Free & Open Source • Written in C
Listen to YouTube music directly from your terminal. No distractions, no browser, no nonsense. Just pure music in your shell.
Born from the need to listen to music quickly, without distractions, even offline.
No complex configurations. Just install it and start listening. Intuitive keyboard shortcuts let you control everything without leaving your terminal.
Search and play any song from YouTube instantly. No browser needed, no ads, no distractions. Just you and your music.
Save your favorite tracks for offline listening. Download singles or entire playlists with a single command.
Organize your music into playlists. Export them as MP3 files ready to sync with your portable MP3 player.
All downloads are optimized and tagged. Just drag and drop to your MP3 player and enjoy your music anywhere.
Written in pure C with minimal dependencies. Uses almost no resources while delivering maximum performance.
A beautiful ncurses-based TUI designed for keyboard-driven workflows.
Everything you need for a complete terminal music experience.
Search millions of tracks directly from your terminal
Instant streaming without downloading first
Save tracks in high-quality MP3 format
Create, edit, and organize your playlists
Download entire playlists with one command
Build your download queue on the fly
Full keyboard control, no mouse needed
/* * ShellBeats * A terminal music player * * Christmas 2025 */ #include <passion.h> #include <family.h> #include <cigars.h> #include <chess.h> int main() { while (on_vacation) { play_chess(kids); smoke_cigar(); write_code(); } return SHELLBEATS; }
ShellBeats was born during the Christmas holidays of 2025. I wanted to return to writing C code after a long time — there's something special about the simplicity and power of this language.
I was on vacation with my family, and between a cigar and a chess game with my kids, I started writing what would become ShellBeats. The goal was simple: listen to music quickly, without distractions, without opening a browser, without ads interrupting the flow.
What started as a small experiment grew into a full-featured terminal music player. Now I can queue up my favorite songs while working, download them for offline listening, and sync everything to my MP3 player for when I'm away from the keyboard.
ShellBeats is and will always be free and open source. If you find it useful, consider buying me a coffee to support development.
Found a bug? Have a feature request? Just want to say hi?