Show HN: LNB – One command to make any binary globally accessible

3 months ago 2

Have you ever spent too much time tweaking your PATH, creating symlinks, or writing wrapper scripts just so your custom CLI or downloaded binary works from anywhere? Yeah, it sucks. You shouldn't have to jump through hoops every time you build or grab a new tool.

Why this matters: Pointless setup steps slow you down. You want to focus on coding or using the tool, not messing with config files.

LNB fixes that by giving you a one-liner to make any binary globally accessible. On Linux/macOS, it creates symlinks in /usr/local/bin. On Windows, it creates wrapper scripts in %USERPROFILE%\bin. Plus, it can create command aliases for complex commands. No extra config, no guessing which folder to use—LNB handles it all and tracks what you've installed.

Why I like it: It's dead simple. You don't need to learn some complex packaging system or remember different commands per OS.

Smart command detection: Just pass a file path - LNB automatically installs it
Cross-platform: Same command on Linux, macOS, and Windows
Binary installation: Install any executable to your PATH with one command
Command aliases: Create shortcuts for complex commands (e.g., java -jar myapp.jar)
Installation tracking: Keep track of what you've installed with lnb list
Path conversion: Automatically converts relative paths to absolute paths
Zero config: LNB auto-detects your OS and does the right thing
Fast: No dependencies beyond the Go binary itself

I recommend using a package manager if you can—setup is instant.

NPM (Cross-platform)

# Install globally via NPM npm install -g lnb

Why NPM? Available everywhere Node.js is installed, excellent global reach, and automatic platform detection.
Homebrew (macOS/Linux)

# Add the tap (separate repository) brew tap muthuishere/lnb https://github.com/muthuishere/homebrew-lnb # Install LNB brew install --cask lnb

Why Homebrew? Everyone on macOS/Linux already has it, and updates are a breeze.
Scoop (Windows)

# Add the bucket (separate repository) scoop bucket add lnb https://github.com/muthuishere/scoop-lnb # Install LNB scoop install lnb

Why Scoop? If you're already using Scoop, it feels right to keep things consistent.

If you prefer to download directly:

Grab the latest binary from the releases page.
Run LNB to install itself globally:

./lnb-[platform] ./lnb-[platform]

This makes lnb available system-wide so you can use LNB to manage other tools.

Smart Installation (Recommended)

LNB automatically detects when you pass a file path and installs it:

# All of these work the same way - LNB detects the file path lnb ./my-binary # Relative path lnb /path/to/my-binary # Absolute path lnb ~/Downloads/some-tool # Home directory path

Why it's neat: No need to remember the install command - just point LNB at your binary and it works.

Explicit Installation (Also Works)

# Traditional explicit syntax still works lnb install ./my-binary lnb install /path/to/my-binary

What Happens During Installation

On Linux/macOS, this creates:
/usr/local/bin/<binary-name> -> /absolute/path/to/binary
On Windows, this creates:
%USERPROFILE%\bin\<binary-name>.cmd
which wraps your .exe or any executable. (Make sure %USERPROFILE%\bin is in your PATH.)

Path Intelligence: LNB automatically converts relative paths (like ./mybinary) to absolute paths so your installations work from anywhere.

Deletes the symlink (or .cmd wrapper on Windows), but leaves your original file untouched.

# Create an alias for a complex command lnb alias myapp "java -jar ./myapp.jar" lnb alias serve "python -m http.server 8080" lnb alias deploy "docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/workspace deploy-tool" lnb alias build "npm run build && npm run test"

Linux/macOS: Creates a shell script at /usr/local/bin/<alias-name>
Windows: Creates a batch file at %USERPROFILE%\bin\<alias-name>.bat

Smart path handling: When creating aliases, LNB converts relative paths in your commands to absolute paths so they work from anywhere.

