The no-nonsense task killer for your terminal.
The original fzf-kill was designed for Linux. This version adapts the logic to handle macOS's BSD-style ps flags and system utilities while keeping the same workflow.
I have provided two ways to run this on Mac:
| File | Description |
|---|---|
fzf-kill |
Optimized refactor for macOS. Uses macOS-native command flags and simplified logic for better performance. |
fzf-kill-legacy.sh |
1:1 structural port. Retains the original Linux script's logic flow for those who prefer the explicit structure. |
This project includes a professional Makefile to handle installation and cleanup.
You must have fzf installed via Homebrew:
brew install fzf
| Command | Action |
|---|---|
make user-install |
Recommended: Installs scripts to ~/.local/bin (No sudo required). |
sudo make install |
System-wide install to /usr/local/bin. |
make uninstall |
Removes scripts from both user and system paths. |
make clean |
Workspace Only: Clears development artifacts (like the test/ directory). |
Choose your preferred version and manually put the file into /usr/local/bin or ~/.local/bin:
chmod +x fzf-kill
mv fzf-kill /usr/local/bin/fzf-kill
- Open the program with
fzf-kill. - Write the name of the process you want to kill and press ENTER.
- That's it, there is not third step.
You can see the help with
fzf-kill --help
This will print all available options.
HELP:
fzf-kill allow you to kill your programs in a quick and intuitive way
without the cluttered user experience,
or the uncomfortable keybindings of other task killers.
# BASIC COMMANDS
* --parents Show only parent processes. (default)
* --all Show both parent and children processes.
# ADVANCED OPTIONS
* --exclude You can exclude a list of programs from appearing on the list.
Use it like:
fzf-kill --exclude='word1|word2|word2'
You can also pipe it from a file like:
fzf-kill --exclude=$(cat ~/.config/fzf-kill/my_excludes.txt)
* --loop fzf-kill will stay open even after killing a program.
* --fzf_default_ops You can use it to override the env var FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS.
Use it like:
fzf-kill --fzf_default_ops="--min-height=100 --prompt 'kill -9 '"
* --showroot List both root and user processes running in the session.
By default is disabled. Meaning by default we show only
processes owned by the user.
Please note that this option won't let you kill anything
launched by root unless you are root, or run fzf-kill with
sudo privileges (which by general rule, you shouldn't).
This is a straightforward port of a simple script. I have uploaded it to provide an immediate solution for macOS users who need this workflow ASAP. While these versions are ready for production use, I encourage you to read the code, fork it, and adapt the logic to your specific environment.
Mostly bugfixes will be accepted. I'm opened to ideas about possible improvements, but take into condideration this program has two main goals:
- Covering the very specific case of use of killing stuff fast and user friendly, while using super low resources. (Nice program for a keybinding, for example).
- Keeping the code maintainable. You probably noticed you have many other great task killers out there, like fkill, htop, btop, and a long etc. And the reason why I coded this was my fear of those programs being eventually too big and too hard to maintain. And the high difficulty involved in modifing their code by the average user.