xleak

Expose Excel files in your terminal - no Microsoft Excel required!

Inspired by doxx, xleak brings Excel spreadsheets to your command line with beautiful rendering, powerful export capabilities, and a feature-rich interactive TUI.

Features

Core Functionality

• Beautiful terminal rendering with formatted tables
• Interactive TUI mode - full keyboard navigation with ratatui
• Smart data type handling - numbers right-aligned, text left-aligned, booleans centered
• Multi-sheet support - seamlessly navigate between sheets (Tab/Shift+Tab)
• Excel Table support - list and extract named tables (.xlsx only)
• Multiple export formats - CSV, JSON, plain text with customizable delimiters
• Color control - --color/--no-color flags for piped or forced output
• No-header mode - --no-header to treat first row as data
• Row/column IDs - sticky column-letter row and row-number column in interactive mode (--no-column-id/--no-row-id to hide)
• Blazing fast - powered by calamine, the fastest Excel parser in Rust
• Multiple file formats - supports .xlsx, .xls, .xlsm, .xlsb, .ods, .csv, .tsv
• CSV/TSV support - read and interactively view .csv/.tsv files (enabled by default; auto-detects delimiter, override with --csv-delimiter)

Interactive TUI Features

• Full-text search - search across all cells with /, navigate with n/N
• Clipboard support - copy cells (c) or entire rows (C) to clipboard (OSC 52 + system clipboard, works over SSH)
• Formula display - view Excel formulas in cell detail view (Enter key)
• Jump to row/column - press Ctrl+G to jump to any cell (e.g., A100, 500, 10,5)
• Large file optimization - lazy loading for files with 1000+ rows
• Vertical scrollbar - shows the current position when table rows exceed the viewport
• Progress indicators - real-time feedback for long operations
• Visual cell highlighting - current row, column, and cell clearly marked

Installation

Package Managers

macOS / Linux (Homebrew):

brew install bgreenwell/tap/xleak

Windows (Scoop):

scoop bucket add bgreenwell https://github.com/bgreenwell/scoop-bucket
scoop install xleak

Windows (WinGet): (Coming soon - pending initial PR merge)

winget install bgreenwell.xleak

Debian/Ubuntu

xleak is officially packaged for Debian as rust-xleak and is available in Forky or later:

sudo apt install xleak

Arch Linux (AUR):

# Using yay
yay -S xleak-bin

# Or using paru
paru -S xleak-bin

NetBSD:

pkgin install xleak

Cargo (all platforms):

cargo install xleak

Nix:

# Run directly
nix run github:bgreenwell/xleak -- file.xlsx

# Install with flakes
nix profile install github:bgreenwell/xleak

Quick Install Scripts

macOS / Linux:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/bgreenwell/xleak/releases/latest/download/xleak-installer.sh | sh

Windows (PowerShell):

irm https://github.com/bgreenwell/xleak/releases/latest/download/xleak-installer.ps1 | iex

Pre-built Binaries

Download platform-specific binaries from the latest release:

• macOS: Universal binary (Apple Silicon + Intel)
• Linux: x86_64 (glibc and musl)
• Windows: x86_64 MSI installer or standalone .exe

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/bgreenwell/xleak.git
cd xleak
cargo install --path .

Requirements: Rust 1.88 or later

Usage

Interactive TUI Mode (Recommended)

# Launch interactive viewer
xleak quarterly-report.xlsx -i

# Start on a specific sheet
xleak report.xlsx --sheet "Q3 Results" -i

# View formulas by default
xleak data.xlsx -i --formulas

# Enable horizontal scrolling for wide files (auto-size columns)
xleak wide-data.xlsx -i -H

TUI Keyboard Shortcuts:

• ↑ ↓ ← → - Navigate cells
• Enter - View cell details (including formulas)
• / - Search across all cells
• n / N - Jump to next/previous search result
• Ctrl+G - Jump to specific row/cell (e.g., 100, A50, 10,5)
• c - Copy current cell to clipboard (OSC 52 + system clipboard, works over SSH)
• C - Copy entire row to clipboard (tab-separated)
• Tab / Shift+Tab - Switch between sheets
• ? - Show help
• q - Quit

Non-Interactive Mode

View a spreadsheet

xleak quarterly-report.xlsx

View CSV/TSV files

# CSV and TSV files work just like spreadsheets
xleak data.csv
xleak data.tsv -i

# Override the field delimiter (e.g. semicolon-separated)
xleak data.csv --csv-delimiter ";"

View a specific sheet

# By name
xleak report.xlsx --sheet "Q3 Results"

# By index (1-based)
xleak report.xlsx --sheet 2

Limit displayed rows

# Show only first 20 rows
xleak large-file.xlsx -n 20

# Show all rows
xleak file.xlsx -n 0

Export data

# Export to CSV
xleak data.xlsx --export csv > output.csv

# Export to JSON
xleak data.xlsx --export json > output.json

# Export as plain text (tab-separated)
xleak data.xlsx --export text > output.txt

# Custom delimiter for CSV/text export
xleak data.xlsx --export csv --delimiter ";" > output.csv
xleak data.xlsx --export text --delimiter "|" > output.txt

