You need a terminal that supports the Kitty graphics protocol:
Chrome is automatically downloaded on first run if no system Chrome/Chromium is found; No action is needed for most platforms. The exception is Linux ARM64, where Chrome For Testing isn't available yet (coming Q2 2026!). If you are on Linux ARM64, you'll need to install Chromium manually before running Reels.
reels--headed- Run browser in headed mode (visible browser window)--login- Open browser window to log in to Instagram
| reels.conf bind | Default | Action |
|---|---|---|
key_next |
j |
Next reel (scrolls panels when open) |
key_previous |
k |
Previous reel (scrolls panels when open) |
key_seek_backward |
h |
Seek backward by 5 seconds |
key_seek_forward |
l |
Seek forward by 5 seconds |
key_like |
space |
Like/unlike |
key_share_select |
space |
Select friend in share panel. Overrides any other bind while share panel is open |
key_pause |
p |
Pause/resume current reel |
key_save |
b |
Save/Unsave (bookmark) current reel |
key_navbar |
e |
Toggle navbar, a condensed version of the help menu |
key_comments_open |
c |
Open comments |
key_comments_close |
C |
Close comments |
key_share_open |
s |
Open share panel. Allows you to share reels with instagram's suggested top friends. |
key_share_close |
S |
Close Share panel & sends to friends' DMs (if any are selected) |
key_copy_link |
y |
Copy reel link to clipboard |
key_mute |
m |
Mute current reel |
key_vol_up |
] |
Volume up |
key_vol_down |
[ |
Volume down |
key_reel_size_inc |
= |
Enlarge video |
key_reel_size_dec |
- |
Shrink video |
key_help_open |
? |
Help panel shows the current keybinds |
key_help_close |
? |
Close help panel |
key_quit |
q |
Quit |
key_quit |
ctrl+c |
Quit |
All keybinds are configurable in reels.conf. Each action supports multiple binds. Open/close pairs (like key_comments_open and key_comments_close) can be bound to the same key to toggle.
npm install -g @reels/tui
reelsbrew tap njyeung/tap
brew install reels
reelsyay -S reels-bin
reelsDownload the latest release from GitHub Releases:
| Platform | Binary |
|---|---|
| Linux (x86_64) | reels-linux-amd64 |
| Linux (ARM64) | reels-linux-arm64 |
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | reels-darwin-arm64 |
Requires Go 1.25+ and FFmpeg 8+ development libraries.
Pre-built binaries ship with FFmpeg statically linked. For development, dynamically linking against a system FFmpeg makes building and iteration faster (simply go build -o reels). You can still build using docker, but I highly recommend installing the correct versions of FFmpeg following the directions below:
macOS: Requires ffmpeg-full from Homebrew (brew install ffmpeg-full), MacPorts, or FFmpeg 8+ built from source. The standard brew install ffmpeg is missing required framework link flags.
Linux: Requires FFmpeg 8+ development libraries from your package manager (e.g. sudo pacman -S ffmpeg on Arch, sudo apt install ffmpeg on Debian/Ubuntu). This usually works fine as long as your packages are updated.
# brew install ffmpeg-full on macOS
# sudo apt install ffmpeg on Linux
# ffmpeg -version should be 8+
git clone https://github.com/njyeung/reels.git
cd reels
go build -o reels .- Settings:
~/.config/reels/reels.conf - Cache:
~/.cache/reels/ - Chrome Data:
~/.local/shared/reels/
# Default config (created on first run)
show_navbar = true
retina_scale = 2 # auto detects 2 on macOS, 1 on Linux by default
reel_width = 270
reel_height = 480
reel_size_step = 30
volume = 1
gif_cell_height = 5
panel_shrink_steps = 4 # how many reel_size_steps to shrink when opening a panel
# Configurable keybinds (multiple binds per action supported)
key_next = j
key_previous = k
key_pause = p
key_mute = m
key_like = space
key_navbar = e
key_vol_up = ]
key_vol_down = [
key_reel_size_inc = =
key_reel_size_dec = -
key_copy_link = y
key_save = b
key_seek_forward = l
key_seek_backward = h
key_share_open = s
key_share_close = S
key_share_select = space
key_comments_open = c
key_comments_close = C
key_help_open = ?
key_help_close = ?
key_quit = q
key_quit = ctrl+c