viddy

Viddy is a modern alternative to the classic Unix watch command that executes commands periodically and displays their output. While it provides all the basic functionality of the original watch command including periodic execution, color output, and diff highlighting, viddy adds several powerful enhancements that make it stand out.

The tool's most distinctive feature is its "time machine mode" that allows users to rewind through command execution history like a video player, letting you go back in time to see previous outputs and then return to the present. It also includes the ability to save and load execution history, view output in a pager for easier navigation, and search through text output. The interface uses Vim-like keymaps for intuitive navigation and supports customizable key bindings and colors.

Viddy is ideal for system administrators, developers, and anyone who regularly monitors changing system states, log files, or command outputs. Its enhanced features make it particularly useful for debugging issues that require examining how outputs change over time, or for situations where you need to review what happened during a monitoring session.

Installation

# via Homebrew
brew install viddy

# via Cargo
cargo install viddy