FastAnime

^{Your browser anime experience, from the terminal.}

Screenshots

Media Results Menu: Episodes Menu with Preview:

Riced Preview Examples

Anilist Results Menu (FZF):

Episodes Menu with Preview (FZF):

No Image Preview Mode:

Desktop Notifications + Episodes Menu:

Installation

The app runs wherever Python 3.10+ is available. On Android, you can use Termux. For installation help, join our Discord.

Installation on NixOS

nix profile install github:Benexl/fastanime

Installation on Arch Linux

Install from the AUR using an AUR helper like yay or paru.

# Stable version (recommended)
yay -S fastanime

# Git version (latest commit)
yay -S fastanime-git

Recommended Installation (uv)

The recommended installation method is with uv, a fast Python package manager.

# Install with all optional features (recommended for the full experience)
uv tool install "fastanime[standard]"

# Stripped-down installations
uv tool install fastanime  # Core functionality only
uv tool install "fastanime[download]"  # For advanced downloading
uv tool install "fastanime[discord]"   # For Discord Rich Presence
uv tool install "fastanime[notifications]" # For desktop notifications

Other Installation Methods

pipx or pip

Using pipx (Recommended for isolated environments)

pipx install "fastanime[standard]"

Using pip

pip install "fastanime[standard]"

Bleeding Edge & Building from Source

Installing the Bleeding Edge Version

Download the latest fastanime_debug_build artifact from the GitHub Actions page, then:

unzip fastanime_debug_build.zip
uv tool install fastanime-*.whl

Building from Source

Requirements: Git, Python 3.10+, and uv.

git clone https://github.com/Benexl/FastAnime.git --depth 1
cd FastAnime
uv tool install .
fastanime --version

Tip

Enable shell completions for a much better experience by running fastanime completions and following the on-screen instructions for your shell.

External Dependencies

For the best experience, install these external tools:

• Required for Streaming:
  • mpv - The primary media player.
• Recommended for UI & Previews:
  • fzf - For a powerful fuzzy-finder interface.
  • chafa or kitty's icat - For image previews in the terminal.
• Recommended for Downloads & Features:
  • ffmpeg - Required for downloading HLS streams.
  • webtorrent-cli - For streaming torrents.
  • syncplay - To watch anime together with friends.
  • feh or kitty's icat - For the experimental manga mode.

Usage

FastAnime offers a rich interactive TUI for browsing and a powerful CLI for scripting and automation.

Global Options

Most options can be passed directly to the fastanime command to override your config for that session.

• --provider <allanime|animepahe>: Choose the streaming site to use.
• --selector <fzf|rofi|default>: Choose the UI backend.
• --preview, --no-preview: Enable/disable image and info previews (requires fzf).
• --dub, --sub: Set preferred translation type.
• --icons, --no-icons: Toggle UI icons.
• --log, --log-file: Enable logging to stdout or a file for debugging.
• --rich-traceback: Show detailed, formatted tracebacks on error.

Main Commands

• fastanime anilist: The main entry point for the interactive TUI. Browse, search, and manage your lists.
• fastanime registry: Manage your local database of anime. Sync, search, backup, and restore.
• fastanime download: Scriptable command to download specific episodes.
• fastanime search: Scriptable command to find and stream episodes directly.
• fastanime config: Manage your configuration file.
• fastanime update: Update FastAnime to the latest version.
• fastanime queue: Add episodes to the background download queue.
• fastanime worker: Run the background worker for downloads and notifications.

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Deep Dive: fastanime anilist (Interactive TUI)

This is the primary way to use FastAnime. Simply run fastanime anilist to launch a rich, interactive terminal experience. From here you can:

• Browse trending, popular, and seasonal anime.
• Manage your personal lists (Watching, Completed, etc.) after logging in with fastanime anilist auth.
• Search for any anime in the AniList database.
• View detailed information, characters, recommendations, reviews, and airing schedules.
• Stream or download episodes.

anilist search Subcommand

A powerful command to filter the AniList database directly from your terminal.

# Search for anime from 2024, sorted by popularity, that is releasing and not on your list
fastanime anilist search -y 2024 -s POPULARITY_DESC --status RELEASING --not-on-list

# Find the most popular movies with the "Fantasy" genre
fastanime anilist search -g Fantasy -f MOVIE -s POPULARITY_DESC

# Dump search results as JSON instead of launching the TUI
fastanime anilist search -t "Demon Slayer" --dump-json

anilist download Subcommand

Combines the power of anilist search with the download command, allowing you to batch-download based on filters.