Control output formatting

# Disable colored output (useful for piping)
xleak data.xlsx --no-color

# Force colored output even when piped
xleak data.xlsx --color | less -R

# Treat first row as data (no headers)
xleak data.xlsx --no-header

# Generate column headers (A, B, C...) instead of using first row
xleak data.xlsx --no-header -n 5

# Hide the column-letter row or row-number column in interactive mode
xleak data.xlsx -i --no-column-id
xleak data.xlsx -i --no-row-id

Work with Excel Tables (.xlsx only)

# List all tables in a workbook
xleak workbook.xlsx --list-tables

# Extract a specific table as JSON (default)
xleak workbook.xlsx --table "Sales"

# Extract table as CSV
xleak workbook.xlsx --table "Sales" --export csv > sales.csv

# Extract table as plain text
xleak workbook.xlsx --table "Employees" --export text

Combine options

# Export specific sheet as CSV
xleak workbook.xlsx --sheet "Sales" --export csv > sales.csv

Examples

# Launch interactive viewer
xleak quarterly-report.xlsx -i

# Quick preview in non-interactive mode
xleak quarterly-report.xlsx

# See specific sheet with limited rows
xleak financial-data.xlsx --sheet "Summary" -n 10

# Interactive mode with formulas visible
xleak data.xlsx -i --formulas

# Export all data from a sheet
xleak survey-results.xlsx --sheet "Responses" --export csv -n 0

Configuration

xleak supports configuration via a TOML file for persistent settings like default theme and keybindings.

Config File Location

Default: ~/.config/xleak/config.toml (or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/xleak/config.toml)

Platform-specific fallback locations:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/xleak/config.toml
• Linux: ~/.config/xleak/config.toml (same as XDG)
• Windows: %APPDATA%\xleak\config.toml

Custom: Use --config flag to specify a different location:

xleak --config /path/to/config.toml file.xlsx -i

Quick Start

1. Copy the example:

   mkdir -p ~/.config/xleak
   cp config.toml.example ~/.config/xleak/config.toml
   

2. Or create a minimal config:

   mkdir -p ~/.config/xleak
   cat > ~/.config/xleak/config.toml << 'EOF'
   [theme]
   default = "Dracula"
   
   [ui]
   max_rows = 50
   column_width = 30
   
   [keybindings]
   profile = "vim"
   EOF
   

3. Test your config:

   xleak file.xlsx -i
   

Configuration Options

Theme Settings

[theme]
# Default theme to use on startup
default = "Dracula"

Built-in themes:

• "Default" - Clean light theme with subtle colors
• "Dracula" - Popular dark theme with purple accents
• "Solarized Dark" - Precision colors for machines and people
• "Solarized Light" - Light variant of Solarized
• "GitHub Dark" - GitHub's dark color scheme
• "Nord" - Arctic, north-bluish color palette

Press t in interactive mode to cycle through themes at runtime. Use --theme <NAME> to select a theme from the command line.

Custom Themes

Define custom themes in [[theme.custom]] blocks. Colors can be #RRGGBB hex or named colors (red, cyan, light-yellow, etc.).

[[theme.custom]]
name = "tokyonight"
inherits = "Dracula"
foreground = "#c0caf5"
background = "#1a1b26"
header_fg = "#7aa2f7"
border_fg = "#565f89"

• inherits copies another theme's palette before applying your overrides. Without it, a custom theme sharing a built-in's name inherits that built-in; a new name inherits Default.
• foreground / background are broad-brush aliases — specific fields like string_fg override them.
• Aliases exclude cursor, search, and row-highlight colors so they keep contrast from the parent theme.
• Custom themes appear after built-ins in the t cycle.
• deny_unknown_fields is on: a typo like forground will error rather than be silently ignored.

UI Settings

[ui]
# Default maximum rows to display in non-interactive mode (0 = all)
max_rows = 50

# Default maximum column width in characters
column_width = 30

Notes:

• max_rows only affects non-interactive display mode (xleak file.xlsx)
• Interactive TUI mode (-i) always shows all rows with lazy loading for large files
• column_width applies to both modes and can be overridden with -w flag

Keybindings

xleak supports two built-in profiles plus custom keybindings:

[keybindings]
# Profile: "default" or "vim"
profile = "default"

# Optional: override individual keys
[keybindings.custom]
quit = "x"
search = "?"
copy_cell = "y"

Keybinding Profiles

Default Profile

Standard keybindings for terminal applications:

Action	Key	Description
Navigation
Move up/down/left/right	↑ ↓ ← →	Navigate cells
Page up/down	PgUp PgDn	Scroll by page
Jump to top/bottom	Ctrl+Home Ctrl+End	Jump to first/last row
Jump to row start/end	Home End	Jump to first/last column
Actions
View cell details	Enter	Show formula and full value
Jump to cell	Ctrl+G	Jump to specific row/cell
Search	/	Full-text search
Next/prev match	n N	Navigate search results
Copy cell	c	Copy cell to clipboard
Copy row	C (Shift+c)	Copy entire row
Sheets
Next/prev sheet	Tab Shift+Tab	Switch between sheets
General
Toggle theme	t	Cycle through themes
Show help	?	Display help screen
Quit	q	Exit application

