explaingit

sindresorhus/fkill-cli

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

6,986JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5Setup · easy

TLDR

fkill-cli is a cross-platform command-line tool to stop running processes by name, ID, or port number, with an interactive fuzzy-search picker when you run it without arguments.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((fkill-cli))
    What it does
      Kill processes
      By name
      By port
      By PID
    Platforms
      macOS
      Linux
      Windows
    Interactive Mode
      Browse processes
      Fuzzy search
      CPU memory hints
    Options
      Force kill
      Timeout
      Multiple targets
Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Kill a stuck process by port number with `fkill :8080` when your local dev server is not releasing its port.

USE CASE 2

Open the interactive picker to browse all running processes, filter by name, and stop the ones using high CPU or memory.

USE CASE 3

Force-kill a stubborn application that ignores a normal stop request using the force-kill flag.

What is it built with?

JavaScriptNode.js

How does it compare?

sindresorhus/fkill-clihpneo/gmapssbstjn/timesheet.js
Stars6,9866,9836,982
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Setup difficultyeasyeasyeasy
Complexity1/52/52/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
No license information was provided in the explanation.

In plain English

fkill-cli is a small command-line tool that lets you stop running programs on your computer. It works on macOS, Linux, and Windows. You install it once via npm and then use it from a terminal whenever you need to shut down a process that is stuck or that you want to close. You can target a process by its numeric ID, by its name, or by the network port it is listening on. For example, typing fkill safari stops Safari, and fkill :8080 stops whatever program is using port 8080. You can also list several targets at once to stop multiple processes in a single command. If you run fkill without any arguments it opens an interactive screen where you can browse running processes and pick which ones to stop. This view supports fuzzy search, so you can type part of a name to filter the list. It also shows indicators for processes using a lot of CPU or memory, which makes it easier to spot the ones causing problems. A force-kill option is available for processes that ignore a normal stop request, and a timeout option lets you specify how many seconds to wait before escalating to a force kill.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I keep forgetting to stop my local dev server and the port stays locked. Write me a shell alias or script that uses fkill to free port 3000 before starting it again.
Prompt 2
How do I use fkill-cli to kill multiple processes at once by name in a single command?
Prompt 3
My Node.js process ignores SIGTERM. Show me the fkill command with force-kill and a timeout to shut it down reliably.

Frequently asked questions

What is fkill-cli?

fkill-cli is a cross-platform command-line tool to stop running processes by name, ID, or port number, with an interactive fuzzy-search picker when you run it without arguments.

What language is fkill-cli written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, Node.js.

What license does fkill-cli use?

No license information was provided in the explanation.

How hard is fkill-cli to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is fkill-cli for?

Mainly developer.

Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

This repo across BitVibe Labs

Verify against the repo before relying on details.