# Download episodes 1-12 of all fantasy anime that aired in Winter 2024
fastanime anilist download --season WINTER -y 2024 -g Fantasy -r "0:12"

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Deep Dive: fastanime registry (Local Database)

FastAnime maintains a local registry of your anime for offline access, enhanced performance, and powerful data management.

• registry sync: Synchronize your local data with your remote AniList account.
• registry stats: Show detailed statistics about your viewing habits.
• registry search: Search your locally stored anime data.
• registry backup: Create a compressed backup of your entire registry.
• registry restore: Restore your data from a backup file.
• registry export/import: Export your data to JSON/CSV for use in other applications.

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Scriptable Commands: download & search

These commands are designed for automation and quick access.

download Examples

# Download the latest 5 episodes of One Piece
fastanime download -t "One Piece" -r "-5"

# Download episodes 1 to 24, merge subtitles, and clean up original files
fastanime download -t "Jujutsu Kaisen" -r "0:24" --merge --clean

search (Binging) Examples

# Start binging an anime from the first episode
fastanime search -t "Attack on Titan" -r ":"

# Watch the latest episode directly
fastanime search -t "My Hero Academia" -r "-1"

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MPV IPC Integration

When use_ipc is enabled, FastAnime provides powerful in-player controls without closing MPV.

Key Bindings

• Shift+N: Play the next episode.
• Shift+P: Play the previous episode.
• Shift+R: Reload the current episode.
• Shift+A: Toggle auto-play for the next episode.
• Shift+T: Toggle between dub and sub.

Script Messages (MPV Console)

• script-message select-episode <number>: Jump to a specific episode.
• script-message select-server <name>: Switch to a different streaming server.

Configuration

FastAnime is highly customizable via its configuration file, located at ~/.config/fastanime/config.ini (path may vary by OS). Run fastanime config --path to find the exact location on your system.

A default configuration file with detailed comments is created on first run. You can edit it with fastanime config or use the interactive wizard with fastanime config --interactive.

Default Configuration (`config.ini`)

[general]
# The preferred watch history tracker (local,remote) in cases of conflicts
preferred_tracker = local
# The pygment style to use
pygment_style = github-dark
# The spinner to use
preferred_spinner = smiley
# The media database API to use (e.g., 'anilist', 'jikan').
media_api = anilist
# The default anime provider to use for scraping.
provider = allanime
# The interactive selector tool to use for menus.
selector = fzf
# Automatically select the best-matching search result from a provider.
auto_select_anime_result = True
# Display emoji icons in the user interface.
icons = True
# Type of preview to display in selectors.
preview = full
# The command-line tool to use for rendering images in the terminal.
image_renderer = icat
# The external application to use for viewing manga pages.
manga_viewer = feh
# Automatically check for new versions of FastAnime on startup.
check_for_updates = True
# Enable caching of network requests to speed up subsequent operations.
cache_requests = True
# Maximum lifetime for a cached request in DD:HH:MM format.
max_cache_lifetime = 03:00:00
# Attempt to normalize provider titles to match AniList titles.
normalize_titles = True
# Enable Discord Rich Presence to show your current activity.
discord = False
# Number of recently watched anime to keep in history.
recent = 50

[stream]
# The media player to use for streaming.
player = mpv
# Preferred stream quality.
quality = 1080
# Preferred audio/subtitle language type.
translation_type = sub
# The default server to use from a provider. 'top' uses the first available.
server = TOP
# Automatically play the next episode when the current one finishes.
auto_next = False
# Automatically resume playback from the last known episode and position.
continue_from_watch_history = True
# Which watch history to prioritize: local file or remote AniList progress.
preferred_watch_history = local
# Automatically skip openings/endings if skip data is available.
auto_skip = False
# Percentage of an episode to watch before it's marked as complete.
episode_complete_at = 80
# The format selection string for yt-dlp.
ytdlp_format = best[height<=1080]/bestvideo[height<=1080]+bestaudio/best
# Prevent updating AniList progress to a lower episode number.
force_forward_tracking = True
# Default behavior for tracking progress on AniList.
default_media_list_tracking = prompt
# Preferred language code for subtitles (e.g., 'en', 'es').
sub_lang = eng
# Use IPC communication with the player for advanced features like episode navigation.
use_ipc = True

Contributing

Pull requests are highly welcome! Please read our Contributing Guidelines to get started with setting up a development environment and understanding our coding standards.

Disclaimer

Important

This project scrapes public-facing websites (allanime, animepahe). The developer(s) of this application have no affiliation with these content providers. This application hosts zero content. Use at your own risk.

Full Disclaimer