Preview

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/298e6135-b01e-454f-bbed-0f363dce52fa

Features

• Neovim Highlighting: Uses Neovim's syntax engine and your active MEOW_THEME or system colorscheme.
• Parallel Processing: Multithreaded rendering for high performance.
• Built-in Pager: Interactive TUI pager for files that exceed terminal height.
• Raw Streaming: cat-equivalent speed for binary files and devices (e.g., /dev/input/mice).
• Fast Mode: Automatically skips highlighting for large files to eliminate latency.

Installation

NixOS / Home Manager (Flake)

Add meow to your flake.nix inputs:

inputs.meow.url = "github:datsfilipe/meow";

Then add it to your system packages:

environment.systemPackages = [
  inputs.meow.packages.${pkgs.system}.default
];

Cargo

cargo install rmeow

Usage

# standard highlight (uses Neovim)
meow src/main.rs

# multiple files (parallel processing)
meow src/*.rs

# force highlighting on large files (bypass fast path)
meow -f assets/huge_file.lua

# raw device streaming (zero overhead)
meow /dev/input/mice

Benchmarks

1. Syntax Highlighting (Large File)

Command	Time	Result
meow --force-color	~199.2 ms	1.0x (Winner)
bat --color=always	~1.476 s	7.41x slower

2. Standard Printing (Fast Path)

Command	Time	Result
bat	~12.7 ms	1.0x (Winner)
meow	~52.9 ms	4.16x slower

3. Raw Throughput (Streaming /dev/input/mice for 5 seconds)

Command	Data Moved	Efficiency
cat	101,232 bytes	100%
meow	103,323 bytes	~100%

Acknowledgements

• nvim-cat - inspiration for the initial idea of this project.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.