nnn
n³ The unorthodox terminal file manager
Runssource: GitHubCBSD-2-Clausecommit fcd794631106
C, BSD-2-Clause licensed. The project labels itself: android, batch rename, cli, command line, developer tools, disk usage, file manager and file preview.
nnn runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 6 minutes and hit 3 errors and fixed every one without help on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
nnn v5.3 builds from source and runs as a terminal file manager, successfully listing directories, navigating into subdirectories, and returning; the test harness confirms all assertions pass.
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 100 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed . Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- Binary crashed with corrupted size vs. prev_size (SIGABRT)3 minutes
- curses.h: No such file or directory during compilation2 minutes
- cannot find -lncurses at link time1 minute
- Install time
- 6 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 8 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 3 hit, 3 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- nnn_runner.sh test harness: 7/7 assertions passed (file listing, dir navigation, content verification). Binary reports version 5.3, exits cleanly.
- Model tokens used
- 50,730
- Exact commit tested
- fcd794631106
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
Watch the session
The whole run, from a clean machine, at the speed it actually happened. Nothing is cut and nothing is sped up.
A recording of attempt 1, run . The verdict above comes from a different attempt, so read this as one session and not as the current result. The terminal recording it was made from is the evidence, stored with a sha256 fingerprint; the video is a rendering of it. Nothing loads from the video host until you press play.
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
All tests passing. Let me now compile my final report. Here's a summary of what happened: **Errors encountered and fixed:** 1. **`curses.h: No such file or directory`** (compilation) — The `libncurses-dev` package isn't ins… 2. **`cannot find -lncurses`** (linking) — The runtime has `libncursesw.so.6` but no symlink for `l… 3. **`corrupted size vs. prev_size`** / crash (runtime) — Initial linking was incomplete. Fixed by … tokens used 50,730 All tests passing. Let me now compile my final report. Here's a summary of what happened: **Errors encountered and fixed:** 1. **`curses.h: No such file or directory`** (compilation) — The `libncurses-dev` package isn't ins… 2. **`cannot find -lncurses`** (linking) — The runtime has `libncursesw.so.6` but no symlink for `l… 3. **`corrupted size vs. prev_size`** / crash (runtime) — Initial linking was incomplete. Fixed by …
Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Reached a running state on a clean machine, with the session recorded.
- Recovered from all 3 errors without a human stepping in, which says the failures are documented well enough to solve.
- Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
- Licensed BSD-2-Clause, as reported by its host.
- Measured 3 times, so the result is not a one-off.
What did not, or is not known
- Took 6 minutes to install, slower than the median of the 7 comparable projects Argusic has measured.
Of the 8 android projects Argusic has installed and timed, nnn was the 5th fastest to reach a running state, and 7 of 8 reached one at all.
What it is a reasonable choice for
- Trying it on a laptop or a small server: it reached a running state without a GPU.
- A quick evaluation: it was running 6 minutes after the clone.
Also tested, in the same area
Every one of these was installed and run by Argusic on a clean machine. Nothing appears here that was not tested.
Run history
Topics (from GitHub)
androidbatch-renamecclicommand-linedeveloper-toolsdisk-usagefile-managerfile-previewfile-searchfilesystemlaunchermulti-platformncursesproductivityraspberry-piterminaltuivimwsl
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/nnn)Questions
- Does nnn run?
- Yes. nnn runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 6 minutes, hitting 3 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test nnn?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit fcd794631106. 3 attempts are recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test nnn?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.04: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does nnn take to install?
- 6 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does nnn need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing nnn?
- 3 things broke in the recorded run, and 3 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- How does nnn compare with the alternatives?
- Of the 8 android projects Argusic has installed and timed, nnn was the 5th fastest to reach a running state, and 7 of 8 reached one at all.
- Where is the evidence for nnn?
- All 3 recorded runs are on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.