Toolbox

A collection of practical tools for boosting development efficiency. Each tool is small, but once you start using it, there's no going back.

Package Managers

Scoop

A command-line package manager for Windows. Install software with a single command — it automatically handles dependencies and environment variables. No more visiting official websites to download installers and manually configuring PATH.

# Install software
scoop install git
scoop install python

# Update all software
scoop update *

# Search for software
scoop search nodejs

Compared to Chocolatey, Scoop is lighter, installs to the user directory by default, and doesn't require administrator privileges — ideal for daily developer use.

winget

Microsoft's official Windows package manager. Complements Scoop — winget's catalog leans toward desktop applications (browsers, communication tools), while Scoop focuses on developer tools. Using both covers most needs.

winget install Google.Chrome
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

Terminal Enhancements

lsd

A modern replacement for the ls command. Comes with icons, colors, and tree view by default — the output looks much better than the native ls.

# Same usage as ls
lsd
lsd -la
lsd --tree

Recommended to alias as ls for a seamless daily replacement.

zoxide

A smart replacement for the cd command. It remembers directories you've visited, so you only need to type part of the path to jump there.

# Jump to a directory containing "project"
z project

# Jump to a directory containing "docs"
z docs

After some usage, directory navigation becomes noticeably faster. Supports all major shells (bash, zsh, fish, PowerShell).

fzf

A command-line fuzzy finder. It can perform interactive fuzzy search on any list — files, Git history, processes, environment variables, anything.

# Fuzzy search files and open with vim
vim $(fzf)

# Fuzzy search Git history
git log --oneline | fzf

# Fuzzy search and switch directory
cd $(find . -type d | fzf)

With keybindings, you can set up Ctrl+T for file search, Ctrl+R for history search, and other efficient operations.

starship

A cross-shell prompt. Displays context information like Git branch, Node/Python/Rust version, command execution time, and more — much more informative than the default prompt. Configured with a single TOML file.

tmux

A terminal multiplexer. Open multiple panes in a single terminal window, and sessions survive SSH disconnections. Essential for remote development.

# Create a new session
tmux new -s work

# Detach (session keeps running)
Ctrl+B, D

# Reattach
tmux attach -t work

Editors and Note-Taking

Vim

A terminal text editor. The learning curve is steep, but once mastered, editing speed far exceeds regular editors. It's more than an editor — Vim's keybinding design is an operation language, and many other tools support Vim mode (VS Code, IDEA, even browsers).

Getting started: run vimtutor (Vim's built-in tutorial, 30 minutes), then install the Vim extension in VS Code and gradually adapt.

Obsidian

A local knowledge management tool based on Markdown. All notes are local Markdown files, not tied to any platform. Supports bidirectional linking, graph view, and a rich plugin ecosystem.

Ideal for building a personal knowledge base — course notes, technical documentation, reading notes. Pair with Git for version control; more controllable than Notion.

Neovim

A modernized fork of Vim. Compatible with Vim's keybindings and plugins, but with better defaults, Lua scripting support, and async plugin loading. If you're starting from scratch with Vim, learn Neovim directly.

Desktop Efficiency

Everything

A Windows file search神器. Based on NTFS USN Journal, search speed is hundreds of times faster than Windows built-in search. Type a keyword and results appear in real-time.

Once installed, you'll never have to dig through directories to find files again. Suggest setting a global shortcut (like Ctrl+Space) to launch it anytime.

Flow Launcher

A Windows efficiency launcher, similar to macOS Spotlight / Alfred. Quickly launch applications, search files, do calculations, check weather, and through plugins search bookmarks, clipboard history, GitHub, and more.

# Install with Scoop
scoop install flow-launcher

Default shortcut is Alt+Space — launch anytime, dismiss immediately.

PowerToys

Microsoft's official Windows enhancement toolkit. Includes window management (FancyZones), color picker, bulk rename, keyboard manager, screen ruler, and over a dozen other utilities.

Most useful features for developers: - FancyZones: Custom window layouts, great for multi-monitor setups - PowerToys Run: Quick launcher similar to Flow Launcher - Keyboard Manager: Remap keys

Value in the AI Era

AI tools (like Claude Code, Copilot) are changing how we program, but these efficiency tools are more valuable than ever:

Terminal tools are the infrastructure for AI programming. AI-assisted programming tools (like Claude Code) run in the terminal. A well-configured terminal environment (lsd, zoxide, fzf, tmux) helps you navigate, search, and operate files faster, improving your collaboration efficiency with AI.

Local knowledge management combats information fragmentation. In the AI era of information explosion, Obsidian helps you organize scattered knowledge points into a searchable, interconnected knowledge network. AI excels at generating content, but knowledge accumulation and internalization still require your own note-taking system.

Efficiency tools free up cognitive resources. Tools like Everything and Flow Launcher reduce time spent on "finding things." The saved time and attention can be used for more valuable tasks — like understanding AI-generated code or thinking about system design.