phub-cli

A terminal-based video browser inspired by ani-cli.
Browse, search, and stream directly from pornhub.com — no browser required.

Made with lust.

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Showcase

phub-cli

Features

• Browse categories using fzf
• Search videos by keyword
• Paginated results for large categories and searches
• Instant streaming via mpv
• Direct stream extraction using yt-dlp
• Download videos in multiple qualities (1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p)
• Open videos directly in your default browser
• ani-cli–style navigation flow
• Graceful handling of broken or unavailable videos
• Built-in auto-updater to silently check for and install new releases
• Clean terminal UI with interactive menus
• No browser required for playback
• No accounts, no tracking, no clutter

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Table of Contents

• Installation
• Dependencies
• Usage
• Tips
• Fixing errors
• Technical Notes
• Disclaimer

Installation

From source (recommended)

git clone https://github.com/curtosis-org/phub-cli.git
cd phub-cli
chmod +x install.sh
sudo ./install.sh

After installation, run from anywhere:

phub-cli

Dependencies

phub-cli relies on external tools and system Python packages. You must install these before running the installer.

Required

• bash
• mpv
• fzf
• yt-dlp
• jq : required for JSON parsing in stream and metadata handling
• curl
• python3
• python3-bs4 (BeautifulSoup)
• python3-requests (requests)
• python3-curl-cffi : required for yt-dlp browser impersonation (fixes 403 errors)

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -S mpv fzf yt-dlp python python-beautifulsoup4
pip install curl_cffi --break-system-packages

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt install mpv fzf yt-dlp python3 python3-bs4
pip install curl_cffi --break-system-packages

Fedora

sudo dnf install mpv fzf yt-dlp python3 python3-beautifulsoup4
pip install curl_cffi --break-system-packages

macOS (Homebrew)

brew install mpv fzf yt-dlp python
pip3 install beautifulsoup4 curl_cffi

Usage

phub-cli

You will be presented with:

• Browse categories

• Search videos

• Quit

Navigation is entirely keyboard-driven using fzf.

Tips

Optional toggles:

# Enable blinking title on the home screen
PHUBCLI_BLINK=1 phub-cli

# Disable the custom fzf theme
PHUBCLI_FZF_THEME=0 phub-cli

Fixing errors

If a video fails to play:

• It may be geo-blocked
• It may be removed
• It may require cookies/login

phub-cli will:

• detect fast failures
• return you to the selection menu

allow retry or navigation without crashing

Ensure your dependencies are up to date:

yt-dlp -U
pip install -U curl_cffi --break-system-packages

Technical Notes

• Uses yt-dlp to resolve stream URLs before playback
• mpv is used only as a player, not as a scraper
• Input is explicitly read from /dev/tty to avoid fzf / mpv stdin conflicts
• No PhantomJS dependency
• No virtualenv required
• No downloads unless you modify the scripts yourself

Supported Platforms

Tier 1 (tested)

• Linux (Arch, Debian, Fedora)
• macOS

Tier 2 (may work)

• WSL
• Termux (manual setup)

Windows, iOS, and consoles are not officially supported.

Disclaimer

This project does not host, store, or distribute any media. It only provides a terminal interface to publicly accessible content.

Use responsibly and in accordance with your local laws.

Inspired by ani-cli. Built for terminals. Powered by curiosity and lust.

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