raspberry Pi (aliases.sh)
• macos/ — macOS
• windows/ — Windows 11 PowerShell

common/aliases.sh + the file matching the current platform are both sourced. Open any aliases.sh to read what each alias does — every line is commented.

Install

source install.sh      # installs AND activates aliases in this shell now
# or:  ./install.sh    # installs, then tells you to reload

It adds one loader line to your shell rc, so common/ + your platform load on every new shell. Re-run anytime — it won't duplicate itself.

What's inside

common/ — git (status, branches, stash, undo, rebase, sync, tags), ssh + ssh-agent (unlock a key once per boot, reused across shells), and cmd-update to pull the latest cmdbook and reload it into the current shell.

ubuntu/ (the Pi router) — hostapd/AP control, WireGuard, DNS, DHCP (dnsmasq), NetworkManager, ip route/ip link, nftables firewall (fw*), Caddy web server, plus diagnostics:

• wifi-doctor [iface] — one-shot AP health check (adapters, link/carrier, rfkill, reg domain, hostapd, dnsmasq, IP, NetworkManager conflict, clients, recent warnings) with ✓/⚠/✗ and a hint per problem.
• wifi-bands — which interface is 2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz, with channel + SSID.
• net-doctor — end-to-end router path: ip_forward, every interface IP, default route, gateway, internet, DNS, and whether nftables actually has masquerade + forward rules.

Examples

gs               # git status -sb
gstu             # git stash -u  (stash incl. untracked)
gundo            # undo last commit, keep changes staged
cmd-update       # git pull + reload aliases into this shell
ap-status        # systemctl status hostapd-wlan0
wifi-doctor      # run the AP health check
net-doctor       # test the whole routing path
fw               # show the nftables ruleset
sshkey           # print my SSH public key

Browse by category

The # ── … ── section headers are the categories. Browse them without leaving the shell:

cmdbook                  # every platform and its categories
cmdbook ubuntu           # categories on the Pi (wifi, dns, dhcp, nftables…)
cmdbook ubuntu network   # commands in matching categories (this platform)
cmdbook search vpn       # search ALL platforms by keyword

The filter is case-insensitive and matches the category name or any command, comment, or # tags: line inside it, printing every category that matches — try git, ssh, wifi, route, masquerade, firewall, vpn, …

Tags for synonyms: a section can carry a # tags: vpn tunnel peer line so a search finds it by words that aren't in the commands themselves (e.g. vpn → the WireGuard section). Add tags to any section — they're just comments.

Add what you forget

Drop a new alias name='command' # what it does line in the right aliases.sh (common/ if it works everywhere), reload, and it's there. That's the whole point.

Check for clashes

common/ and the platform file are both sourced, so two aliases with the same name would silently shadow each other. Catch that:

./check.sh        # lists any duplicate alias/function names (with file:line)