PICLR

PICLR (PICture Left/Right) lets you rapidly sort through large folders of images with simple left and right actions.

Install

Build from a git clone

git clone <your-fork-or-this-repo-url> piclr
cd piclr
cargo install --path .

Run as local web service:

piclr /path/to/images

This will log the URL for the local web service.

Run in the Tauri desktop shell:

cargo run --features tauri -- /path/to/images

Install from crates.io

If/when the crate is published:

cargo install piclr

Then run:

piclr /path/to/images

Install with Homebrew

If/when a formula is published:

brew install piclr

Then run:

piclr /path/to/images

Runtime note: app vs web service

• Running with --features tauri launches PICLR as a desktop app.
• In Tauri mode, open/change root location from the titlebar menu (Open Location) or Ctrl+O.
• Running as the web service (piclr ... without Tauri) does not support changing folders from inside the UI. Choose the folder when launching the command.

Platform Build Docs

• Linux: docs/tauri-build-linux.md
• macOS: docs/tauri-build-macos.md
• Windows: docs/tauri-build-windows.md

Linux Tauri Desktop Support

Top-level Linux support targets for desktop mode are:

• Debian-family distributions
• Fedora-family distributions
• Arch-family distributions

PICLR desktop mode is expected to run in both X11 and Wayland sessions through Tauri's webview backend.

Linux prerequisites

Install desktop runtime dependencies before launching with --features tauri:

• Debian-family:

  sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0 libgtk-3-0

• Fedora-family:

  sudo dnf install webkit2gtk4.1 gtk3

• Arch-family:

  sudo pacman -S webkit2gtk gtk3

Build and run:

cargo run --features tauri -- /path/to/images

With decorations: false, PICLR renders an in-app Tauri-only titlebar with drag, minimize, maximize/restore, and close controls.

Linux troubleshooting

• If startup reports that no display session is detected, launch from an X11/Wayland desktop session where DISPLAY or WAYLAND_DISPLAY is set.
• If startup reports missing WebKitGTK or GTK3 libraries, install the distro-family packages listed above and retry.
• If Open Location (menu or Ctrl+O) does not open a folder picker, verify you are running desktop mode (--features tauri) and not web-service mode.

Linux verification checklist

• Desktop shell starts and loads loopback UI in X11 session.
• Desktop shell starts and loads loopback UI in Wayland session.
• Titlebar menu Open Location or Ctrl+O opens native folder picker and selected folder replaces the active run context.

How to use PICLR

Start PICLR with an image directory:

piclr /path/to/images

If no port is provided, PICLR binds to an available loopback port and logs the URL.

Core workflow

1. Move through images.
2. Assign left/right decisions.
3. Undo if needed.
4. Apply queued actions when ready.

By default:

• Left action: move image to trash/
• Right action: move image to keep/

Controls

Navigation

• ↑ / K: previous image
• ↓ / J: next image
• Shift+↑ / Shift+K: previous undecided
• Shift+↓ / Shift+J: next undecided

Decisions and actions

• ← / H: apply left action
• → / L: apply right action
• U: undo last command
• Shift+A: apply queued actions

Modals and utility

• Q: show queued actions
• F: show/hide files sidebar
• ?: show help
• Esc: close top modal
• Ctrl+O: open location (desktop app mode only)

You can also use the footer/header buttons for the same commands.

DATA Stack Example

I'm using PICLR as a full end-to-end example of the DATA Stack:

• Datastar - Event-driven hypermedia interface
• Askama - Compile-time HTML templating
• Tauri - Native desktop application wrapper
• Axum - Bridging HTTP interface and state management

Built with OpenAI Codex and OpenSpec

PICLR was developed with Codex as an exercise to push its limits in an emerging technology stack.

It also leverages the OpenSpec framework for AI-assisted development.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.