rmxt

A safer, recoverable alternative to the traditional rm command that moves files to the system trash instead of permanently deleting them.

Features

• File recovery - Restore individual files, files from specific day to now or all files from trash
• Trash management - List, purge, and automatically clean old files
• Shell integration - Drop-in replacement for rm command
• Safety first - Prevents accidental permanent deletion
• Flexible options - Force, recursive, and bypass modes available
• Enhanced output - Colored error messages and formatted table display for trash listings
• Time-based operations - Filter and manage files based on deletion timestamps
• Name conflict resolution - Automatically appends the current date and time as a suffix if a file with the same name already exists in the trash

Documentation

For comprehensive guides and detailed examples, see our modular documentation:

• Installation Guide - Detailed installation instructions for all platforms
• Usage Guide - Comprehensive usage examples and workflows
• Advanced Features - Shell integration, automation, and troubleshooting

Quick Start

Installation Script (Recommended)

The fastest way to install rmxt:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/santoshxshrestha/rmxt/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Basic Installation

cargo install rmxt

Nix Flake (for Nix users)

If you use Nix, you can run or build rmxt without installing Rust:

nix run github:santoshxshrestha/rmxt

Or build the binary:

nix build github:santoshxshrestha/rmxt

See the Installation Guide for full details and prerequisites.

For detailed installation instructions including platform-specific setup, see the Installation Guide.

Basic Usage

# Remove files safely (move to trash)
rmxt file.txt directory/

# List files in trash
rmxt list

# Recover files from trash
rmxt recover file.txt
rmxt recover-all

# Clean old files from trash
rmxt tidy

For comprehensive usage examples, workflows, and advanced operations, see the Usage Guide.

Shell Integration

Replace rm with rmxt for safer file operations:

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
alias rm='rmxt'

For complete shell integration including advanced configurations, tab completion, and cross-shell compatibility, see the Advanced Features Guide.

Command Reference (Quick Reference)

Flags

Commands

⚠️ Warning: The -p, --permanent flag permanently deletes files without moving them to trash. Use with caution!

Advanced Features

For power users and complex workflows:

• Shell Integration and Automation - Complete shell setup and automation
• Troubleshooting - Solutions for common problems

Troubleshooting

Having issues? Check the Advanced Features Guide for solutions to common problems:

• Installation and compilation issues
• Permission and access problems
• Recovery and trash system issues

Cross-Platform Support

rmxt integrates with native system trash implementations across platforms:

• Linux: ~/.local/share/Trash/files/ (XDG specification)
• macOS: ~/.Trash/ (Finder integration)
• Windows: Recycle Bin (native integration)

The exact location is managed by the system's trash implementation, ensuring compatibility with your desktop environment.

Development & Contributing

How to Contribute

We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:

1. Report Issues: Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue
2. Submit Pull Requests: Fix bugs or add features with a pull request
3. Improve Documentation: Help expand or clarify the documentation
4. Share Feedback: Let us know how you use rmxt and what could be better

Development Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/santoshxshrestha/rmxt
cd rmxt

# Build and test
cargo build
cargo test

# Install locally for testing
cargo install --path .

Planned Improvements

• Enhanced configuration options for trash behavior
• Performance optimizations for large directories

For technical details and advanced development topics, see the documentation guides.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Repository

• Homepage: https://github.com/santoshxshrestha/rmxt
• Documentation: https://github.com/santoshxshrestha/rmxt#readme
• Issues: https://github.com/santoshxshrestha/rmxt/issues