Getting Started

Installation

cargo install --path .

Or build from source:

cargo build --release
cp target/release/demonator /usr/local/bin/

Your first demo

Create a file called demo.yml:

steps:
  - text: "echo 'Hello from demonator!'"
  - text: "date"
  - text: "uname -a"

Run it:

demonator

Each command is typed out character-by-character. Press Enter to execute it and advance to the next step.

Customizing the look

Add global options to control timing and appearance:

speed: 25              # characters per second
jitter: 30             # random timing variation (%)
pause: 150             # extra delay after punctuation (ms)
clear: true            # clear terminal before starting
prompt: "{cyan}>{reset} "  # custom prompt

steps:
  - text: "echo 'looks different now'"

Using a custom config file

demonator -c my-other-demo.yml

What's next

• Configuration reference — all global and per-step options
• Commentary and narration — add explanatory text between commands
• Fake output — simulate command output without running anything
• Chapters — organize demos into navigable sections
• Auto-advance and recording — record demos with asciinema
• Interactive commands — handle commands that prompt for input
• Conditional steps — branch based on runtime state
• Syntax highlighting — colorize commands as they are typed
• Setup and teardown — hidden environment prep and cleanup
• Wait-for-pattern — wait for output before advancing
• Authoring workflow — dry-run and hot reload for writing demos