Yes. websocat runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 1 minutes, hitting 0 errors on the way, and recorded the session.

How did Argusic test websocat?

On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit 3a3574cd2f5d. 2 attempts are recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.

What did it cost to test websocat?

The run that produced this verdict cost $0.01: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.

How long does websocat take to install?

0.5 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 websocat need a GPU?

Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.

What goes wrong when installing websocat?

Nothing did, in the recorded run: zero errors between clone and running.

Where is the evidence for websocat?

All 2 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.

websocat

Command-line client for WebSockets, like netcat (or curl) for ws:// with advanced socat-like functions

Runssource: GitHubRustMITcommit 3a3574cd2f5d

Rust, MIT licensed. The project labels itself: cli, command line, command line tool, curl, netcat, proxy, rfc 6455 and socat.

websocat runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 0.5 minutes and hit no errors on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.

websocat v1.14.1 builds from source with cargo, passes all 8 tests, and the binary performs WebSocket mirror echo correctly.
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

verdict: Runs
Argusic Score: 100 / 100
cost of the verifying run: $0.01 (measured)
recorded runs: 2
last tested: 2026-09-15
stars: 8,695
forks: 328
open issues: 159
watchers: 64
size: 3 MB
created: 2016-11-23
last push: 2026-08-13

Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed 2026-09-23. 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.

Install time: under a minute
Cold machine to finish: 3 minutes
Errors hit and fixed: 0 hit, 0 fixed with no human help
How the result was proved: cargo test: 1 unit test + 7 integration tests passed (exit 0); target/debug/websocat --version returned 'websocat 1.14.1'; echo hello | websocat ws-l:... mirror: + ws://127.0.0.1... echoed 'hello' back
Model tokens used: 31,481
Exact commit tested: 3a3574cd2f5d
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 2, run 2026-09-15, the attempt that decided the verdict above. 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 went smoothly. Let me compile the final report.
- **Rust toolchain** was missing; installed via `rustup` — no other issues.
- **`cargo build`** succeeded with only warnings (no errors).
- **`cargo test`** — 8/8 tests pass (1 unit test + 7 integration tests).
- **Binary** works: `websocat 1.14.1` version printed; a local mirror echo round-trip confirmed cor…
tokens used
31,481
All went smoothly. Let me compile the final report.
- **Rust toolchain** was missing; installed via `rustup` — no other issues.
- **`cargo build`** succeeded with only warnings (no errors).
- **`cargo test`** — 8/8 tests pass (1 unit test + 7 integration tests).
- **Binary** works: `websocat 1.14.1` version printed; a local mirror echo round-trip confirmed cor…

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.
Installed in 0.5 minutes, faster than the median of the 24 comparable projects Argusic has measured.
Nothing broke on the way: zero errors between clone and running.
Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
Licensed MIT, as reported by its host.
Measured 2 times, so the result is not a one-off.

Of the 25 cli projects Argusic has installed and timed, websocat was the 1st fastest to reach a running state, and 23 of 25 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 0.5 minutes after the clone.
Following its own README: the documented path worked with nothing to fix.

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

tested by	attempt	outcome	score	cost USD	when
Argusic Runner	2/3	Runs	100.00	0.01	2026-09-15 22:18 UTC
Argusic Runner	1/3	Runs	100.00	0.17	2026-09-03 12:41 UTC

Topics (from GitHub)

cli command-line command-line-tool curl netcat proxy rfc-6455 socat websocket-client websocket-server websockets

Embed the badge

Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.

[![Tested by Argusic](https://argusic.com/badge/websocat.svg)](https://argusic.com/subject/websocat)

Questions

Does websocat run?: Yes. websocat runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 1 minutes, hitting 0 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
How did Argusic test websocat?: On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit 3a3574cd2f5d. 2 attempts are recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
What did it cost to test websocat?: The run that produced this verdict cost $0.01: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
How long does websocat take to install?: 0.5 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 websocat need a GPU?: Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
What goes wrong when installing websocat?: Nothing did, in the recorded run: zero errors between clone and running.
How does websocat compare with the alternatives?: Of the 25 cli projects Argusic has installed and timed, websocat was the 1st fastest to reach a running state, and 23 of 25 reached one at all.
Where is the evidence for websocat?: All 2 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.