CLI Reference
Complete reference for the mototli command-line interface.
Global Options
mototli [ OPTIONS] COMMAND [ ARGS]
Option
Description
--help
Show help message
--version
Show version (alias for version command)
Commands
mototli get
Fetch and display a Gopher resource.
mototli get [ OPTIONS] HOST [ SELECTOR]
Arguments
Argument
Description
Default
HOST
Server hostname (required)
-
SELECTOR
Resource selector path
/
Options
Option
Description
Default
--port, -p
Server port
70
--search, -s
Search query (for type 7 items)
-
--type, -t
Item type (0=text, 1=dir, 7=search, 9=binary)
auto
--timeout
Connection timeout in seconds
30.0
--verbose, -v
Show detailed output with protocol info
false
--raw, -r
Output raw response (no formatting)
false
Examples
# Fetch root directory
mototli get gopher.floodgap.com
# Fetch specific path
mototli get gopher.floodgap.com /gopher
# Custom port
mototli get localhost --port 7070
# Search query
mototli get gopher.floodgap.com /v2/vs --search "python"
# Force text type
mototli get example.com /file --type 0
# Verbose output
mototli get gopher.floodgap.com --verbose
# Raw output (for piping)
mototli get gopher.floodgap.com /file.txt --raw > file.txt
mototli text
Fetch and display a text file (convenience command for type 0).
mototli text [ OPTIONS] HOST SELECTOR
Arguments
Argument
Description
HOST
Server hostname (required)
SELECTOR
File selector path (required)
Options
Option
Description
Default
--port, -p
Server port
70
--timeout
Connection timeout in seconds
30.0
Examples
# Fetch a text file
mototli text gopher.floodgap.com /gopher/welcome
# Custom port
mototli text localhost /readme.txt --port 7070
mototli attrs
Fetch Gopher+ attributes for a resource.
mototli attrs [ OPTIONS] HOST [ SELECTOR]
Arguments
Argument
Description
Default
HOST
Server hostname (required)
-
SELECTOR
Resource selector path
/
Options
Option
Description
Default
--port, -p
Server port
70
--timeout
Connection timeout in seconds
30.0
Output
Displays formatted attribute blocks:
+INFO - Item information
+ADMIN - Administrator contact
+VIEWS - Available content types
+ABSTRACT - Item description
Examples
# Get attributes for root
mototli attrs gopher.floodgap.com
# Get attributes for specific item
mototli attrs gopher.floodgap.com /gopher/welcome
# Custom port
mototli attrs localhost /document --port 7070
mototli serve
Start a Gopher server.
mototli serve [ OPTIONS] [ ROOT]
Arguments
Argument
Description
Default
ROOT
Document root directory
.
Options
Option
Description
Default
--host
IP address to bind to
localhost
--port, -p
Port to listen on
70
--hostname
Public hostname for listings
value of --host
--no-directory-listing
Disable auto directory listings
false
--no-gopher-plus
Disable Gopher+ support
false
--admin-name
Administrator name for Gopher+
-
--admin-email
Administrator email for Gopher+
-
--config, -c
Load settings from TOML file
-
--init
Print example configuration and exit
false
Examples
# Serve current directory on port 7070
mototli serve --port 7070
# Serve specific directory
mototli serve /var/gopher --port 70
# With public hostname
mototli serve /var/gopher --hostname gopher.example.com
# With admin info
mototli serve . --admin-name "Your Name" --admin-email "you@example.com"
# Disable auto listings
mototli serve . --no-directory-listing
# Use configuration file
mototli serve --config server.toml
# Generate example config
mototli serve --init > server.toml
Startup Output
Starting Gopher server...
Document root: /path/to/content
Listening on: localhost:7070
Hostname: localhost
Gopher+ enabled: Yes
Press Ctrl+C to stop
mototli version
Show version and protocol information.
Output
Mototli v0.1.0
Protocol: Gopher (RFC 1436) with Gopher+ (RFC 4266)
Exit Codes
Code
Meaning
0
Success
1
General error
2
Connection error (timeout, refused, etc.)
Environment Variables
Mototli respects standard terminal settings:
Variable
Effect
NO_COLOR
Disable colored output
FORCE_COLOR
Force colored output
TERM
Terminal type for formatting
Shell Completion
Generate shell completion scripts:
# Bash
mototli --show-completion bash >> ~/.bashrc
# Zsh
mototli --show-completion zsh >> ~/.zshrc
# Fish
mototli --show-completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/mototli.fish
See Also
January 1, 2026
January 1, 2026