cmdchamp v1.2.13
bash CLI trainer — 30 levels from ls to privilege escalation
cmdchamp
Bash CLI trainer — 30 levels from ls to privilege escalation.
Every question asks you to type a real command — get instant feedback, move on. Many run against real files in the sandbox, and all accept multiple valid syntaxes (sort -u or sort | uniq). Tab toggles the manpage when you need a reference, and the order is randomized each run so you can't memorize it. Mastery tracks what you know: get a question right twice to master it, miss it and it demotes so it comes back sooner. A 5-answer streak triggers fire mode — a banner that runs until you miss.
Each level ends with a boss round — no manpages, 30s timer, 4/5 to pass. Fail and you can retry the boss immediately or go back to practice. Beat all 30 and challenge mode unlocks: every level, 20s timer, no manpages, one miss and you're done. First run includes a short tutorial and a placement test that lets you skip levels you already know.
With bubblewrap, commands run in a real sandboxed filesystem. Without it, answers are text-matched. Search levels (16-17) accept both rg/fd and grep/find syntax. Vi line editing built in.
Install
Arch (AUR):
paru -S cmdchamp # or: yay -S cmdchamp
Anywhere (single file):
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin && curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mellen9999/cmdchamp/main/cmdchamp -o ~/.local/bin/cmdchamp && chmod +x ~/.local/bin/cmdchamp
Add ~/.local/bin to PATH if needed: echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
Or clone:
git clone https://github.com/mellen9999/cmdchamp.git
cd cmdchamp && make install
Requires: bash 4.4+, coreutils, awk
macOS: Ships with bash 3.2 — install bash 4.4+ first: brew install bash
Optional: bubblewrap (bwrap) for sandbox mode (Linux only) — most desktop distros include it. Without it, answers are text-matched only
Accessibility: Honors NO_COLOR and TERM=dumb. Layout adapts to COLUMNS / tput cols. Mastery bars carry both color and a ✓ / ~ / x symbol — readable without color.
Terminals: Runs on real serial terminals, not just emulators. cmdchamp probes what the terminal can actually display and picks one of three render tiers — unicode, DEC ACS line-drawing, or pure ASCII — so frames stay intact on a VT100/VT220/VT320/VT420 or Wyse. On a monochrome screen, color distinctions are re-encoded as bold/reverse. Force a tier with CMDCHAMP_ASCII=1 or CMDCHAMP_UNICODE=1. ./test_terminals.sh verifies it.
Usage
cmdchamp # Launch the game menu
cmdchamp --no-sandbox # Disable sandbox (text-match only)
cmdchamp reset # Clear all progress
cmdchamp test # Run self-tests
cmdchamp version # Print version
cmdchamp help # Show help
The menu holds continue, new game, scenarios, challenge mode, stats, and options. Hotkeys 1–7 jump straight to an item; j/k or arrows move; Enter selects.
Levels
| # | Name | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals | ||
| 1 | First Steps | pwd, ls, echo, cd, mkdir |
| 2 | File Basics | cp, mv |
| 3 | Save Your Work | >, >>, tee |
| 4 | Reading Files | cat, head, tail, less |
| 5 | Basic Pipes | pipes, grep, wc, sort, uniq |
| 6 | Input & Here-Strings | <, <<<, tr, cut, rev, bc |
| 7 | Error Handling | 2>, 2>&1, &>, /dev/null |
| 8 | Logic Gates | &&, || |
| 9 | Variables | $VAR, assignment, expansion |
| 10 | Special Variables | $$, $?, $!, $#, $@, $0 |
| 11 | Job Control | bg, fg, jobs, &, Ctrl+Z |
| 12 | Test Conditions | -f, -d, -z, -n, -eq, -lt |
| 13 | Core File Tools | cp, mv, ln, chmod, du, tar, diff |
| 14 | System Admin | ping, df, free, ss, systemctl, ip |
| 15 | Multiplexers | tmux: sessions, windows, panes |
| 16 | Text Search | grep, ripgrep, regex |
| 17 | File Finding | find, fd, by name/size/time/type |
| 18 | Data Processing | sort, uniq, cut, awk, tr, comm |
| 19 | String & Arrays | parameter expansion, arrays |
| 20 | Control Flow | if/else, loops, case, functions |
| 21 | Batch Ops | find -exec, xargs, sed -i, crontab |
| 22 | Advanced Regex | lookahead, sed, awk |
| DevOps & Security | ||
| 23 | Git | branches, remotes, rebasing, stashing, bisect |
| 24 | Network Tools | tshark, curl, jq, ssh tunnels, openssl, SMB |
| 25 | Network Scanning | nmap, service detection, scripts |
| 26 | WiFi & RF | aircrack-ng, netcat, tcpdump, wireless recon |
| 27 | Hash Cracking | hashcat, john, hydra, encoding |
| 28 | Forensics | strings, readelf, binwalk, volatility, exiftool |
| 29 | Privilege Escalation | SUID, GTFOBins, enumeration |
| 30 | ROOT | emergency recovery, chroot, offline survival |
Scenarios
Multi-step sandbox challenges — state persists between steps. Available from the Scenarios menu once you clear the unlock boss.
| # | Name | Unlocks at | Steps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Permission Lockout | L13 boss | 6 |
| 2 | Archive & Extract | L13 boss | 6 |
| 3 | Find the Needle | L16 boss | 7 |
| 4 | Messy CSV | L18 boss | 4 |
| 5 | The Incident | L18 boss | 5 |
| 6 | The Broken Deploy | L21 boss | 7 |
| 7 | Log Emergency | L21 boss | 5 |
| 8 | Config Surgery | L21 boss | 5 |
| 9 | Git Rescue | L23 boss | 6 |
| 10 | Batch Refactor | L21 boss | 6 |
| 11 | Forensic Sweep | L22 boss | 6 |
Placement test
After the first-run tutorial, you're asked if you want to take the placement test to skip ahead. Accept and it runs 2 questions per level, 30s each, no manpages. Miss one and that's your starting level.
Easter eggs
8 hidden achievements. The Stats screen shows how many you've found.
Controls
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Enter | Submit answer |
| Tab | Toggle manpage |
| Ctrl+d | Quit (session summary) |
| Esc | Vi normal mode |
| ? | All keybindings (normal mode) |
Data
Progress saves to ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-~/.local/share}/cmdchamp/.
License
MIT