>> mac terminal guide
The terminal documentation problem is not a lack of documentation. It is that the documentation is everywhere and searchable only when you already know what you are looking for. Man pages assume command knowledge. Stack Overflow assumes a specific error. Neither helps when you know the category of thing you need but not its name.
Mac Terminal Guide is a single HTML file. 220 commands across 27 categories — files, processes, networking, git, homebrew, security, disk, permissions, and more. Every command has a short description, a tag marking its risk level, and expandable examples with copy buttons. The whole thing runs offline. No server. No account. No internet required.
The search is real-time and matches against command name, description, and examples simultaneously. You type what you remember — part of a word, a concept, a flag — and the grid collapses to what fits. The sidebar stays fixed. The categories remain navigable. Nothing moves unexpectedly.
The tag system
Each command carries at least one tag: Safe, Dangerous, Network, Root. The tags are not decorative. A Dangerous tag means the command can delete data, modify system state, or cause irreversible change. A Root tag means elevated privileges. Knowing the risk before running is the point. The guide does not assume you already know which commands to be careful with.
Two languages
A toggle in the header switches the entire interface between English and Swedish. The state persists in localStorage — reopen the tab, the language is where you left it. This was not an afterthought. Swedish descriptions were written for all 220 commands. The toggle changes every short description, every category label, every panel header. The command names stay the same. They are not translatable.
Three panels
The default view shows the command grid. A second panel covers getting started — Homebrew installation, the package manager path, and the first ten commands anyone needs to make a Mac useful from the terminal. A third panel lists keyboard shortcuts for the guide itself. Three modes. Same file.
The aesthetic is deliberate: dark background, JetBrains Mono, CRT scanline overlay. The terminal is not being simulated for effect — it is the right frame for content about the terminal. The form matches what it describes.
A reference tool should be faster than the thing you are referencing. If looking something up takes longer than guessing, the tool has failed its purpose. Mac Terminal Guide is designed to be faster than guessing. Open it, type the fragment you remember, copy the command. Done in under ten seconds, offline, without a browser history entry that embarrasses you later.