Installation

Raffi can be installed through multiple package managers or built from source. Choose the method that works best for your system.

Prerequisites

Note

If you plan to use the default Fuzzel interface, you’ll need to install Fuzzel separately. For the native interface, no additional dependencies are required.

Installation Methods

Cargo

Install directly from crates.io using Rust’s package manager:

cargo install raffi

This will download, compile, and install the latest version of Raffi with all features enabled.

What you need

• Rust toolchain (install via rustup)
• Cargo (comes with Rust)

AUR (Arch Linux)

On Arch Linux and derivatives, install from the AUR using your preferred helper:

yay -S raffi-bin

Or with paru:

paru -S raffi-bin

Note

The raffi-bin package installs a prebuilt binary. For building from source on Arch, use the raffi package instead.

NixOS/Nix

On NixOS or systems with Nix installed (unstable channel):

nix-shell -p raffi

Or add to your NixOS configuration:

environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
  raffi
];

Homebrew

Install using LinuxBrew or Homebrew:

brew tap chmouel/raffi https://github.com/chmouel/raffi
brew install raffi

Prebuilt Binaries

Prebuilt binaries for various platforms are available from the GitHub releases page.

1. Download the archive

   Visit the releases page and download the archive or package for your platform.

2. Extract the binary

   Extract the archive and move the raffi binary to a directory in your PATH:

   tar xzf raffi-*.tar.gz
   sudo mv raffi /usr/local/bin/

3. Make it executable

   Ensure the binary has execute permissions:

   chmod +x /usr/local/bin/raffi

Building from Source

Full Build (with Native UI)

Clone the repository and build with all features:

git clone https://github.com/chmouel/raffi.git
cd raffi
cargo build --release

The binary will be available at target/release/raffi (approximately 15 MB).

Minimal Build (Fuzzel Only)

Caution

The minimal build disables the native UI and all addons (calculator, currency converter, file browser, etc.). You’ll only be able to use Raffi with Fuzzel.

For a significantly smaller binary with only Fuzzel support:

git clone https://github.com/chmouel/raffi.git
cd raffi
cargo build --release --no-default-features

This removes the iced GUI dependency, reducing the binary size from ~15 MB to ~1.1 MB.

Full build (with native UI)

# ~15 MB binary with all features
cargo build --release

Minimal build (Fuzzel only)

# ~1.1 MB binary, Fuzzel integration only
cargo build --release --no-default-features

Install Locally

After building, install to your local bin directory:

cargo install --path .

Or manually copy the binary:

sudo cp target/release/raffi /usr/local/bin/

Verify Installation

Check that Raffi is installed correctly:

raffi --help

You should see the help output with available options:

Usage: raffi [OPTIONS]

Options:
  -p, --print-only              Print command instead of executing
  -c, --configfile <FILE>       Use custom configuration file
  -r, --refresh-cache           Refresh icon cache
  -I, --no-icons                Disable icons
  -u, --ui-type <TYPE>          Select UI: fuzzel or native
  -i, --initial-query <QUERY>   Pre-fill search (native mode)
  -t, --theme <THEME>           Theme: dark or light (native mode)
  --default-script-shell <SHELL> Default interpreter for scripts

Development Setup

For contributors who want to set up the development environment:

1. Clone the repository

       git clone https://github.com/chmouel/raffi.git
       cd raffi

2. Install pre-commit hooks

   Set up pre-commit hooks that run cargo clippy before commits:

   pip install pre-commit
   pre-commit install

3. Build and test

       cargo build
       cargo test
       cargo clippy

Next Steps

Quick Start Guide

Learn how to configure and use Raffi for the first time