Shows all binaries and aliases installed by LNB, including:

Installation date
Type (binary or alias)
Source path (for binaries) or command (for aliases)
Target location

lnb help # Show detailed help lnb version # Show version information lnb # Show help (when no arguments provided)

Quick Binary Installation

# Build your Go project go build -o mytool ./cmd/mytool # Install it instantly - LNB detects it's a file path lnb ./mytool # Now "mytool" runs from anywhere mytool --help

# Instead of remembering the full command java -jar /long/path/to/myapp.jar --config production # Create a simple alias lnb alias myapp "java -jar /long/path/to/myapp.jar --config production" # Now just run myapp

# Install your dev tool lnb ./bin/dev-server # Create shortcuts for common tasks lnb alias dev "npm run dev" lnb alias test "npm test -- --watch" lnb alias deploy "rsync -av dist/ server:/var/www/" # Later, clean up lnb remove dev-server lnb unalias dev test deploy

Working with Downloaded Tools

# Download a binary curl -L https://github.com/user/tool/releases/download/v1.0/tool-linux > ~/Downloads/tool chmod +x ~/Downloads/tool # Install it (LNB detects the path automatically) lnb ~/Downloads/tool # Use it anywhere tool --version

LNB uses intelligent parsing to determine what you want to do:

File path detection: If the argument looks like a file path (absolute, relative, or contains / or \), LNB treats it as an install command
Known command detection: If the first argument is a known command (install, remove, alias, unalias, list, help, version), LNB executes that command
Fallback: If uncertain, LNB shows help

lnb ./mybinary # Detected as file path → install lnb /usr/bin/tool # Detected as file path → install lnb list # Detected as known command → list lnb remove mytool # Detected as known command → remove lnb help # Detected as known command → help

Linux/macOS
Uses os.Symlink() to create /usr/local/bin/<name> pointing to your binary.
Why it's simple: Symlinks are built-in, reliable, and everyone's used to binaries living in /usr/local/bin.
Windows
1. Ensures %USERPROFILE%\bin\ exists
2. Creates a .cmd wrapper:
  @echo off "C:\full\path\to\binary.exe" %*
3. Reminds you to add %USERPROFILE%\bin to your PATH if needed
Why a wrapper? Windows doesn't handle symlinks to arbitrary files as gracefully—this is more consistent.

Linux/macOS
Creates executable shell scripts that run your command with arguments passed through.
Windows
Creates .bat files that execute your command with arguments.

LNB maintains a configuration file at ~/.lnb/config.json that tracks:

What you've installed (binaries and aliases)
Source paths and target locations
Installation timestamps
Entry types (binary or alias)

This enables the lnb list command and helps prevent conflicts.

LNB provides clear error messages for common issues:

File doesn't exist: "File /path/to/file does not exist"
Not executable: "File is not executable"
Already installed: "Binary 'name' is already installed"
Not found for removal: "Binary 'name' not found"
Invalid alias: Validates that alias commands are executable

Requirements:

Go 1.23+
Task (optional, for automation)

task build # Build for current platform task build:all # Build for all platforms using GoReleaser task test:unit # Run unit tests task test:integration # Run integration tests task test:all # Run all tests task install # Install LNB locally task remove # Remove LNB from local system task clean # Clean build artifacts task version # Show current version

Clone the repo:

git clone https://github.com/muthuishere/lnb.git cd lnb
Build and install:
Test it works:

Separate Installer Repositories

Package manager configurations are maintained in separate repositories to avoid merge conflicts during releases:

Homebrew Cask: https://github.com/muthuishere/homebrew-lnb
Scoop Bucket: https://github.com/muthuishere/scoop-lnb
NPM Package: Published directly to npmjs.org as lnb

These are automatically updated by GoReleaser when new versions are released.

# Smart installation (recommended) lnb <file-path> # Auto-detect and install binary # Explicit commands lnb install <file-path> # Install binary explicitly lnb remove <binary-name> # Remove installed binary lnb alias <name> "<command>" # Create command alias lnb unalias <name> # Remove alias lnb list # List all installed items lnb help # Show help lnb version # Show version information lnb # Show help (no arguments)

LNB automatically detects file paths and treats them as install commands when: