genact
A terminal program that prints fake busy-looking activity so you seem to be working.
- Stars
- 12.2k
- Forks
- 495
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Rust
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- CLI
What it is
genact is a command-line program that displays scrolling output meant to look like real work, such as compiling, downloading, or hacking, while nothing useful happens. It has about 20 built-in scenes called modules, and you can also run it in a web browser. People use it as a novelty or to look busy while waiting for their computer.
- Run `genact` in a terminal to show a scrolling fake compile or download
- Run only specific scenes with `genact -m cc memdump` or similar module names
- Use `--exit-after-time` to stop it after a set time
- Open the web version at the project homepage and pick modules with URL parameters
Great for
- People who want a funny full-screen 'busy' display for a terminal
- Developers who enjoy joking about build or install output
- Anyone who wants to try a simple Rust command-line tool
- Demo or screensaver-style use on a spare screen
Not ideal for
- Anyone who needs real output or a working build or download, since nothing useful happens (the README says so directly)
- People trying to fool a coworker or manager in a way that could cause real harm or deception at work
How to get it
- 1
Download the app
Install with Cargo (Rust toolchain required)
cargo install genactInstall on macOS with Homebrew
brew install genactInstall on Windows with Scoop
scoop install genactInstall on FreeBSD
pkg install genact - 2
Run it
- Download the binary for your system from the releases page, or install with one of the commands above
- Run `genact -l` to list the available modules
- Run `genact` to start the default display
- Press Ctrl+C to stop it
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Pick scenes with `-m` (for example `-m cc memdump`)
- Use `-s` to speed up or slow down output
- Use `-i` to print a set number of lines instantly before the animation
- Generate shell completions with `--print-completions` for bash, zsh, fish, elvish, or powershell
- Open the web version with `?module=` and `?speed-factor=` parameters
Downloads
Strengths
- Available as prebuilt binaries for many platforms and as a web version
- Simple to use, with a list of modules and command-line options
- Actively maintained, with a recent push and an MIT license
Trade-offs
- Purely for entertainment; it does no real work
- Some scenes depend on the README's module list, which may change between versions
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| genact (this) | 12.2k | CLI | beginner | 4 days ago | People who want a funny full-screen 'busy' display for a terminal |
| wasmer | 21.2k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who want to run untrusted or third-party code with explicit access controls |
| json-server | 75.7k | Dev tool | beginner | 8 months ago | Front-end developers who need a backend stub while the real API is not ready |
| tree-sitter | 27.4k | Library | advanced | 4 days ago | Developers building code editors or IDE features that need to understand source code as it changes |
| turso | 25.1k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who want an embedded SQLite-compatible database in a Rust, JavaScript, Python, Java, Go, or .NET project |
| RustPython | 22.5k | Other | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who want to experiment with a Python interpreter written in Rust |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.