D-Cubed: A terminal commands and shortcuts learning assistant
Source: Dev.to
Overview
D‑Cubed (Dynamic Discovery Daemon) is a context‑aware terminal reminder system that helps new developers become familiar with commands, shortcuts, and best practices through intelligent, automated suggestions.
The Challenge
- Too many commands to remember – Git, Docker, Linux, keyboard shortcuts, and hundreds of commands across multiple tools.
- Constant context switching – Developers break flow by searching Stack Overflow or documentation for forgotten commands.
- Static solutions fail – Cheat sheets require manual lookup; generic ghost text lacks project awareness.
GitHub repository:
Display Modes
The system automatically detects your terminal and adapts its UI:
- iTerm2 (macOS) – Fixed status bar at the top or bottom.
- tmux – Integrated into the tmux status line.
- Other terminals – Displayed above the prompt.
The tips update every 5 seconds. The daemon adapts to recent command history, with suggestions powered by GitHub Copilot, allowing users to learn without interrupting their workflow.
Manual Control
reminder-start # Start the background daemonMy Experience with GitHub Copilot CLI
GitHub Copilot is the backbone of this project. It fused seamlessly with the development workflow, handling brew installations, shell configurations, and Python package management. When the original plan to implement ghost‑text (IDE‑style autocomplete in the terminal) proved incompatible with Powerlevel10k, Copilot guided multiple iterations and ultimately pivoted the design toward iTerm2’s status bar integration, resulting in a cleaner look.
Throughout the process, Copilot respected the permissions granted, accessing and modifying only the approved files and directories. The concise task list it provided was especially helpful.
- Integration: Built on top of the fantastic iTerm2 community.
- Powered by: GitHub Copilot CLI.