JocalSend, a TUI LocalSend implementation

LocalSend is, in its words, "a free, open-source app that allows you to securely share files and messages with nearby devices over your local network without needing an internet connection." It comes in the form a Flutter/Dart cross-platform GUI application that runs on both mobile and desktop devices. Using it on mobile is very nice, but the desktop experience is a bit lacking in zazz.

JocalSend is an implementation of the LocalSend protocol that uses Ratatui to provide an interactive terminal-based application, and is compatible with the official app.

Install with cargo install jocalsend (requires Rust); tested on Linux, it will probably work on Macs but if you're on a Mac, you probably have AirDrop. It's also available in nixpkgs, and so if you're a NixOS user, nix-shell -p jocalsend will do what you expect.

Capabilities and screenshots

As with the official app, JocalSend can be used to send and receive files and text from other LocalSend instances on your local subnetwork. Most of the modes have the following keybindings available:

• M -> go back to the main screen
• S -> go to the sending screen, defaulting to sending files
• R -> go to the receiving screen to approve or deny incoming transfers
• L -> go to the logging screen where you can adjust the log level
• C -> clear the list of local peers and re-discover them
• H or ? -> go to help screen
• ESC -> go back to the previous screen
• Q -> exit the application

When in the sending screen, the following are available

• TAB -> switch between content selection and peer selection
• T -> enter text directly to send, ESC to cancel
• / -> fuzzy filename search, use ESC to stop inputting text

When in the receiving screen, use A to approve the incoming transfer request, or D to deny it.

Finally, it will also accept commandline arguments to pre-select a file or pre-populate text to send:

$ jocalsend -h
A terminal implementation of the LocalSend protocol

Usage: jocalsend [OPTIONS]

Options:
  -f, --file <FILE>  File to pre-select for sending
  -t, --text <TEXT>  Text string to send
  -h, --help         Print help
  -V, --version      Print version

Sending Files

JocalSend has a file-picking widget for selecting files to send:

but there's no preview available on the receiving side:

Sending text

JocalSend supports entering text directly:

and on the receiving side in the official app, you see

Receiving files

The main screen shows incoming transfer requests:

hit r to enter the "receiving" screen to approve or deny:

Receiving text

If the incoming transfer request is plain text, JocalSend will show a preview in both the main screen and in the receiving screen:

Thanks

• to the LocalSend developers for the app and protocol
• to wyli for the initial protocol backend implementation