wiki-cli

CLI tool that fetches Wikipedia summaries via Wikipedia API.

what it does

• Takes search term from CLI or interactive input
• Queries Wikipedia API
• Returns page extract (summary text)
• Splits output into:
  • first paragraph
  • remaining content (optional view)

why it exists

• fast terminal lookup without browser
• minimal dependency implementation
• useful for scripting + quick reference checks

how it works

1. input term (argv or stdin)
2. HTTP request via libcurl
3. JSON response parsed via cJSON
4. extract field selected from page result
5. text printed to terminal
6. optional loop:
   • show rest of text
   • new search
   • exit

---

deps

• CMake 3.15+
• C compiler (gcc / clang / MSVC)
• libcurl
• cJSON (bundled in repo)

---

build

Linux / macOS

cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build

Windows

cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build --config Release

---

run

Linux / macOS

./build/wiki_cli "Linux"

Windows

.\build\Release\wiki_cli.exe "Linux"

---

install (optional)

macOS / Linux

sudo cp build/wiki_cli /usr/local/bin/wiki-cli

Windows (system-wide)

Copy-Item .\build\Release\wiki_cli.exe C:\Windows\System32\wiki-cli.exe

Windows (user-local, recommended option)

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force $env:USERPROFILE\bin
Copy-Item .\build\Release\wiki_cli.exe $env:USERPROFILE\bin\wiki-cli.exe

Add to PATH:

• Environment Variables => PATH => add:

  %USERPROFILE%\bin
  

---

usage

basic

wiki-cli "Linux"

interactive mode

wiki-cli

inside app controls

- `1` = show remaining text
- `2` = new search
- `3` = exit