VIM Profile

VIM-style keybindings for efficient keyboard navigation:

Action	Key	Default Key	Description
VIM Navigation
Move left/down/up/right	h j k l	← ↓ ↑ →	VIM-style movement
Page up/down	Ctrl+u Ctrl+d	PgUp PgDn	Half-page scrolling
Jump to top	gg	Ctrl+Home	Jump to first row
Jump to bottom	G (Shift+g)	Ctrl+End	Jump to last row
Jump to row start/end	0 $	Home End	First/last column
VIM Actions
Yank cell	y	c	Copy cell (yank)
Yank row	Y (Shift+y)	C	Copy row (yank)
Standard
Quit	q	q	Same as default
Search	/	/	Same as default
Next/prev match	n N	n N	Same as default
All other keys			Same as default profile

Enable VIM mode:

[keybindings]
profile = "vim"

Custom Keybindings

Override individual keys while keeping the profile defaults:

[keybindings]
profile = "default"

[keybindings.custom]
# Use 'x' to quit instead of 'q'
quit = "x"

# Use '?' for search instead of '/'
search = "?"

# Use 'T' (Shift+t) to toggle theme
theme_toggle = "T"

# Use Ctrl+J to jump to cell
jump = "Ctrl+j"

All customizable actions:

Action	Default	VIM	Description
quit	q	q	Exit application
help	?	?	Show help
theme_toggle	t	t	Cycle themes
search	/	/	Search cells
next_match	n	n	Next search result
prev_match	N	N	Previous result
copy_cell	c	y	Copy cell
copy_row	C	Y	Copy row
jump	Ctrl+g	Ctrl+g	Jump to cell
show_cell_detail	Enter	Enter	Show details
next_sheet	Tab	Tab	Next sheet
prev_sheet	Shift+Tab	Shift+Tab	Previous sheet
up	Up	k	Move up
down	Down	j	Move down
left	Left	h	Move left
right	Right	l	Move right
page_up	PageUp	Ctrl+u	Page up
page_down	PageDown	Ctrl+d	Page down
jump_to_top	Ctrl+Home	g	First row
jump_to_bottom	Ctrl+End	G	Last row
jump_to_row_start	Home	0	First column
jump_to_row_end	End	$	Last column

Key format:

• Single key: "q", "/", "Enter"
• With modifier: "Ctrl+g", "Shift+Tab", "Alt+s"
• Special keys: "Enter", "Esc", "Tab", "Home", "End", "PageUp", "PageDown", "Up", "Down", "Left", "Right"

Example Configurations

Minimal (theme only):

[theme]
default = "Nord"

Custom theme:

[theme]
default = "tokyonight"

[[theme.custom]]
name = "tokyonight"
inherits = "Dracula"
foreground = "#c0caf5"
background = "#1a1b26"
header_fg = "#7aa2f7"
border_fg = "#565f89"

VIM user:

[theme]
default = "Dracula"

[keybindings]
profile = "vim"

Custom workflow:

[theme]
default = "GitHub Dark"

[ui]
max_rows = 100
column_width = 40

[keybindings]
profile = "default"

[keybindings.custom]
quit = "x"
search = "s"
copy_cell = "Ctrl+c"
copy_row = "Ctrl+Shift+c"

Full reference: See config.toml.example for all options with detailed comments.

Performance

xleak is optimized for both small and large files:

• Small files (< 1000 rows): Instant loading with full eager loading
• Large files (≥ 1000 rows): Automatic lazy loading with row caching
  • Memory usage: ~400KB for 10,000 row files
  • Loads only visible rows on demand
  • Progress indicators for long operations

Comparison to Alternatives

Tool	Format	Speed	Terminal Native	Interactive	Search	Formulas
xleak	✅ xlsx/xls/ods/csv	⚡ Fast	✅ Yes	✅ Full TUI	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Excel	✅ xlsx	❌ Slow startup	❌ GUI only	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
pandas	✅ Many	❌ Slow	❌ Python required	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No
csvlook	❌ CSV only	✅ Fast	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No

Related Projects

Looking to view Word documents in the terminal? Check out doxx - a terminal viewer for .docx files with similar TUI capabilities.

Built With

• Rust - for performance and reliability
• calamine - the fastest Excel/ODS parser
• ratatui - terminal user interface framework
• comfy-table - beautiful terminal tables for non-interactive output
• clap - elegant CLI argument parsing
• arboard - cross-platform clipboard support
• csv - CSV/TSV parsing (optional csv feature)

Troubleshooting

"File not found"

• Ensure the file path is correct
• Use quotes if the filename has spaces: xleak "My Report.xlsx"

"No sheets found"

• The Excel file might be corrupted
• Try opening it in Excel/LibreOffice first to verify

"Sheet 'X' not found"

• Run xleak file.xlsx (without --sheet) to see all available sheets
• Sheet names are case-sensitive

License

MIT License — see LICENSE file for details.

Credits

• Inspired by doxx by bgreenwell
• Powered by calamine

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Made for developers who live in the terminal 🚀